Zhou Ding was an outsider, but the fierce bandits who followed him were all seasoned experts.
If it weren't for the young man deliberately shifting his face an inch to the left, Zhou Ding's punch would never have landed on him.
Who would voluntarily take a punch to the face?
Yet, amidst the bewildered gazes of those onlookers, Zhou Ding's fist had already smashed into the young man's face.
"Since you made the first move, I won't be polite!"
After taking a punch, the young man showed no sign of pain. Instead, a strange smile spread across his face.
His gaze towards Zhou Ding shifted from shy to even more peculiar.
As the person directly involved, Zhou Ding felt it even more intensely.
If the young man's earlier demeanor had been that of an ordinary, slightly bashful mountain youth, he now resembled a famished gourmand who had suddenly spotted a peerless delicacy.
Just as Zhou Ding was wondering what the young man was up to next, he suddenly felt a dark shadow hurtling towards his temple. Before he could even register what was happening, his vision went black, and he completely lost consciousness.
Under the eerie gaze of the burly men, the young man, completely unconcerned, took several bundles of hemp rope from the oxcart behind him and proceeded to tie Zhou Ding up thoroughly.
"So pathetic, yet you dare to try robbing others? Truly seeking death!"
It wasn't until he had moved the man onto the oxcart and was making his escape that the burly men behind him finally reacted. They, the robbers who had come to plunder, had just been kidnapped…
"What are you standing around for? Hurry up and chase him!"
The leading fierce bandits finally snapped back to reality, no longer daring to delay.
"Hey, you there, stop!"
Judging by their ferocious looks and the weapons in their hands, these men were clearly not to be trifled with.
For anyone else, the only options at this moment would have been to flee or to fall to their knees in panicked surrender.
However, the young man not only showed no tension but actually stopped the oxcart again.
He tied the oxcart to a withered tree stump by the roadside and casually drew a cudgel from the cart.
"I truly didn't expect it, but coming out today was indeed the right decision!"
Listening to his deranged words and observing the excited expression on his face, the bandits who came to rob were utterly bewildered.
Nevertheless, they were all adept at raiding and plundering.
Even if they hadn't encountered such a bizarre situation before, they hadn't forgotten their core skills. As long as they could subdue this young man, they weren't afraid of how strange he might be.
But to their surprise, the man they thought they could easily defeat turned out to be completely different once the fight began.
Although he was only wielding an ordinary wooden stick, in his hands, it moved like a dragon emerging from the sea.
In just one exchange, he had slammed the two leading bandits to the ground.
This sudden turn of events completely stunned the bandits.
Their movements naturally faltered by half a beat. In that brief moment, the young man was like a tiger entering a flock of sheep.
He weaved through the crowd, with no match for him in any encounter. Essentially, every strike he landed, a bandit would be sent crashing to the ground.
A dozen fierce bandits couldn't even hold on for the time it takes to brew a cup of tea before he had taken them all down!
What's more, his attacks consistently targeted the area just behind their heads.
After subduing a dozen men, his breathing rhythm hadn't even been disrupted.
"Th-this…"
Li Mao'er, standing at a distance, was utterly dumbfounded. A dozen men had gone to deal with a mere youngster, and not only had they failed to capture him, but they had all been knocked down by him instead.
"Bring my horse!"
After a brief moment of shock, Li Mao'er's nose was almost contorted with rage. These useless oafs were too pathetic.
This was their first business after arriving in Tangyin. If they couldn't recover their honor, they might as well give up on the days to come.
They might as well find a piece of grass rope and hang themselves.
"Yes!"
Upon hearing Li Mao'er's words, someone immediately brought forth a fiery chestnut horse, its coat as red as fire.
Without further ado, Li Mao'er mounted the horse and, leading the remaining twenty-odd cavalrymen, gave chase.
"My Lord, this young man is skilled. We could recruit him!"
The fierce bandits also stopped their chatter, laughing heartily as they pursued.
As they chased, some of them even laughed and suggested to Li Mao'er.
"Well said. Don't kill him later!"
As they spoke, they arrived at the scene. Seeing his subordinates lying around, bound tightly, Li Mao'er swung the hilt of his sword, still sheathed, towards the young man's back.
The bandits behind him understood, realizing Li Mao'er wanted to capture the youth alive. Thus, they also used their scabbards to attack the young man.
However, to Li Mao'er's surprise, the young man's footwork was incredibly agile. With a mere falcon-like flip, he evaded Li Mao'er's fatal blow.
Then, using the moment of their positional exchange, he firmly planted his cudgel on the ground. Propelled by that force, he kicked Li Mao'er off his horse.
"My Lord!"
Seeing Li Mao'er fall from his horse, the cavalrymen beside him were terrified beyond measure.
They had just narrowly escaped death themselves. If Li Mao'er died, they would all be in dire straits.
In Neihuang, their leaders could still fight independently and put up some resistance.
However, this was Tangyin. Although it was still within Hebei province, they were encroaching on foreign territory.
Not only did the imperial forces have to deal with them, but the local bandits wouldn't let them off easily either!
If Li Mao'er were to perish at this juncture, they would be waiting to be annexed!
As their side panicked, the young man, emboldened by their disarray, pressed his advantage. Having obtained Li Mao'er's horse, he became unstoppable.
The ordinary cudgel in his hands was wielded with the skill of a spear.
Anyone he struck could not withstand a second blow.
In the blink of an eye, two or three of the bandits on horseback had been knocked down.
"Wind is tight, let's scatter!"
Seeing the situation, Li Mao'er knew he had stumbled upon a formidable opponent today.
Having just been helped onto his horse by his trusted subordinate, he immediately signaled them to flee quickly.
Although he had many men under his command, these men were tired and hungry, their bodies still damp. It was already a time of wavering morale, and if this youngster were to charge through their ranks, they might find themselves with only a lone mountain king by tomorrow morning!
Seeing the bandits fleeing in disarray, the young man showed no intention of pursuing. He began to tidy up the battlefield by himself.
Today, he had truly struck it rich!
After he had tied up all the fierce bandits and strung them together with rope, hanging them on the oxcart, a satisfied smile finally appeared on his face.
According to the rewards offered by the government, these bandits should fetch at least a hundred to eighty taels of silver.
Moreover, now there were several good horses, which also represented considerable wealth!
"Pengju, are you alright!"