Horse Bandits

"My young master is a blood relative Prince left behind outside twenty years ago."

"Prince is still in the prime of his life, yet he has only one son—his eldest young master, Bai Hua."

"That eldest young master... is ruthless and vicious, with cruel methods. He has long had a notorious name within the kingdom."

Elder Bai spoke very tactfully, but everyone present understood.

Wasn't this some melodramatic saga of a wealthy clan fighting over an inheritance?

With Bai Fengling, this illegitimate son, suddenly appearing out of nowhere, there was no way Bai Hua would tolerate him.

"So the real trouble is the people from White King's Mansion?" Shen Che asked, striking straight at the heart of the matter.

Elder Bai nodded solemnly. "Bai Hua has gathered quite a few experts under his command. If he does not wish for Young Master to return to the royal capital safely, he is capable of doing anything along the way."

"I understand."

Shen Che's response was simple and decisive.

The greater the risk, the greater the reward.

The core danger of this mission came from enemies with clear objectives, not unpredictable demons and monsters.

To him, that was easier to handle instead.

"I'll take it."

The smile on Yan Xiu's face deepened.

Seeing him agree so readily, the last trace of doubt in Elder Bai's eyes vanished as well.

A man capable of slaying an old demon at Primal Force Peak would never lack confidence or strength.

"Little Brother Shen Che, when can we depart?"

"One hour from now. Meet at the city gate."

After saying that, Shen Che turned and left without a single unnecessary word.

One hour later.

Cangyun City's west gate.

Shen Che carried a simple travel pack on his back and led a fine steed provided by the Demon Suppression Division as he waited quietly.

Before long, Elder Bai and Bai Fengling arrived on horseback as well.

Their horses were extraordinarily handsome, snow-white from head to hoof. At a glance, they were clearly no ordinary mounts.

"Let's go."

Elder Bai said only that.

The three did not linger at the city gate. With a tug of their reins, they sped westward in a cloud of dust.

Their destination lay across more than half of the Great Jing Dynasty: the Great Sun Kingdom, its western neighboring nation.

The journey was long, and since all three were martial artists, they chose the most direct method—traveling day and night without rest.

They galloped through the day, and at night found secluded places to meditate and regulate their breathing instead of sleeping.

During the dull journey, Shen Che occasionally asked Elder Bai about the Great Sun Kingdom and even the Human Race's Ten Kingdoms.

Elder Bai seemed more than willing to display his broad knowledge before this powerful young man, answering everything he knew without holding anything back.

Through their conversations, Shen Che gained another layer of understanding of this world.

It turned out that the Human Race was not a solid monolith. The ten kingdoms cooperated in some matters and clashed in others, their relationships tangled and complex.

As for Bai Fengling, he merely listened quietly most of the time and rarely spoke, like an emotionless tool made solely for traveling.

Days passed one after another.

More than twenty days later, they had already entered the western borderlands of Great Jing.

The scenery along the way gradually changed from lush, flourishing plains to barren wasteland.

That afternoon, the three reined in their mounts atop a low hill.

Below the hill stretched an endless expanse of yellow.

The boundless desert was like a massive roasting pan, the scorching sun steaming the air into rippling distortions.

"Once we cross this Forgotten Sand Sea, we'll enter the territory of the Great Sun Kingdom."

Elder Bai's expression was even more grave than the desert before them.

"This is the border between Great Jing and Great Sun, a lawless land belonging to neither side—and a paradise for horse bandits and fugitives."

He raised a hand and pointed into the distance.

"Our objective is to cross this desert and reach White Sheep County on the other side. Once we arrive there, White King's Mansion's escort party will appear. Our mission will then be considered complete."

Shen Che looked in the direction he indicated, but could see only a hazy sea of yellow sand.

He could sense that both Elder Bai and Bai Fengling had tensed.

The true trial was about to begin.

The three switched to the heat-resistant camel-horses they had prepared in advance and plunged headlong into this sea of death.

Scorching air rushed into their faces, while the sand beneath their feet was hot enough to roast eggs.

Shen Che's formidable physique made him nearly immune to such an environment. He merely felt a little stifled.

Elder Bai and Bai Fengling clearly cultivated special techniques as well. Apart from a faint sheen of sweat on their foreheads, they were unharmed.

Traveling through the desert was far slower than crossing the plains.

The endless dunes could easily make one lose all sense of direction.

Fortunately, Elder Bai was experienced and could always find the correct route.

After traveling for roughly another half day, the sun began to sink westward, stretching the three men's shadows long behind them.

Elder Bai, who had remained silent throughout the journey, suddenly raised a hand.

"Stop."

There was a trace of barely perceptible tension in his voice.

Shen Che and Bai Fengling immediately reined in their camel-horses.

Elder Bai listened intently for a moment, then pointed to a dune behind and to their side.

"Something is coming."

Shen Che focused his gaze.

On the distant horizon, a long trail of dust rose into the air.

Beneath the dust, dozens of black dots could vaguely be seen racing toward them at tremendous speed.

As the distance closed, the outlines of those black dots became clearer.

They were a group of riders mounted on tall horses, dressed in mismatched clothing. Each carried a gleaming weapon, and all of them exuded a fierce, bandit-like air.

"Horse bandits!"

The pounding hooves drew closer, like war drums beating against their hearts.

Moments later, nearly a hundred riders surrounded the three of them completely, and the swirling sand choked their eyes shut.

Their leader was a bearded brute with a ring-pommeled saber slung over his shoulder and a face full of hard flesh.

"This mountain was opened by me, this tree was planted by me."

"If you want to pass through here, leave behind the toll!"

They carried out the entire routine with practiced ease.

Elder Bai flipped down from his mount, piled a smile onto his face, and cupped his hands toward the brute.

"Hardworking heroes, we are merchants passing through. Please accept this small token of our regard."

As he spoke, he took a thirty-tael banknote from his robes and handed it over.

The bearded brute accepted the note, weighed it in his hand, then grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"At least you know what's good for you."

He waved a hand.

"Let them pass!"

The bandits surrounding the three opened up a passage.

The three urged their camel-horses forward and slowly passed through the crowd.

Only after the bandits disappeared beyond the dunes did Bai Fengling let out a long breath.

"Elder Bai, that's it?"

"That's it." Elder Bai nodded. "The horse bandits of the Forgotten Sand Sea have their own rules."

"They only seek wealth, not lives. Once they collect the passage fee, they won't make things difficult for you."

"If they killed everyone and cut off the trade routes, would they survive by drinking the northwest wind? Besides, if they truly enraged both Great Jing and Great Sun and brought their armies down upon them, not a single one of them would survive."

Elder Bai explained.

Shen Che listened without offering an opinion.

These unwritten rules did sound fairly reasonable.