Robbery on the Road

With over 300 jin of iron ingots on his back, Li Qing's body remained steady. Aside from his slower pace, he didn't feel overly burdened.

Since practicing martial arts, not only had his physical strength improved significantly, but his senses were also much sharper than before, with keen hearing and clear sight.

He could clearly sense even the slightest rustle of leaves around him.

As Li Qing walked out of the bustling marketplace with the basket of iron ingots on his back, he let out a soft sigh.

"You've been following me for a long time. You can come out now." Li Qing stopped, his muscles tensing as he remained alert to everything happening around him.

The street outside the marketplace was sparsely populated. All the houses had their doors tightly shut, with no sign of life.

Not long after Li Qing spoke, footsteps could be heard slowly emerging from both sides of the street.

More than one.

He murmured inwardly, then slowly turned around, watching three figures emerge from the sides of the street.

The clothes these three wore were tattered, with many patches, clearly indicating they lived difficult lives.

The tall, thin one in the middle seemed to be the leader. His face was gaunt, and his eyes held a lingering gloom.

"Brother, my two companions and I haven't eaten in a long time. Can you spare us some food?" The man's voice was hoarse and weak, suggesting he had indeed been hungry for a while.

However, Li Qing didn't let his guard down. If they were this weak from not eating, they wouldn't dare to rob someone unless they had a backup plan.

As expected, one of the shorter individuals among the three spoke up:

"Big brother, why waste words? Just cripple him and make him lead us to the food."

The third person also grunted, "Exactly. I saw clearly in the marketplace just now, his basket has at least twenty to thirty jin of Black Rye Mushrooms!"

"Gulp!"

After speaking, the man swallowed and pulled out a cleaver. Aside from some rust on the spine, it looked quite imposing.

So, he had shown off his wealth in the marketplace. He hadn't expected that a mere twenty jin of Black Rye Mushrooms would attract attention.

"Brother, you can see for yourself, we three brothers really haven't eaten in a long time. Why don't you cooperate?" The tall one also pulled out a long staff from his body.

Instantly, the three formed a triangle, half-surrounding Li Qing, looking as if they were about to attack at any moment.

Li Qing really wanted to argue that he had already sold all his Black Rye Mushrooms, but he knew these people wouldn't give up until they achieved their goal.

Once targeted, they would surely take a significant cut.

However, Li Qing felt no fear. On the contrary, a faint sense of excitement stirred within him.

He had been practicing martial arts for so long, but it had all been for show. It wouldn't be bad to spar with a few sickly individuals.

At some point, a surge of warmth rose in his chest.

"It seems we have no choice but to fight," Li Qing chuckled lightly.

As soon as he finished speaking, he threw off the loose cotton coat he was wearing, along with the heavy basket, and dropped them to the ground.

BANG!

The sound of the over 300 jin of iron ingots hitting the ground was heavy.

The tall, thin leader's expression changed drastically. He stared at Li Qing, who was now bare-chested, with dread. The lines of his muscles were so defined and powerful!

Damn it, we've run into a tough one!

He never imagined that Li Qing, with his seemingly honest and simple face, would be as strong as an ox after taking off his coat.

But before he could think further, Li Qing, freed from his burdens, shot out like an arrow from a bow, moving with incredible speed.

In just two or three breaths, he had closed the distance to the leader.

True Intent of the Fierce Tiger, Fierce Tiger Pounces!

Li Qing leaped high, charging with fierce momentum, and slammed a palm directly at the man.

"You're asking for death!" The tall man swung his iron staff at Li Qing.

CLANG!

Li Qing shook his arm, cleanly blocking the staff, then transformed his palm into a fist and unleashed a powerful blow that carried a gust of wind.

POW!

The man couldn't withstand Li Qing's full-power punch. His slender shoulder snapped like a fragile bamboo joint, nearly breaking, and he was sent flying backward.

"Hoo!" Li Qing casually shook his hand. The staff strike had only left a red mark on his hand, causing no significant damage.

"Big brother!" The short man was also stunned. Everything had happened too quickly; he hadn't even reacted before his "big brother" was taken down.

"What are you afraid of? We have knives!" The third robber, a simple-minded fellow, fearlessly charged at Li Qing with his knife.

Knives?

Li Qing sneered inwardly. He planted his feet firmly on the ground.

He adopted a stance based on the Ancient Profound Hammer Technique, his lower body incredibly stable.

As the simple-minded third robber rushed forward, his left leg whipped out like a lash.

Light Silk Leg!

This is a leg-training martial art. Though it appears gentle, it can turn the leg into a whip, making its killing power quite formidable.

Li Qing's left leg blurred like afterimages. After standing in stance training for so long, his leg strike was astonishingly powerful now that he had achieved the introductory level.

Bang!

The slightly sturdier third bandit was sent flying, along with his saber, before he could even swing it.

Li Qing retracted his left leg and, seizing the advantage, immediately pressed his attack.

Another Tiger Fist strike, powerful and heavy!

The sturdy third bandit took the punch head-on, his eyes rolling back as he fainted.

Clang!

Seeing this, the second bandit didn't hesitate. He immediately dropped his rusty saber, no longer intending to resist.

This was too tough a nut to crack. They had messed with the wrong person.

"We admit defeat. Do with us as you please, kill us or skin us," the second bandit said, having dropped his saber. He appeared resigned to his fate.

This made Li Qing slightly disappointed. He had just started to get into the fight, and it was over so quickly. What a letdown.

"Is this all you've got? You dare try to rob people?" Li Qing shook his head and chuckled. He then turned and picked up his cotton-padded jacket from the ground, putting it back on and concealing his lean, powerful muscles once more.

Watching this, the second bandit's mouth twitched.

It was precisely this way. They had been terribly deceived by Li Qing's honest and simple appearance. They never would have imagined that beneath this plain, unadorned cotton jacket hid a Fierce Tiger.

"You few, gather up the Iron Ingots on the ground and carry them. Follow me!"

As Li Qing said this, his gaze turned cold, and his aura suddenly intensified.

"We'll pick them up! Right away!"

After all, they were just ordinary people. After being beaten by Li Qing, they became incredibly docile.