Chapter 79: Picking Up the Pieces (1/2)

Chapter 79: Picking Up the Pieces

At that moment, two shadowy figures came running back, only to stop in front of a group of mercenaries. These were the mercenaries that had chased after the middle aged man.

The two males looked to be around 30 or 40 years old. Both of their faces were covered with blood and their bodies were filled with wounds which dyed their clothes scarlet with blood. However while their faces were pale from their fatigue, their eyes were still full of vigor.

Seeing the two come back empty handed, it was clear that the middle aged man had escaped.

“Ai, that guy has a wind attribute, so he had an advantage over us in speed. Although our strength was better than his, in our current condition, we weren’t able to chase him, so he escaped in the end.” One of the two said, his voice was brimming with regret.

“Forget it, if he ran, he ran. I didn’t think we’d run into the Boundless Bandits, no wonder they were so strong. If it weren’t for our mysterious benefactor in the shadows, then I’m afraid we wouldn’t have been able to come back. For him to save our lives, he is definitely a trusted person.” An older person said as he stood next to the brilliant flames, already his skin was starting to look a little tanned.

Hearing the man talk, the other mercenaries who had returned after killing some bandits all were stunned. From their faces, all of them had some joy but some still had some lingering fear.

“Captain Lang Tian, are you okay?” A mercenary went up to the man and asked with a worried tone.

The newly named Lang Tian slowly looked down on the various wounds before shaking his head, “I’ve some wounds, but nothing that’ll kill me.” He looked at the few mercenaries around him before sighing. With a sorrowful voice, he said, “It’s a shame, Yun Bai Mu, the captain of the Desert Shadows Mercenaries was killed by the experts of the Boundless Bandits.”

Hearing the announcement, many of the mercenaries started to grieve, especially the mercenaries of the Desert Shadows. It was a heavy blow to their mood, however, for travelers of the Tian Yuan Continent, seeing someone die was an experience many of them were used to. After a small period of mourning, many of the mercenaries had already become peaceful once more.

“My comrades, although we managed to beat back the Boundless Bandits, this was only just a small group. If we were to come across a larger group or even their elites, then we will die on the road. So we cannot afford to stay here for long, hurry up and dress your wounds and bury our dead brothers. We will have to leave immediately afterwards.” Lang Tian announced.

Each mercenary immediately got to work by helping each other bandage their wounds and applying herbal medicine. Those who were healthier and less injured went to help dig holes and transport the bodies.

Everyone set themselves to do their tasks in silence. No one talked at all, and as each mercenary did their own thing, the atmosphere was incomparably heavy.

Jian Chen looked around himself before inwardly sighing, they had ultimately won against the Boundless Bandits, but to him, this was a wretched victory. After the course of one battle, the three mercenary groups had dwindled down to less than a hundred people that were for the most part injured. Their entire fighting capabilities had been reduced to a third of their original power, and from the original ten experts that had led the charge, only five of them returned with heavy wounds. One of the mercenary captains was killed in battle, causing another sharp decline in their power.

“Jian Chen, are you alright? Are your wounds serious?” A familiar voice called out behind Jian Chen.

Hearing this, Jian Chen turned his head around to see Mu Yun. He didn’t know when Mu Yun had got behind him, but he was there now.

At the moment Mu Yun’s condition wasn’t all that good. His facial color was an abnormally pale one, and although he had looked fine while fighting against the middle aged man, the battle skill placed a heavy burden on Mu Yun after using it to surpass his strength.

Jian Chen softly shook his head, “I’m fine,” Pausing slightly, he looked at Mu Yun with a complicated look. “Mu Yun, your battle skill was revealed to every mercenary here. On the road, you’ll have to be even more careful now, and when you reach a safe spot, get away from the group as far as possible. Otherwise, I’m afraid they’ll try to do something.”