Hu Xiaotian froze, unable to believe that a casual swing of his makeshift club could unleash such power.
All four thugs were scared witless. None of them had imagined that the man they had set out to murder today was a genuine martial arts master. One recovered first and turned to run for the main gate, hoping to escape, but He Yuexi had locked it from outside. The precaution meant to keep Hu Xiaotian from escaping had become a cocoon of their own weaving, cutting off their own retreat.
The burly leader still had some courage. Through gritted teeth, he shouted, "All together!"
His shout brought his three companions to their senses. They raised their steel sabers and closed in on Hu Xiaotian.
Hu Xiaotian raised the Door Bolt and hurled it at one of them. It spun like a windmill as it hurtled toward the thug. Prepared for it, the man stepped aside and dodged, but his companion behind him was not so lucky. The Door Bolt struck him square in the face, sending him flying backward with tremendous force. Only the earthen wall stopped him. He slid to the ground, his limbs twitching as blood pooled beneath him. Clearly, he would not survive.
Hu Xiaotian slowly picked up a steel saber from the ground. Every time he struck, he took a life. Only now did he truly understand the transformation Quan Dean's ten years of cultivation had wrought in him. He had been remade down to his bones. Indeed, the old hen had turned into a duck-and a murderous one at that.
At the sight, the three surviving thugs were frightened out of their souls. None dared stay and fight. They all turned and fled.
Hu Xiaotian did not pursue them. His real concern was He Yuexi, who