Qi Family Gang (2)

Nan Yue, who had been listening from the side, interjected, and Dazhi let out a sharp sigh.

"Don't you know, Headman Qi is a legend in his own right. His title as the 'Breaker of Three Omina' in the greenwood wasn't earned for nothing."

"In his eyes, it's only natural that a job with such a high price tag wouldn't be a lucky draw. It would be strange if the divination turned out to be a great blessing."

Breaker of Three Omina?

Analyzing the words literally, it suggested that Headman Qi had safely survived three journeys marked as a grave omen.

He was clearly a man of some ability.

His fate was likely tough enough to withstand such misfortune.

"Besides, it's not like Shaman Zhu's divinations are ever smooth. They're always bad news or grave omens, so there isn't much difference."

Nan Yue remained silent, thinking that this was probably why the Headman didn't care much.

A horse gang traveling across the country could never expect everything to go smoothly; it was a business conducted on the edge of a blade to begin with.

Shaman Zhu's divinations were merely for peace of mind, at most allowing them to know which tasks were more dangerous so they could be somewhat prepared.

"A-Nan, you're not actually scared, are you? You're usually the one who believes in this stuff the least."

Nan Yue drew her silver dagger and twirled it into a graceful flourish without a word.

Dazhi gave a sheepish grin. "Right. With 'silver blades banish a hundred ghosts,' what is there for you to fear?"

Nan Yue sheathed her dagger. "You've been guarding them the whole way; what's in those vats?"

She had observed that the vats hadn't been opened once since they stopped. They were guarding them from a distance, so they didn't know the contents.

"I don't know. The Headman told us not to go poking around."

Dazhi tugged at his belt to fan himself. "I don't blame Manager Wu for being suspicious. This entire job has been strange from start to finish."

Nan Yue leaned against a tree trunk. "I didn't think so."

Dazhi got defensive.

"How could it not be? First, the person who commissioned the job was a beggar. How did a beggar come up with a thousand taels of silver?"

"Then there's Fish Fry Village. It's a place that isn't even on the map. That ragged beggar just drew a route on a strip of cloth torn from his clothes."

"Finally, there's the cargo. It appeared mysteriously outside the inn. Shaman Zhu saw that something was wrong and told us to keep our distance."

Dazhi rubbed his arms. "In short, the whole trip has been weird. If it weren't for the horse gang's rule that once you take the money, you must deliver the goods, Headman Qi wouldn't have wanted to take this job."

Unfortunately, they only realized it was a bizarre assignment after the money was accepted. That was how business in the martial world worked; a word given was a debt to be paid. No matter how wrong it felt, they couldn't break the rules.

Since they had accepted it, they couldn't afford to be paranoid. Headman Qi was actually quite capable; even with that eerie beginning, he was able to suppress the unease within the horse gang.

Even though Dazhi felt it was a bit creepy now that he was talking about it, he wasn't truly terrified, just a bit resentful.

Presumably, nothing had happened along the way, which was why everyone was so casual about it.

There were only two days left until they reached Fish Fry Village, and it was unclear where the accident would occur.

But now that they knew the reason for the pollution world's formation, they naturally knew that the source of pollution was inseparable from the horse gang.

Whether it was their resentment or their fear, the squad needed to follow the horse gang's lead.

And the source of all the problems pointed toward that final destination.

Fish Fry Village.

Dinner was soon ready. Though it was called a meal, it was actually just roasted dough balls and a pot of porridge cooked with wild greens.

Some horse drivers had gone into the forest together to hunt and caught two rabbits.

One of the people carrying the rabbits was Chi Yu.

The rabbits were only for Headman Qi and Manager Wu to eat; everyone else gnawed on the dough balls.

The seven members of the New World Squad gathered together, seemingly by accident, while they ate.

"The Qi Family Gang is the largest horse gang in Southwest Yunnan. Besides regular deliveries, their biggest specialty is taking on occult jobs."

Yin Qian maintained his usual gentle and approachable expression, which was highly deceptive.

Jiang Yuhao suddenly interjected from the side. "Occult jobs likely refers to cargo where the buyer and seller don't follow the straight and narrow path. Of course, it also involves things like spirituality and feng shui, but they aren't literally doing business with the underworld."

Gu Xiang Kai looked at him with some surprise. "Not bad. You know a lot."

Jiang Yuhao adjusted his glasses sheepishly. "I usually like to read. I mostly read about folklore and know a bit about the customs of ethnic minority areas."

Jiang Yuhao's expression darkened. "If I had known the truth of the world was like this earlier..."

Jiang Yuhao didn't finish. Knowing earlier wouldn't have mattered; the fate of a trash person was never in their own hands.

Yin Qian didn't indulge in such sentiments. He continued.

"Yuhao is right. Horse gangs travel through the mountains all year round, and their blades are always bloodied. Their killing intent is heavy, and their yang energy is strong. A top gang like the Qi Family Gang is especially so, which is why they dare to take on jobs that seem supernatural."

"This job is indeed strange. When they were resting in the last town, the Headman had the same dream for three nights in a row. He dreamed of a village with a cold pool, and at the time, he felt something was off."

"Later, a beggar approached him with silver notes, stating that there was cargo only the Qi Family Gang could deliver, and the destination was Fish Fry Village."

"Fish Fry Village is remote and few people know of it. The beggar tore his robe and drew a map, adding that there was a thousand-year-old cold pool behind the village that served as the village's sacred site."

Nan Yue looked thoughtful. "So it was that sentence that made Headman Qi decide to take the job?"

Yin Qian nodded. Although horse gang members didn't do business with the underworld, they encountered all sorts of things in the greenwood. Otherwise, there wouldn't be a woman skilled in divination and shamanism in the gang.

Headman Qi felt this was aimed at him, or perhaps it was a sign. He felt he had to go to Fish Fry Village.

"He didn't fully agree at first, only saying the gang had just unloaded cargo and needed to rest. But when he woke up the next morning, the beggar's silver notes were under his pillow."

"The horse gang has a rule: once you take the money, you must do the work, no matter how difficult or dangerous. This concerns the gang's reputation. People of the martial world value their reputation more than their lives."

Zhu Xi Ning sighed. "The horse gang was blackmailed into it. They had no choice but to accept."

Yin Qian brushed the crumbs off his hands. "Exactly. The five vats were already placed downstairs at the inn."

Nan Yue asked, "So no one knows what's in the vats?"

Yin Qian shook his head. "This assignment is mysterious. Although Headman Qi doesn't show it, he must be on his guard. He told everyone to just keep their heads down and travel, and not to mind other people's business."

Headman Qi's ability to reach the position of headman of the number one horse gang was certainly not simple, and he was the only one to be called the 'Breaker of Three Omina'.

He managed his subordinates well. Just hearing his initial conversation with Manager Wu, one might think he didn't care about this job at all. Nan Yue had even worried his carelessness would lead to trouble.

Now it seemed Headman Qi was well aware of the situation and had never underestimated this journey.

"How many days has it been?" Nan Yue asked, struggling to swallow the coarse buns in her mouth.

"Five days."

"Five days and nothing has happened?"

"Every day has been peaceful."

That was strange.

If there was truly something wrong with those five vats, something likely would have happened by now.

Nan Yue suspected the problem still lay in Fish Fry Village.

"We still need to figure out what's in those vats," Nan Yue said in a low voice. Otherwise, they would be too passive.

Zhu Xi Ning frowned and whispered.

"Those vats are not right."

"It's as if they are alive."