149 Skyward Empire (2/2)

The majority of the people they saw appeared to be between ages twenty-six and thirty-five. They were the ones who had left the army just recently, and now they seemed to all have a common goal.

At the start, neither Xue Wei nor Hei Gou had paid them any mind, but seeing that more and more experts were appearing, their curiosity was stirred.

”Excuse me,” Xue Wei stopped to ask a caravan that was coming from behind them. ”I can't help but notice that a lot of experts are rushing ahead... could you perhaps tell me what is happening?” he asked as politely as he could.

The merchant was a small, round man. He had a triangular beard on his chin, and he looked a bit like a pig. However, when he heard Xue Wei's question, there was only surprise on his face and not a scoff as one would expect.

”Youngster, you are not from this area I take it?” he asked with surprise. Xue Wei nodded his head. This was no secret; he was really not from the Skyward Empire, so he knew very little about the happenings within the empire.

”There is a martial arts tournament in the Black Iron Fortress,” the merchant explained. ”The tournament invites everyone below the age of thirty-seven to compete. They are offering some very amazing prizes, so young experts from the entire empire are converging in that place to participate.”

”One's background does not matter, all that matters is that one is below the age of thirty-seven. There is apparently something that the Black Iron Fortress wants from the last man standing, but no one knows what it is yet.”

Xue Wei was pondering for some time. It was risky to stand out in this tournament when he was being chased, and someone might recognize his face, but at the same time, he truly needed some wealth that could support his and Hei Gou's cultivation progress.

”You are worried because you are a deserter?” the merchant asked with a bit of pity on his face. ”Why don't you buy a facemask from me? It costs seventy silver, and it will completely alter the appearance of your face.”

”In fact, the real price is one gold, but I will give you a discount. I do not approve of young men such as yourself being forced into the army and fighting to your death!”

Xue Wei was stunned. He had only met people who hated deserters so far; he had never met someone who felt sympathy for a deserter. Instead of correcting him, Xue Wei withdrew seventy silver from his purse. This was a significant amount of their wealth, but he saw it as an investment.

While he did this, Hei Gou was quietly standing by the side. There was no reason to hide his face, as no one had been able to see it so far, but many had seen Xue Wei's from when he was in the capital of the Heping Kingdom.

He had wanted to buy one of these masks before, but doing so could have aroused suspicion. Now, this merchant made things easy for him.

”Don't wear it yet,” the merchant warned him. ”If you wear it now, I will know what you look like. That is no good. Wear it later on,” he suggested. Xue Wei accepted the thin jelly-like mask with both hands.

When he was about to leave, Xue Wei cupped his fists and bowed to the merchant. He felt that this merchant was a real hero for assisting him despite the possibility of them being criminals. As to why, it was not hard to guess.

This merchant was old enough to have a son, but his caravan had no youngsters. It was clear that his son was either in the army now, or he had died.

Considering how he looked at Xue Wei with sad eyes, it was also rather easy to guess that it was likely the latter.

As a father, he would rather see his son a criminal than dead. He would rather know that he was living on the run than that he had turned into food for the Fierce Beast hordes.

So when he encountered two youths that had taken this path, his heart was bleeding for his departed son, and he wished to at least help them to live longer. That was why he assisted them as he did.

”This gratitude, I will not forget,” Xue Wei said seriously to the merchant. But he just smiled and waved his hand, ”Live a long and prosperous life. Then your family will be happy. That is all you need to do.”

Hearing this made Xue Wei's eyes sting slightly. He had no family other than his uncle. As to whether or not this uncle would kill him in their next reunion, he did not know, but he still wanted to make him proud.

Seeing Xue Wei being emotional, Hei Gou sighed. He knew that Xue Wei had a complicated relationship with his family, but he could do nothing about it.

The merchant misunderstood it as sorrow over being parted from one another and said no more. After a bit of silence, Xue Wei bowed once more to the merchant before he rushed onward, closely followed by Hei Gou.

The two continued down the road towards the west. They did not know exactly where to go, but they assumed that as long as they stuck to the road, they would reach the Black Iron Fortress eventually.

Now that they were running at top speed, more and more experts appeared around them. Many of them observed them curiously, but by now Xue Wei had already worn the mask, making him seem as dull as could be. The one who drew all the attention was Hei Gou and his dashing appearance.