It was exhausting having to run from an entire village the whole night after being caught stealing a treasure chest. The chest was small, even two hands would be too big to hold it, but Long Wei had to admit, the contents were far from trivial.

  Various pieces of jewelry, such as necklaces, rings, earrings, bracelets, and other trinkets. Long Wei was even confused about what to do with such a fortune.

  “Just sell it,” he muttered to himself, without realizing it, just as the food he had ordered was served on the table.

  The waitress bowed briefly before going to the kitchen to prepare food for other customers.

  This small inn was located at a very strategic intersection. Though surrounded by dense forest, it was only a five-li distance to the nearest village. This made it convenient for travelers who didn’t need to go into the villages just to fill their stomachs.

  Long Wei had chosen to stop here for that very reason. He would simply eat for a moment before continuing his journey.

  “He’s been going around the villages nearby for about two weeks now.”

  “He’s causing trouble.”

  Long Wei’s attention was drawn to a conversation between two men. He glanced back and saw two rough-looking figures dressed like woodcutters, each carrying a bundle of wood by their seats.

  “Has your village had any victims?”

  “Just last night. A chest of treasure from one of the wealthier villagers disappeared.”

  Long Wei nearly choked. Who else could have done it if not him?

  The young man smiled bitterly in silence. After he had stolen the beautiful jade bracelet from Yang Feng, Long Wei had been living as a thief, targeting the homes of the rich. With the martial arts his father had taught him, it wasn’t difficult to sneak in and out unnoticed.

  Furthermore, his youthful face, only fifteen years old, made no one suspect that Long Wei was a thief.

  But Long Wei didn’t mind his path in life. Since childhood, he and the Sea Ghost group had been accustomed to taking people’s valuables. In this way, like now, he could buy expensive clean clothes and a useful short sword to intimidate his victims.

  “We’ll take a break here.”

  Long Wei changed his mind about leaving when three large horses arrived in front of the open inn door. Judging by their riders’ attire, they were imperial soldiers.

  Long Wei couldn’t help but smile as a wicked thought quickly entered his mind. They must have a lot of money, he thought as he noticed one large metal container being carried in by two men.

  “Tribute!” one of the soldiers barked.

  The innkeeper immediately shrank behind the counter, lowering his head in fear. “You came last week, sir. We don’t have that much money yet.”

  The table was slammed hard. “Are you planning to rebel?”

  “No... no...”

  Long Wei lost interest in listening to the argument. He stepped outside the inn and passed by another soldier who was calming the three horses. Long Wei smiled faintly.

  He walked a fair distance to slip behind the trees and then returned to the inn’s location. He picked up a stone the size of his fist and threw it with a bit of internal force toward the rear end of one of the horses.

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  The horse neighed and reared, kicking the other two horses and the soldier. Its head shook violently to escape the soldier’s grip. Long Wei threw another stone.

  “Damn, the horse’s loose!” the soldier yelled.

  One of the soldiers who had been extorting them came out to investigate. Only one horse had been saved by his companion. He grew angry and slapped the horse keeper’s face. “Useless! There’s no rain, no wind, how could it escape?”

  “It suddenly got angry,” he winced in pain as he replied.

  Meanwhile, inside the inn, chaos erupted as Long Wei leapt back in through the window, launching an attack on the soldier holding the tribute money container.

  With one swift move, Long Wei targeted the man’s unprotected neck. Of course, the soldier managed to dodge, though it was difficult since he had to hold onto the container with one hand.

  “Thief!” the soldier shouted.

  But Long Wei was quick, kicking the man’s knee and sending him crashing down. In an instant, Long Wei stepped on his neck and snatched the container.

  “Thanks.” Long Wei quickly left.

  The commotion inside the inn was overwhelming. They had never expected a thief to be so bold as to strike in broad daylight.

  One soldier, who had slapped his companion earlier, didn’t bother to check on the others. He immediately jumped on his horse and chased after Long Wei’s retreating silhouette.

  “Gather the soldiers from the nearby villages!” he ordered before spurring his horse forward.

  Long Wei continued running into the forest, choosing paths lined with thick trees. From the sounds behind him, he knew his pursuers were on horseback, so the dense forest would only make it more difficult for them to follow on horseback.

  His body darted nimbly between the trees, darting down sharp inclines, leaping and swinging from one tree to another.

  They chased for about two li before Long Wei suddenly fell.

  “Damn!” The sound of rustling came as he tumbled across the thick, thorny grass. His clothes were torn, and a few scattered coins were quickly gathered by him, while others were ignored.

  “Stop!” a shout came, followed by the whoosh of sharp wind.

  Instinctively, Long Wei tilted his head to the right, and an arrow passed by, missing him by mere inches before embedding itself in a tree trunk halfway through.

  His pursuer had arrived. Long Wei had to admit the man’s skill in controlling his horse, as he managed to cover the terrain much faster than Long Wei had anticipated.

  “I’m not giving up! Let’s fight one-on-one!” Long Wei unsheathed his short sword and lunged.

  “Good!” the soldier threw aside his spear and drew a machete.

  Clang!

  Sparks flew as Long Wei’s sword almost sliced the soldier’s neck but was perfectly blocked by the soldier’s weapon. Still, the soldier stumbled and fell from his horse.

  The tribute container also slipped from Long Wei’s grasp and spilled its contents. However, Long Wei didn’t have time to worry about that, as another strike was incoming.

  They clashed weapons amidst the thick trees, each intent on defeating the other. The imperial soldier originally intended to capture Long Wei, but seeing the young man’s skill, he changed his mind. Long Wei was simply too skilled to be caught.

  “You’ve lost!” Long Wei called as he darted to the side and thrust his sword into the soldier’s side.

  Blood splattered across the grass, but the wound was shallow.

  The soldier smiled. “You’re quite a skilled thief, boy, at least worthy of your arrogance.”

  The fight continued. The sounds of clashing steel echoed far, serving as a guide for the seven new soldiers called from the nearby village.

  “There!” the lead soldier pointed when he saw the two combatants in the distance. “Don’t shoot arrows. It’ll endanger our comrade.” He stopped someone from pulling out a bow.

  One of the men behind him suddenly stood up on his horse, drawing a machete, and leapt off. His body seemed to float, signaling he was a martial arts master.

  “Stop fighting!” the figure roared, parrying both Long Wei and the soldier’s weapons, sending them flying.

  It was then that Long Wei saw the man clearly, an elderly man, certainly over sixty, with long white hair, beard, and eyebrows. Yet his movements were impressive.

  “There’s no point in killing a small thief like him. Why are you trying to kill him?” the old man scolded the soldier.

  “Officer Yang, I was only defending myself,” the soldier lowered his head respectfully. “If I hadn’t, I would have died.”

  The other six soldiers arrived, quickly helping the injured soldier to his feet.

  The old man snorted in annoyance. “You, and you, help me deal with this small thief. The rest of you, continue with your tasks!”

  “Understood.”

  After bowing, they mounted their horses and left the area.

  One of the soldiers pulled out a rope from his pack, but Officer Yang quickly applied pressure to his shoulder, causing the soldier to faint.

  “Officer Yang, what…?”

  The soldier collapsed immediately after receiving the pressure point strike.

  Long Wei, watching this, was stunned—not because of the pressure point, but because of Officer Yang himself.

  “You…”

  “We meet again,” Officer Yang said with a slight smile. “You still have the bracelet, boy?”

  “Elder Yang Feng?”