As Xin pursued, now on foot on the ground, he heard Kyang's shout of warning. If the bandits wished to lure him into a trap...

For the first time Dai Xin gave an actual genuine smile. It was terrifying.

As arrows flew from the trees, whether from actual bowmen or traps the bandits had rigged to protect their territory, Dai Xin simply flooded his legs with Qi and kept moving. Traps couldn't lead a target, and an archer who could still could not change the speed of an arrow after it had left the string. Faster and faster he went, the projectiles thudding into the ground or the trees mere seconds after his passing, as he charged through the foliage and into a blinding light...

Several men, armed with all manner of axe, club, and blade suddenly surrounded him in the clearing. As the martial artist blinked in the light, three more dropped down from the trees, cutting off his escape.

"Watch him fellas, he knows how to fight!"

"Won't matter, when we've got the weapons!"

One charged forward and brought down his sword with a battle cry. Dai Xin lifted his knee, smoke trailing from the bottom of his foot, and snapped out a blow.

"Fist of the Sky, Twenty Five Basic Movements. Front Kick."

The bandit's strike carried all the way through, the swipe passing clean from Dai Xin's shoulder down to his hip. The man smirked...then realized most of his blade above the hand guard was missing. He looked up at Dai Xin, eyes growing wide. The red haired man pointed upwards. The broken blade was embedded in a tree branch just above them, having gone all the way through the wood. Slowly the bandit lowered his gaze until he met Dai Xin's eyes again.

"Twenty Five Basic Movements. Straight Punch."

It happened too fast to even see the transition; the next instant Dai Xin was in his stance, arm extended, and the bandit was doubled over, his feet lifting clear of the ground. His chest literally caved inward, a crater that rippled outward like a pebble thrown in water. When time resumed he flew backwards, a comet's tail of blood flowing from his mouth and nose as translucent smoke rose from Dai Xin's fist.

Not quite understanding what had just happened, the other bandits had already started to charge, and even as they began to realize it, many of them were too committed to their swings as they closed in on Dai Xin from all angles.

He was still smiling.