After the three leaders of the Long River Triad boarded this speedboat, the boat-handling skills shot straight up. Everyone's got their specialty—fighting, not their thing; steering, Jack Young's not great either. Luckily, they balance each other out.
The real identity of the attackers who ambushed the Long River Triad is still a mystery, so for now, they're just calling him the Black Masked Assassin. To figure out how to deal with this guy, Jack Young went around interviewing a bunch of survivors, trying to dig up what martial arts the Black Masked Assassin was really good at. Everyone knew this was important, but it was tough going—because even the folks who made it out alive couldn't make heads or tails of what happened.
All they remembered was some freakishly sharp swordsmanship and a shadowy figure darting around like a black flash. Beyond that, there wasn’t much useful intel. Honestly, they were way out of their league—nothing substantial to offer.
“That Black Masked Assassin is super cautious, and his sword skills seem freshly learned. He couldn’t handle the Dream Dragon King, but he insisted on using only swordsmanship from start to finish—never busted out any other moves.” Fang Hailong shook his head and sighed. “Deep waters, man. It’s all a mystery.”
Wen Hanlong raised his hand. “I actually have a thought! When I jumped into the water, that Black Masked Assassin was still far away—I’m sure he never came at me directly. But somehow, I got seriously wounded in an instant. Maybe there’s a clue in that!”
“You got hurt from far away?” The others perked up. “Take off the bandages, let’s check the wound—maybe we’ll figure out what weapon it was!”
“No use. I already checked when I treated him,” Jack Young shook his head. “He soaked in the water too long—the wound’s all swollen and misshapen, can’t tell what it looked like originally. All I know is he was cut by something sharp, but what kind of blade, that’s anyone’s guess.”
Everyone was a bit let down, but reality’s reality—they had to accept it and keep heading south. On the way down, they got news that was maybe a tiny bit lucky: the Long River Triad’s influence on Lujiang hadn’t totally vanished. After their Dream Dragon King started a running battle with the Black Masked Assassin, the assassin didn’t keep slaughtering everyone, so the Triad managed to hold onto a sliver of territory in Lujiang. Still, their real roots are up at the Long River, and on Lujiang, they’re down to just a handful of folks.
After that disaster, the once-mighty Triad that ruled up and down the Long River was left with fewer than a hundred members. Even those hundred were jittery, not sure how many would stick around. At this point, Jack Young’s mid-sized speedboat was fancier than anything the Triad had left.
Following Lujiang to the middle section, once they got off the boat, they’d arrive at Sunfield City.
"We'll leave our speedboat in your care for now. Take good care of it, got it?" Fiona Fang was enjoying her role as captain a little too much, repeating her instructions: "If I come back and find even a scratch in the paint or a broken plank, you'll be tasting my fists!" She waved her fist threateningly, then turned with hands on hips, brimming with energy as she surveyed the group: "So, has anyone here actually been to the South Wasteland?"
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"So, I should go get water skins, right?"
"Nope." Fiona Fang shook her head and sighed. "If we've got enough money, just buy watermelons instead."
"Watermelons? Why?"
"Water skins can be poisoned, and if a sand bandit breaks them with a hidden weapon, we're done for. Watermelons are better—you can eat them, you can drink them, and sometimes in the South Wasteland, giving someone a watermelon is worth more than gold beans." Fiona scratched her head, a little helpless. "Bathing in the desert will have to wait for another day..."
"Alright, I'll go buy watermelons. I know people who run boats at sea—getting supplies for them is pretty much the same as for a desert trek, right?" Xiang Xiaolong actually had a point; provisioning for sea voyages wasn't so different from crossing a desert. "By the way, we're all running around doing this and that—what are you guys doing?"
"Us?" Fiona Fang stuck out her tongue. "We're taking a break, of course~"
Xiang Xiaolong stumbled and nearly fell to the ground.
In short, everyone split up to get ready for the journey into the South Wasteland. Sunfield City was the last major city before the wasteland, and thanks to the 'South Wasteland economy,' it usually had everything you could need. But as soon as they started prepping, they realized Fiona Fang was right—supplies were already running low.
Gold was being exchanged in bulk at the banks, and the price of gold beans on the black market was sky-high. Cloaks were being sold by the truckload at clothing shops, and the tailors couldn't keep up even working around the clock. Watermelons, on the other hand, were still plentiful—clearly, not many people thought as far ahead as Fiona Fang, which just showed most folks had zero experience with South Wasteland adventures. But prices for meat and dried food had shot up, and butchers were sold out as soon as they opened.
People went treasure hunting in the South Wasteland every year, but this year, right now, it was just packed.
"Come take a look! Hey, all you travelers, locals, and martial arts friends—I've got the most accurate and genuine treasure maps for the South Wasteland! Royal temple ruins of the Ancient Dynasty, the original map of Senior Wang Lianhua, guaranteed authentic, no tricks!" someone shouted on the street, quickly drawing a crowd.
"Folks from out of town, ask around if you don't believe me! There's always been a legend about the 'Sacred Mountain Treasure' in the South Wasteland. That mountain is the royal ancestral temple of the Ancient Dynasty! It's got more gold and jewels than you can count, magical weapons that'll make your head spin, all kinds of miracle pills, and—most important of all—the Wedding Dress Divine Skill! If you can find Sacred Mountain, you can shoot straight to the top! This is your chance, only one map, goes to the highest bidder!"
With every shout, people started bidding. One person called out a price, then two, then ten—soon the place was buzzing, prices climbing higher and higher. Of course, who knew how many of those bidders were just shills, and how many were suckers.
Fiona Fang slipped into the crowd, made a round, and squeezed back out. She pulled a folded paper from her sleeve, grinning. "I've got a bunch of maps on me, and they still claim theirs is the only one? Master, take a look—does this one seem legit?"
"Didn't know you were a master thief too—your survival skills are off the charts! Respect!" Jack Young took the paper, scanned it, and his brow furrowed. "It's not like the one from that 'charlatan,' but the handwriting and style are the same. So, does that mean there are real and fake maps in the jade? Or maybe there are several treasure spots?"
Nobody knew for sure, so there was no point in guessing—they'd just have to wait and see. The three from Flower Shifting Palace mingled with the crowd, picking up all sorts of rumors, true and false. The legend of the South Wasteland treasure changed by the minute—there were more versions than chapters in this novel. But after cutting through all the nonsense, two things were clear: one, lots of people had already entered the South Wasteland; two, even more were getting ready to go.
Among all the groups heading into the South Wasteland, two stood out the most. One was the Tienjin Pavilion, a merchant guild that's always active in these parts—they apparently rushed into the depths of the wasteland right away. The other was the Three Wonders Sect, with Lady Simone leading a flashy parade of disciples straight into the sand. Their crew was so eye-catching, people were still talking about them days later.
And besides those two, there were countless other groups, big and small. In just five days, over a thousand people had poured out of Sunfield City into the South Wasteland—and the numbers kept climbing.
The endless, wind-blown wasteland had suddenly become a treasure land, drawing the eyes of all of Central Plains.
"Miss Fang, the gold's all swapped!" Wen Hanlong ran back, waving several bulging bags. He rubbed his nose shyly, then tried to show off: "I got a lot—more than enough!"
"Got the clothes too—three sets each." Fang Hailong came back, still looking a bit fierce, which meant he probably didn't get the clothes the normal way. "And I found the mark left by the Big Dragon Boss—left yesterday, says he went ahead into the South Wasteland."
"Food and water are ready, but all the camels got snatched up. There were some tough guys on the other side—I couldn't handle them alone." Xiang Xiaolong came back looking frustrated, cracking his knuckles, then grinned wickedly and clapped his buddies on the shoulders: "Guys, let's head over there again together. If we all go, we'll make them cry for their mommies!"
"No need," Fiona Fang stopped him. "Forget the camels, we'll make do with a few horses."
"We can cross the sand sea without camels?" Jack Young asked, surprised.
"Hmph, camels are slow!" Fiona Fang said smugly. "Relax, I've got connections. Trust me, you're all in for a big surprise!"
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