The man was actually Third Brother Xie.
Enemies truly were bound to cross paths.
Lian Youming narrowed his eyes, thoughts churning through his mind.
According to Qin Yuhu, this old bastard had clearly fled to the Russians back then. There could be no mistake about that. Yet here he was, hiding his tracks deep in these remote mountain forests. Clearly, he had fled back.
Strange.
Had he been unable to get by over there?
Or was he cooking up some new wicked scheme?
Lian Youming carefully quieted his breathing, but suddenly noticed something wrong with Third Brother Xie's gait. He was hobbling along-his right leg had actually gone lame.
There was no need to think much about it. With the man's skills, an injury like that could only have come from a bullet while crossing the border.
Most of the border guards these days were veterans who had seen battle, with ample experience fighting enemies. Put just three of them together, and unless Third Brother Xie sprouted wings, he would have more than he could handle.
Judging by the three men's clothing and appearance, though, they had clearly been hiding in these remote forests for some time.
Could they have hidden here after winter set in?
Lian Youming silently marveled. To think this old bastard was playing the trick of hiding in the darkness beneath the lamp.
He had thought the man would flee far abroad. Who would have imagined he was hunkered down right under their noses?
His gaze shifted quietly toward the other two men.
One was short and the other tall. The short one was Chinese, and the tall one was that Russian.
The shorter man's steps were light, his frame lean but by no means frail. His ape-like arms stretched out freely, so long they nearly reached past his knees. Beneath the filthy, tangled hair over his forehead, a pair of eyes gleamed as they glanced about, shining with a keen light.
Lian Youming had not been idle lately, learning quite a few things from Yan Lingyun. Just from the man's nimble footwork, bounding like a monkey and rising and landing as though in flight, he could tell the man had attained proficiency in a style of Animal-Form Fist and grasped its true essence.
As for the Russian with his hair hanging loose, he was no ordinary man either.
He was tall and powerfully built, with a broad frame. His collar hung wide open, exposing a patch of tawny chest hair, and his temples bulged high on either side. In all likelihood, he was an expert in external martial arts.
Martial artists who practiced external styles focused on tempering their muscles and bones and strengthening their blood and Qi. Though their every movement carried formidable strength and their bodies were overpowering, their blood and Qi surged all the more violently. Once their training reached proficiency, the sinews throughout their bodies stood out and their blood vessels naturally thickened and expanded. Since the temples were also vital points of the body, the changes there were most apparent.
None of them were ordinary men.
Lian Youming pressed his lips together and turned to see Yan Lingyun beside him, her eyes full of worry. He immediately gave her a reassuring look and motioned for her to retreat slowly.
The two sides were some thirty or forty meters apart. With the pair concealed among the trees, screened by leaves and grass, and their sounds masked by birdsong, they were relatively safe.
They shifted their hands and feet little by little, retreating.
"I found this old Seven-Leaf ginseng by following a bear when I was driving beasts back then. Give it a few more days to finish flowering, and I reckon it'll reach Eighth-Leaf..."
Third Brother Xie's voice drifted over from afar.
So this old bastard had come for that wild ginseng too.
As Lian Youming recalled how Yan Lingyun had discovered the wild ginseng, everything actually linked together.
But the Russian suddenly spoke, in thoroughly fluent Chinese. "Heh heh, you old devil Xie, the two of us didn't come back with you through nine deaths and one life just for this ginseng. You said you had... the Kwantung Army's treasure... let us have a look..."
His voice drifted in and out, broken and faint. Though it was quiet, Lian Youming still caught a few snatches.
The Kwantung Army's treasure?
What was that?
Treasure what?
A treasure map?
The Kwantung Army's treasure map? Holy shit!!!
Lian Youming's mind reeled even harder. Once he sorted through his thoughts, everything seemed to make sense.
This old bastard had come back even at the cost of a leg. So he had something big in mind.
The pair retreated farther and farther. Only once Third Brother Xie and the others were too far away to see did Lian Youming scoop Yan Lingyun into his arms, turn, and break into a run.
"I'll take you down the mountain. Go find my Uncle Qin... don't worry, I'll definitely bring that wild ginseng back for you."
At that, Yan Lingyun seized his sleeve, her expression panicked. "Lian, I don't want the wild ginseng anymore... those men are vicious beyond measure. You mustn't do anything foolish!"
Seeing that the girl was so anxious she was on the verge of tears, Lian Youming immediately flashed a toothy grin. "After all this trouble, how can we just give it up? Don't worry. Those men should have somewhere to stay. I'll leave marks along the way afterward. Tell Uncle Qin and the others to be extremely careful. It'd be best to bring a few good shots. We have to catch the whole lot in one net."
Leaving aside that Eighth-Leaf wild ginseng, if the Kwantung Army's treasure map was real, that would be something extraordinary.
Whether he kept it himself or handed it over, it would bring considerable benefits.
Besides, those three might not be able to handle a formation of gunmen, but if they turned and plunged into the remote forests, intent only on fleeing, they might really vanish without a trace. Trying to find them afterward would be like fishing a needle out of the sea.
So he had to follow them and wait for an opportunity. He could not let them escape.
Not to mention that Third Brother Xie and he were already enemies. This was the perfect chance to cut out the grass by its roots and eliminate future trouble.
Seeing this, Yan Lingyun said no more. She wrapped her arms tightly around Lian Youming's neck and buried her head.
As he ran, Lian Youming simply stripped off all the useless weight he carried and hid it in a mountain gully. Keeping only an ox-butchering knife, he carried Yan Lingyun on his back and raced onward at full speed.
From what Third Brother Xie had said, the wild ginseng would not reach Eighth-Leaf anytime soon. There was just enough time.
They had taken their time on the way in. Now, Lian Youming poured strength into both legs, making his muscles knot and bulge. Each stride sent loose stones flying beneath his feet as he ran faster than a galloping horse. With a few rests along the way, he finally made it back to Pinecone Ridge before dark.
Though they had not returned to Tahe, the village commune at the foot of the mountain had a hand-cranked telephone.
Earlier that day, the two of them had ridden a villager's donkey cart here to enter the mountains.
Only after watching Yan Lingyun hurry into the village, then head toward the commune with several female educated youths, did Lian Youming turn and walk back into the mountains.
Licking his dry lips, he took out a slice of Solomon's seal and put it in his mouth. Feeling its sweetness slip down his throat, he retraced the marks he had left along the way.
It was growing late now. The sun sank in the west, the rosy clouds blazed like fire, and the chirping birds had fallen silent, leaving the forest exceedingly quiet.
With the ox-butchering knife on his back, Lian Youming slowed his steps, both to loosen his taut muscles and bones and to take the opportunity to recover his strength and steady his breathing.
Time flew by. Just before the final thread of daylight fell away, Lian Youming stood once more outside that lush birch grove. His eyes flashed, his breathing quieted, and he immediately bent low and slipped nimbly inside.
Unlike before, the forest now held only scattered sounds of rabbits bounding and foxes scurrying.
Lian Youming hurried toward the wild ginseng. Only when he reached the edge of the woods did he see that Third Brother Xie and the others were no longer beside the stream.
Yet he did not dare let his guard down in the slightest. He circled through the woods toward the other side, but had not gone far when a ghastly pale, bluish head appeared straight ahead, staring fixedly at him. Blood still seeped from its eyes, and he could dimly make out maggots wriggling inside.
With the moon hidden and the wind high, deep in these remote forests, that sudden meeting of eyes made Lian Youming's pupils contract sharply. His scalp prickled violently, and he nearly let out a howl, his whole body shuddering.
Dead?
But after retreating a few steps and examining it carefully, he realized someone had hung the head from a fork in a tree. It seemed to belong to a mountain forager.
Presumably, he had discovered those three men's tracks after entering the mountains and been killed to silence him.
From the foul stench wafting toward him and the way insects had gnawed and birds had pecked at the head, the man had clearly been dead for some time.
"Those animals!"
Murderous intent showed in Lian Youming's eyes as he continued onward.
He stayed hidden among the trees, constantly watching for movement outside as he searched along the direction of the stream's flow.
As the corpse stench gradually faded, the rich, greasy aroma of roasting meat quietly slipped into Lian Youming's nostrils.
In the dark, indistinct night, a patch of firelight flickered in and out of sight not far away.
Found them!
(End of chapter)
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