Chapter 17

Under the cover of a moonless and windy night, perfect for murder, the hour of midnight had just passed, and dark clouds quietly obscured the moon, taking away the last bit of light from the world. A light and slow footsteps sounded from outside the window, and with a tearing sound, the fragile paper window was punctured by a bucket. Clearly, the person who did it was a bit clumsy. A hole as big as a fist, who could miss that!

A thin bamboo tube slowly poked in, and soon, a green smoke filled the air. After a while, a voice said, "They should all be unconscious by now!" Another voice replied, "This knockout smoke was bought by the boss through special channels, said to come from the Western Robber Kingdom."

"Is imported stuff always of good quality?"

"Why don't you go in and check yourself! The boss said they can't fight, so what are you afraid of? Whether they're unconscious or not, it's just a matter of one slash."

"Uh, that makes sense." As he spoke, the door opened, and a figure with a knife entered, looking around confidently. Then, his body swayed and he fell to the ground with a thud.

"Damn! Can't you apply some antidote to your nose before going in! Idiot!" The next person rushed in angrily, stomping on the fallen figure in frustration.

Looking around carelessly, the bed was bulging under the covers. "Just one slash, it's simple." The man grinned wickedly and raised his knife. *Thud, thud, thud*, each slash was forceful. With a cold snort, he was about to turn and leave when he suddenly felt something was wrong. He pulled back the covers to reveal a pillow shredded into pieces.

"Damn, we've been tricked! Uh!" The single-edged knife clattered to the ground, and his body fell uncontrollably, eyes rolling back and foam spilling from his mouth. A small scorpion crawled out from his trouser leg...

At this moment, a lean figure dropped from the roof beam—it was Li Guishou!

"You're fast! Are they all dead?" Ling Xiao said with a smile as he entered from outside. Li Guishou shook his head, "This one is dead, the one by the door is unconscious."

"What happened? Isn't your poison deadly?" Ling Xiao asked curiously.

"That guy was knocked out by his own knockout smoke. Honestly, even I was surprised." Li Guishou's expression was strange, thinking the enemy was faking it to lure him in!

"These idiots' intelligence is indeed worrying." Ling Xiao nodded as if he had expected it.

"Did you take care of your side? So quickly?"

"Oh, when they blew the knockout smoke, I blocked the bamboo tube. They all passed out." Ling Xiao answered nonchalantly, leaving Li Guishou impressed yet puzzled.

"What about the other bandits?"

"About ten went to the master's room, the rest went to the emperor's! But don't worry, Ying Qiong took the master's wife out through the back window and should be waiting for us on the main road. As for the emperor, there's no need to worry. The master's room is right next to his. They won't get close to the emperor without taking down the master!" Although Ling Xiao spoke firmly, a hint of worry was evident on his face.

Li Guishou, of course, noticed his expression but didn't ask since Ling Xiao didn't say anything. *Bang!* A loud noise interrupted their thoughts, a familiar sound—the emperor's pistol, which he had become addicted to in the dissection room.

"Bad! The emperor is in danger!" Ling Xiao's figure flashed as he ran out of the room at lightning speed, his speed surprising Li Guishou.

"Your Majesty, be careful! Don't move!" As soon as he stepped out of the door, he heard Ling Lingfa's shout. The emperor stood outside Ling Lingfa's room, looking inside with a strange expression. In the corridor, a dozen men stood, excitedly shouting, "Grab him!"

Ling Xiao was in a panic, about to rush over, but the emperor raised his hand, "No need to panic, I'll handle these riffraff!" He raised his hand and fired a shot.

*Boom!*

A fierce flash of light exploded, and half of the dozen men immediately fell! Blood and flesh flew everywhere, and a thick, burnt smell gradually filled the inn. The bandits' cries of pain echoed, and no one dared to grab any hostages. The fear in their eyes was unprecedented, their pupils shrinking to tiny black dots.

Ling Lingfa, who had been about to pounce on the emperor, froze, his face showing a big "囧" (awkward). Ling Xiao's eyes twitched; the world was too crazy. Should he say the emperor was truly a dragon? His internal strength had increased dramatically in just a few hours!

The emperor's pistol was made by Ling Xiao, and he knew best how to maximize its power. Due to the strong internal strength conductivity of the materials, the more internal strength gathered, the greater the power. In that moment, the pistol had gathered so much internal strength that it glowed brilliantly! Where did all this internal strength come from?

"Ahahahaha! Mere ants! Not worth a sneeze!" The emperor, with one hand on his hip, laughed maniacally, even wiggling his hips in triumph.

"You guys as the dragon protectors have a tough job!" Li Guishou patted Ling Xiao's shoulder sympathetically.

Ling Xiao smiled awkwardly, "The emperor rarely gets a chance to be the standout, so he can't help but be a bit overbearing. It's understandable! It's understandable! Hehe!"

The standout always gets hit, a truth in any world. "Everyone, scatter! Use ranged weapons, kill everyone except that Huang Gongzi." A calm and steady voice came from the hall downstairs. Looking in that direction, a stern man stood out among the disheveled bandits, his neatly dressed robe and well-groomed hair giving him a literary air. Clearly, he was the leader.

The bandits, hearing the man's voice, seemed to regain their confidence, and many even got up despite their injuries. *Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh*, various ranged weapons rained down. The bandits' skills were terrible, their weapons flying like the sandbags Ling Xiao used to throw in the park as a child. To Ling Xiao, these weapons, though dense, could be easily dodged with a few simple moves. But to the emperor, they were a deadly threat.

"Ah!" The emperor let out a strange cry and pounced into Ling Lingfa's arms. Caught off guard, Ling Lingfa and the emperor tumbled to the ground, the weapons clattering behind them. Seeing the emperor's狼狈 (embarrassment), the bandits relaxed, "He can't fight! Just use ranged weapons when he uses that weapon!" One clumsy dodge had dispelled their fear.

"This bandit leader is not simple!" Li Guishou said solemnly.

"Of course not. They sent two to deal with us, but the master faces a dozen! This shows they consider him the hardest to deal with. But in terms of martial arts, I, who is strong and fit, should be more noticeable. These bandits must have thoroughly investigated us, and from their leniency towards the emperor, they must know his identity!" Ling Xiao drew his pistol from his waist and stared at the bandit leader downstairs.

"Your point is that these guys had a plan all along, not just a spur-of-the-moment decision?"

"We'll talk about that later." Aiming the gun at the leader, he planned to capture the king first! But the man had clearly noticed them, and a row of ranged weapons whistled towards them. The two quickly retreated into the room.

"This kid's eyes are sharp!" Li Guishou cursed, hiding under the table. Ling Xiao, seeing this, smirked, "No need to hide so tightly!" As he spoke, he poked his head out the door, meeting the bandit leader's gaze. Suddenly, a bad feeling washed over him.

A blinding white light streaked through the air, forming a strange arc. Though it vanished quickly, Ling Xiao saw it clearly—it was a flying knife! Slightly surprised, the flying knife seemed to miss and flew straight back. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through his back, and Ling Xiao grunted, falling to the ground.

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