Chapter 694: My Nickname Is Iron Hand
Zhang Fengyi declared, “Though the bandit army is numerous, only half of them are capable fighters. With their camps scattered haphazardly across various slopes below, they are clearly blundering without any understanding of military tactics. I’ll choose a hidden mountain path to descend and launch a night raid on a corner of their camp. The bandits who can react quickly and engage our forces will number no more than a few hundred. They can be easily routed. We'll set a fire and withdraw.”
Her words were swiftly followed by action.
That very night, the White Pole Soldiers, under her command, stealthily descended the side of the mountain.
The mountains were deep and secluded. The White Pole Soldiers moved through the nocturnal forest with silent precision, like creatures of the wild traversing their domain, making it impossible for outsiders to detect their passage.
It wasn't long before Zhang Fengyi appeared outside a bandit camp at the foot of the mountain.
The bandits' encampment skills were still abysmal, utterly disorganized, offering not a shred of defensive capability.
At Zhang Fengyi's command, the White Pole Soldiers stormed into the bandit camp, setting fires everywhere.
Chaos erupted instantly in the camp, bandits scrambling in every direction. A few tried to counterattack, but they were easily cut down by the White Pole spear formations.
Before long, the bandit camp was largely consumed by flames.
But by the time they arrived, the White Pole Soldiers had already retreated into the mountains, following the narrow paths, vanishing back up the slopes with incredible speed.
When Zijing Liang finally arrived, he saw only the charred remains of the Green-Backed Wolf's camp, mostly burned, with bandits wailing in agony everywhere. He couldn't help but feel a jolt of surprise. “The White Pole Soldiers of Sichuan,” he murmured, “truly live up to their formidable reputation.”
The victorious White Pole Soldiers retreated deep into the forest.
Yet Zhang Fengyi shook her head, her expression solemn. “The bandits are too strong. We raided their camp, and while we caused them trouble, that small loss is merely a drop in the ocean for them, unable to shake their foundations. Tomorrow, they will undoubtedly assault the mountain with all their might. We might not be able to hold them off. We need to change our position.”
Li Daoxuan nodded, “Ah, a hit-and-run tactic, then.”
Receiving the command, the White Pole Soldiers stealthily crouched low, withdrew from their defensive positions, and quickly reassembled. Then, the entire force advanced, moving deeper into the dense forest.
Ahead, a sheer cliff face blocked their path.
The White Pole Soldiers linked the hooked ends of their spears together, forming a long, improvised rope of staves.
One by one, they grasped the spear-rope and scaled the cliff.
The fifty militia soldiers, however, immediately felt overwhelmed. They couldn't climb with those spear-ropes. They had no choice but to tie ropes around their waists and let the White Pole Soldiers haul them up the cliff, feeling utterly humiliated.
Finally, it was Li Daoxuan's turn. “Oh, crap,” he thought, “how am I supposed to get up there?”
Being pulled by a rope was out of the question; it would expose his abnormal weight.
He looked up at the White Pole Soldiers waiting for him at the cliff's summit, and shook his head. “Never mind,” he announced, “I'll perform a martial arts marvel.”
With that, he retracted his right hand into his sleeve. His left hand followed it inside, fumbling around for a moment, and peeled off the silicone outer layer that covered the metal exoskeleton. Now, his right fist resembled a large iron hammer.
Wrapping his fist with his sleeve, he swung it powerfully at the mountain wall. Thud! gouging out a small indentation.
The White Pole Soldiers on the cliff's edge stared in stunned bewilderment.
What kind of man was this?
To damage solid rock with his bare fist?
Zhang Fengyi gasped, wide-eyed with astonishment.
Li Daoxuan then struck the cliff face several more times with rapid, percussive blows – Thump, thump, thump! – creating a series of footholds and handholds suitable for climbing. He ascended a short distance, then swung his fist again – Thump, thump, thump! – and continued climbing, punching new holds as he went.
The smooth rock face was utterly transformed, hammered into a jagged, pitted surface, much like a modern climbing wall designed for rock climbers.
In moments, he reached the cliff's summit, vaulting over the edge. His feet landed firmly on solid ground. He slipped his hand back into his sleeve, reattached the silicone layer, and only then did he reveal his normal right fist from his sleeve.
The White Pole Soldiers were completely dumbfounded, too astonished even to cheer.
The Gao Family Village militia, however, didn't bother cheering at all. Such an feat was child's play for a god, and not worth being surprised over.
Zhang Fengyi glanced at Li Daoxuan's fist. “Mr. Xiao,” she inquired, “your fist... isn't it injured?”
Li Daoxuan chuckled, raising his fist. “See? Not a scratch.”
“What martial art is that?” Zhang Fengyi pressed.
Li Daoxuan flexed his fist. “My friends in the jianghu,” he declared, “gave me a nickname: Iron Hand.”
Zhang Fengyi was speechless.
You don't look like a jianghu master *at all*, she thought, suppressing a retort.
Just as she was about to voice her thoughts, voices echoed from below the cliff. The bandits were catching up.
Apparently, the bandit scouts had discovered the White Pole Soldiers abandoning their position, and had immediately given chase, only to perfectly intercept them at this very cliff.
Both sides now faced each other across the chasm of the cliff.
The bandits below gazed at the sheer rock face, a creeping fear seizing their hearts. How could anyone have climbed that? they wondered.
Li Daoxuan pointed to the climbing route he had just forged, a smile playing on his lips. “Come on, now,” he called down, “I've carved a path up this cliff for you. Don't be shy, climb right up!”
The bandits peered up, seeing nothing but a series of rough pits. One or two men might make it, but an entire army? Impossible.
Besides, the White Pole Soldiers were now guarding the summit.
Such a natural fortress was a true choke point: one man could hold off ten thousand, making any ascent utterly unthinkable.
Below the cliff, the bandits could only gaze up in despair, watching helplessly as the White Pole Soldiers made their escape.
Two days passed in a blur...
Zijing Liang now realized he seemed to have lost his touch.
Before, he had always been the one darting through the mountains, toying with the government troops. This time, however, the tables had turned, and the government troops were now darting through the mountains, toying with *him*.
The White Pole Soldiers, utilizing the complex terrain of Laoye Mountain, were truly elusive, appearing and vanishing like ghosts.
One day they would strike from the east.
The next they would emerge from the west, hitting him again.
Despite leading an army of tens of thousands, he couldn't even defeat this force of a thousand soldiers. Round and round they went, a constant, frustrating struggle. He simply couldn't pin down Zhang Fengyi.
“Enough,” Zijing Liang finally decided, “I won't waste any more time here with her.” He turned his army north, and after marching for over twenty li, suddenly spotted a small village ahead.
At the village entrance, a crooked, dilapidated sign stood planted in the ground: Houjia Village.
Zijing Liang's fierce bandits didn't even wait for his command; they brazenly surged into the village. After a spree of burning, killing, and looting, almost all the men in the village were slaughtered, leaving only a terrified cluster of women and children, huddled together and trembling with fear.
Ge Goufei suddenly sidled up to him. “Boss,” he whispered conspiratorially, “I've just had an idea.”
“Oh? What is it?” Zijing Liang asked.
Ge Goufei pointed to the women and children, and chuckled darkly. “The White Pole Soldiers of Sichuan are known for their righteousness; they would never stand by and watch the common folk perish. Why don't we use these women and children as bait? We might just be able to catch that elusive Zhang Fengyi then.”
Zijing Liang frowned. “This... I'm afraid...” he began, his voice trailing off.
Ge Goufei interjected, “Boss, are you worried about spoiling our reputation in the jianghu?” he scoffed. “Ha! What kind of world are we living in now? What does 'jianghu' or 'reputation' even mean anymore? The only justice that matters is the strength of your fist.”
Zijing Liang hesitated for a few breaths. “Very well,” he finally said, “we'll do it.”
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