Death… and me

Chu Yang continued to kick his horse as he went past the city gate. He urged his horse to go faster. Clouds of dust blew behind him as he swiftly flitted across the fields. He would turn around every now and then and roar loudly, "Keep following! Hurry up! Catch up with me!"

He wasn’t willing to give up even though his hips had turned numb by riding the horse for too long.

The Command Horse Rider was riding behind him. Chu Yang urged his horse to go faster as he wanted to give the Command Horse Rider an impression that they needed to hurry-up due the seriousness of the matter. [King Level Expert must’ve obtained some important information. That is why he is pushing the horses beyond their limits.]

The Command Horse Rider had finally understood the reason behind the King Level Expert’s demeanor. He couldn’t help but rush himself, "Faster! Faster! Even faster! This is a matter of urgency. Those who delay will lose their heads…"

There were more than a hundred riders along with a few spare horses. They rode forward at the maximum speed as they heard this.

The entire team was riding north…

A big mountain appeared in front of them after an hour. They had reached the dense forest at the foot of that mountain. The horses were so tired that they started to spout foam from their mouths.

Suddenly, Chu Yang shouted and pulled the reins of his horse. The sturdy horse slowly came to a halt.

The Command Horse Rider who was behind Chu Yang ended up surpassing him like a whirlwind.

He then stopped and turned around, "King Level Expert, what happened?"

"We’ll rest here for a bit. After that… we shall begin the operation!" 'Jing Meng Hun' replied in an extremely heavy voice. His tone revealed an incomparable seriousness.

"Has King of Hell Chu… fled all the way up till here?" The Command Horse Rider asked in an astonished tone. [If that is really the case… then the speed of this King of Hell Chu is incredible…]

"That’s right! King of Hell Chu has hidden somewhere in these mountains!" 'Jing Meng Hun' said, "This is going to be a tough battle. We must regain our vigor so that we can succeed in one fell swoop."

"Indeed. The subordinate wants to thank King Level Expert for guiding us here!" A fiery light flashed in the Command Horse Rider’s eyes. [Catching King of Hell Chu is a great service, ah. My luck is good today!]

[It’s all thanks to my luck that I was stationed to guard the North Gate. Moreover, the King Level Expert obtained sudden information and didn’t have time to gather troops. So, he asked me to back him up.]

The Command Horse Rider had found Chu Yang’s excuse rather adequate.

However, this was the expected outcome as Chu Yang had completely immersed himself into playing the role of Jing Meng Hun. He had completely transformed into him. If the Command Horse Rider was still to bear a suspicion in his heart… then there would have been only one explanation – this guy was a rebel.

"You men stay here and harmonize your breathing. I’ll go in to take a look and find something to eat," Chu Yang said coldly.

"Alright." The Command Horse Rider wanted to say that it would be better if a subordinate went-in instead. However, he didn’t dare to say this since he had seen the fierce look on King Level Expert’s face.

King Level Expert Jing’s black robe fluttered as he entered the forest under the watchful gazes of several experts.

The experts were still watching when the Command Horse Rider said in a furious manner, "You haven’t yet started to harmonize your breathing to recover your martial powers? King Level Expert has personally gone in to find something to eat… you bunch of bastards!"

Everyone complied as they sat down cross-legged. Then, they started to concentrate in order to harmonize their breathing.

Pitiful screams of a wild boar were heard from inside the forest some time later.

Then, King Level Expert Jing came out of the forest with a rustling sound. He walked quickly as blood dripped out of the two big chunks of fresh meat that he carried on his shoulders. He threw the meat on the ground with a ‘bang’ sound. The net weight of these meat chunks would have been around 40-45 kilograms.

"Hurry up! Roast this meat and eat it quickly!" King Level Expert Jing said in a commanding voice, "I’ve removed the internal organs and bones. You’ll be able to barbecue it, right?"

"Yes, we can… many thanks to the King Level Expert. You’re very compassionate towards your subordinates. But, how can we dare to enjoy the food for which you had to work…" the Command Horse Rider started to speak in a flattering manner.

"What nonsense! I’m giving you a quarter of an hour. Roast it well and be done with the eating too!" King Level Expert Jing said in an angry tone as he looked fiercely at him…

"Yes… as you command…" The Command Horse Rider’s face was covered in cold sweat. He said in his heart, [I am very stupid. King Level Expert is clearly in a hurry because of this urgent matter. Why would he care about flattery?]

He turned around and issued several commands, "You, you and you… quickly go into the forest and fetch dry wood. You, you, you, you and you… use your swords to set up a rack for barbeque. Hurry up! We must prepare roasted meat within a quarter of an hour and finish eating as well. You and you… go cut the meat… hurry up! Line up the horses on one side and put up a wall of spears to barricade them. You Motherf**ker, why are moving so slow… like a turtle?"

Everyone started to work in full swing after the commands had been issued.

These people were experts. Even the weakest among them was a high-level Revered Martial Artist. So, their speed of getting things done was extremely fast. The two large chunks of meat were chopped down into a total of 103 slices in the blink of an eye. There was a single slice for every person; including one for Chu Yang. All slices except Chu Yang’s were similar. They had been fairly cut into equal sizes without any discrepancy.

More than thirty barbecue racks had been firmly fixed on the ground.

Some people came running out of the forest. They carried dried-up branches on their shoulders. They quickly put those dried-up branches on the barbeque racks. Then, another group of people rushed out of the forest like a gust of wind.

‘Crackle’ ‘Crackle’… There were faint sounds of burning wood. Thick smoke rose up into the sky as the sound of meat being barbecued resounded. Soon the fragrance of roasted meat started to spread.

Several people found this meat to be extremely delicate and exquisite. Moreover, the fragrance it exuded while getting roasted made it seem even more delicious. It certainly didn’t look like the meat of a wild boar. However, everyone felt a chill running through their bodies when they saw the sinister look on the face of the King Level Expert who was sitting alone on the side. [Who would dare to incite his anger?]

[We are getting to eat such fine meat. Isn’t it enough?]

[Why would we let go of such a delicious meat?]

If someone had gone up to him out of curiosity and asked, [“King Level Expert, this doesn’t seem like a wild boar’s meat”]…. then there were 80% chances that the King Level Expert would’ve jumped and rained curses, [“If you want to eat… then eat! If you don’t want to eat… then get the hell out of here!”]

After that, he might have issued an order, [“If you’re not hungry and don’t wish to eat… Let’s start the search operation immediately.”]

Everyone would’ve felt like crying if that were to happen… but they wouldn’t have had any tears to shed.

Everyone was back from the forest soon. There was so much firewood that it could be used three times if needed. These soldiers were some of the wisest people of Jianghu. They divided themselves into groups of threes and sat down around the barbecue racks without even receiving any orders. Some of the experts were even using their elemental power to stimulate the flames. As a result, the flames were roaring and flourishing…

Only a quarter of an hour had been allotted to them. If their time limit came to an end… then the King Level Expert wouldn’t wait even for the meat to get properly cooked. He would perhaps rub the meat to check whether it was roasted or not. And if not… then he would throw it away and order everyone to set out on search…

Everyone knew that the King Level Expert was very hot-tempered, and was capable of doing such a thing.

Therefore, everyone worked obediently and kept their mouths shut.

Even the Command Horse Rider kept his head lowered and continued to look at the barbecue. He didn’t even dare to let out a fart.

Chu Yang observed the proceedings like an outsider. There was a cold look in his eyes and a grim look on his face. It seemed as if he’d kill someone any time now. He had been watching the entire barbecue process — poison flood dragon’s meat getting cut into small slices and then getting roasted in fire. The meat issued a captivating fragrance and several slices had turned golden yellow. The fat slowly flowed out of the meat and dripped into the fire. This incited the flames even further and issued a stronger aroma…

[The poison flood dragon’s meat is the deadliest poison in the entire world. It has no antidote. Moreover, no one can detect it… F**k, this is truly a treasure…]

[Unfortunately, I have lost 50 kilograms of meat this time…]

A dark and gloomy expression spread on Chu Yang’s face as he pondered. He would ferociously sweep a glance towards the crowd from time to time. Each of his glances sent a chill down their spines… making them appear even more humble and submissive…

"Isn’t it roasted yet?" King Level Expert Jing asked in a fierce tone.

"Right away!" The Command Horse Rider trembled in fear. He almost burnt his hand in a hurry to reply.

"Hurry up!" King Level Expert Jing replied in a cold voice.

"Yes…" The Command Horse Rider bowed his head. He put his best effort to use his elemental power to accelerate the ripening of the meat… However, he couldn’t stop the cold sweat from appearing on his forehead and dripping down.

He was quite worried, [King Level Expert Jing would’ve come up to me, and ripped me apart if I had said a word extra.]

[King Level Expert Jing’s appearance is too terrifying; it can truly scare a person.]

[But… hey! No wonder… he looks like that. King Level Expert Yin had received seriously injuries and had been crippled at the time of King Level Expert Kong’s death…. Since then, the entire responsibility and burden of the Golden Horse Riders Department has fallen on the shoulders of King Level Expert Jing. And King Level Expert Jing always seems to be in a bad mood ever since. He has become extremely hot-tempered and gets easily irritated…]

[But, this is excusable. If I were in his place… I would’ve been even more hot-tempered and violent than he is…]

[It’s insane that his younger brother’s killer is so close… and yet he is able to maintain his calm…]

Suddenly, he realized that the two barbecues before him were issuing a strong exotic fragrance. He was pleasantly surprised. He cried out loud, "Meat is ready. It’s fully roasted…"

[Good heavens!] The Command Horse Rider had never been this excited over a piece of roasted meat in his entire life.

"It’s ready!"

"Our meat is roasted too."

Suddenly, everyone was excited. Many of them swallowed their saliva as they looked greedily at the small slice of roasted meat in their hands. The meat looked so delicious that just the look of it had incited their appetites. However, it was a pity that the quantity of meat was barely enough to fill half of their stomachs…

"King Level Expert… this is your slice of meat." The Command Horse Rider politely took the best slice of meat for Chu Yang to taste. This slice of meat was very well roasted. It was crispy from outside and tender from inside. The yellow-colored grease flowing on the surface of the meat exuded a mouthwatering aroma…

"Put it down," the voice of King Level Expert Jing sounded gentle this time. The Command Horse Rider secretly rejoiced in his heart. However, King Level Expert Jing roared once again, "What are you people looking at? Why haven’t you started eating? You want me to request you to eat, huh?"

Everyone grabbed the roasted meat lying in front of them and started to eat as soon as they heard these words; they seemed to be seeking pardon. Many of them cursed in their hearts, [F**k this! Who would dare to eat without your permission? I was standing here waiting for you to eat first… and that became an offense…]

This disgraceful act had ruined their mood.

The Command Horse Rider also grabbed a slice and bit it ferociously. Suddenly, he felt a burst of indescribable flavor spreading inside his mouth and going down his throat. He felt a sense of comfort spreading through his body. His eyes lit up as he quickly chewed more of it and swallowed it. He put the last piece in his mouth and slowly chewed it. He wasn’t willing to swallow it at once. He heaved a sigh and said, "It’s such a delicious roasted-meat. I can keep on eating this for a lifetime. Even if I were to die now… it wouldn’t be in vain… Many thanks to the King Level Expert…"

The King Level Expert looked at him with a faint smile and asked, "Really? Even if you were to die now… it wouldn’t be in vain?"