A Big Appetite

As Ji Yuan did all this, none of the three men—including the man in charge of roasting the pork—stopped watching him, though they kept it relatively discreet.

At the very least, they could confirm that Ji Yuan had no weapons on him. Yet he had no bundle or luggage either. Given the conditions of this wilderness, that was strange enough.

Seeing how relaxed and casual Ji Yuan was, the man sitting relatively close to him finally spoke up.

"Mister Ji, in such desolate wilderness, even at an ordinary person's foot speed, one might not see a village or city for days, and it is easy to lose one's way. Yet you seem quite at ease, sir, without even a bag of provisions."

Ji Yuan knew that they had not let down their guard around him. That was only human nature, so he spread his hands and smiled.

"Rest assured, the three of you. Ji does know a little martial skill, but I am by no means some bandit scout. A bundle is only for carrying food. Once I finished eating what I brought, I put it up my sleeve. Look, here it is."

As he spoke, Ji Yuan reached into his right sleeve and took out a neatly folded piece of cloth. When he spread it open, there were still crumbs from some flatbread on it.

The three men's gazes visibly softened. Another of them even said to Ji Yuan with a smile,

"We were not worried that you might be a bandit scout, sir. If you truly were a bandit, you would have joined the army to attack Great Zhen long ago. There is far more profit in that than in being a bandit."

Ji Yuan frowned slightly but said nothing. The composition of the Zuyue Army had always