Chapter 49

* * *

The merchants and their bodyguards rushed in, ordering food and starting to chatter noisily. With about a dozen people making such a racket, the inn became a bit chaotic. However, the innkeeper and the waiters were too busy preparing and serving food to pay them much attention. The noise wasn't so loud that the other guests complained.

Their conversation was thus buried in their own commotion.

"Is it the right one? Is it the child?"

"Hmm. Judging by the change in eye color to blue, the appearance is correct. But it looks too healthy. It shouldn't have recovered so well with just basic first aid..."

Those voices belonged to the two men who had been chasing Jin Xieha in Yanhoucheng the previous day.

"Did you see when you came in? It seems that the Shaolin monk who caused a disturbance in Yanhoucheng is sitting over there."

"Yes, it doesn't seem like the Yellow Army has noticed our movements and acted first. However, we can't tell what's going on. Why would a Shaolin monk from Henan in Central Plains come all the way here to take an orphan?"

"Wang Chisha, there's no need to overthink it. Since this isn't a crowded city or town, we can just wipe them all out, right?"

Wang Chisha, the merchant, glared fiercely at the warrior he was talking to.

"Watch your words, Yuan Heisha. Why do we follow the grand plan? It's not just to overthrow the empire of that thief emperor, but to establish a new country and a new justice. We can't avoid collateral damage in the process, but if we can prevent it, we must."

"...Yes, Wang Chisha. I apologize. I spoke out of turn."

While the two were talking, the other warriors chattered and ate noisily. Wang Chisha, watching them, continued in a solemn tone.

"...But today, we have no choice but to accept the collateral damage. We don't know the relationship between them and the child, but they don't seem likely to hand him over easily. It's better to clean up completely rather than leave traces that could lead the Wulin Alliance or the Yellow Army to chase us. Wait for nightfall. We'll move when the inn is asleep."

At this, not only Yuan Heisha but also those who were loudly drinking and eating all smiled. It was a chilling smile, as if they were looking forward to the night.

* * *

Anlong Twenty-Four sat with his hands clasped on the table, his eyes tightly closed. He looked solemn and still, as if in deep meditation or thought. Gan Junshang watched him, sipping tea. Eventually, he seemed to get bored and poked Twenty-Four's clasped hands. Twenty-Four opened one eye and looked at him.

"What?"

Gan Junshang shrugged as if to say, "What can we do?" Twenty-Four frowned deeply.

"Wait a moment. The people who just came in are suspicious. They were talking about wiping something out."

He closed his eyes again. At that moment, every sound in the inn was amplified several times in his ears. He had to close his eyes and maintain a serious expression to distinguish the merchant's voice from the buzzing sounds.

However, after their previous conversation, the merchant and the warrior spoke in low voices. They laughed and chatted loudly like the other warriors, eating and drinking, but the conversation Twenty-Four wanted to hear didn't come up.

Unable to bear the pain in his ears, he stopped the Qing Er technique. There was nothing more to hear.

"Damn, was it a mistake? Amplifying the sound is good, but my ears hurt too much."

Gan Junshang watched him, then poked his arm and gestured wildly, as if to say, "What can we do now?" Twenty-Four answered in a low voice.

"...What's the problem? We should report this first and continue to follow them. If they're really going to Shenshichuan, there's no need to rush. Governor Lian will confirm the report and make preparations. And if they have any sense, they won't run away again. If they do, they'll know Governor Lian's head will be on the line."

Gan Junshang gestured again. Twenty-Four narrowed his eyes and asked.

"Which one is he? Why are you suddenly curious? Are you so into a dime novel that you want to play it out? Does the Fuma Dowe want to try it?"

Gan Junshang waved his hands in surprise. Twenty-Four laughed.

"Just kidding. You're surprised by such a thing. Anyway, he's... probably the seventh daughter, right? She has six older sisters and five older brothers? And more younger siblings. She gave up on the competition long ago and just enjoys life... like a spoiled brat. She's so full of herself. I wonder what she's missing that she's causing all this trouble."

Gan Junshang looked a bit flustered. Could someone who claimed loyalty to the emperor speak so casually about a princess? Twenty-Four laughed again, as if he understood his expression.

"Is there a problem? My loyalty isn't to that fool. Besides, the owner of Chang'an has dozens of such children. If Governor Lian reported, Chang'an would probably just send a dozen Jiaowei to capture her. There was no need to waste our resources."

Gan Junshang swallowed hard as he listened. He looked around and gestured again.

"...Of course, that doesn't mean we can let her go. She's still the child of that person. We should prevent her from getting killed with a sword somewhere in the New Continent. If she gets hurt and returns, it will really be a bloody mess for Governor Lian. So we need to keep following her."

Twenty-Four looked at the tense Gan Junshang, scratched his chin, and continued as if doing him a favor.

"Do you understand why I'm telling you this? To help you understand the Anlong Team's atmosphere. You're no longer Zhibeng but Anlong Thirty-One. Of course, you'll need to go to the training camp in Hawaii and complete the formalities, but it's good to understand the atmosphere beforehand, right?"

Gan Junshang bowed slightly in gratitude. Twenty-Four laughed, as if it was nothing, but his eyes were cold as he looked at Gan Junshang.

* * *

"None of them are normal."

Zhang Jian, listening to the inn's sounds from outside, carried Xiahe on his back and entered. Xiahe had clung to him since he picked her up, so he carried her in. He approached the group with the girl on his back. Jin Jian, who was sitting and drinking tea, chuckled.

"You seem to have gotten close quickly. It's a pity, but you'll have to part ways eventually..."

"There's no reason to avoid a parting that's already foreseen. People always end up parting ways. But I have something to discuss, so everyone, please come upstairs to the room."

Zhang Jian said this and carried Xiahe up to the third-floor room. Xuemiao and Jin Ha exchanged puzzled looks and followed, while Jin Jian stared at his back for a moment before getting up.

"Amidha..."

Their ascent was watched secretly by the merchants, warriors, Gan Junshang, and Anlong Twenty-Four.

Zhang Jian entered the room first, laid Xiahe on the bed, and covered her well. The girl lay quietly, still staring blankly at Zhang Jian. Zhang Jian smiled and gently flicked her nose.

"What's going on?"

Xuemiao, who followed into the room, put her hands on her hips and asked. Jin Ha and Jin Jian also entered. Zhang Jian said to Jin Jian, who was at the back.

"Could you close the door first?"

Jin Jian looked at Zhang Jian curiously but closed the door. The moment the door closed, Zhang Jian suddenly drew his sword. Xuemiao was startled, and Jin Ha quickly stepped in front of her, gripping her sword hilt.

"What are you doing?"

Zhang Jian didn't answer her question. He just flicked the sword with his finger. The sound of metal resonated, and the sword hummed. The sound was unusually long and deep, but the people in the room couldn't understand what he was doing and tilted their heads. At that moment, Xuemiao's face turned pale.

Meanwhile, Anlong Twenty-Four, sitting on the second floor of the inn, clutched his ears and pressed his face to the table, letting out a muffled groan.

Zhang Jian sheathed the sword after the humming subsided and looked at the stunned Jin Ha and Jin Jian, and the tight-lipped Xuemiao.

"Do you know that there are people in this New Continent who practice dark arts?"

The group exchanged glances, puzzled. Jin Jian spoke up.

"There are those who practice dark arts in Central Plains, driven by evil intentions. I've heard that it's more common in this New Continent. Why are you asking about this suddenly?"

Zhang Jian crossed his arms and sat by the window, thinking. The merchant he saw earlier had the same hand as Xue Weiliang. Before dying, Xue Weiliang mentioned a group that practiced dark arts with a formal hierarchy. Zhang Jian had also fought a well-trained dark arts practitioner before, who was after the spirit of a valley tribe.

There was no direct connection, but Zhang Jian suspected that the group after the spirit was the same one Xue Weiliang mentioned, and that they were now after Jin Xieha, who had unusual bloodline. It was hard to believe there were two groups practicing dark arts in secret, avoiding the Yellow Army's eyes.

Of course, the question of why remained. But even Zhang Jian, while treating the qi and blood, had gained inspiration for a new martial art. It was hard to predict what the dark arts practitioners, who ate hearts to increase their inner strength, might do to Jin Xieha and what they hoped to gain.

"Zhang Warrior?"

As he finished his thoughts, Jin Jian spoke again. The confusion in his eyes had cleared, and he now looked at Zhang Jian with a determined gaze.

"I haven't known you long, but the trust Jin Zao showed in you, and my own observations, make me believe in you. Please, speak without hesitation."

Zhang Jian smiled at Jin Jian's words. The monks, like this disciple, seemed to trust people too easily. He smiled briefly, looked around the room, and stopped at Xuemiao.

"Tonight, something worth writing in your book will happen. It's about the people after this little one."

Zhang Jian then shared his experiences and the inferences he had drawn from them. The two women and the monk were stunned by his account of the battles with the dark arts practitioners and his near-prophetic speculations.

* * *

Night fell at the Wuming Inn.

The guests, the innkeeper, and the waiters had all gone to bed, leaving the inn in silence. Outside, the moon, not yet full, cast faint shadows on the inn, and the cold winter night wind howled faintly over the wilderness.

At that moment, shadows stirred on the inn's roof.

They were Wang Chisha and his subordinates, disguised as merchants, wearing black masks and dark clothes. Wang Chisha, standing on the roof and looking at the hazy moon, spoke.

"First, we secure the child. Then we deal with the sleeping people and burn the inn."

His subordinates, without a word or sound, crouched in submission. They silently drew their swords and began to move, like lizards, along the roof and walls toward the room where Jin Xieha was bound.

Just as the first one reached the window and cautiously reached out to open it, a loud crash was heard. A foot broke through the window and struck the man's face, sending him and the broken window frame to the ground. The masked men, startled, looked into the broken window to see a monk standing with a benevolent smile, hands clasped in prayer.

"Amidha, evil does not come without cause. It's clear that your visit is not for good."

The masked men, hanging from the inn's walls, immediately raised their swords and rushed toward the broken window without hesitation.

At that moment, the window of the adjacent room burst open, and Jin Ha, with her sleeves and hair tied up, appeared with a sword. The masked men, about to attack the monk, hesitated at her timely appearance. Jin Ha, standing on the window frame, glared coldly at the warriors and slowly drew her sword. Even in the dim moonlight, the white blade gleamed sharply.

The blade's light exploded and poured toward the black-masked men.

"...What is this..."

Wang Chisha, on the inn's wall, looked down at the woman who had started the sword fight and his subordinates. He had expected the Shaolin monk's martial arts to be a hindrance, but he thought it wouldn't be too difficult, considering the bandages on her hands and her apparent discomfort during the meal. However, the problem wasn't the monk. His subordinates' swords couldn't even touch the woman's clothes, and blood was already splattered on the ground.

At that moment, a chill ran down his spine, and he slowly turned around. A man on the inn's roof was holding his sword sheath with his left hand and looking at the half-moon. He lowered his head to meet Wang Chisha's gaze.

His eyes were as calm as the indifferent moonlight.