Chapter 19

The Emperor looked at the three hostages with a puzzled expression, "Is this what kidnapping looks like? It’s really strange, it’s the first time I’ve seen it!"

"Is there something wrong with your head? Do we really look like people who would be concerned about hostages?" Li Guishou frowned and said.

The Emperor looked at Li Guishou without comment, Ling Xiao’s expression remained unchanged, but he stared at the bandit leader with a strange look. Ling Lingfa seemed hesitant; saving the hostages would be ideal, but compared to the Emperor’s safety, the three hostages seemed insignificant.

The bandit leader smiled without saying anything, but a glance revealed his determination. "Uh!" The blade flashed, and a line of blood spurted from the woman’s neck.

The woman’s body slowly fell, and the others watched in shock. No one expected the bandit leader to be so resolute; he was truly a cold-blooded killer. The child was immediately frightened into tears, and the man, staring at the woman’s body, was completely stunned.

"Now, surrender! You wouldn’t want to see a child lose both parents, would you?" The bandit leader boasted triumphantly.

Everyone looked at the bandit leader with grim faces. "Who gave you the confidence to think we would hesitate over hostages?" Ling Xiao, who had been involved in the underworld in his previous life, had seen too much sorrow and had developed a heart of stone. The Emperor was even more composed; his imperial heart meant he wouldn’t be easily swayed by human lives. As for Li Guishou, there was no need to worry; the venomous insects he raised showed he was no good person.

Ling Xiao looked at Ling Lingfa with some concern. After spending so much time together, he had been deeply moved by Ling Lingfa’s sense of righteousness, but this also meant that Ling Lingfa would be burdened by too many considerations. The bandit leader seemed to see a satisfactory answer on Ling Lingfa’s face; as long as one person showed the slightest hesitation, his plan could proceed smoothly.

With a swish, the blade flashed again. The man, clutching his neck, turned his head with difficulty. His eyes were filled with fear and hatred, as if he wanted to remember every bandit to seek revenge as a vengeful ghost!

"Ha ha ha! This is what the royal family is like, treating human lives as grass! It’s a waste for you to rule this land." The bandit leader’s words seemed to touch a nerve; the Emperor’s face turned a dark purple, looking extremely displeased.

"Only one left! You should think carefully!" The bandit leader said calmly, placing the blade on the boy’s shoulder.

"Enough!" Before the bandit leader’s smile had faded, Ling Lingfa shouted, snatched the gun from the Emperor’s hand, and with a bang, his precise shot pierced the bandit leader’s hand through and through!

Screaming in pain, the bandit leader dropped the knife. The boy, quick-witted, took the opportunity to run over. Ling Lingfa stepped forward to shield him.

What was supposed to be a perfect rescue operation left Ling Xiao in a state of shock. "Master, be careful!" His passionate shout made Ling Lingfa’s hair stand on end, and he instinctively dodged to the side. But he was still cut by a cold blade on his rib!

The boy held a dagger in one hand and a long, thin bamboo tube in the other. The inventive Ling Lingfa recognized it as a spring-loaded sleeve arrow. "Whoever moves, I’ll kill them!" he said, pointing the sleeve arrow at the Emperor. The child’s innocent voice sounded eerily sinister at that moment.

Ling Xiao was a step too late. When the man fell, he had glared at the bandits with a look of hatred, which surprisingly included the boy! Confused, the boy had already run behind Ling Lingfa, and by the time Ling Xiao realized the danger and shouted, Ling Lingfa was already injured!

"Ha ha ha!" The bandit leader laughed uncontrollably, "Now, who has the upper hand! Don’t underestimate children!"

The Emperor, who had been calm, swallowed and looked at the boy’s sleeve arrow with a forced smile, "Actually, we can talk. You can have whatever you want."

"All we want is you! Okay, I know that sounds misleading, but it’s the truth." The bandit leader seemed to enjoy the Emperor’s panic.

"You’re quite humorous. I’ll have to look at you differently," Ling Xiao, who had been frowning, now spoke with a calm and teasing tone.

The bandit leader raised an eyebrow, thinking, "This guy is the most troublesome. He seems so confident, does he have a backup plan?" He brandished his dagger and shouted, "Drop your gun!"

Ling Xiao pouted, "Pfft! What’s the big deal, my aim is terrible anyway!" His tone was filled with self-deprecation. He casually tossed the gun, which spun in the air and landed with a clatter, bouncing a few times on the ground.

The bandit leader breathed a sigh of relief; this gun was too terrifying! The sight of his men’s blood and flesh flying still made him shudder. He smiled confidently, a kind of aura emanating from him, almost blinding Ling Xiao.

But when the bandit leader looked at Ling Xiao again, he saw a familiar smile, the kind he saw in the mirror every morning. It was a self-assured, confident smile, as if everything was under control! And it was even more exaggerated, as if it said "I’m asking for a beating" on his forehead.

"You... uh!" The bandit leader finally understood why Ling Xiao had that expression. Blood dripped from the blade, and the intense pain distorted his face. He slowly looked down and saw something that shouldn’t be there in his abdomen. "This... should be the tip of a blade!" he said slowly, his voice trembling with each breath.

"Hehe! As you said, don’t underestimate children!" Ling Xiao said with a grin.

"Hmph! You guys are such a headache, how will you survive without me!" A mischievous voice came from behind the bandit leader.

The bandit leader clenched his teeth and stabbed backward with his dagger, but the person holding the knife was clearly more cunning. Sensing his intention, he pulled the blade out of the bandit leader’s abdomen, causing a gush of blood. The bandit leader turned his body with difficulty and saw that the one who had stabbed him was a delicate little girl! The situation had changed again, and the bandits, no longer daring to stay, scattered.

This was the difference between a mob and an elite force. You could eat, drink, and share money and women with them, but when it came to risking their lives, they would scatter. The bandit leader didn’t have time to scold them, but the boy’s sleeve arrow still pointed at the Emperor, so they hadn’t lost yet!

But the bandit leader’s thinking was still limited. His selfishness prevented him from understanding the loyalty that would make someone willing to die for others. This was his limitation and the reason he lost. Li Yingqiong hadn’t learned martial arts, so her stab didn’t hit a vital spot, but it was enough to distract the bandit leader and the boy, giving Ling Lingfa and Ling Xiao time to shield the Emperor!

The sleeve arrow still pointed at the Emperor, but the effect was different. It was spring-loaded and couldn’t change direction mid-flight. To harm the Emperor, it would have to penetrate Ling Lingfa and Ling Xiao, which it clearly couldn’t do.

"Too bad, this stab has injured me, but it won’t kill me. If you don’t want to die, surrender quickly." The bandit leader, clutching his wound, still shouted, believing that everyone feared death and that threats would work on anyone.

"Hmph!" Ling Lingfa snorted. The bandit leader clearly didn’t understand their true identities; the Emperor and his guards were not the same! And never doubt the loyalty of the Dragon Protectors!