Chapter 123: Bai You Ruo
The man and the wolf approached the three women.
Tang Wen saw their blood-streaked faces and tattered clothes, so he handed them the bamboo tube and leather pouch he was carrying.
"Here, eat something."
The woman in the lead reached out to take them. Her legs finally gave out, and she sank to the ground without a care for her appearance, tearing open the food Tang Wen had given her and began to eat and drink ravenously.
"Thank you! You saved our lives!" After a few bites, they finally remembered their manners.
Tang Wen nodded but didn’t look at them further. He walked straight over to the three Black Mountain Martial Artists.
"Commander Tang Wen! I’m willing to join Flame Camp! Don’t kill me, I want to join Flame Camp!"
"Commander Tang Wen! I’m willing, too!"
"To be honest, we’ve long grown tired of all the infighting at Black Mountain Camp! We’ve always yearned to join Flame Camp, but we never had the chance! Today is that chance. We beg you to take us in, Commander Tang Wen!"
The three men gritted their teeth against the pain from their broken legs, propping themselves up with their hands as they looked up at Tang Wen.
"Shameless!" one of the Female Martial Artists cursed.
"Young Master Tang! Don’t fall for their tricks. These three hunted us for hundreds of miles just because they found out we were women! They’re utterly depraved."
Tang Wen remained noncommittal. He drew his long saber, crippled their arms, knocked them unconscious, and tied them up.
Once he was done, he turned back to the three women and said, "I know exactly what kind of men they are."
The woman who had spoken gave an embarrassed smile.
They utterly hated Black Mountain Camp, so it was only natural for them to speak up.
"Young Master Tang, you’re from Flame Camp?"
The leading woman took a sip of water and passed the bamboo tube to her sisters beside her.
"What, you’ve heard of us?"
The woman brushed back her bloodstained hair and nodded. "We traveled west from Sanlian City. We’ve heard of your reputation along the way."
"What does everyone say?" Tang Wen asked, curious.
"They say you’re a rare and fair camp—that you don’t even have slavery!"
Her tone carried a note of surprise, and her eyes were fixed on Tang Wen as she spoke, trying to judge the truth from his expression.
Tang Wen chuckled. "They probably all say we’re fools."
Refusing to use slaves when you could have them—what else could that be but foolish?
The woman smiled. "In Sanlian City, we also abolished slavery long ago."
"I heard you have factories. Can the firearm you just used be mass-produced?" After asking, Tang Wen suddenly added, a bit embarrassed, "I forgot to ask for your names."
The leading woman clasped her fist in a salute. "From White Stone City, the thirteenth daughter of the Bai Family, Bai You Ruo!"
"Bai Ying."
"Bai Xue."
Tang Wen introduced himself as well.
Bai You Ruo said, "Young Master Tang, you know about firearms?"
Tang Wen realized he had let it slip. "I’ve heard of them."
"In that case, please accept this gun, Young Master Tang, as a small token of our gratitude."
As she spoke, Bai You Ruo used the corner of her sleeve to wipe the dust and grime from the silver revolver’s body and generously handed it over.
"This...?"
"We’ll repay the debt for saving our lives in full later. This is just a small gift."
Tang Wen took it. The weight of the gun’s frame was heavier in his hand than he had expected.
Bai You Ruo picked up her companion’s gun and showed him how to remove the bullets, load it, and other functions.
While they were talking, the sound of hoofbeats came from behind them.
Qian Dong had arrived with a team of men.
"We’re all from Flame Camp. Miss Bai, what are your plans? If you wish to rest and then leave, we can prepare horses, rations, and water for you."
Bai You Ruo gave a wry smile. "I’m afraid we can’t go anywhere right now. We hope Young Master Tang can offer us shelter for a few days."
They were all injured. To continue on their journey would be incredibly dangerous, even if they only encountered an Exotic Beast Group; they didn’t dare risk it. It seemed better to go to the well-reputed Flame Camp to rest and recover for a while.
"Of course. Welcome to the three of you!"
The Guards made way, offering two of their horses.
The three women mounted the horses under the gazes of the Guards.
To their relief, the men from Flame Camp stared at them quite directly, but for the most part, their gazes were friendly.
Taking the prisoners and the head of Black Old Ghost with them, the group galloped north.
「That night, they came to a river.」
Upon seeing the water, the three women could no longer hold back and asked Tang Wen if they could bathe.
Covered in blood and sweat, they felt disgusted with themselves.
"Bathing in the river probably isn’t a good idea, but you can heat some water to wash yourselves." Tang Wen explained, "There’s a major drought this year. This water is what the Sand Wolves drink."
Don’t think the Sand Wolves won’t mind.
Aside from the Wolf King, the Sand Wolves here are all High-level Exotic Beasts. They’ll kill anyone who dares to pollute their water source!
"As long as we can wash, that’s all that matters! As long as we can wash!"
The three women heated water and washed themselves behind a large boulder.
The SPLASHING sounds of their bathing were enough to spark the imagination.
Unfortunately, the three Female Martial Artists took turns bathing while one stood guard. The Guards who wanted to peek couldn’t find a chance.
"Hey kid, which of these three Female Martial Artists has caught your eye?" Qian Dong asked, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
The moment he opened his mouth, Tang Wen knew what he was going to say. He immediately pulled out the gun. "Don’t get any funny ideas. They’re really from Sanlian City! Look at this firearm. With one of these, three to five Martial Artists or Martial Disciples could kill a full-fledged Martial Artist!"
"For real? It’s that powerful?"
"It would go right through your Armor!"
"Then wouldn’t that be comparable to your Flying Stone?"
"It’s not quite on that level. But this thing is easier to use. Even a First-class Martial Disciple could train with it! If we could get a batch of these, the camp’s strength would go up a whole level."
Qian Dong’s interest was piqued. "Old Tang! For the good of the camp, you’ve got to win over that Miss Bai!"
Tang Wen was speechless. He was just about to say something when he suddenly heard a cough.
He turned his head and saw the tall figure of Bai You Ruo.
Having just finished bathing, Miss Bai had washed the grime from her face. She looked to be about twenty-three or twenty-four years old.
Her features were sharp and well-defined, with distinct, slightly upturned lips. It seemed that from years of exposure to the sun in the wild, her skin wasn’t fair, but had a healthy, wheat-colored tan.
At the moment, since she had no clean clothes to change into, she was still wearing her dirty ones. Her messy hair was draped over her shoulders, adding a touch of untamed, heroic spirit to her look.
Qian Dong let out a mischievous laugh, patted Tang Wen’s shoulder, and turned to leave.
"Miss Bai, please don’t mind him. He just likes to spout nonsense."
"I didn’t hear a thing."
Tang Wen casually changed the subject, handing her a piece of roasted Crocodile Turtle meat. "Sanlian City is a long way from here. I haven’t yet asked what brings you to this area, Miss Bai."
"We’re an exploration team."
"An exploration team? Exploring what?" ’That was a new term for him.’
"We explore history, hydrology, and geography. Our Bai Family, as well as the other great families of Sanlian City, all have their own exploration teams." Bai You Ruo continued, eating the meat and making sure Tang Wen understood before she went on:
"We want to know what exactly happened to this world!"
"The Great Cataclysm? The apocalypse?" Tang Wen had read about it in books brought by merchant caravans.
"Young Master Tang is well-informed! That’s right. Based on the documents and artifacts we’ve excavated in other places, there were once some very prosperous cities in this world. People lived in tall buildings, factories were everywhere, there was more food than anyone could eat, and the water was clean! It sounds like a dream, doesn’t it?"
’Tang Wen thought of Earth from his previous life. Compared to my current surroundings, such sights truly were the stuff of dreams!’
Miss Bai had opened up. "Our original destination was Ganshan City. But we ran into some trouble there and had no choice but to come west. We never expected to run into people from Black Mountain Camp! This whole trip has been so unlucky."
As she spoke, her spirits sank, as if the roasted meat in her hand had lost its flavor.
"As long as you’re alive, there’s hope," Tang Wen offered comfortingly.
Bai You Ruo forced a smile and gazed toward the east.
In the deep blue sky, countless stars twinkled.
But her brow only furrowed deeper.
’Tang Wen understood. Now that her stomach was full, this young lady from a major power had new worries to deal with!’