The Affairs of the Martial World - Vol 2: Chapter 5

In the blazing desert sun, a group of people moved forward like walking corpses, resting only occasionally. Suddenly, Fuying pointed ahead and said, “Look over there.”

Zhu Que and a few others hurried over, where several bodies were half-buried in the sand. The bodies had already shriveled, a result of the skin wrinkling after losing moisture.

Two of them even had their heads and faces mangled, as if they had been pecked by eagles and vultures, making it hard to discern their original appearance. However, Zhu Que and Fuying recognized from their clothing that these individuals were the five members of the Five Tiger Gang who had set out before them.

These few individuals were not weak in martial arts, and they carried water pouches with water in them, so it was impossible for them to have died of thirst. It also didn’t make sense for them to have all died from a sudden illness at the same time; they were definitely killed by someone. Perhaps it was the same group that killed Wei Chu or even the same person.

The bodies of each leader of the Five Tiger Gang bore no other wounds except for a sword mark, confirming that they were all killed by a single sword strike.

Zhu Que saw that Fuying and the others all displayed expressions of sorrow for the fallen rabbit, realizing that everyone had developed a sense of fear towards the killer’s martial skills.

Everyone was initially worried about being outpaced by others in finding the treasure, but now they were anxiously concerned about their own safety.

As fellow martial artists, they could not stand by and watch their kind lie dead in the desert. Without needing to be instructed by Zhu Que, the men began to dig holes to bury them.

While burying a leader of the Five Tiger Gang, a piece of jade suddenly fell from him. Fuying picked it up and held it up to the sunlight. The jade was exceptionally pure quality, icy to the touch, and clearly a fine piece of beautiful jade.

A few people gathered around to watch, and Mu Qingshan suddenly said, “Such jade seems to exist only in the imperial palace. Could it be that these people have already found the treasure, and the jade was taken from there?”

Hearing this, the others sprang into action, thinking they would soon find the treasure. Their hard work over the past few days finally paid off, and they all became excited.

Zhu Que said calmly, “This jade should not have been taken from the treasure. The treasure map is still over ten days’ journey from here, and a round trip would take a month, so there isn’t enough time. Moreover, if they really reached the treasure, how could they only take one piece of jade?”

Although the judgment was not derived from the jade taken from the treasure, everyone imagined and yearned for the treasures that might appear there, wishing they could sprout wings and rush there immediately.

Fuying casually placed the jade into his bosom, and no one paid any attention.

Hastily burying the bodies of the leaders of the Five Tiger Gang, Qin Xiong stuck their swords into the sand, serving as a tombstone.

The crowd continued to set off. Zhu Que looked back at this place, where just a few days ago, he had seen several men, now silently covered by the yellow sand, like footprints left in the sand, erased by the wind, leaving no trace. He couldn’t help but recall a line of poetry: “Chasing the wild geese across ten thousand miles, hands brushing against the wild grass over a lonely grave.” But here, there wasn’t even any wild grass.

Before long, this place would change shape with the undulations of the dunes, and they would inevitably be unable to find their location again. Zhu Que silently lamented the impermanence of life and the ruthlessness of the world.

What kind of events await those who continue forward?