Chapter 101 - Surrounded by Demon Dogs, One Man Holds the Inner District! - Part 1
Merging Water Mountain, at the foot of the southern slope...six riders charged through the morning rain, slowing to a cautious trot once they reached the mountain base. Fallen leaves danced upon the wind-blown drizzle.
All six wore straw raincoats, weapons at the ready, eyes scanning the area.
Tie Sha, clad in a white robe beneath a broad conical hat, narrowed his gaze, darting looks left and right. He made a hand signal to the five men behind him. They immediately split off—Ah Da and Ah Si in one pair, Ah Er and Ah San in another—while Old Ding followed Tie Sha at a moderate distance.
Their horses’ hoofbeats rang clear in the damp forest air. Tie Sha raised his voice, “I’ve come as requested. Show yourself!”
However, there was no answer.
His guard up, Tie Sha surveyed his surroundings, then shouted again, “You asked me here, yet refuse to appear. What’s the meaning of this?!”
This time, he heard a faint metallic creaking somewhere in the distance.
Tie Sha leapt off his horse in a backflip, planted a boot against the animal’s hindquarters, and sent it galloping in the direction of the noise while he sprinted close behind.
Pushing through tall grass, the grating sound grew sharper and more jarring. Soon, he spotted something in the depths of the woods—a large metal crate draped in a heavy black cloth. Next to it, a trembling man was wrestling desperately with the crate’s lock, frantically trying to open it.
Tie Sha didn’t bother with questions. With a guttural roar, he streaked forward, blade flashing in a streak of killing intent toward the man. The blade’s shockwave alone hurled him back, shredding the man’s legs in a grisly spray of blood; clearly, he wasn’t even eighth rank.
Crumpling to the ground, the man screamed. Undeterred, he scrambled forward on his hands, still trying to reach the sealed iron box.
Tie Sha strode over in three swift steps, kicked the man aside, and lifted a corner of the black cloth. Beneath it was a thick, heavy metal crate with only a tiny vent. Peering through that vent was a single, glittering black eye.