Li Daoxuan frowned slightly.
Something felt off.
These people claimed they were hired by the Prince of Fu's residence. That did not make sense. Had the Prince of Fu not already funded Bai Yuan's militia? Why would he then spend more money hiring a group of wandering toughs like this? What exactly was he planning to do?
Was he not afraid of being accused by the civil officials of secretly raising private troops and plotting rebellion?
Li Daoxuan immediately activated Co-sensing.
In an instant, his consciousness projected into the golden Dao Xuan Tianzun emblem on Bai Yuan's chest.
"Bai Yuan," Li Daoxuan asked directly, "do you know anything about the Prince of Fu's residence hiring private soldiers again?"
At this moment, Bai Yuan was training the militia. When he heard Dao Xuan Tianzun's inquiry, he answered without delay.
"I know about it," Bai Yuan replied quickly. "Although the Prince of Fu provided funding for our militia, the troops are still under my command and are deployed together with the Governor to suppress bandits. Whenever I lead the troops out of the city, the Prince of Fu feels uneasy about his own safety. So he dug into his own pocket and hired another group of mercenary bodyguards."
He continued, "These men do not follow me around. They stay in the city all year long. That way, the Prince of Fu feels more at ease."
Li Daoxuan was still puzzled. "Isn't he afraid of being impeached?"
Bai Yuan shook his head. "As long as the number stays under a thousand, it is not considered a serious issue. He can claim they are for self-defense against bandits. The civil officials will not have solid grounds to impeach him. Even if the Emperor hears about it, nothing major will happen. At most, a few verbal reprimands."
That made sense.
In a flash, Li Daoxuan withdrew his consciousness and returned to the body of the mass-produced Dao Xuan Tianzun.
The moment he switched back, he saw the situation had escalated.
All ten mercenary toughs had already stood up. Their hands rested on the hilts of their sabers as they glared fiercely at the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper's face had gone pale. His legs trembled, but he still did not retreat. He took a few steps back and shouted loudly, "This is Luoyang, the center of the world. There are laws here."
The mercenary toughs burst into mocking laughter.
"Laws?" one of them sneered. "The Prince of Fu's residence is the law."
The shopkeeper became even more flustered. His lips trembled, and for a moment he could not even form a complete sentence.
At that moment, Li Daoxuan stood up.
He reached out, grabbed the shopkeeper by the shoulder, and pulled him behind himself, shielding him completely. Then he turned to face the group of mercenary toughs.
A strange and somewhat wicked smile appeared on his silicon face.
"Eating noodles and refusing to pay?" he asked calmly.
The mercenary toughs immediately realized that someone was deliberately looking for trouble.
They began to size Li Daoxuan up from head to toe. If he were dressed in luxurious silks, wearing fine jade and precious ornaments, they would have backed off at once.
But after a careful look, they felt reassured.
Li Daoxuan wore plain warrior clothing. There was no jade at his waist, no gold or silver on his body. He did not even carry a saber.
Clearly, he was not a wealthy noble.
Someone like this was well within their range to provoke.
The leader of the mercenary toughs sneered. "I have never paid for noodles. Not once."
Li Daoxuan spread his hands casually. He turned his head and asked the shopkeeper, "How many times has he eaten your noodles without paying? I will make him compensate you."
The shopkeeper whispered nervously, "Twice."
Li Daoxuan nodded.
He turned back toward the mercenary toughs. "Not paying twice means you owe twenty cash. Add a late fee, double it. Pay forty cash and I will consider the matter settled."
The mercenary tough instantly exploded in fury.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" he shouted. "Who do you think you are, sticking your nose where it does not belong? Believe it or not, I will smash your head in."
Li Daoxuan remained completely calm, as if he had not heard the threat at all.
"Eating noodles without paying is originally a civil dispute," he said evenly. "Compensation would resolve it. However, resorting to threats or violence escalates the matter into the crime of provoking trouble. That carries penalties such as fixed-term imprisonment, detention, or surveillance, along with a fine."
All ten mercenary toughs stared at him in confusion.
"What nonsense is this?" one of them shouted. "Where did you get these rules? Is this written in the Great Ming Code?"
Li Daoxuan chuckled softly. "Not the Great Ming Code. This is the law I follow. Wherever I am, things are handled according to this law."
The mercenary toughs burst into laughter.
"So he's a lunatic," someone said mockingly.
Li Daoxuan corrected them seriously. "Calling me a lunatic is disrespectful. Please call me Xiao Qiushui, the Marvelous Hero of the Divine Land."
By now, the shopkeeper understood that things had gone completely out of control.
From behind Li Daoxuan, he whispered anxiously, "Young master, thank you for your righteous help. But the situation is dangerous now. These people really intend to use force. A wise man avoids immediate loss. Young master, you should leave quickly."
The two children had stopped eating their noodles. Their small fists were clenched tightly, their faces filled with anger.
There were two or three other tables of customers in the shop. All of them were silently furious, but none dared to speak.
Suddenly, one of the mercenary toughs lunged forward.
He swung his fist straight toward Li Daoxuan's face.
Li Daoxuan did not dodge.
To be precise, his reaction speed simply was not fast enough, and he could not dodge in time.
There was a dull thud.
The mercenary tough let out a scream. He grabbed his own punching hand with his other hand and collapsed into a crouch.
"My hand," he wailed. "It hurts so much."
Li Daoxuan seized the opening. He lifted his foot and kicked forward with force.
Thump.
The mercenary tough was sent flying backward. He hit the ground hard and lay there, unable to get up for a long time.
Li Daoxuan announced calmly, "You have already thrown a punch. The crime of provoking trouble is established. Sentence: half a year of Labor Reform."
The remaining nine mercenary toughs erupted in rage.
They charged at Li Daoxuan all at once, fists and feet flying in a chaotic storm of attacks.
The shopkeeper and the two children were terrified. The other customers could not bear to watch and covered their faces.
Only screams could be heard.
After a while, the screams gradually died down.
When the sounds finally stopped, everyone cautiously looked again.
What they saw left them stunned.
Li Daoxuan was still standing there, unscathed.
The ten mercenary toughs were all sprawled on the ground. Each one was curled up like a shrimp, clutching different parts of their bodies, howling in pain in a variety of miserable ways.
Li Daoxuan spoke again. "All of you. Half a year of Labor Reform."
One of the mercenary toughs lying on the ground shouted hoarsely, "Do not get too arrogant. The Prince of Fu will never let you off."
Li Daoxuan nodded thoughtfully. "Oh? Your words remind me of something."
He continued, "I cannot simply teach you a lesson and leave it at that. I should also teach the Prince of Fu a lesson."
The moment he said this, everyone was stunned.
Even the mercenary toughs on the ground forgot to cry out in pain. They stared blankly at Li Daoxuan.
The shopkeeper, the customers, and the two children were all terrified beyond measure.
Li Daoxuan said calmly, "Common sense tells me that the Prince of Fu probably did not personally order you to eat ten-cash bowls of noodles without paying. A man of his status would not concern himself with such things. However, he still bears responsibility. He failed to properly discipline his subordinates, allowed riffraff to run rampant, and was negligent in control. Therefore, he must bear the consequences of your actions. I am going to settle accounts with him right now."
You really dare to go?
The thought almost burst out of everyone's minds at the same time.
Li Daoxuan lifted his foot and kicked one of the mercenary toughs again.
Thump.
"Get up," he ordered. "All of you. Get up. We are going to the Prince of Fu's residence together."
The ten mercenary toughs had been completely beaten into submission. None of them dared resist. They struggled to their feet one by one, heads lowered, clutching their injuries, and began limping forward, leading the way.
As they stepped onto the street, a large crowd quickly gathered.
In particular, the snack stall owners along the street were overjoyed. Many of them had suffered from these mercenary toughs eating without paying. Seeing them now humbled and obedient, their hearts finally felt relieved.