Chapter 908: Even the King of Heaven Himself Wouldn't Pass
The streets teemed with onlookers, a throng of ordinary folk and shopkeepers.
But... something felt missing.
What could it be?
Li Daoxuan jolted, suddenly realizing. "Hey, I say to the spectators, aren't you going to throw anything? Rotten eggs, cabbages, that sort of thing, throw them at the bad guys! That's how you show righteous indignation and positive energy!"
The common people broke into a sweat. "Great hero! There's a drought! We don't even have eggs to eat, where would we get rotten ones? Who could afford to let eggs go bad?"
"Exactly, exactly! We barely have enough wild greens, no cabbages to throw at anyone."
Li Daoxuan was speechless.
This was... awkward!
Li Daoxuan could only sigh deeply. "Ugh! The atmosphere is all wrong. As for the issue of you having nothing to throw, I'll address that very soon. Please look forward to it."
The Prince of Fu's Residence, gleaming with gold and splendor, was built on a scale only slightly inferior to the Prince of Qin's Residence—the foremost princely estate in the realm. Globally, it was easily the second grandest.
Ordinarily, only a small squad of guards stood at the entrance. But recently, rebel bandits had grown rampant in Henan, and Luoyang was swarming with refugees. In his fear, the Prince of Fu had recruited nearly a thousand martial artists and vagrants to guard the residence in shifts.
Thus, besides the regular guard squad, a large group of these martial artists stood watch, numbering close to a hundred at a glance.
These men, bored stiff, suddenly heard a clamor. Looking down the main street, they saw Li Daoxuan escorting ten of their own, with a massive, swelling crowd of curious onlookers trailing behind him, filling the entire thoroughfare.
The actual royal guards immediately recognized Li Daoxuan. "Ah? Isn't that Xiao Qiushui, the Divine Hero of the Central Plains, who often appears with Master Bai? He's a favorite of the Governor. Why is he bringing ten martial artists here as prisoners?"
The guards quickly pieced things together. Having served the Prince of Fu for a long time, and witnessed numerous official disputes, they knew well that minor guards shouldn't casually offend important figures. Otherwise, when powerful officials clashed, it was the guards who took the blame.
So this small group of genuine guards was shrewd. Seeing the situation, they immediately retreated without a word, two of them quickly slipping into the residence to report to the Prince of Fu.
The martial artists, however, weren't so clever.
A group of them glanced over, immediately erupting in anger. "Those are our people! Looks like they've been beaten!"
"How dare someone cause trouble right outside the Prince's Residence?"
Nearly a hundred martial artists surged forward.
As they advanced, the common folk behind Li Daoxuan scattered in terror, retreating far back with a collective gasp.
Li Daoxuan sighed. "Such gangster tactics! What skill is there in just scaring ordinary people?"
"Where are you from, kid? What trouble are you stirring up?" one martial artist roared.
Li Daoxuan replied, "These ten individuals ate duck blood vermicelli soup in the street without paying and then threatened the owner. That constitutes disorderly conduct. I'm here to speak with the Prince of Fu about your disciplinary issues."
"Hahaha, so it's duck blood vermicelli soup," the group of martial artists sneered. "When have we ever paid for that kind of thing?"
Li Daoxuan's expression hardened. "I can't pretend I didn't hear that. If you've also been eating without paying, I'll have to deal with you all accordingly. Civil compensation where due, criminal penalties where appropriate..."
He hadn't even finished speaking when one of the martial artists threw a punch at him with a "whoosh." "Enough blathering! Get down here, you!"
"Thump!"
The heavy punch landed, but Li Daoxuan didn't budge an inch. The martial artist, however, screamed, clutching his arm and crumpling to the ground...
Li Daoxuan stated, "Alright, you're precisely one of those deserving criminal punishment. Let's start with six months of Labor Reform for you."
The remaining martial artists stared in astonishment: This man hadn't even moved, yet their comrade was screaming and on the ground? Something was very wrong.
"It's the Thirteen Grand Protectors' Iron Body!"
"The Golden Bell Shield and Iron Cloth Shirt!"
"Damn, no way? Those are parlor tricks used by street performers, how can they actually exist?"
"Fake or real, who cares? Charge! There are nearly a hundred of us, why should we fear one man?"
The entire group of martial artists swarmed him.
And so, the onlookers who had followed them got quite a show. All they heard was a continuous "thump, thump, thump" of fists meeting flesh. It was impossible to tell how many people were attacking Li Daoxuan, but the outcome for each was the same: screams, flung hands, and hopping feet...
Li Daoxuan, however, remained completely unperturbed. He calmly knocked one person down with a left punch, then kicked another to the ground with his right, all while muttering, "Six months of Labor Reform, another six months, and another... Mm-hmm... Excellent, a very fruitful day. In no time, I've gathered dozens of Labor Reform subjects. All valuable labor, this is delightful."
In the blink of an eye, the ground in front of the Prince of Fu's Residence was littered with fallen men.
Only about two dozen genuine martial artists, those who were less inclined to stir up trouble, had not joined the fray. They had simply watched the spectacle from the start and thus remained standing, able to speak clearly.
Witnessing Li Daoxuan's shockingly simple and brutal method of taking down so many men, these two dozen martial artists couldn't help but collectively draw sharp, cold breaths of shock.
One of them clasped his fists respectfully. "Young hero, your skill is impressive."
Li Daoxuan replied, "Average, just average. Third best in the world."
The martial artist continued, "We are not like them. They ate without paying; we did no such thing."
"That's good to hear," Li Daoxuan said.
The martial artist then declared, "However, we accepted the Prince of Fu's money and promised to guard his residence. Having taken payment, we must protect his interests. Since you've come right to the residence gates, we are obligated to stand in your way. It doesn't matter who you are, whether you're in the right, or how powerful you may be. Anyone who comes here today, even the King of Heaven himself, we must step out and block them."
Having spoken, the remaining two dozen men spread out, adopting a formation prepared to defend the residence gates to the death. They had just witnessed the battle and knew they were outmatched, yet they still prepared to make a final stand, a rather tragic display of loyalty.
Li Daoxuan smiled. "Well, well, rules! If everyone followed the rules of the jianghu, how wonderful this world would be. However, with you doing this, it makes me seem quite unreasonable."
The martial artist, surprisingly earnest, advised, "Young hero, it's best not to trespass in a place like the Prince of Fu's Residence. Even if you defeat us all and successfully force your way in, that would be a capital offense. When the imperial army eventually encircles you, no matter how skilled you are, you will ultimately be overwhelmed by their numbers."
Li Daoxuan chuckled. "Oh, I won't have to force my way in. The Prince of Fu is coming out."
The martial artist blinked. "?"
It turned out that Luoyang had now entered the scope of Li Daoxuan's diorama box. By using the "focus" function, his vision had become unobstructed throughout the entire city of Luoyang; he could see whatever he wished.
Through dozens of walls, he saw the three-hundred-catty, obese Prince of Fu, Zhu Changxun, puffing and panting as he waddled out...
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