Chapter 67: Illusion and Reality
Chapter 67: Chapter 67: Illusion and Reality
The sound of hooves vanished.
Tang Wen grew wary. ’Have I been discovered?’
His fingers gently gripped a pebble. He slowed his breathing, preparing himself behind the large tree.
If anyone got close, he would greet them with a swift, explosive attack before using the opportunity to flee.
As for his escape route, he definitely couldn’t run straight for the camp.
They would surely anticipate that.
With danger looming, Tang Wen’s mind was remarkably clear.
But he waited and waited, and no one came. Not a soul was in sight.
He peeked out from behind the tree, observing carefully. The surroundings were still pitch-black and empty.
He glanced up at the sky.
There was no sign of a Blood Crow, either.
Phew. A false alarm.
Tang Wen breathed a sigh of relief and continued tracking them.
Deep in the forest, a faint yellow light flickered.
Heh!
’How arrogant.’
’Daring to light a lamp in the dead of night.’
After triple-checking the ground for traps, tripwires connected to bells, or any other kind of alarm...
Tang Wen crept closer, getting a clear view of the scene by the lamplight.
Dozens of short-legged horses stood quietly, snorting occasionally.
There were only two people beside the horses.
’No wonder the sound of hooves disappeared. It seems they split up.’
This spot wasn’t too far from the Scavenger Camp; getting any closer would risk being discovered.
This group was probably planning to use threats and promises to lure the Scavengers here, then tie them to the horses and haul them away.
Just then, the faint, intermittent sound of conversation drifted over.
The distance was too great, so Tang Wen took a roundabout path to get closer until he could clearly hear their conversation.
There were two voices—one young, the other more measured.
The younger voice said, "...Some Flame Camp, some Flame Queen. We’re running circles around them!"
"Shh! Keep your voice down."
"Hey, what are you so scared for? Elder Ya already sent his Blood Crows to sweep this area several times. I guarantee it’s clean—not a single soul around." The young voice grew even louder.
"It’s better to be safe than sorry! The Flame Camp is not to be trifled with. We should be quiet."
"Tch!" After a pause, the young voice continued with a hint of envy, "If only I knew how to raise Blood Crows, too! With them, I could go anywhere in the world. Tell me, what would it take for Elder Ya to accept me as his apprentice and teach me his secrets?"
"How would I know?"
"..."
’Elder Ya, Blood Crows, raising Blood Crows.’
’Wait, this ability to control Blood Crows...’
’Is it not the unique ability of an Awakened?’
’But a skill that anyone can learn?’
Tang Wen’s mind started racing.
’What man could refuse a pet that can scout for him?’
’A flying pet, no less.’
He carefully sized up the two men guarding the horses.
One minute passed, then five.
The two were still talking, completely oblivious.
Tang Wen tentatively concluded that these two were definitely not Martial Artists.
A Martial Artist would be highly sensitive to such a scrutinizing, malicious gaze.
But he worried the two might be putting on an act for his benefit.
He couldn’t rule out the possibility entirely.
After a moment’s thought, he picked up a dry twig and skillfully tossed it near the herd of short-legged horses.
CLATTER.
Sensing something, the short-legged horses began to stir, stamping their hooves.
"What was that?" one of them asked warily.
After a few seconds, seeing nothing out of the ordinary, the younger voice replied irritably, "It’s nothing. Don’t scare yourself. This forest is just creepy at night!"
"Right, right."
’Looks like they really are a couple of morons.’
Tang Wen pulled out his pocket watch and glanced at the time.
Seventeen minutes had passed since Zhou Bing left.
’No need to rush, then.’
’I’ll wait for the rest of their team to get farther away.’
Another ten minutes passed in the blink of an eye.
Tang Wen put the pebbles he was holding back into his clothes and silently approached the two men.
When he was just a few dozen paces away...
...their conversation became crystal clear:
"Hey, tell me this. Our Fourth Master is obviously stronger than the Third Master, so how come he’s number four?"
"I only heard rumors, but they say the Third Master gifted the Fourth Master some women. You know? The Fourth Master has eighteen women at home. Eighteen!"
"That many?"
The same question popped into Tang Wen’s head.
’Eighteen? Can he even keep up?’
’Who else could possibly have a Talent like mine?’
Tang Wen smiled silently, then pushed off the ground and exploded into action!
The two were just about to continue their discussion.
Suddenly, they felt a chill and turned to look.
A black shadow, like a phantom, was rushing toward them.
The two men’s faces paled in terror. One fumbled for something inside his shirt while the other grabbed a long spear, trying to block Tang Wen.
But they were too slow.
In an instant, he was upon them. An image flashed through Tang Wen’s mind: a Fireball, radiating waves of heat, slamming into a mountain peak and exploding violently.
He smashed his fist against the long spear.
The wooden shaft snapped instantly.
THWACK!
Carried by immense Power, the broken shaft plunged into the man’s chest.
The man was sent flying sideways.
Retracting his arm, Tang Wen instantly delivered a lightning-fast uppercut to the other man’s chin.
The man’s jaw shattered, his face contorting grotesquely.
Tang Wen shook out his hand. It felt like he’d just crushed a bird’s nest woven from dry twigs.
Effortless.
Both men were knocked unconscious.
The short-legged horses grew agitated.
They only settled down again after several minutes.
Tang Wen tied up the two men and dragged them deeper into the forest.
He woke the man who had been sent flying first.
"MMPH! MMPH!"
The man’s mouth was gagged; he could only let out muffled cries of pain.
Tang Wen prodded the wound on his chest with the back of his knife.
"NNNGH!"
The pain made his whole body convulse. He passed out twice, only to be instantly awoken by the agony.
After tormenting the man mercilessly for a while, Tang Wen removed the gag from his mouth.
The man stammered, "Sir, I’ll talk! I’ll tell you everything! What... what do you want to know?"
The near-death experience had completely broken his spirit.
"How many of you are there in total?"
"T-ten."
"What are you here for?"
"To capture Scavengers."
"Continue," Tang Wen said impatiently.
"Y-yes, we’re a Slave Capture Team. We’re camped in the mountains, capturing Scavengers to take to Ganshan City and sell..."
Tang Wen cross-referenced the man’s story with what he already knew.
After weighing the information, he asked, "Who’s in charge?"
"The Third Master and the Fourth Master."
"Who raises the Blood Crows in the sky?"
"You... you even know about that?" The man sucked in a sharp breath. "Gasp! It’s Elder Ya! Elder Ya! He’s in our camp, the really old-looking one."
Tang Wen asked the same questions again, but in a different order.
The answers remained consistent.
"How strong are your masters?"
"The First Master is an Awakened. The other four masters are all Martial Artists."
As he spoke, the man squinted, trying to make out the expression on Tang Wen’s face.
The questioning was over.
WHACK!
Tang Wen brought a knife-hand strike down on the man’s neck.
CRACK.
’Wait, I didn’t kill him, did I?’
An awkward expression crossed Tang Wen’s face; his knife-hand technique wasn’t very polished.
Now that he understood the enemy’s strength, Tang Wen felt a little more confident.
’So after all that, I’m only up against two Martial Artists.’
A smile flickered in Tang Wen’s eyes.
Back at the hitching post, the yellow kerosene lamp flickered. The horses were still there, and the members of the Slave Capture Team had not yet returned.
But Tang Wen didn’t plan to continue his ambush here.
When the others returned, they would see at a glance that the two men left on guard duty were missing.
Even a bunch of idiots would become vigilant at that point.
’I need to press forward!’
He immediately set off, running along the small path toward the Scavenger Camp.
He kept glancing back as he ran, only stopping when the light from the kerosene lamp was barely visible.
He found a suitable spot nearby, set up an ambush, and prepared to make his move.