Chapter 30: With a Myriad of Martial Arts, This Is Iai!

After some haggling, Feng Xue secured the scroll housing the spirit ghost for 47 guan and 300 wen. With the full set of accessories gifted by the shopkeeper, he departed the antique store known as "Mo Yu Xuan."

It was a rare visit to Port City, but Feng Xue had no intention of staying long. Although this city felt more "real" than Ping’an County, that very reality made him want to leave all the sooner.

The sky was already dim, and returning meant traveling by night. Just as Feng Xue was weighing whether to ride back to the county in the dead of night or simply find a hotel for a stay, someone else made the choice for him.

Without even the standard opening of a physical brush or collision, three burly men in black suits and cold expressions lined up to block his path. The oppressive atmosphere they emitted made their malice instantly palpable.

"You look like a fresh face, kid. Just arrived in Port City?"

The voice, seemingly casual but laced with a chill, came from a man with a refined, scholarly appearance and eyes that betrayed a sinister nature. He walked over with his hands in his pockets, sporting an arrogant, swaggering gait.

There was no need for introductions; passersby instinctively bypassed the scene, and the street, previously crowded with the evening rush, instantly became an "island" of isolation.

"I came into town for some business, and now I’m just leaving," Feng Xue replied, his fingertips gently rubbing the ring on his finger. His tone remained calm. Scanning them with a sideward glance, he noted that the lifespan above the burly men’s heads hovered around fourteen or fifteen thousand, while the middle-aged man had only six thousand days left.

*Likely not martial artists, but thugs in a big city like this are very likely to have guns.*

Feng Xue assessed the situation, not forgetting to confirm that the lock before his own lifespan remained securely closed.

The short-lived man did not seem surprised by Feng Xue's response, or perhaps he simply didn't care what was said. He swept his gaze over Feng Xue's clothing and the "gold watch" faintly visible at his wrist, smiling as he said, "It’s not easy to make it into the city; it’d be a shame to leave so soon. Let me play host and show you a good time in Port City."

"No need." Feng Xue stepped to the left as if to move around them, but the three burly men moved in perfect sync, sealing off his potential escape route.

"Are you planning to rob me in broad daylight?" Feng Xue frowned. The man chuckled:

"The Wharf Gang is inviting you to be our guest. If you don't come, you're not giving us face. In the underworld, we live and die by our reputation. If you won't give us face, then we..."

"Oh, alright then!" Feng Xue took off his ring and tossed it directly toward the man beside him. The moment the man reached out to catch it, Feng Xue suddenly declared:

"You look like a steamroller to me!"

"Wha—"

Before the man could finish his threat—completely bewildered by Feng Xue’s six-character-per-second speech—a thunderous crash echoed through the street. Smoke billowed, and in an instant, a thick, coppery scent of blood began to permeate the air.

The smoke did not last long, dissipating almost immediately. But when the man who called himself a member of the Wharf Gang looked up, he saw a massive vehicle where there had been none before. His three bodyguards were gone, with only the blood pooling beneath the steel rollers to account for their fate.

"Of all the martial arts, this is the Steamroller Iaido!"

"You’re impossible! Couldn't you have chosen a cleaner method? This is disgusting!"

Liu Yunxi's clear voice interrupted Feng Xue. Under normal circumstances, a thug would have tracked that enchanting voice to harass the girl, but now, the man who had been so confident a moment ago was slumped limply on the ground.

Feng Xue pressed his hand against the steamroller, narrowed his eyes, and snapped, "You look like a Taser to me!"

The steamroller shrank instantly. Feng Xue, having practiced this move several times, gripped the stun gun. With the ejection of two electrode needles, the thug collapsed, paralyzed.

"Still want to play dirty?" Feng Xue bent down to retrieve an antique-model handgun from the ground and raised it toward the thug’s forehead.

The barrel wavered left and right. The thug’s darting eyes seemed to plead for mercy, but his thoroughly numbed body could offer no response. Even if he had begged, it would have been meaningless, for Feng Xue’s wavering aim was not out of hesitation.

He had merely discovered a new application for his "Golden Finger."

The moment he had the thought of throwing the ring earlier, the lifespan counts above the three men's heads had begun to fluctuate rapidly. He had seized the exact moment their lifespans plummeted to throw the ring. The result was excellent: the three thugs had been perfectly covered by the steamroller, leaving no chance for recovery.

It made him realize something he had known but hadn't fully considered: without using "Heavenly Mandate," one's lifespan was subject to fluctuation. Falling ill shortened it, and recovery lengthened it, but now it seemed...

"Bang!"

Feng Xue pulled the trigger. A bullet struck the thug’s shoulder, causing his frame to twitch, and the fluctuating lifespan above his head stabilized.

"As I thought. If I don't fire when the lifespan hits rock bottom, it doesn't result in an instant death. Or rather, because this shot couldn't kill him instantly, his lifespan didn't bottom out?"

With that thought, Feng Xue fired again. This time, there was no suspense; the lifespan in his vision, which had dropped to 1, froze for a moment before hitting zero.

Ejecting the bullets one by one, Feng Xue tossed the gun onto the ground. He didn't look back at the corpse with its shattered head, instead stepping around the gore and blood, whispering, "You look like a bicycle to me."

"Bang!"

A white bicycle appeared before him. Feng Xue pedaled away, vanishing from the bustling scene.

In truth, if he could have turned it into a motorcycle, not only would it have been more stylish, but it would have been significantly faster. But, having just exhausted the little white snake, he had no choice.

After practicing for only three days, the little white snake, despite having accumulated nearly a year's worth of cultivation, could perhaps manage a few sparks of electricity. Expecting her to provide the power for a motorcycle to travel dozens of miles was purely wishful thinking.

Pedaling hard, Feng Xue quickly exited the city along the road he had arrived on, pondering his next move.

He felt no remorse for killing; as someone who dared to tempt fate after earning nine years of life, he had been mentally prepared the moment he decided to transmigrate. The trouble was the aftermath.

Gangs were bloodsuckers. Without sufficient power, whether he yielded or had the little white snake beat them up, it would only lead to more trouble. Solving it once and for all was better—at least it would buy him more time to react.

However, Port City was no longer safe, and Ping’an County was likely not a long-term home either. After a moment of reflection, Feng Xue had already made his decision.