590. Falling into a Trap / 591. Shouting “Hero!”

Just then, Izayoi suddenly moved. His figure flashed, and he charged swiftly toward the bandit leader, moving so fast that no one could react in time.

Seeing Izayoi rushing at him, the bandit leader felt uneasy. Though he did not believe Izayoi could be that strong, he truly had no confidence in himself.

But now he was riding a tiger and could not dismount, so he could only brace himself and face Izayoi’s attack.

Bang!

The two collided with a dull crash, then both staggered back. Izayoi took two steps back, while the bandit leader took five.

A cold smile appeared on Izayoi’s face. From this, he could tell that the bandit leader was nothing special. With strength like this, he still dared call himself a bandit? What a joke.

Izayoi sneered and charged at the bandit leader again. Seeing this, the bandit leader hurriedly dodged, but to his surprise, his speed was nowhere near as fast as Izayoi’s pursuit.

Moreover, he had no way to evade perfectly beneath Izayoi’s shadow. He could only watch helplessly as Izayoi rushed toward him, panic rising in his heart.

Izayoi charged over and kicked the bandit leader in the stomach, sending him flying. He crashed to the ground, clutching his abdomen and groaning in unbearable pain.

Seeing this, the remaining bandits immediately rushed forward and surrounded their leader, each pointing their weapons at Izayoi.

"What do you want? Are you looking to die?" Izayoi said coldly, but inwardly he cursed, Damn it, they’re really ganging up on me!

"Brothers, attack!" Seeing that his men had not moved, the leader roared and charged forward with them.

Izayoi smiled coldly as he looked at this group of overconfident fools. A frosty voice squeezed from his lips. "You’re courting death!"

Izayoi’s aura erupted. He had already developed killing intent. These people had provoked him again and again, crossing his bottom line. How could he let them go?

Izayoi’s aura terrified everyone, making them instinctively retreat. Yet they were unwilling to leave just like that, so they gripped their weapons tightly.

They prepared to fight Izayoi to the death. After all, if they did not kill him today, they would never be able to hold their heads high again.

Alone against so many people, Izayoi’s expression remained calm, without the slightest hint of nervousness.

Seeing Izayoi’s imposing manner, some of the other bandits were even afraid, but they still charged forward resolutely.

Izayoi sneered. His figure flashed, and he rushed forward at incredible speed.

In an instant, he was beside one bandit. With one slash, he killed the man, driving his longsword into his chest.

Next, Izayoi used the sword in his hand to slaughter the bandits like gales and rainstorms, then left the mountain.

Chapter 590: Encountering a Trap

After coming down the mountain, Izayoi felt somewhat hungry, so he went to a small village. Looking at a passerby, he asked, "Excuse me, is there a small restaurant in the village? I’m hungry!"

"Yes, yes, there is!" One young man replied enthusiastically. "The small restaurant is at the end of the river ahead. You can go straight there!"

Hearing this, Izayoi smiled and nodded at the man before striding forward. Soon, he arrived at a small farmhouse. Looking up, he saw the words "Small Restaurant" written above it. His heart stirred, and he pushed open the door. The waiter hurried forward to greet him with a grin. "Welcome, sir. What would you like to order?"

Izayoi looked around the restaurant. Its furnishings were fairly decent, and it appeared clean and tidy. The tables and chairs were arranged very neatly; clearly, they often did this kind of business.

Izayoi casually asked the waiter, "Do you have stir-fried pork with chili or steamed fish?"

The waiter froze for a moment before answering, "We do have Stir-fried Pork with Chili and steamed fish. Which would you like, sir?"

"Bring them all," Izayoi replied. "I want both."

The waiter stared at Izayoi in surprise. "These dishes aren’t cheap. Are you sure you want to order all of them?"

"Yes." Izayoi nodded. "Bring these dishes first. I’ll order anything else later."

"Right away!" The waiter immediately turned and left. Before long, he brought all the food to Izayoi.

Several faint roars could be heard in the distance, but Izayoi did not think much of it. He assumed some married couple was having an argument and paid it no mind.

As Izayoi ate, he found the food surprisingly good. He asked the waiter, "The chef here is quite skilled. How is the food at your restaurant?"

Hearing this, the waiter replied with a chuckle, "You flatter us, sir. We’re an old-established restaurant. How could our food possibly be bad?"

"An old-established restaurant?" Izayoi smiled and nodded, then asked, "How are the wine and dishes here?"

"They’re excellent! Our wine is top-quality rice wine. Whether it’s the taste or the way it’s drunk, it’s absolutely the finest!" After saying this, the waiter noticed that the young man before him had begun to smile.

The waiter asked Izayoi, who was eating, "Would you like some rice wine? It’s our specialty. Why not give it a try? I guarantee you’ll be satisfied!"

"Yes." Izayoi nodded. He picked up a slice of meat with his chopsticks and tasted it, finding that it was indeed delicious.

Izayoi smiled and nodded, unable to help praising it. "Not bad!"

"Please enjoy, sir!" The waiter immediately withdrew with a smile. He knew this young man was no ordinary person, someone with an extraordinary background. Naturally, he had to treat such a person well.

"Yes." Izayoi continued tasting the food in his bowl. He found that although the dishes here were ordinary home-style fare, they were exceptionally delicious. As he ate, he sighed inwardly.

These chefs truly have the real skills. No wonder this is an old-established restaurant. The flavor really is first-rate!

While he was eating, the waiter brought over a jar of wine and called out loudly, "Sir, your wine is here!"

"Yes." Izayoi set down his chopsticks and stood up. He walked over to the waiter, opened the jar, and a rich fragrance of wine drifted out. Izayoi sniffed it, nodded, and said, "Not bad."

Seeing that the guest was so pleased with the wine, the waiter immediately said happily, "I’m glad you like it, sir. I’ll take my leave now!"

"Take care." Izayoi waved his hand. After taking a few steps, the waiter suddenly stopped…

"Sir, my name is Lin Feng. I’ve worked here for a long time. If you need anything, just tell me. As long as I can do it, I’ll definitely help you!"

"Yes." Izayoi nodded and said with a smile, "Then I’ll have to trouble you. I’ll leave this place to you."

"Yes!" the waiter answered respectfully.

Izayoi smiled and continued eating the food on his plate.

Seeing this, the waiter smiled and went back to work. He secretly thought, This guest is really impressive. Most customers who come here ask what there is to do around here, then make all sorts of requests. But this guest hasn’t made a single demand, and he’s so gentle and polite toward me. This is the first time I’ve met a guest like him.

After the waiter left, Izayoi remained seated at the table and continued eating. Then he looked out the window.

Seeing that people seemed to be fleeing, he found it strange. He stopped someone who was running away and asked, "What happened?"

The person did not stop, instead shouting, "Run! Run! The bandits are here! They said they’re looking for someone to take revenge on!"

Izayoi thought, Looks like the bandits have come for me. I can’t hide from them. I have to meet them and see exactly who they are.

Thus, Izayoi immediately stood up and walked out of the room.

By then, Izayoi had already left the inn. The moment he stepped outside, he heard hoofbeats in the distance. They drew closer and closer, becoming more urgent.

The rider seemed extremely anxious, and the hoofbeats grew louder without pause. Izayoi frowned and immediately quickened his pace.

Chapter 591: Shouting for a Hero

The bandit leader glared at Izayoi and asked hatefully, "My men were all killed by you, weren’t they, bastard?"

Izayoi thought for a moment before answering coldly, "Your men are indeed dead, but they committed every evil imaginable. They deserved to die."

"Deserved to die?"

"Yes. That is what it means to deserve death. You committed such heinous acts, and now you still want to kill me. Then I can only kill every last one of you, or else I won’t be able to vent the hatred in my heart!"

After thinking for a moment, Izayoi added, "And I’ll cut off your head and take it up the mountain as an offering to the people you killed. That will be your just reward!"

Izayoi’s words made the bandit leader tremble in fear. He had not expected Izayoi to be so ruthless.

He said, "Boy, you’ve got a lot of nerve. You dare threaten me? Today, I’ll make you pay a terrible price!"

Izayoi looked the bandit up and down and said disdainfully, "What do you think you can do? Do you even have the ability?"

Hearing Izayoi’s words, the bandit leader’s expression twisted viciously. He roared, "You little bastard, since that’s the case, don’t blame me for being merciless!" As soon as he finished speaking, he charged at Izayoi.

Izayoi leaped aside and dodged the bandit leader’s attack. At the same time, a sword appeared in his hand.

Izayoi swung his sword and thrust at the bandit leader. Seeing this, the bandit leader hurriedly raised his weapon to block the strike.

Izayoi’s sword struck the man’s blade. The bandit leader shoved hard, forcing Izayoi’s attack back, then stabbed toward Izayoi’s chest.

Seeing Izayoi’s reaction speed, the bandit leader’s eyes showed a trace of satisfaction. I didn’t expect this brat to be so skilled. Looks like I’ll have to use my full strength, or I really might fall here this time!

With that thought, the bandit leader’s attacks became even fiercer.

Izayoi also grew more excited as the fight continued.

The sounds of their battle drew several other bandits over. They saw their leader fighting a young man, and the young man was actually evenly matched with him.

Moreover, the young man’s martial arts were formidable, and their leader could not gain even the slightest advantage.

This sight left the bandits shocked.

They thought, If we can’t take this brat down tonight, he might wipe us out!

With that thought, the bandits exchanged glances and decided to join forces.

"Boss, it’s a bit difficult for one person to fight this brat. Why don’t we join forces? He definitely won’t be our match."

"Let’s kill this brat first, then slowly torture this young man!" one of the bandits suggested.

"Yes, Boss, I agree. It’s too dangerous for you to handle this brat alone. We should join forces. Together, it’ll definitely be much easier than fighting him one-on-one!" another bandit echoed.

The bandits all chimed in, saying that if they joined forces, they would be able to defeat Izayoi.

After hearing them out, the bandit leader said, "Good. Set a trap and capture him. Once he falls into it, he’ll become our prey. Hahaha!"

The bandits nodded repeatedly. "Right, right, right!"

Thus, several bandits scattered and ran to Izayoi’s left and right. They attacked from both sides, trying to surround him.

Seeing this, Izayoi said with a smile, "Trying to trap me with a diversionary tactic? How naive! You’d better run for your lives before you lose them!"

The bandits were furious and shouted, "You bastard, you dare mock us? You’re courting death!" With that, they prepared a large net and threw it over Izayoi.

After being caught, Izayoi could not move at all.

The bandit leader walked over, looked at Izayoi with a smile, and said, "Boy, if you kneel and beg for mercy, perhaps I’ll spare your worthless life. But if you refuse, hmph, we’ll kill you without hesitation!"

Izayoi smiled.

"Haha!"

Seeing Izayoi smile, the bandit leader said, "Boy, what are you laughing at? Let me tell you, your death is near."

Izayoi did not answer the bandit leader.

"What are you laughing at? Kneel for me now, or don’t blame us for getting rough!" the bandit leader continued to berate him.

"I’m laughing at how childish you are," Izayoi answered.

"What? You dare call me childish?" The bandit leader flew into a rage.

"I merely spoke the truth. Yet you’re this angry. Isn’t your mind a little too narrow?" Izayoi said with a cold smile.

"Good! Very good!"

After saying that, the bandit leader raised his blade and slashed at Izayoi.

Trapped in the net, Izayoi had no way to dodge. Just then, a man rushed out from the restaurant and drew his sword to block the bandit leader’s blade.

Clang!

The two swords collided with a sharp metallic ring.

Seeing this, the bandit leader immediately roared, "Who is it? Who dares ruin my plans? Show yourself!"

The man said nothing, merely staring at the bandit leader with a cold smile.

Chapter 592: A Crisis Approaches

Seeing that the man remained silent, the bandit leader said, "You dare ignore me? Then don’t blame me for being rude!"

"Hmph. I’d like to see just how rude you can be," the man snorted. Seeing that the man dared speak to him this way, the bandit leader immediately flew into a rage. "You brat dare speak to me like that? Today, I’ll tear you to pieces!"

After saying that, the bandit leader raised his broadsword and chopped toward the man’s neck.

Seeing this, the man immediately raised his sword to meet the attack. He dodged the bandit leader’s strike, then began dealing with the other bandits.

He knew this was not the time to waste with the bandit leader. He should kill the others first. Meanwhile, Izayoi took the opportunity to untie the ropes and spoke.

"I’ll hold off the bandit leader. You deal with the other bandits. Once you’ve taken care of all of them, come back and help me. I believe we can definitely take down that bandit leader."

"Fine, we’ll do that!" Hearing Izayoi’s suggestion, the man immediately nodded in agreement.

"Good!" Izayoi responded, then raised his sword and charged at the bandit leader.