Chapter 36 - Leave Behind Your Lives! (1/2)

Blood smirched the ground. Mister Zhong was clutching his arm, while his wife knelt beside him, holding unto his shoulder and crying. Before them stood five men or rather: One of them stood before them, holding a blood soaked sword, while the other four were seated on their horses, looking down at the couple.

”I asked you, what happened!”

Mister Zhong pressed his lips together, blood still oozed out of his wound. Madam Zhong clung to his shoulder. ”We don't know anything! We already said, we don't know anything!”

”Shut up! I'm talking to your man! You must have seen that guy! What did he look like? Where did he go?”

Mister Zhong leaned against his wife. The blood loss was already making him dizzy. ”Really …” He didn't get to say more.

In a flash of white robes, Qiu Ling arrived before the bandit, gifting him with a kick just like the one from before. The man crashed against a tree, slid down and stayed down. Qiu Ling turned around to the other bandits.

The four men looked at their brother, than gazed at Qiu Ling incredulously. One of them leaned over to the man in the middle. ”Boss … Did that old man just … knock out fifth brother?”

The other two men also looked at the bandit in the middle. They hadn't even seen that white-haired geezer approach them, until he kicked their fifth brother, his white hair and robes swaying in the breeze.

The leader of the bandits furrowed his brow. ”Old man, what is the meaning of this?”

Qiu Ling smiled at him. ”I heard an interesting story yesterday.”

”Ha?” One of the other bandits twitched his lips. ”Tch, you're asking for a beating, old man!” He unsheathed his sword and urged on his horse.

Qiu Ling just stood still, waiting for the horse and bandit to reach him. The man thrust forth his sword. Qiu Ling sidestepped and grabbed the bandit's wrist. He pulled him out of the saddle. The bandit crashed into the ground. He wanted to roll to the side and get up, but Qiu Ling still clutched his wrist. Even worse, while the bandit struggled, he stepped onto his back, holding him down.

”I heard an interesting story yesterday”, he repeated and looked up at the three men, who sat still on their horses.

The two on the side watched him with black faces, but they didn't dare act rashly. Their leader seemed to have controlled his emotions. Nothing could be gleaned from his face. His fingers tapped his thigh and he slightly narrowed his eyes. ”What kind of story?”

”It's about the history of this place.”

”Oh?”

”You see: Someone said, this is the Long mountain range. It isn't a mountain, but a dragon instead. This empire is blessed, because the dragon king helped the emperor, so nobody dares invade. I reckon, the dragon slumbering here, would be one of his subjects.”