"Weakness and ignorance are never the original sin; arrogance is."
The commander who had just ordered the crossbow bolts to kill Li Xi watched the raging fire with a sigh. He also felt a pang of regret. A single crossbow bolt cost five hundred gold coins, and in that instant, fifteen hundred gold coins had vanished. However, being able to personally eliminate such a master was worth more than another fifteen hundred.
Just as all the bandits were waiting for the fire to subside and admire their handiwork, a voice came from within the inferno. "You are right. I apologize for my arrogance. Therefore, do not blame me for being merciless from now on."
"Water Style: Water Release Jutsu."
A high-pressure, high-speed jet of water shot out from the flames. Water and fire mingled, producing a 'hiss' and white mist. However, the water jet was completely unaffected. Under Li Xi's control, it swept through the bandits within a thirty-meter radius.
Li Xi only needed to turn his head sixty degrees, and the Water Release Jutsu could cleave all the bandits in an arc of over thirty meters in half.
Tragedy struck again. Standing bandits were cut at the waist, crouching bandits had half their heads severed, and those standing slightly higher lost their feet. Except for a few who were lucky enough to avoid the blast, over a hundred lay on the ground, groaning, writhing, and weeping, trying to reattach their severed limbs.
The ecstasy of the previous moment had turned into the hell of the present.
The commander who had given the orders was exceptionally lucky. He was the only one severed at the neck, so he died without a sound, spared much suffering and the sight of the ensuing carnage.
With the commander dead, the remaining bandits immediately abandoned their defense at the cave entrance. Li Xi's single Water Release Jutsu had not only killed people but also severed all the siege weapons, including the crossbows. They no longer possessed any large-scale armaments for offense.
As the fire died down, under the despairing gaze of the surviving three hundred-plus bandits, a person enveloped in dark red dragon wings slowly unfurled like a blooming flower. The clothes on his body were tattered and burnt, revealing his skin in many places. But it was precisely the exposed skin that plunged the bandits who still held a shred of hope into an abyss.
Because the skin revealed by Li Xi was composed of tiny, rice-sized scales, and his eyes were no longer human but the vertical pupils of a dragon. Every time his vertical pupils swept over their bodies, the bandits felt as if they were being scrutinized by a predator at the apex of the food chain, a feeling of helpless surrender blossoming deep within their souls. Their ancient genes screamed at them that to remain in place was to be devoured.
An elderly bandit, his teeth chattering uncontrollably, pointed at Li Xi and fearfully uttered two words: "Dragon-blooded."
Li Xi retracted his dragon wings, which melted back into his flesh, becoming tattoos. The tiny scales on his skin also receded.
He directly ripped off his upper body leather armor. This enchanted defensive armor was once again ruined. Li Xi mused, that was truly dangerous. The heat of over a thousand degrees Celsius cared nothing for one's strength. If not for the automatic defense of the dragon genes within him, Li Xi would have been severely injured, if not killed.
Just as the commander who died under Li Xi's Water Release Jutsu had said, in recent days, he had killed succubi, slain corner demons, and even defeated mountain giants. Li Xi had developed a sense of arrogant complacency, feeling that the world was vast and he could roam it freely. Yet, in this small bandit hideout, he had almost capsized.
Facing the remnants of the bandits, Li Xi pulled up the large saber from the ground. The saber was still hot from the fire.
Li Xi wasted no more words. He stomped his foot and vanished from his original position.
To these rank-and-file bandits, the speed of the Body Flicker Technique was akin to teleportation. They couldn't see Li Xi's figure at all, only hearing the sound of the saber, large enough to be a dwarven door, cleaving through the air.
Accompanied by the sound of the saber tearing through the air, countless heads and limbs flew. Their eyes were wide open, yet they couldn't see Li Xi's figure at all.
It was as if the person had suddenly appeared from space, killed a few people, and then vanished back into invisibility.
The only sounds left in the space were the spitting of blood and the desperate pleas of the bandits on the brink of death, begging Li Xi to spare them, pleading for a sliver of hope to survive.
Alas, no one could see Li Xi's figure. They could only fearfully await the arrival of the Grim Reaper. What is the most terrifying thing in the world? It is knowing you are about to die but being unable to control the timing of your death. Every second spent thus is like a soul plunged into darkness, with no one to redeem or help.
"Ah, you are a devil."
Finally, one bandit, unable to withstand the torment of each second before death, madly charged towards the outside.
The breakdown of one person was like a breached river, capable of instantly overwhelming everyone's spirit. The nerves that the remaining survivors had been holding onto snapped. All of them followed the first fleeing person, scrambling to get out, and even unceremoniously pushing aside their companions who blocked their path. At this moment, the goal was not to be faster than Li Xi, but merely faster than their comrades.
Li Xi did not pursue them. He hadn't come here to kill people, but to get money.
So, Li Xi looked at the trembling bandits before him who could not escape and plunged his saber into the ground in front of them. "Speak, where have you hidden your treasures?"
A bandit who had not yet reached adulthood trembled all over and pointed at the best location in the cave. His teeth chattered incessantly. "Th-th-that… that… is… our boss's… house. All… all… good… things… are… there."
He finished speaking, suppressing his fear, and looked at Li Xi with hopeful eyes. It was a gaze longing for survival.
Li Xi drew his long saber. "Go. Stop being bandits. Even as a farmer, you can live well."
Hearing that Li Xi would spare him, the young bandit couldn't even run. He could only hug his head and weep silently. This was the instinctive reaction of someone at the absolute depths of despair who had been granted a new life. Such trauma would take a lifetime to heal.
Li Xi suddenly remembered that he hadn't seen the bandit leader, who had the strength of a level four Earth Warrior, for a long time. He had almost wiped out his subordinates outside. Did he not care at all, or had he already fled?
Following the direction indicated by the young bandit, Li Xi arrived at the largest house. Before Li Xi could push the door open, a woman opened it.
This woman wore expensive silk clothes, her skin fair and lustrous, without the slightest roughness. She showed no fear upon seeing Li Xi. Instead, she calmly held her head high and looked at Li Xi, who was shirtless and covered in black and red marks as if he had just returned from killing demons, with a determined gaze, as if looking at her knight protector.
If Aisi's beauty was like a budding flower, then this mature woman was a blooming rose, at the most beautiful moment of her life.
The nobility and determination of this mature woman made Li Xi unable to help but ask, "Hello, madam. May I ask who you are?"
The woman placed her hands on her waist and slightly bent her knees. "Greetings, warrior. My name is Avril. I was abducted by bandits and made their lady of the stronghold a year ago."
"Thank you for saving me from the sea of suffering."
So, she had been abducted. And it had been a year. What a pity for such a beautiful woman.
"Saving every lady in distress is our mercenary's inescapable duty."
A passionate speech earned Avril another thank you to the noble Li Xi.
However, Li Xi's next words immediately shattered his heroic image.
"Madam, where did the bandit leader go? He robbed me of ten thousand gold coins a few days ago, and I'm here to reclaim my property today."
Avril was stunned. In the past year, she had been the one to calculate and distribute all the looted goods, and she had never seen anything worth more than a thousand gold coins, let alone ten thousand as Li Xi claimed. This entire bandit stronghold didn't have that much money.
However, her intelligent mind instantly made her understand that this person intended to double-cross them. The ten thousand gold coins were also a fabricated number.
"Machiavelli has already been killed by me. The money he robbed from you should be buried in the house. I'll take you to get it."
Li Xi was surprised to hear that the bandit leader was dead. He knew this person had a level four strength, while the woman before him only had beginner strength. This three-level difference was an insurmountable chasm. Machiavelli could have stood still and let Avril kill him, and he still wouldn't have died.
Li Xi followed Avril into the room without asking any further questions. First, he saw a man lying on the ground, black blood trickling from his mouth, his eyes wide open in death, still showing a lingering question and confusion. Perhaps he wanted to ask why.
Avril let out a mocking laugh. "I was constantly looking for an opportunity to poison him. I never expected that today, with the warrior's arrival, I would seize the chance when he tried to escape. I got off lightly."
Li Xi confirmed that the bandit leader was indeed dead. He then pulled the spatial ring from the man's hand and, as if Avril hadn't seen it, put it into his trouser pocket.
"Your money should be here, but he spent some of it. There are only a little over five thousand left. If the warrior feels it's not enough, there might be a bit more from the other bandits."
Avril pointed to the floor beneath the bed and said to Li Xi.
Li Xi's face flushed slightly. He understood that his lie had been seen through by this woman, but he didn't explain. He used his long saber to pry up the bed board and quickly dug out the chest containing the gold coins. The final amount was only five thousand two hundred gold coins. Although it was a bit short of the ten thousand Li Xi had guessed, he had no reason to complain about money that came to him for free.
"The bandits outside have all fled, madam. You are safe now. Go home."
Avril gave a desolate and tragic smile. "Where do people like me have a home? If the warrior doesn't mind, please escort me for a while until I reach the city and can fend for myself."
Li Xi hesitated at the thought of taking a woman with him. However, considering that this woman had helped him find the gold and dealt with the bandit leader, it would be unreasonable not to help.
"Alright. I'm escorting a merchant caravan to Abbi City. It's less than two days' journey. If you don't mind, let's travel together."
"A year of bandit life does not give me the right to choose. Escaping with my life is the greatest gift the gods have bestowed upon me."
Li Xi had a feeling this woman had a story. Judging by her composed demeanor in the bandit stronghold, he knew she was no simple character. However, adhering to the principle of "one less thing is better than one more," Li Xi didn't pry. He led Avril and headed to catch up with the caravan.
Along the way, Li Xi asked Avril to keep his matters confidential from everyone. He also told her that he was just a low-level E-class novice who had to act low-key. As long as Avril kept quiet, no one would know his business after they parted ways in Abbi City.
Although Avril hadn't witnessed the full extent of Li Xi's power, she knew he was a master whose weakest strength was level five. Yet, he was pretending to be frail. She found this very perplexing, but smart women always knew how to act. They knew what to inquire about and what not to, and when to give a man his privacy.
The bandits had left behind quite a few warhorses. Li Xi chose two. He had initially thought the delicate-looking Avril wouldn't be able to ride, but she handled it more skillfully than he did.
The journey back took three hours, while the journey there had taken one. By the time Li Xi caught up with the caravan, they had already set up camp for the night.