Chapter 30

Inside the money chest that had been pried open with great effort, there was nothing. Everyone stared at the empty space with blank faces, when suddenly Yang Hong suddenly turned around and glared at Kang Sangsu, who was tied to a tree. He then rushed at him, kicked him in the jaw, and shouted,

"You damn brat! Where's my money!"

"Ugh! Ugh, ugh!"

Yang Hong hit him even though it was obvious that Kang Sangsu's mouth was gagged and he couldn't speak. After a while, he panted heavily and removed the leather strap that was covering Kang Sangsu's mouth. Blood from his torn cheek and gums trickled down his chin.

Yang Hong grabbed the collar of his shirt and shouted,

"Speak, you brat! Where's the money!"

"…I, I don't… know… if it's not there… I don't…"

"Damn it! You damn scoundrel! You didn't have a single piece of useful information! You fraud! I'm an idiot for planning this job based on your trash information!"

Kang Sangsu shook his head with a swollen face.

"No… it's not… this time, this time is special… it's usually not like this…"

After a while, Yang Hong finally let go of his collar and returned to the gang. He glared at Jin Shuyan and said,

"…There's only one reason for a usually unremarkable supply cart to change. It's a trap. This supply cart was definitely a trap set to eliminate you and your friends. Damn, what bad luck to get caught now…"

Jin Shuyan, seeing Yang Hong's angry face and the dejected looks of the other gang members, felt a bit apologetic and said,

"Well, I don't know what to say. I kind of expected this, but even if I wanted to tell you it's just bad luck, we managed to escape the trap because of you… So, that's fine. Okay. Wait a moment."

She got up and walked to her tent. A moment later, she returned with a small bag in her hand.

"This is all I can give you. It's not stolen money; it's money I personally had. Here."

Jin Shuyan didn't throw the money to Yang Hong, who was at the front, but to Zhang Jian. When he caught it, he found it was quite heavy, filled with silver coins.

"Shuyan, you're giving that money…"

"Big sister…"

The others, seeing her give the bag, asked if she was serious. But she didn't say anything to them. Zhang Jian, sensing the story behind the money, didn't think of returning it. He needed money to eat and live, and if he left without any gains, he might starve for a while.

Zhang Jian opened the bag, took about a third of the silver coins, and put them in his pocket. He then threw the rest to Yang Hong.

"Divide it fairly."

Despite having money in his hand, Yang Guang's expression was dejected. It was understandable. Hundreds, maybe even thousands of silver coins had appeared in his hand and then vanished like a mirage, leaving only a few dozen. But the Gong brothers, who hadn't really faced much danger, didn't seem too upset, and Jian Zhongcan, who had just appeared, showed no particular expression. In fact, he had suffered the most in this job, as his bow had broken, but he didn't seem affected.

Of course, it was no longer Zhang Jian's concern. After pocketing a few silver coins, he got up, dusted himself off, and said to Yang Hong,

"At first, I thought you were trying to scam us, but watching the chaos was kind of fun. But if you try to get me to do another job like this next time, I'll really kill you."

"…Heh. Mr. Zhang, it will happen. Last time, you said you wouldn't work with a fraudster, but you did. Next time, I'll bring you a job you can't refuse. Will you do it?"

Zhang Jian didn't respond but just smiled. He nodded lightly to the Gong brothers and Jian Zhongcan and then said to Jin Shuyan and the others,

"Even though it wasn't a good connection, I did get a bottle of wine. Let's meet in a better place next time. Take care."

He then went to his tied-up Zhaozao, climbed on, and slowly rode away with a torch in hand. Gong Ping, watching him leave, muttered,

"Checked the empty money chest and left so cleanly… Damn, let's go. We didn't get a pile of gold or silver, but we did make some pocket money."

"Yes, brother."

Gong Lang answered respectfully. Gong Ping then turned to Yang Hong and said,

"Call us if you have another job. I'll do it, even if it's not a big one. And if I do, my brother will too. If you need a reliable swordsman, come find us. You know where we'll be, right?"

The Gong brothers left as if following Zhang Jian. Watching them go, Yang Hong rubbed his chin and turned to Jian Zhongcan,

"It's time for us to leave too."

Jian Zhongcan only nodded without a word. Yang Hong, unlike his usual frivolous manner, bowed slightly to Jin Shuyan.

"Take care. Since Xue Weiliang's son is dead, it's best to lie low for a while. If you get caught, don't reveal our identities. Well, you probably don't know much anyway."

"…Thank you for your concern."

"Sure."

After their farewells, Yang Hong and Jian Zhongcan each took a torch and left the Qing Shu Village bandit camp. Watching them disperse in different directions, Jin Shuyan soon began to pack up the people and their belongings to find a new hiding place. As Yang Hong had said, with Xue Weiliang's son dead, it was time to lie low.

"How do you see it?"

A while later, Yang Hong, who had moved away from the camp, asked Jian Zhongcan. Strangely, he addressed him formally, unlike before. But Jian Zhongcan didn't seem to mind the change in attitude.

"Really special, um, ah."

Jian Zhongcan, mid-sentence, suddenly adjusted his voice. Surprisingly, the voice that had sounded appropriately low and male became a slightly lower female voice.

"Ah. Really a special martial artist. Despite no known connection to the Imperial Army, his use of the Sealing Meridian Technique, the unique move he used to return Xue Shangzheng's spear, and the natural aura of a master martial artist. At first, I thought he was a descendant of the Mo Family. There have been reports that they are regaining power in the New Continent."

"…Not so?"

Jian Zhongcan, still on horseback, twisted his body as if doing exercises and answered,

"No. While Mo Family martial arts have fewer side effects compared to others, they can't hide from my eyes. Zhang Jian, right? Hmm. Perhaps he obtained a special opportunity in the New Continent."

"An opportunity?"

The seemingly clean young man, Jian Zhongcan, became more slender and had a sharper jawline as he continued his exercises. He then took out a thick leather bundle from his coat and let it fall to the ground, continuing,

"The New Continent route has been open for over a hundred years. That's enough time for old mountain sects to cross over and establish their own lineages away from prying eyes. In fact, the current leader of the Martial Arts Alliance's skills grew in a similar way. Of course, the leader himself is strong."

"But the Sealing Meridian Technique…"

Jian Zhongcan smiled.

"Black Dragon Seven, the Sealing Meridian Technique is good for subduing an unguarded opponent. It doesn't activate with a single strike. You saw how Zhang Jian used his inner strength to poke Kang Sangsu all over to make him faint. It's less energy-consuming to just choke him unconscious or kill him. Otherwise, maybe for stopping bleeding?"

Yang Hong scratched his chin and asked,

"Then what? Just a martial artist who appeared due to a combination of a good opportunity and talent?"

But Jian Zhongcan couldn't immediately answer Yang Hong's blunt question.

"…Hmm. I can't be sure. While he doesn't seem to have learned Mo Family martial arts, his skills don't match his age, so I can't completely rule out the possibility that he is a descendant of the Mo Family."

Yang Hong's eyes sparkled at this hesitation.

"Then…?"

"Yes. Continue gathering information on Zhang Jian. We originally planned to fund our operations with this job. I'll ask the upper echelons to send us the funds. Don't spare the cost; investigate his activities in the New Continent."

"Yes! I'll gather all the information I can!"

Now a neat young woman, Jian Zhongcan, nodded at Yang Hong's submissive answer. She was using the name Black Dragon Three, one of the tentacles the imperial court had extended to the New Continent, and had many other concerns besides Zhang Jian.

This job was just a brief help she provided to Black Dragon Seven, Yang Hong, when he asked for it. Although she suffered a minor arm injury from the unexpected appearance of a master martial artist, the Black Dragon Corps didn't select members based on martial arts alone. This level of injury was manageable. Thanks to the Muscle and Bone Transformation Technique, the injury wouldn't become severe.

At that moment, she realized that the cloth Zhang Jian had used to tie her arm, which he had taken from his mask, was still wrapped around her arm. She gently shook it, watching the cloth flutter in the wind. After a moment, she focused her gaze forward, slowly riding and organizing her next steps.

The stained cloth on her arm continued to flutter in the wind.

* * *

After parting ways with Yang Hong's gang and the Qing Shu Village bandits, Zhang Jian looked at the moon and stars, set his direction back to Qing Shu Village, and rode through the dark night wilderness. He planned to find a room at an inn and rest before it got too late.

He also calculated that Qing Shu Village would be the safest place to go, as the people chasing the bandits who attacked the supply cart wouldn't expect him to be there. Zhang Jian thought this was a decent plan.

Zhaozao, enjoying the cool night air, ran enthusiastically, breathing heavily. The moon and stars were bright, so it was unlikely that Zhaozao would trip.

"Whoa, slow down. If you fall, I fall too."

Of course, if he really fell, he would jump off, but Zhang Jian still gently calmed Zhaozao. If Zhaozao got hurt, he would have to stay here for a while, which Zhang Jian, who didn't want to get further entangled with Xue Weiliang and the Qing Shu Village bandits, found daunting.

Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Zhang Jian leaned into Zhaozao's run and looked up at the twinkling Milky Way. The cool autumn night air filled his chest, making him feel cold inside. Looking up at the sky, he opened his mouth as if to take in the stars and the Milky Way. Imagining himself doing this on a galloping horse, he chuckled.

At that moment, something red in the distance caught his eye. Focusing his inner strength in his eyes, Yang Hong's expression stiffened. He hit Zhaozao's hindquarters, urging him to run faster.

"Zhaozao! Faster!"

In the distance, the Qing Shu Village inn was burning.