Chapter 69

The next morning, the sky to the east, which had been pitch black, was beginning to turn a faint bluish hue. Zhang Jian and his companions woke up early, tidied their bedding, and prepared to leave by saddling their horses. On one side, Galung, with his hands and feet bound, sat leaning against a small rock, glaring at them. In the dim light, their expressions were not clearly visible, but it was evident that Zhang Jian and his companions paid him no attention.

Galung couldn't understand Zhang Jian. How could he be so calm? The leader of the Wu Lin Alliance, known for his cooperation with the imperial army and the empire, had even received a sword from the emperor. Some people even considered the Wu Lin Alliance to be merely an appendage of the empire. The fact that such a leader was secretly organizing a secret society to dream of the independence of the New Continent was information that could be a threat to the timid and a precarious opportunity for the bold. It was a chance to control the organization that could establish order in the New Continent, so most people from the New Continent would find it hard to remain so composed.

At that moment, Zhang Jian, who had finished his preparations, walked steadily toward Galung.

Galung, who had been glaring with anger, tried to maintain his fury as Zhang Jian approached, but as the footsteps grew closer, he couldn't suppress his fear and lowered his head. In his eyes, he saw Zhang Jian's shoes.

"What are you going to do with me?"

Zhang Jian didn't answer. Galung, who had been staring at his shoes, slowly lifted his head. At that moment, Zhang Jian's hand grabbed his collar and started dragging him. Galung struggled and shouted.

"Wait! Wait a moment! Please, spare me! Don't kill me! You! If you kill me, you won't be safe either! The leader! The teacher! And our Taiping members will get you!"

Ignoring his cries, Zhang Jian roughly dragged him to the tree where he had been hung upside down the previous day. It was the only tree in the area, surrounded by rocks, soil, and yellow weeds. Upon reaching the tree, Zhang Jian grabbed the rope from the previous day and looked down at Galung. To Galung, the rope and the tree seemed like his gallows.

Galung, forgetting his anger, spoke in a frightened voice.

"P-Please, spare me..."

"How is the structure of the Taiping organization?"

A glimmer of hope appeared in Galung's eyes, which had been clouded by fear.

"The leader, and under him, me and the strategist Juxian! Below us are all the regular members!"

"The structure is simple."

"It hasn't been long since we formed. This was the first operation after we named ourselves Taiping..."

"You said you are the son of a merchant. You seem to have learned martial arts from that teacher. Are all the other Taiping members also his disciples?"

Galung shook his head.

"Not all of them. Only a few have learned from the teacher... The rest are people who have joined through connections. They are the children of merchants who couldn't show their abilities but were looking for opportunities, or those who studied martial arts and wanted a chance to make a difference..."

"So, the real important figures among you are the leader and those around him."

Galung, who was about to argue, realized he was in no position to do so and kept quiet. If Zhang Jian underestimated the Taiping, it would be to his advantage. Besides, there was some truth to it.

Believing he had learned everything he needed from the previous day, Zhang Jian untied the rope from the tree. He then bound Galung tightly to the base of the tree. Galung's face brightened, thinking he wouldn't be hanged. Zhang Jian, seeing this, said,

"You're so incompetent that I don't even want to kill you. When your companions come to find you, ask them to untie you. And tell them this is their last chance to stop their foolishness and return home."

"Last chance?"

Galung looked up at Zhang Jian, who met his gaze with cold eyes.

"If I see you again, I won't show mercy. I won't let you go after a casual fight like yesterday, or leave you tied up like this. I'll kill all of you."

Usually, threats of killing or eliminating someone lose their power the moment they are spoken, as they sound too strong and only create discomfort rather than fear.

But Galung felt fear. Zhang Jian didn't glare with murderous intent or contort his face in anger or hatred. He spoke calmly, like a still lake at dawn, without any disturbance. Galung realized that Zhang Jian would indeed do as he said, and that the Taiping would have no power to stop him when he decided to act. Zhang Jian was speaking the truth, not making a threat.

"I... I understand. I'll... I'll persuade the leader..."

Zhang Jian, looking at the frightened Galung, turned away. Galung, only then, took a deep breath, realizing he had been holding it in due to tension. He let out a bitter laugh, amazed that he hadn't noticed.

At that moment, a shadow fell over him. Looking up, he saw Yang Hong. Galung thought he was about to receive a warning, but Yang Hong suddenly reached out and tore his collar.

"What is this...?"

Yang Hong then used the torn piece of cloth to blindfold Galung, so he wouldn't know which direction they were going. As he tied the cloth, Yang Hong said,

"Stay here quietly and go home as he said. A few people have already died. If you don't stop, you'll all die."

After tying the cloth, Yang Hong lightly slapped Galung's cheek and stood up. Galung didn't say anything. His vision was now pitch black, whether his eyes were open or closed.

After a while, the sound of horses neighing was heard, followed by the sound of hooves as they left. Galung, unable to see, sat in silence. Even after the sound of hooves faded away, he remained motionless for a long time.

Feeling trapped in a narrow box due to his blindness and bound limbs, Galung began to wonder if time was passing or had stopped, and if he was tied to a remote island. Finally, when his world had shrunk to just the tree at his back and the ground beneath him, he heard the sound of hooves.

He turned his head in the direction of the sound. The approaching group was quite large, undoubtedly his Taiping companions.

"Here! Here! I'm here, leader! Galung is here! Please, untie me!"

Where did he get the strength, or was the time he was bound shorter than he thought? A loud voice erupted from Galung's throat. The sound of hooves quickly approached him. They stopped their horses near the bound Galung.

"Quick, untie me, leader. And some water..."

But they didn't respond. Galung, puzzled, saw someone dismount. The person walked over and put something in Galung's mouth. Confused, Galung realized it was water and drank greedily. After gulping down half the water bag, he let the water drip from the corners of his mouth and said,

"You... You're not my friends... Who are you?"

At that moment, the person who had given him water roughly untied the blindfold. Squinting against the bright sunlight, Galung couldn't recognize the man in front of him. But he recognized the man on horseback, who was looking down at him. On the man's left shoulder sat a falcon with a black body and white head, with sharp eyes and a long red pattern running down its body. It was a magnificent bird known as Xueliying.

Feeling the falcon's gaze, or perhaps receiving a signal from its owner, the Xueliying flapped its wings and flew into the sky. Galung almost blurted out the falcon's owner's name but managed to hold back. He thought there was nothing to reveal that he was part of the Taiping.

"You should remove that yellow sash and think about disguising yourself. These guys don't seem as smart as the ones in the ambush."

Galung, looking down at him with disdain, was startled and looked at his own chest. But the yellow sash was not there; it was neatly folded in his pocket, not tied around his neck.

"...You're teasing me."

Ji Yunsheng laughed heartily at the angry voice.

"Hahaha! Consider yourself lucky. I'm not going to break your hands and feet and threaten you. Isn't that fortunate enough?"

Galung, trying to glare, couldn't stop his bound hands from trembling. Ji Yunsheng, still smiling, nodded to the subordinate who had given Galung water.

The subordinate nodded and untied Galung from the tree, placing him on his horse. Galung, treated like a piece of luggage, couldn't say a word.

At that moment, Ji Shangtian, who was standing next to Ji Yunsheng, spoke.

"Why are you taking him? You could have dealt with him here."

"We need to catch Zhang Baodao, Master. If we fall too far behind, we'll lose him, and he'll escape with the treasure. It's important to maintain the distance until the right moment. That's how hunting works."

But Ji Shangtian's expression remained slightly displeased. Seeing this, Shen Zhiying, who was also there, said,

"Jia, anyway, everyone will stop tracking or fleeing when night falls. We can interrogate him then."

"...Right. If it weren't for Jia, I wouldn't have thought of tracking at all. I'll do as Jia says."

Ji Yunsheng, seeing Ji Shangtian's discontent, sighed inwardly. While he was glad that Ji Shangtian would follow his orders, he was worried about how long it would take to make this inexperienced youth the successor of the family.

But he quickly composed himself, closing and opening his eyes. There was no time to be swayed by the small tantrums of an inexperienced youth. Based on his observations of Zhang Jian at the inn, Zhang Baodao taking the treasure but leaving the money, and the commotion outside Xincheng, he had deduced that a pursuit was already underway. He had led the family's troops since the afternoon of the previous day.

Originally, Ji Shangtian was not part of this pursuit team, but the head of the family had instructed him to take responsibility since he was the original buyer of the treasure. Ji Shangtian had also strongly insisted on joining.

While they were likely motivated by the wealth of the old Li family and Li Shimin's martial arts, Ji Yunsheng had a different perspective. He wasn't just after the treasure in this pursuit.

Seeing Galung tied to the horse, he recalled the yellow masks they wore. Thinking of the yellow color, he smiled mysteriously and spurred his horse forward.

Nearly a hundred horses and people followed him.

* * *

After tying up Galung, Zhang Jian, Li Lian, and Yang Hong continued moving steadily until midday. They climbed a small hill, from which they could see a small village nestled below. The houses were so closely packed that the village looked like a single large building.

Yang Hong said,

"Ah! We can get horses here. And let's have a meal."

"Didn't you say we should hurry?"

"Well, hurrying is one thing, but we need to eat too. I'm craving a bowl of noodle soup with floating meat fat after all the dust we've eaten."

Zhang Jian chuckled. But Li Lian, sitting behind him, glared fiercely at Yang Hong, probably because she wouldn't be able to ride with Zhang Jian after this village. Yang Hong, slightly startled by her gaze, smiled again, thinking she wouldn't attack him.

Turning his head, Zhang Jian looked back at the desert they had crossed. The dry grass, red rocks, and the faint trail of dust they had left behind were under a deep blue sky. He was watching a falcon flying in the sky.

Noticing this, Yang Hong asked,

"Hey, Zhang? Not going?"

"Let's go."

Turning his head forward, Zhang Jian spurred his horse, Zhaocao, forward. Yang Hong, wondering what he was looking at, quickly followed. As they entered the small village, they found no one on the streets. Li Lian, slightly puzzled by the emptiness, said,

"This place seems too cautious."

"Indeed."

Despite the empty streets, many eyes were peering at them from the windows and doors of the buildings. They were frightened civilians hiding from strangers.

They soon found the only inn in the village. Yang Hong led the way inside.

"I know the innkeeper here. He makes the best noodles. One bowl will fill you up."

Smiling, Yang Hong's expression suddenly stiffened as he entered the inn.

"Welcome. What would you like?"

"Three bowls of noodles. And where can we get a horse?"

"A horse? If you give me a little extra, I can get one for you."

Yang Hong, with a stiff face, looked at Li Lian, who took out a few silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper.

"Thank you. I'll bring the noodles soon and get the horse after that."

The innkeeper, who seemed to be running the place alone, went to the kitchen. Sitting in a corner of the empty inn, Yang Hong said in a low voice,

"What's wrong? You said you knew the person?"

"The innkeeper seems to have changed. Something feels off."

"What? Damn it. Shouldn't we just leave then?"

As Li Lian spoke hastily, Zhang Jian said,

"We need a horse. Zhaocao can't carry two people for long. Let's wait a bit."

After a while, the innkeeper brought three bowls of noodles and a plate of dumplings.

"We didn't order dumplings?"

"Hehe, they're on the house. You're our first customers today."

The innkeeper smiled and watched them, as if waiting to see them eat. Yang Hong, noticing this, said,

"Are you not getting the horse?"

"Ah, right. I'll be back soon. Don't leave until I return."

The innkeeper left the inn. As soon as he was gone, Yang Hong took a silver needle from his pocket and dipped it in the noodles. Li Lian watched closely, but the needle's color didn't change.

"Ah, it's nothing. I was just being overly cautious..."

Ignoring this, Yang Hong poked a dumpling with the needle. The part where the noodle broth and the dumpling filling met turned yellow. Yang Hong muttered,

"Damn..."

Seeing this, Zhang Jian naturally stood up and walked to the kitchen. Li Lian and Yang Hong followed.

Looking around the roughly cleaned kitchen, they soon opened a storage room door.

"Damn..."

Yang Hong repeated the same curse, but this time more drawn out. Inside the storage room were two naked bodies, and scattered around were clothes and other items belonging to previous victims. Li Lian, startled, said,

"What is this?"

"Bandits disguised as an inn, robbing travelers. They usually operate in isolated areas, but this one has taken over the entire village. They won't have a horse, so let's go."

Following Zhang Jian, they quickly left the inn and stopped. The innkeeper and about a dozen dirty men, each holding a vicious weapon, surrounded the inn entrance.

The innkeeper, smiling, said,

"What a stroke of luck. You appeared right after we received the letter."

"Letter?"

Yang Hong, puzzled, repeated. The innkeeper, patting his shoulder with the back of his knife, said,

"You don't need to know, boy. Don't you have a scroll? Take it out."

Yang Hong, seeing the bandits' arrogance, shook his head and quietly pulled Li Lian back. Li Lian and the bandits watched, but he was looking at Zhang Jian and said,

"Sorry, Zhang. I caused trouble. I thought I knew the innkeeper."

"What are you doing?"

"What else? I'm getting out of the way so I don't interfere with you."

Zhang Jian, seeing Yang Hong's sly smile as he backed away, couldn't help but chuckle. The bandits, watching, laughed in disbelief.

"What, that crazy guy? Stop your nonsense and hand over the scroll!"

The bandit, disguised as the innkeeper, raised his knife threateningly. He thought they had the upper hand, as they were many. In the desert, there were rarely any high-level martial artists, and the bandit, who had killed a few, felt no particular worry. He shouted again at the still unmoving group,

"You bastards! Isn't my offer reasonable? I'll strip you naked and beat you senseless-"

At that moment, a sharp sound was heard, and his raised right hand, along with the knife, disappeared. Stunned, he stared at his hand as it and the knife fell to the ground. The bandit, looking at Zhang Jian, who had his right hand extended forward, soon screamed and rolled on the ground.

Yang Hong, standing nearby, realized Zhang Jian had thrown a steel needle from his pocket. But he couldn't imagine the force needed to sever a wrist with such a small needle. Zhang Jian, having thrown the needle and turned to look at Yang Hong, said,

"Let's take care of this."

Yang Hong, feeling his legs go weak, almost collapsed.