Chapter 67

Under the setting sun, a hill made of gravel and rocks spread out, and between the stones, withered grasses pitifully poked out, trembling in the sandy wind. Suddenly, heavy hoofbeats trampled the trembling grass. However, the grass, accustomed to the harsh wind and arid land, straightened its bent body as if it were nothing. But even the tough grass of the wilderness couldn't withstand the snout that came next, tearing at its stems.

"Hey, is this the time to graze?"

Zhang Jian's light reprimand made Cao Cao snort as if to say, "Mind your own business." Despite his attitude, the pace that had slowed down quickly caught up with Yang Hong, who was leading the way. Zhang Jian, slightly amused by Cao Cao's behavior, looked up and called out to Yang Hong, who was a bit ahead.

"Slow down!"

Yang Hong turned his waist and looked at Zhang Jian with a bewildered expression.

"What, what are you saying? We need to hurry! Not only those yellow-masked guys, but also the Wu Lin Alliance and the Ji family are chasing us, running hard!"

"We're already far ahead. Now, instead of just running, we need to look at the map."

"Oh, that's what you mean?"

Yang Hong, who easily agreed, turned his horse's head and approached Zhang Jian and Li Lian. Zhang Jian gently nudged Li Lian, who was sitting in front of him. For some reason, she had stiffened up, and only now did she flinch and ask.

"Eh, yes? What is it?"

"···Why? We need you to interpret the map."

"Ah! Yes, of course! Right!"

She quickly dismounted from Cao Cao's saddle and awkwardly brushed off her clothes. Her face was strangely flushed. Yang Hong, who had approached and seen her face, laughed lecherously.

"Hehe. So, Zhang's chest is that sturdy?"

"What, what are you talking about? Why are you saying such things all of a sudden!"

Li Lian, furious, pulled out the axe from her belt. Yang Hong, who hadn't expected her to pull out an axe just for a word, was frightened and slowly pulled back the reins. Zhang Jian, watching this, dismounted and took out a scroll from his coat.

"Li Lian."

"Yes, yes?"

"Can you check the map for us?"

She hesitated and nodded, taking the map from Zhang Jian. But as soon as she unfolded the map, her hesitant attitude disappeared. She stared at the map seriously, then placed it on Cao Cao's saddle and took out a small, round crystal from a small bag at her waist. She placed the crystal on the map and examined it closely. It was a magnifying glass.

As she silently examined the map, Zhang Jian and Yang Hong, who had moved a bit closer, also looked at the map. After a while, Li Lian, who had been looking through the magnifying glass, nodded and looked up. She was startled to see the two men standing close to her on either side.

Yang Hong, surprised by her reaction, quickly moved away, but Zhang Jian, showing no signs of being flustered, met her eyes and asked.

"Can you figure it out?"

"···Yes, I have a general idea of the direction."

She swallowed hard and stepped forward with the map, comparing it to the land in front of them. After several times of alternating between the map and the landscape, she nodded.

"We should continue southeast. With the horses, we should be able to arrive within a week."

"Good. We'll get another horse along the way, but for now, let's continue with Cao Cao."

"···Yes."

Zhang Jian immediately mounted Cao Cao and held out his hand to her. She took his hand with a half-smile and climbed onto the saddle. Yang Hong, watching from a distance, grinned, looking amused.

After seating Li Lian on the saddle, Zhang Jian turned his head and looked in the direction of Xinshachuan. Standing on a slightly higher hill, he could see quite far. At the edge of his vision, faint, moving dots were visible. They were probably the yellow-masked men chasing them.

The distance between them and Zhang Jian was not easily catchable, but it was not far enough to be completely safe. After roughly confirming the distance of the enemies, Zhang Jian gently tugged on Cao Cao's reins and started moving. They were heading towards a shallow river in the distance.

"Let's go."

Yang Hong quickly followed behind. High above them, a large eagle was gliding softly in the vast sky, looking down at the ground.

* * *

"···We've lost their trail."

"They must have moved along the river. Can't you tell if they went upstream or downstream?"

"That's... difficult. We might need to... split up."

"Right. We need to split up. I'll go downstream."

"Yes, Chief. I'll go upstream."

The men with yellow kerchiefs around their necks split up at the river. The man called Chief turned to the one who had turned his horse's head.

"Contact the others immediately if you find any traces."

"Understood."

He and half of the men galloped upstream. The Chief, watching them, turned to a woman beside him.

"Jialong seems too eager. He might cause trouble."

"He lost the map to the Ji family's young master in a fight. It's understandable. But do you know who the people running away are?"

"No. They don't seem to be famous figures from Xinshachuan or other cities. But since Li Lian is with them willingly... they might be underworld figures."

The Chief nodded.

"The situation has become complicated. It seems the woman was planning to steal the map with them from the beginning. They succeeded."

"The Ji family is probably chasing us from behind. The Alliance will send a pursuit team, but it will likely be a formal one. The good thing is that the Ji family's pursuit will only follow us."

"Despite the complex cause and effect, our immediate task is clear. We need to chase the map."

"Right."

After a brief conversation, they turned their horses and started galloping downstream. The countless hoofbeats left a yellow dust cloud behind.

* * *

The man who had moved upstream found the trail at dusk. Jialong, who had this name, decided to immediately follow it. A subordinate beside him cautiously asked.

"Chief, didn't you say to contact you?"

"They are only three. We are twenty. There's no need to bother Chief. We'll take the map before tonight. What could go wrong?"

"···No, sir."

Jialong's firm tone made the subordinate close his mouth. He didn't look happy. It was understandable. If he hadn't provoked the Ji family unnecessarily during the raid earlier, they wouldn't have had a fierce fight, and they wouldn't have lost the bandits. If they had taken the map then, they would be rushing to find the treasure now, not following the trail.

As they followed the trail, they soon felt the surroundings become completely dark. The sunset that had filled the horizon faded, and it was completely dark. As a result, the trail they had been following became hard to see. Jialong had to stop. They might miss each other if they moved recklessly. His face twisted in frustration.

"Hey! Chief Jialong! Look over there!"

One of the subordinates pointed to a distance. Jialong looked and saw a faint light under a large rock in the distance. His face brightened.

"Do they think they've completely shaken us off? Let's go!"

They moved towards the light, then stopped their horses halfway and started walking on foot to avoid making noise. The surroundings were dark and quiet, and only the light they were chasing was flickering. Jialong, thinking the bandits who stole the map were there, felt something was off. As they got closer, the light and its surroundings became clearer. Beyond the small campfire, only one man was sitting.

Jialong suspected a trap. Perhaps the bandits had a background force they hadn't expected. They had set a trap here and were waiting for them.

But after looking around carefully, he saw no signs of many people hiding. Jialong was puzzled. Maybe it was just a traveler passing by.

At that moment, Jialong's eyes met the man sitting there. He was looking directly at the dry grass where Jialong was hiding. Jialong realized they had been spotted by the man's steady gaze.

Jialong slowly stood up. The other subordinates were surprised, but he only looked at the man who was staring at him and spoke.

"My name is Jialong."

"Zhang Jian."

Jialong nodded at Zhang Jian's short answer.

"Did you steal the map? Where are the other two?"

Zhang Jian, sitting by the campfire, said expressionlessly.

"Did you start throwing spears and setting fires without being sure?"

"Only Li Lian can decode the old Li family's code in Xinshachuan. And if they weren't scared, they wouldn't have run. Now, if you don't want to die, hand over the map. And Li Lian, too."

But Zhang Jian, sitting there, neither handed over the map in his coat nor called out to the woman lying on the rock behind him. He asked again.

"Jialong, right? I've never heard of bandits wearing yellow masks and causing trouble."

"···Bandits? Did you just call us bandits?"

"Are you not?"

Jialong, drawing his sword, stepped forward.

"Don't speak lightly, Zhang Jian. We move to protect the powerless civilians and the people of this new continent. We are not like bandits who act on personal greed."

"But you were the ones who started the attack."

"That attack was to separate the bandits with the map from the dark market warriors. They are also people who live by the sword, so they should understand."

Zhang Jian tilted his head.

"Are you going to justify attacking the Ji family's people too?"

"Ji family? All the ancient families, including the Ji family, are defeatists who have survived for hundreds of years by licking the feet of the Han imperial court. They are parasites who feed on the blood of the people. They are obstacles that need to be eliminated, just like the empire. By looting their granaries, more people can eat. That's why we need the map and the treasure. It will be the war funds to reclaim what belongs to us from the well-fed ones."

Zhang Jian chuckled, finding it absurd.

"Really? In this new continent, there are many people who live hard, but few who starve to death."

Jialong, drawing his sword and approaching, shouted.

"Are you defending the Han imperial court and the ancient families? The wealth of this land is being drained to the Central Plains! And the Central Plains is profiting from it! The well-fed are getting even fatter! That's why we need the map and the treasure! It will be the war funds to reclaim what belongs to us from the well-fed ones."

Zhang Jian didn't say anything more. To him, who had traveled around the new continent and met many people, Jialong seemed like a naive city boy who had fallen into a strange ideology. But Zhang Jian didn't want to mock or argue with him. He just picked up the sword he had set aside and stood up.

He said.

"I won't hand over the map. Li Lian, too."

"Are you sure? We outnumber you."

As Jialong muttered, his subordinates, who had been lying down, stood up. There were about twenty of them. Zhang Jian, sheathing his sword, replied.

"Fair enough."

"···Ha. Fair enough? That's funny. Boys, we need to chase the other two, so finish this quickly. We need to interrogate, so just cut off their limbs."

The subordinates, answering in unison, drew their swords and knives and slowly approached Zhang Jian. Zhang Jian stood still until they were within arm's reach. Seeing the warriors smirk, thinking he was scared or wouldn't resist, he took a deep breath and exhaled.

The next moment, the sword was drawn.

The first warrior to be decapitated only saw a flash and didn't see Zhang Jian's movement at all. The warriors were startled and stiffened when they saw a head roll. Zhang Jian silently approached them. Only his sword blade glinted in the campfire light.

Before the first warrior who had approached Zhang Jian fell, the second warrior's heart was pierced. By the time the third warrior died, the other warriors had regained their senses and instinctively yelled and charged at Zhang Jian.

Their explosive attacks flew at Zhang Jian. Zhang Jian countered each one. The warriors' attacks were clearly deadly, but they were far from the strikes of the imperial guards.

Thanks to this, the six warriors who attacked Zhang Jian in quick succession were knocked down and sprawled on the ground.

The warriors' faces turned pale. When Zhang Jian killed three of them, they were angry at their comrades' deaths. But when six of them charged and were knocked down like broken dolls, they felt more confusion and fear than anger.

Jialong was also confused. But he quickly raised his sword to shoulder level and took a stance. His left foot was extended forward, his weight on his right knee, and his left hand stretched out, making him look like he was about to shoot an invisible bow with his sword.

"Scum!"

Jialong, shouting, thrust his sword straight at Zhang Jian, pulling it from his shoulder. The speed was so fast that the ground under his feet exploded. His entire body became an arrow, and the tip of his sword became the arrowhead.

Seeing Jialong flying towards him, Zhang Jian's eyes widened. Jialong, thinking he was surprised by his speed, smiled involuntarily.

But after deflecting the thrust with a horizontal slash, Zhang Jian struck Jialong's face with his right elbow.

"Keh!"

Jialong dropped his sword, blood streaming from his nose, and fell backward. Zhang Jian, who had knocked him down with a simple move, had a strange look in his eyes. He looked at the unconscious Jialong for a moment, then suddenly looked up. The frightened warriors were trembling and looking at him.

Zhang Jian nodded slightly at them, and the warriors, understanding his meaning, quickly fled, not even glancing back at their fallen leader or comrades. Zhang Jian, watching them, muttered skeptically.

"Are these guys really yellow-turbaned?"

His eyes returned to the unconscious Jialong. The important thing was that he could now take his time to find out.