Bandits with no ill intent?

Ten minutes later, Cobert led the disguised Zeng Mu and his two companions out of the city in two horse-drawn wagons.

Though he was supposedly in disguise, his clothes were no different. After all, he was a genuine Fulin Taiyou herb merchant. Zeng Mu and the others, on the other hand, had taken off their armor and swords, keeping only soft armor and close-fitting short blades. With boots, brightly colored outer garments, and hats, they looked like typical Fulin Taiyou People.

"Don't you Fulin Taiyou People have any normal clothes? You've got red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet, but no black, white, or gray?" Kanni complained from his horse.

Inside the carriage, Cobert replied leisurely, "Black, white, and gray? Those are unlucky colors to us. Bright colors, on the other hand, bring good fortune and prosperity. They're a good omen for business."

Kanni rolled his eyes and continued, "Then why does this felt hat have to be green? Have you got any other colors? Please give me another one. I don't like wearing a cuckold's color on my head."

A smile spread across Cobert's face. Sitting opposite him, Ma Linya could sense the satisfaction behind it. Clearly, he had planned this all along.

Suppressing his laughter, he said, "Come on, you're so young. What have you got to fear from a green hat? Besides, you're not even married. You don't even have a girl whose hand you can hold. Isn't it a bit early to worry about that sort of thing?"

Hearing the old man's words, Kanni gave a deep, heavy grunt. A moment later, as though he had sensed something, he could faintly hear a voice in his mind:

Hmph, you little brat. Trying to take me on? You're bound to come off worse.

Driving the other cargo wagon behind them, Zeng Mu was rather pleased with the outfit. It reminded him of the Element Academy's entrance ceremony, when he had worn something similar. Most importantly, the top hat Cobert had given him was purple, as was Ma Linya's.

The valley where the Viking Legion was stationed lay roughly ninety-seven li from Sand City. The small lake at the edge of the Withered Forest was twenty li to the left, making their journey about seventy-seven li by a rough calculation.

That was the straight-line distance, however. The heavy wagons clearly could not travel through the dense, uneven Withered Forest, so they had to take the main road around it, just as the Knight Army had during its earlier retreat. That added several dozen li to the journey, but fortunately, their horses were fine warhorses carefully selected by Yetos. Much faster than ordinary carriage horses, they would greatly shorten the travel time. If everything went smoothly, they would return to Sand City with the water by dawn the next day.

Sunlight fell upon their heads, bringing a pleasant sense of ease. A gentle breeze slowly swept away their weariness and irritation. The wheels rustled beneath them, and amid the jolts and bumps, the long morning passed in a blink.

The midday sun changed its face like a man after his first night with a woman. It was a wolf that had cast off its sheepskin after its scheme succeeded, baring its dreadful fur, claws, and fangs as it closed in mercilessly, cut open their skin, and drew out searing liquid.

The vicious sunlight blurred their vision, and the air seemed to ripple faintly like water.

After more than five hours of arduous travel, the four finally covered fifty li and reached a place called Black Iron Slope.

The place took its name from a small town. Once a prosperous settlement rich in black iron, it had been home to a population of which thirty percent were blacksmiths. At its peak, it had enjoyed boundless glory, reputed to be the wealthiest town within a thousand li.

Unfortunately, an earthquake had destroyed Black Iron Town more than twenty years earlier. God seemed to have played a joke on its people: the quake had originated directly beneath the town, and a chasm a hundred meters wide had swallowed it like the maw of a giant whale. Even now, the shadow lingering in people's hearts had not entirely faded. No one wanted to settle here again. Who knew whether God might play another joke?

The ruins of Black Iron Town remained in the rift, while the intact ground on either side had become two slopes. Zeng Mu and the others were currently on the left-hand Black Iron Slope; the legion had taken the right-hand slope last time.

The incline was not particularly steep, but its length made the climb exhausting. Fortunately, thanks to the hard work of their sweat-blood warhorses, the four reached the highest point without much trouble.

Looking to the right from there, they could see the ruins of Black Iron Town down in the rift.

Timbers, iron frames, stones, a plaza, ruined houses... everything lay before their eyes. A trace of order lingered amid the chaos. The longer they looked, the more pity they felt, helplessly reflecting on how unpredictable life could be.

"Uncle White came from Black Iron Town. He lived through that disaster himself," Ma Linya said with a faint sigh as she gazed out the window.

Cobert picked up the conversation. "White? The master blacksmith who forged your sword? Yes, I remember him. Last time, he took a fancy to an herb in my shop and spent ages pestering me to lower the price. In the end, he paid up and left with a big grin. What he didn't know was that I'd stumbled across that herb in the mountains on my way to Sand City and picked it myself. Even at that price, I made a tidy profit."

"By the way, how did he escape back then?" he asked curiously.

"He fell in love with a prostitute, but his family opposed the marriage. That day, after a huge argument with them, he decided to elope with her. He had only just packed his bags and left town when the earthquake swept through it. The woman died in the disaster too. Apparently, she was sitting in the carriage when a flying rock struck the back of her head and killed her."

A chill ran over Cobert's scalp. Instinctively, he turned to check whether any flying rocks were coming from behind him. Fortunately, all he saw was Nameless driving the wagon. When Zeng Mu saw him turn, he even waved with a goofy smile.

"No wonder that fellow has such a bad temper. I never imagined it was because of all that," he muttered.

"We're going downhill! Hold on!" Kanni shouted from the front.

"Ow!" Cobert cried as his head struck the carriage wall. He hurriedly turned and settled into his seat. As his backside bounced, his lips moved as though he were silently cursing someone.

The climb had been gentle, but the descent was steep. The long slope and the wagons' weight strained both the horses' hooves and the brakes. Fortunately, the vehicles remained under control as they rolled downward.

Just as they were about to reach the bottom and return to level ground, a timber suddenly appeared across the road ahead.

With a collision imminent, Kanni gripped the reins and hauled hard to the left. The horse gave a startled whinny, twisted its head, and stepped left, barely scraping past the end of the timber.

Zeng Mu, following behind, was not so lucky. His wagon had been close behind the first, leaving him little time to avoid the obstacle. To give those ahead time, he had no choice but to abandon any attempt to dodge, lest the two vehicles collide and push the first carriage over the cliff.

As the wheels struck the ground, Kanni leaped clear. He rolled several times over the dry grass before getting up unharmed.

Light as a swallow, Ma Linya sprang from the carriage, somersaulted several times through the air, and landed firmly on her feet.

Crash! The carriage tipped onto its side, its wheels spinning uselessly. The horse was unharmed, merely frightened, and its whinnies rose and fell.

Another crash followed as the cargo wagon slammed down more than ten meters ahead. The grass shuddered beneath it like a startled bird.

"Are you all right?" Kanni asked Zeng Mu, who was brushing dust off himself.

Zeng Mu turned to look at the horse beside him before replying in relief, "Everyone's fine." In that critical moment, he had used the crystalline dagger at his waist to cut the reins, allowing the horse to leap over the timber without being dragged to its death by the wagon.

"I'm not!" Cobert's voice came from inside the carriage.

When they dragged Cobert out, his head was drenched in sweat from fright. His hat had fallen off, exposing his gleaming scalp again. Fortunately, the carriage had tipped onto its side and slid several meters over the dry grass on the slope, softening the impact. In the end, he had suffered only a red mark on his forehead, faintly tinged with purple. Luckily, he had no other injuries.

They helped Cobert sit on the grass, where he kept groaning. Ma Linya took out the medicinal powder she carried and treated him. Kanni looked toward the distant wagon and its scattered cargo, then turned back, wondering why there had been a timber lying across the road.

"Someone's coming," Zeng Mu said, standing up.

As soon as he spoke, the others looked up. Three heads slowly appeared from below the slope ahead. All had sparse hair, with conspicuously bald crowns.

The three men were sturdy and dressed much alike. They ambled over with faint smiles that seemed to hold a hint of excitement. Unfortunately, the clubs in their hands made it impossible for the group to feel any goodwill toward them.

Looking at the three grown men, who clearly meant trouble, Ma Linya asked with an edge in her voice, "What brings the three of you here so suddenly?"

At the sight of the slender, beautiful young woman, their smiles deepened. The leader in the middle spoke. "Well, little sister, you certainly have a way with words. My boss would definitely like a girl like you."

"From the looks of you, you must be herb merchants?" the man on the left said after glancing at the distant cargo wagon and its scattered goods.

Cobert scrambled up, planted his hands on his hips, and shouted furiously, eyes wide, "Are you blind? What else would we be if not merchants?!"

"You put that timber here, didn't you?" Kanni said coldly.

"So what if we did?" the man on the right replied nastily, staring at the small knife in his hand.

"So you're the sort of highwaymen people curse behind your backs. What, have our goods caught your eye? Take them if you want, but remember to leave some behind, along with the wagons." Zeng Mu spoke casually, as though addressing three children, with even a hint of instruction in his tone.

The leader froze. Once he recovered, he turned to look at the men on either side and wondered aloud, "Am I dreaming in broad daylight?"

The other two burst out laughing, saying they had run into three idiots today.

The man looked over and studied the three of them carefully, assessing them inwardly. An arrogant, foolish Fulin Taiyou, a coolheaded kid, and a levelheaded slick talker.

These three don't fit together at all. And that girl doesn't look like any of them...

Before he could finish working it out, Cobert roared impatiently, "You three must have a death wish! Get lost if you know what's good for you! Don't you know I can kill a man from ten paces away?"

"Oh?" Their eyes lit up, and they fixed him with looks of anticipation and challenge. Nervous, he pressed his lips together and hurriedly stepped back beside Zeng Mu, whispering, "Nameless, it's up to you."

"Shall we deal with them by force? I can handle them myself," Kanni said softly, his right hand quietly moving to the dagger at his waist.

Zeng Mu did not answer him. He looked at the three men and asked, "You won't leave even if we give you the goods. What exactly do you want?"

The man met his eyes, raised a hand, and pointed at Ma Linya. "Don't misunderstand. We mean no harm. We just want to ask: I want the goods, and I want this girl too. Will you agree?"

As his words fell, an invisible aura began spreading from beneath Zeng Mu's feet...