Bandits
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Chapter 61: Bandits
It had been nearly a week since Xiao Yan bid farewell to Xiao Zhan and left Wu Tan City.
According to Yao Chen's planned route, Xiao Yan's destination was the eastern part of the Magic Beast Mountain Range, where he would train for six months before deciding on the next step.
At this moment, on Xiao Yan's back was an enormous black iron weapon that looked like a giant sword but lacked any sharpness.
The Heavy Xuan Ruler was the name of this black iron weapon, which Yao Chen had given to Xiao Yan as his weapon after leaving Wu Tan City.
Made from extraterrestrial meteorites, it was exceptionally heavy and had the effect of suppressing Dou Qi, making it the perfect tool for continuously honing Xiao Yan's abilities.
Under normal circumstances, given Xiao Yan's Dou Practitioner strength, carrying this item would undoubtedly make walking difficult.
However, given Xiao Yan's physical strength, carrying this item likely wouldn't pose much difficulty.
Indeed, this proved to be the case. Xiao Yan didn't even need to use both hands; he could swing the Heavy Xuan Ruler back and forth with one hand without feeling overly exhausted.
The suppressive effect on Dou Qi was real, and under Yao Chen's guidance, Xiao Yan attached at least half of his internal Dou Qi to the Heavy Xuan Ruler to enhance its training effect.
Compared to the life-or-death training he underwent in the Xiao Clan, this long-term training method of suppressing Dou Qi was already considered relaxing for Xiao Yan.
However, during this week of walking, Xiao Yan discovered something rather frustrating.
There were far too many bandits blocking the road.
Xiao Yan narrowed his eyes slightly, looking at the three burly men with ferocious faces in front of him. All three had malicious grins on their faces. They were six-star Dou Practitioners, not particularly powerful but more than enough to rob ordinary people.
This was already the third group of bandits Xiao Yan had encountered within a week.
("What can I say,") Yao Chen, who was in the ring, sighed helplessly at the situation. ("Little Yan, your chances of running into bandits are quite high, huh?")
"Sigh," Xiao Yan sighed softly, gazing at the three men and sternly saying, "You three are six-star Dou Practitioners. Becoming mercenaries should be more than enough. Why resort to road robbery?"
"Hmph! Kid, that's easy for you to say!" The bald leader spat on the ground and glared fiercely at Xiao Yan. "Being a mercenary is a life-or-death game, and the earnings are unstable. Compared to that, robbing ordinary people is quick and safe. Why wouldn't we do it?"
Xiao Yan fell silent.
The three groups of bandits he encountered all gave the same answer.
Cowardly and greedy, they wanted rewards without risking their lives, preying on ordinary people who couldn't resist.
How disgusting.
Yet even when faced with such people, Xiao Yan's first thought wasn't to kill them outright. Quick fixes like that wouldn't address the root problem.
"Could you stop? Robbery is wrong. If you want money, you should earn it through legitimate means, not by using force to steal the fruits of others' labor."
Xiao Yan calmly advised the three men.
However, the trio completely ignored Xiao Yan's words. Wielding machetes, they snarled at him.
"Cut the crap! Weaklings should know their place! Hand over the money quietly!"
Their reaction was exactly as Xiao Yan had anticipated, just like the previous two groups of bandits.
"Indeed, people like this can't be reasoned with," Xiao Yan sighed deeply in disappointment.
The three groups of bandits he'd encountered over the week made him understand one thing clearly.
Those raised to believe in the principle of "Strong makes right" would never listen to reason.
Especially when dealing with people far weaker than themselves, anything the weak said was nothing more than noise to them, and rules were treated as nonexistent.
"No choice, I'll have to use the same method as before—resorting to force," Xiao Yan clenched his fists, unwillingness filling his eyes.
If possible, he truly didn't want to resolve such problems through violence.
Seeing Xiao Yan preparing for a fight, the three men were momentarily stunned before bursting into wild laughter.
"Ha! A Three-star Dou Practitioner dares to resist three six-star Dou Practitioners? Are you joking?"
"We were going to let you live out of kindness, but since you want to fight, don't blame us for being ruthless!"
"Remember this in your next life: weaklings should obediently kneel on the ground and serve us!"
The unrestrained mockery from the bandits, laced with the belief that "weakness is a crime," made Xiao Yan's expression grow colder. Yet deep inside, he felt an immense sense of relief.
"Thankfully, I decided to train out here," Xiao Yan muttered in an icy tone, looking indifferently at the three men before him.
"Otherwise, I'd never have known that so many people in this world are beyond saving."
"Huh? What are you babbling about, kid?"
The bald bandit leader stiffened his neck and glared at Xiao Yan in confusion, unable to comprehend the young man's words.
The next second, he understood.
In the blink of an eye, Xiao Yan, who had been standing five meters away, disappeared from his sight. Moments later, his two companions were sent flying.
Before the bald bandit could process what had happened, a hand clamped tightly around his neck, slamming him to the ground. The next thing he saw was Xiao Yan's icy expression.
Was it his imagination, or was there an ominous black aura faintly emanating from Xiao Yan's back that filled him with dread?
All of this happened in an instant.
A three-star Dou Practitioner?
This is a three-star Dou Practitioner???
The bald bandit's mind was in turmoil.
A three-star Dou Practitioner had subdued three six-star Dou Practitioners in a flash? What kind of joke is this?!
Just as he was questioning whether he was dreaming, he saw one of Xiao Yan's hands still gripping his neck while the other hand formed a fist, raised high. In Xiao Yan's pitch-black eyes, a trace of crimson flashed.
In that instant, a chill coursed through the bald bandit's entire body.
He knew very well what that trace of crimson signified.
It was unrestrained killing intent—chilling to the bone.
Fear consumed the bald bandit's heart in an instant.
Why?
Why does this kid have such intense killing intent? Not even most Da Dou Shi he'd met before had this!
What kind of monster is this kid?!
"I... I surrender. I was wrong," the bald bandit stammered in an agonized plea for mercy. Even though speaking every word felt like his throat was tearing, his survival instincts drove him to beg.
If he didn't, he would die!
However, Xiao Yan's gaze only grew colder, and his next words sent the bandit's heart plummeting into an icy abyss.
"It's already too late."
In the bandit leader's rapidly contracting pupils, Xiao Yan's fist loomed larger.
Moments later, a desperate scream echoed through the forest, lingering for a long time.
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(End of Chapter)
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