Chapter 194: Chapter 103: Flying Horse Thieves

Yang Jing suppressed his aura, hiding himself among the dense branches and leaves of an old locust tree. His gaze pierced through a gap, fixed on the dirt road below.

As he followed them, he had keenly sensed at least five or six groups of people lurking in the shadows.

Some hid behind distant earthen mounds, while others lay in wait within the woods. Their eyes, however, were always fixed on the direction the convoy was traveling, clearly monitoring the road and watching for ambushes.

A chill went down Yang Jing’s spine.

’It’s a good thing I chose to track them through the forest.’

’If I were still traveling on the main road, with how vigilant these people are, I would have been discovered by now.’

’Once exposed, I’d alert the enemy, and the consequences would be unimaginable.’

Judging by their deployment, they were almost certainly lookouts for the Flying Horse Thieves, responsible for scouting the area around the convoy.

He couldn’t help but marvel. It was no fluke that the Flying Horse Thieves had been able to run rampant in Yuhe County for over half a year.

Their caution was meticulous, their arrangements layered. They had even placed this many lookouts along the ransom delivery route. No wonder the government’s attempts to encircle and annihilate them had all failed.

Yang Jing didn’t dare to be the least bit careless. He suppressed his aura to the absolute limit, becoming like a stone that had merged with the forest.

He continued to use the cover of the trees to follow the convoy from a distance.

After about another hour, the terrain ahead grew increasingly treacherous. A deep, gloomy canyon appeared at the edge of his vision.

That was Black Wind Valley.

The canyon entrance was narrow, flanked by steep, craggy cliffs dotted with bizarrely shaped rocks.

Gusts of chilling wind swirled at the valley mouth, kicking up sand and stones with a whimpering sound. Even from a great distance, one could feel a grim aura emanating from it.

The sunlight was blocked by the high mountains on either side, making the valley’s interior dark and oppressive. It was like a slumbering behemoth with its gaping maw wide open, waiting for prey to walk right in.

The convoy stopped about a hundred feet from the Black Wind Valley Entrance.

According to the agreement with the Flying Horse Thieves, they were to wait here.

The escorts all reined in their horses, their eyes drifting unconsciously toward the gloomy valley entrance as their hands came to rest on the hilts of their swords.

The chilling wind blowing out from the valley carried sand and grit that stung their faces. The whimpering noise was like the wailing of countless tormented souls, making one’s heart clench.

A few of the younger escorts had already turned pale, their sword hands trembling slightly. Anyone standing in such a perilous place, facing a band of notoriously vicious thieves, would inevitably feel a sense of dread.

Meanwhile, Yang Jing was hidden behind a massive boulder in the forest to the left, his figure completely concealed by dense shrubbery.

He held his breath, his gaze as sharp as a hawk’s, locking tightly onto the area between the valley mouth and the convoy.

Inner Strength circulated slowly through his meridians, heightening his senses to their peak. He could clearly capture even the faintest rustle of grass in the wind from within the valley.

Black Wind Valley was not the main lair of the Flying Horse Thieves, but its terrain was treacherous, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. They had clearly chosen this place for the transaction to secure a geographical advantage and guard against any tricks.

The appointed time had arrived, but the valley remained deathly silent, without a single person in sight.

Yang Jing’s brow furrowed slightly as his fingertips tapped gently on his knee.

’The Flying Horse Thieves are late. Are they testing us?’

’Or are they setting something up?’

He suppressed his doubts and remained hidden.

’At times like this, patience is paramount.’

Over with the convoy, the head escort was clearly growing restless. He dismounted and paced back and forth, looking up at the valley entrance from time to time with an anxious expression.

The other escorts were also whispering among themselves. Though their voices were kept low, the unease in their tones was unmistakable.

Time ticked by. The sun gradually climbed to its zenith, its scorching rays baking the earth, yet the chill at the mouth of Black Wind Valley did not diminish in the slightest.

Just then...

CLIP-CLOP-CLIP-CLOP.

The sound of hoofbeats echoed from within the valley, shattering the stagnant silence.

Yang Jing’s focus sharpened instantly, his gaze locking on.

A group of about a dozen men on horseback emerged slowly from the depths of the canyon.

The leader was a burly man with a thick, bushy beard. He was bare-chested, his bronze skin covered in hideous scars. In his hand, he carried a large, ring-pommeled broadsword that glinted coldly in the dim light.

The thieves behind him were all fierce and imposing, with savage looks in their eyes. Scimitars or short axes hung from their waists, and their gazes toward the convoy were filled with unconcealed greed and cruel amusement.

In the midst of this group of thieves, one person was surrounded, sitting atop a scrawny horse.

He wore cyan robes and had an upright posture, but his head was covered by a black hood that completely obscured his face.

However, judging from his silhouette—especially his broad shoulders and straight back—he bore a strong resemblance to Liu Maolin.

"They’re here!" someone on the convoy’s side exclaimed in a low voice. All the escorts tensed up instantly, their hands on their sword hilts as if facing a great enemy. 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

The bearded man reined in his horse, stopping about thirty feet from the convoy. He grinned, revealing yellowed teeth. "Men of the Liu Family. You got here quick."

His voice was coarse and gravelly, like two stones rubbing together. "Brought all the silver?"

The head escort’s expression tightened. He took a step forward. "We brought the money. Just as we agreed, one hundred thousand taels of silver, not a fraction less. Where is our young master? Let us see if he is unharmed!"

The bearded man glanced at the hooded figure in their midst and chuckled sinisterly. "What’s the hurry? Once we’ve inspected the silver, you’ll get to see him."

Everyone’s gaze simultaneously shifted to the hooded man.

Just then, the man began to make muffled grunting sounds, as if his mouth were gagged. He could only force out a few indistinct noises from his throat, unable to form a complete word.