Chapter 600 - Mysterious Oriental Man (1/2)
Chapter 600 Mysterious Oriental Man
The Chinese people of this era generally wore queues, and unlike later generations, were extremely skinny. On top of that, there were also yellow-skinned Native Americans, so it was not surprising that the bailiff failed to recognize Zhang Heng’s ancestry.
But when the bailiff dismounted and approached the stranger, he could tell that Zhang Heng was not an Indian-which was a relief. With all the conflict between the colonists and the natives, he did not want to be standing at the end of the barrel of an Indian’s gun in the no-man’s-land of the Gobi.
The bailiff removed his other holster and hung it on the horse’s back to rea.s.sure the Chinese man he meant no harm.
Seeing that the other party had expressed deference, Zhang Heng returned the favor by putting away his revolver.
“Alright. I never thought I’d come across a Chinese in this G.o.d-forsaken place.” The bailiff offered Zhang Heng a hand. “I’m Morton.”
Zhang Heng shook the hand and replied, “Zhang Heng. Anything is possible, Mr. Marshal.” “Where are you heading, Mr. Zhang Heng?” the bailiff asked. “Lincoln county,” Zhang Heng replied frankly. “Good place. I was there a month ago. Although there are no suitable lands to grow tobacco or anything like that, there are many grazing pastures. The dark beer at the bar downtown is pretty good as well. You won’t want to miss it,” Morton gushed, eyeing the cornmeal mush in the pot.
“Please, help yourself,” Zhang Heng offered. He had planned to take a detour to replenish it at other towns anyway, and he did not mind giving away this half-bowl of polenta. “Thank you.” Morton took out a metal canteen from the bag hanging next to the saddle-it was probably his lunch box. He scooped two spoonfuls of corn paste, and since it wasn’t too hot, he scarfed it down, licking his lips as he finished it up. The bailiff felt that he should do something in return for having eaten Zhang Heng’s food, so he offered some advice. “With all due respect, Mr. Zhang Heng, it is unwise to travel across the Gobi to Lincoln County alone.”
“Why do you say that?”
“This is not a peaceful place. Murders and robberies are frequent here. I’m currently investigating a group of men whom I have pursued for over 20 days. They claim to be pelt traders, but they probably conduct shady deals behind closed doors. Not long ago, there was a bank robbery in s.h.i.+ning Silver town. A group of masked men killed the bank’s manager and a poor woman who had gone to deposit money there. They hauled forty kilograms of gold and escaped!
The local sheriff and a team of officers went after them, but the sheriff was shot and killed in the fight. Some of the masked men were also injured, but they were probably minor cuts and bruises.” The bailiff paused to catch his breath and continued, “Before the incident, someone saw the group of pelt traders in a town nearby, and they looked very suspicious.