The Affairs of the Martial World - Vol 2: Chapter 3

The two stayed in the town for a few more days, and sure enough, quite a few people arrived one after another.

The vice leader of the Phoenix Tail Gang, Qin Xiong, and the second-in-command of the Jianghuai Gang, Zhao Qiankun.

The Phoenix Tail Gang and the Jianghuai Gang were located in the Jianghuai region. The two gangs not only had business dealings with each other but also stood together when competing against other factions. Privately, the two were sworn brothers, always inseparable, with Jiao never leaving Meng and Meng never leaving Jiao (1). This time, they have joined forces, likely with the intention of finding treasure and sharing wealth together.

Next, Wei Chu from the Iron Fist Sect, Feng Yichuan from the Willow Blade Sect, and Shui Mingyue from the Three Rivers Sect arrived one after another. There were even notable figures from reputable sects, the Kunlun Twin Stars, brothers Mu Qingshan and Mu Qingshui.

The two men greeted everyone and said, “My brother and I live at the foot of Kunlun Mountain; we should have been the first to enjoy the moonlight by the water, but who would have thought you all got there ahead of us.”

The detailed story was that the two of them met Zhang San in the Central Plains and bought a treasure map.

The last wave that arrived consisted of three monks: Yin Chang, Yin Hui, and Yin Nian. They became monks at the White Horse Temple in Chang’an. Although they were not Shaolin monks, the White Horse Temple was a renowned place in the martial world where dragons hide and tigers lie in wait, and no one dared to underestimate the three of them.

The three monks were very polite to the people in the martial arts world, greeting everyone in turn.

After waiting for another two days, no one else came, and a few people decided to set off immediately.

A well-rested camel had their humps high and proud. Each person had a camel loaded with fresh water, especially the white camel of Fuying, which carried the most water.

A group of people marched grandly towards the location marked on the treasure map.

While on the road, Fuying quietly said to Zhu Que, “I’m afraid these three monks are not good people. They claimed to be from the White Horse Temple, but I don’t think they look like it. They might be wild monks from some murderous temple. What kind of monk is so greedy for wealth that they come out seeking treasure?”

Zhu Que nodded and said, “I also feel something is off with these three. However, judging by their footwork, they must have learned martial arts at the White Horse Temple. It’s fine if we can’t find the treasure, but once we do, we must be wary of them attacking us from the shadows.”

The desert was unbearably hot during the day, so the group traveled in the early morning and late evening, resting in the shade of a dune at noon. In the desert, one must not rush for time; otherwise, the heat would cause dizziness, making one walk even slower. Zhu Que observed along the way that there were no traces left by the few people from the Five Tiger Gang who had set out earlier; the wind had blown, covering the footprints of the five with sand.

That night, the bright moon hung high in the sky, and the stars seemed particularly dense.

Everyone found a sheltered spot to rest. The nights and days in the desert seemed like two different seasons; the days were hot like the peak of summer, while the nights were cold like the depths of winter. Everyone wrapped themselves in blankets and fell asleep, leaning against the camels.

Around the third watch of the night, a brief muffled groan was heard. Zhu Que was the first to wake up, quickly looking towards the source of the sound. As he oriented himself, he vaguely remembered that it was sect leader Wei of the Iron Fist Sect over there.

Almost everyone was awakened immediately. Those who practiced martial arts were particularly alert while sleeping, especially in this vast desert where the surroundings were silent; even the slightest sound felt especially jarring.

Zhu Que noticed Wei Chu was still lying there, not getting up. Zhu Que walked over, pulled back the blanket covering him, and saw that it was indeed Wei Chu from the Iron Fist Sect, but he had already stopped breathing.

A few people surrounded Wei Chu, discussing among themselves; from the outside, no scars were visible, and they didn’t know how he had died.

Zhu Que took off his clothes, searching for the cause of death. Shui Mingyue from the Three Rivers Sect was a woman, turning away, unable to look.

All she could hear was the rustling sound of clothes being removed behind her. Suddenly, she heard everyone gasp. Shui Mingyue couldn’t help but turn back, only to see a narrow wound under Wei Chu’s left rib, with not much blood on it.

From the shape of the wound, it appeared to have been pierced by a slender, narrow sword.

Zhu Que said, “This wound goes straight to the heart, a fatal blow; the one who killed him is a master. What’s strange is that there isn’t much blood flowing. With a sword piercing this position, blood should have sprayed out after the sword was withdrawn. Unless…”

Feng Yichuan from the Willow Blade Sect asked, “Unless what?”

Zhu Que frowned and said, “Unless there is sword energy on the blade. The sword energy marks the wound, holding the blood in and preventing it from spraying out. Only as the sword energy dissipates does the blood slowly flow out. The one who killed him didn’t want to get splattered with the blood or leave traces that could be tracked.”

Having said that, Zhu Que turned around and carefully looked at everyone.

Fuying asked, “Could the killer be one of us? You were the first to get up; did you see who it was?”

Zhu Que shook his head and said, “I originally wanted to see if there were any footprints to tell me who did this, but now…”

He didn’t need to finish speaking; everyone understood what was happening. Now everyone had gathered around, and there were footprints all around Wei Chu, each person leaving their mark, making it impossible to distinguish the killer’s footprints.

Since it was unclear who was who, several people looked at each other, their faces filled with suspicion and vigilance.

(1) with Jiao never leaving Meng and Meng never leaving Jiao — idiom of saying being inseparable