Chapter 540

Hu Xiaotian steeled himself; today I, the old man, will single-handedly wipe out the bandit lair. That fellow crept over on tiptoe; although exposure is inevitable, later exposure is better than early exposure. He had already figured it out: as soon as he startled those two, he would immediately bolt, luring them before Xu Mitian, so she wouldn't hesitate to act. Thinking this, Hu Xiaotian felt secretly pleased, turned and glanced at Xu Mitian again; upon looking back, he was startled to see no trace of Xu Mitian—where had she hidden just now?

Hu Xiaotian cursed inwardly, "Damn woman, you actually screwed me over—you don't give a shred of human feeling!" Taking advantage of not being discovered, I'd better slip away early; if I really alerted these four hundred-plus vicious bandits, wouldn't I be hacked to pieces?

Hu Xiaotian retreated on tiptoe, but as soon as he shifted his foot a little, he heard a clang—somewhere a broken bowl flew in and shattered right under his feet. The two night‑watch bandits instantly noticed, looked up toward Hu Xiaotian's position.

Hu Xiaotian stood frozen like a wooden puppet, silently thinking, "Can't see me, can't see me!"

A thunder‑like roar rang in his ears: "Who goes there? Dare to barge into the headquarters of the Muddy Water Gang!"

Hu Xiaotian realized his cover was blown, helplessly shook his head, then bowed with a pleasant smile and said, "Just a passerby who happened to be passing through—brothers, don't panic, I'm leaving now."

One man drew a broadsword and charged at Hu Xiaotian, while another shook a copper bell, its constant clanging echoing throughout the cavern. Shouts of attack surged from all sides toward Hu Xiaotian; he looked around—this was dire, not knowing where all these bandits had poured from. There were at least four or five hundred of them.

Hu Xiaotian cursed Xu Mitian's ancestors eight generations over in his mind; he had thought she was helping him out of kindness, but it turned out she'd just used him as cannon fodder. He shouted loudly, "Come out and help me, come out and help me!" Though his voice wasn't small, it was completely drowned out by the bandits' battle cries.

The burly guard at the door lunged first. He swung his broadsword aiming for Hu Xiaotian's head, but Hu Xiaotian dared not linger; he flicked his hands, oiled his feet, and with a swish vanished before the big man's eyes. The man had thought one strike would surely kill, never expecting Hu Xiaotian to slip away so fast. He blinked, hardly able to believe what he saw.

Although Hu Xiaotian fled quickly, he couldn't withstand the enemy's numbers—just as he dodged a blade here, a club swept his waist there. He had no spare attention; he pushed the Dog‑Dodging Eighteen Steps to the limit, weaving through hundreds of bandits, constantly slipping between blades, swords, and spear tips. Several times his life hung by a thread, seeming about to be pierced, yet his evasive form managed to dodge each time.

Among the bandits were some with keen eyes; one warned, "Everyone form concentric rings, spears in front, trap him in the center. Poke him a thousand holes."

Hu Xiaotian heard it clearly, cursing inwardly, "What grudge do I have with you to want to stab me a thousand times? Do you still count as human?" Seeing the enemy organize, spears encircled him, forming a ring; countless cold spear tips aimed at the center as the ring slowly tightened. Hu Xiaotian knew it was over—no matter how skilled the Dog‑Dodging Eighteen Steps, he couldn't escape their iron‑barrel formation; this was a rhythm meant to play him to death, and even feigning death might now be too late.

Hu Xiaotian still kept his wits; at the critical moment, he flung his hand, reversed the dagger, and slit his own throat: "No need for you to trouble yourselves—I'll do it myself!"

All the bandits stared, seeing him collapse stiffly, each looking at the others, wondering who had struck him—how had he fallen? Most also saw Hu Xiaotian slash his own neck, yet no blood spurted—unscientific! In that instant of hesitation, Hu Xiaotian seized the chance, performed the eighteenth roll, and his Profound Ice Yin Wind Claw seized the crotch of a spear‑wielding bandit, squeezing hard till the man's face turned green, utterly robbed of resistance. Hu Xiaotian grabbed the opportunity to restrain him, using him as a shield.

Several spearmen reacted first, over a dozen bright spears thrusting simultaneously at Hu Xiaotian; apparently they cared nothing for their comrade's life. He shoved the bandit aside, hearing repeated puff! sounds as spear tips pierced flesh. The bandit he'd used as a shield now bore a dozen or so transparent holes—clearly he could not survive.

Although Hu Xiaotian luckily escaped the spear formation, outside lay a net of blades and swords. The Dog‑Dodging Eighteen Steps was exquisite, the Profound Ice Yin Wind Claw deadly, yet facing foes hundreds of times his number, he was nearly out of retreat. This man had cheated death more than once; surviving to now was no small feat, which made him cherish his life all the more—even if only a sliver of survival remained, he would not relinquish it lightly. Thus Hu Xiaotian still strained, watching the bandits thicken around him; wherever he looked, heads crowded thickly. He sighed inwardly, resolving that even if he died here today, he would drag a few down with him.

Recalling today's ordeal, Hu Xiaotian gritted his teeth and roared, "Xu Mitian, if I ever get my hands on you, I'll stab you ten thousand times!" He had been so nervous he'd intended to puncture Xu Mitian's body with ten thousand holes, but his words came out garbled into this line.

Just then a cold voice said, "A bunch of good‑for‑nothings—so many of you can't even beat one person."

Hu Xiaotian recognized the voice as Xu Mitian's and was overjoyed. The bandits, however, froze, only now noticing that Hu Xiaotian had an accomplice lying in wait nearby. The voice clearly came from the entrance of their lair; despite the clamor of battle cries, it was not drowned out.

Xu Mitian had now resumed her true appearance, standing gracefully before the lantern; the dim candlelight highlighted her exquisite silhouette, her cold eyes sweeping over the bandits as she said unhurriedly, "You've poured out your nest—no harm done, it's saved me considerable effort."

Seeing an unparalleled beauty appear in their underground lair, the bandits were lust‑struck, actually overlooking Hu Xiaotian—the despised wretch everyone wanted dead—and focusing nearly all their energy on Xu Mitian. Whether they were outlaws or mountain kings, their usual trade was looting wealth and beauty; to them Hu Xiaotian was already a dead man, naturally paling beside a charming, alluring woman.

A rough‑voiced bandit shouted, "This delicate‑skinned lass is mine—I'll make her my lady of the fort, and no one can contest me!"

Xu Mitian stood there gracefully and said softly, "If you want me to be your lady of the fort, come over—let me see what you're made of, whether you're worthy of me."

A man some ten feet tall pushed out of the crowd—none other than Zhao Shouyi, former second chief of the Muddy Water Gang. After the great chief Yan Bai Tao fell in battle, he had temporarily become the gang's leader, though his cruel, greedy nature had won him no affection. Seeing Xu Mitian appear like a celestial maiden, Zhao Shouyi felt his lust stir; he pushed through the crowd, leering, and said, "Little miss, you needn't fear—everyone here obeys me. If you follow me obediently and become my lady of the fort, no one will dare bully you."

Xu Mitian asked, "So you're the chief here?"

Zhao Shouyi looked around, his face arrogant, and said, "That's only natural."

Xumitian nodded and said, "Excellent!" As his words fell, he waved a palm, and a biting cold air surged from all sides toward Zhao Shouyi; Hu Xiaotian, though far off, also felt the biting cold pressing in, let alone Zhao Shouyi, who was the first to bear the brunt.

When everyone looked again, they saw Zhao Shouyi instantly turn into an ice man, his whole body frozen there, covered in a thick layer of frost. The shock left the scene in dead silence for a long while before the bandits finally awoke as if from a dream, shouting in unison as they charged at Xumitian.

Xumitian let out a cold snort, her delicate body spinning in place; centered on her, a sheet of Lan-colored sand dust vortex radiated outward. The Lan-colored poison sand stuck to the bodies of the dozens of bandits who rushed at her first; they screamed and fell to the ground, unable to resist scratching their skin from the intense itch. Once the skin was broken, the poison sand melted on contact with blood, and in an instant their bodies turned into pools of blood.

This band of bandits was no stranger to ruthless villains, living a life of licking blood from the blade's edge, yet none had ever witnessed such a horrifying sight. Now no one was moved by Xumitian's beauty; in their eyes she had undoubtedly become the most terrifying demon in the world.

Seeing dozens of companions turn into pools of blood in an instant, the rest no longer dared to linger; they turned to flee, wishing their parents had given them two more legs, and even the two they had seemed useless, limp and powerless. Not only the bandits, but Hu Xiaotian felt the same—by rights he had no reason to fear, for his savior had arrived and he ought to be glad, yet he could not draw a breath, his legs could not support his weight, and with a thud he collapsed to his knees. Before his eyes first flashed golden stars, then he saw a riot of colors, and in his nostrils came a milky fragrance that made him want to both get drunk and take a deep breath.

Hu Xiaotian fared better; seeing the hundreds of bandits around him slumped sideways, sitting or lying, completely stripped of any ability to resist, he finally understood why Xumitian had hidden herself: she was using him as bait to lure these bandits out, waiting for the Hunshui Gang's forces to pour forth before she struck—he was nothing but a decoy. (To be continued~^~)