The moment he stepped off the pier, Han Li had the two porters walk ahead and lead them to a nearby inn, intending to rest properly before considering anything else.
The two men agreed readily enough, leading Han Li and his companion into the city. But after twisting and turning through one alley after another for quite some time, there was still no sign of an inn.
Han Li continued following behind the two porters, but as he noticed the streets growing increasingly remote and the number of people they encountered dwindling to almost nothing, his brow furrowed slightly.
Even without experience staying in large cities, he knew that an inn would never be built in such a secluded area — who would ever come here as a customer?
So when he was led into a filthy, pitch-black alleyway, Han Li let out a bitter laugh, realizing he should have grabbed the two men and tortured the truth out of them from the start, to find out what they were really after.
Just as Han Li was about to make his move, a dozen or so burly men suddenly emerged from deeper within the alley ahead. They looked somewhat familiar — it seemed he had seen every one of them under the sheds at the pier.
These men wielded all manner of iron rods and sharp knives, and they now eyed Han Li and Qu Hun with undisguised malice. The two porters who had been carrying the bundles suddenly dashed into the crowd, then turned back and leered at Han Li with wicked grins.
Han Li sighed. It seemed he didn't need to torture anyone after all — the answer was already clear. He had barely set foot in Doctor Mo's hometown before stumbling upon a scheme to rob and murder travelers.
"Don't blame us for being ruthless, kid — who told you to carry around so much silver? If you want to blame someone, blame your own bad luck!" A rough voice came from behind him.
Han Li turned around to find seven or eight more muscular men blocking his retreat. Leading them were two figures — one dark-skinned and broad-shouldered with a thick waist, the other thin and weasel-faced with a crooked head. They were none other than Black Bear and Sun Ergou.
This sort of scheme — robbing and killing travelers for their money — was far from the first time these two had pulled it off. They both understood that as long as the job was done cleanly and no witnesses were left alive, the disappearance of someone who wasn't a local would never attract the authorities' attention no matter who reported it. After all, far too many people went missing in this area every year for the government to bother searching for each one.
So after delivering his line, Black Bear wasted no more time. He signaled to the dozen-odd men with a look, and they brandished their weapons, charging ferociously at Han Li and Qu Hun, who were now surrounded in the center.
Watching these men's bloodthirsty, savage expressions, a glint of killing intent flashed through Han Li's eyes. He could tell these people had done this more than once — otherwise, each of them wouldn't reek of that faint scent of blood.
"Kill them. Hold nothing back," Han Li ordered Qu Hun in a cold voice.
The moment Qu Hun heard Han Li's command, he let out several low growls, a note of excitement threading through each one. He lunged forward in a flash, plunging headlong into the crowd bearing down on them.
With a whoosh, he threw a single punch — faster than lightning — square into one man's skull. The burly thug instantly went flying sideways into a stone wall like a sandbag, blood and brain matter spilling across the ground, half his head gone entirely.
In that same instant, a sharp knife and a thick iron rod came swinging at Qu Hun's exposed back.
Without even glancing behind him, Qu Hun swept his other arm back in a wide half-arc. Bang, bang — the moment those two weapons made contact with his arm, they went flying into the air, the attackers' palms split open and streaming with blood.
Qu Hun then planted one foot firmly on the ground and swung his other leg backward like a sickle, sweeping horizontally with devastating speed. Both men were kicked square in the waist and stomach, sent flying over a yard away, crumpling to the ground without moving again.
The others who witnessed this scene all drew a sharp breath. The men encircling him showed naked fear on their faces, hesitating to advance.
But even as they hesitated, Qu Hun showed no such restraint. He struck left and right, shattering the skulls of two more men at his sides. Without Han Li's order to stop, he would not relent on his own.
Sun Ergou and Black Bear's faces had turned ugly. It was obvious they had misjudged — this giant was no ordinary bodyguard. He was incredibly dangerous.
"Kill the giant! Twenty taels of silver to each man who strikes him down!" Sun Ergou had a bad feeling growing in his gut and hastily offered a generous bounty to the "experts" around him.
The men flanking Sun Ergou and Black Bear perked up at the words, their faces lighting up with greed. These were crude fighters who knew only the bare basics of martial arts — they couldn't possibly grasp the vast gulf between themselves and Qu Hun. They figured the giant was merely stronger and slightly more skilled than average, so fear never truly took hold. Spurred on by the promise of a handsome reward, they surged toward Qu Hun in a wave.
After hearing Sun Ergou's words, Black Bear's facial muscles twitched once, and he fell silent with a dark expression, his gaze drifting restlessly toward Han Li.
At this moment, Black Bear was silently cursing his own luck.
Unlike Sun Ergou, Black Bear had earned his position through real fighting and genuine killing — through actual bloodshed and steel. This meant he not only possessed a decent level of martial skill that barely qualified him as a third-rate fighter, but he also had an exceptionally sharp eye for judging people.
So the instant he saw Qu Hun move, his heart dropped like a stone into the depths of his stomach. With a single glance, he could tell that Qu Hun's combat ability was so far above their own that even their gang leader personally stepping in might not guarantee victory — let alone a pack of small fry like them. Yet he didn't dare turn and flee, because it was painfully obvious the giant hadn't even used his full strength. If Qu Hun noticed him trying to run, he'd probably die even faster.
To have any chance of surviving, it seemed his only play was to go after that plain-looking young man. It was clear this youth's status was far above the giant's. Only by taking him hostage could they possibly escape with their lives. As for the idea of the silver — that was completely off the table now. Anyone who could command a bodyguard this powerful was no simple wealthy merchant's son. This was clearly some young lord from a great clan, disguised and traveling incognito. If he made it out alive today, he would consider himself blessed by the heavens. As for lugging around that massive bundle — not a chance in hell!
Having made up his mind, Black Bear waited until those subordinates also charged in, then exchanged a glance with Sun Ergou before quietly easing his way toward the center of the action.