Chapter 120: Jin Meng's Repayment of Kindness

Chen Hao held a long spear in his hand, looking at the place ahead.

That was a bamboo grove, some bamboo stalks already grown taller than two people.

Chen Hao raised his head, looking at the bamboo forest; a gust of wind blew past, causing the bamboo stalks to sway against each other, the centers emitting cracking sounds, almost breaking. Yet he remained steadfast in midair, facing the wind's onslaught.

Chen Hao sighed, thinking of Feng Yan.

"Where exactly are you?" Chen Hao sighed; ever since that pterodactyl took Feng Yan away, seven days have passed.

Chen Hao continued walking, feeling the sun hanging in the sky was somewhat scorching.

The sun hung in the sky, shooting forth countless golden rays onto the ground; Chen Hao felt a wave of nausea, his clothes already soaked with sweat, then dried by the sun.

"How hot! Can't it rain?" Chen Hao gritted his teeth, unable to hold back his complaints, speaking to the sky.

Next, Chen Hao raised his long spear, the spear tip aimed at the sun, reflecting seven-colored light, very beautiful.

Chen Hao lowered his spear, raised his head, and discovered a small hut.

The hut was built of bamboo, its exterior already yellowed, indeed having aged somewhat.

On the ground lay several damaged cages, with ropes still hanging from a few tall trees; Chen Hao instantly felt this place was not so simple.

He entered the bamboo hut and saw an old man on the verge of death, lying on the bed, his breath faint, only his hands flailing in the air as if trying to grasp something.

Chen Hao shook his head helplessly, thinking this old man was beyond help; he stepped forward to the old man's face and pulled a coin from his pocket.

Chen Hao placed the coin in his hand into the old man's hand; the old man grabbed it tightly, simultaneously pushing Chen Hao's hand away, then ignored Chen Hao at the bedside.

Chen Hao gave a faint smile, then felt deep contempt for the old man before him; just as he was about to say something, the old man flung the coin away.

Ding~

The coin fell to the ground, making a sound; Chen Hao burst out laughing.

"Hahaha"

Chen Hao laughed while continuing: "I originally thought you were like those country people, a miser, but in the end I found that what you gave was still not enough."

The next second, upon hearing the old man's words, Chen Hao realized he had been too hasty.

The old man said: "Pursuing wealth alone, without seeking power, makes one a fool; in this world, having money does not guarantee power, and only power rules over money."

Chen Hao solemnly nodded, agreeing with the old man's words.

Chen Hao observed the old man; though not old in age, beneath his white hair his face was extremely aged, eyes dull, a gray haze, his wrinkled face covered with age spots, as if he could die at any moment.

Chen Hao observed the old man, meanwhile probing: "Old sir, what place is this? Why is there no one to take care of you?"

However, the only reply was the silence in the air.

"The wind is rising." The old man said hoarsely, his voice rough and unpleasant.

Chen Hao listened to the rustling of wind through the bamboo forest, momentarily lost in thought, then brought back by the old man's hoarse voice.

He quickly replied: "Yes, the wind is rising, but it's not strong, right?"

"Hmm"

The old man responded with a sound, counting as an answer; accompanied by his ever-weaker breath, Chen Hao felt the old man could expire at any moment.

Chen Hao increasingly wanted to obtain some useful information from the old man's mouth; he opened the map again and discovered this bamboo forest.

Passing through this bamboo forest leads to the next state—Power State.

Chen Hao's eyes widened; after confirming his route once more, he hastily left the hut and headed east.

The old man watched Chen Hao's receding back, then suddenly rose from the bed and burst into loud laughter.

"Hahaha!"

Accompanied by peals of laughter, the old man tore off his mask, revealing his youthful face, and the tear-shaped mole at the corner of his eye added a touch of handsomeness.

By then Chen Hao had long since departed; that person watched Chen Hao's fading silhouette, then ran to beneath the bed and dragged out the old man's corpse.

The old man's corpse was not heavy, yet that person dragged it bit by bit, as if savoring the process.

Finally, accompanied by a long trail of blood on the ground, the old man's corpse was finally thrown outside the bamboo hut.

Afterwards, that person looked left and right, confirmed no one was around, clapped his hands and shouted loudly: "Come out! Bounty hunters!"

As soon as his words fell, several figures cloaked in black robes burst out from somewhere!

One of them asked the young man before him: "Leader, Profit State lacks a master, already on the brink of collapse; are you really just leaving like that?"

The young man referred to as the leader, however, showed a smile; he looked at his several subordinates and replied: "The reason I left that state is because—Adventurers have left!"

"Adventurers have left? Do I have to leave my own nation's headquarters? What nonsense is this? Or is our leader's brain addled?"

The few in black robes lowered their heads, not looking at their leader, and remained silent.

They waited again for the leader's explanation.

"Actually—" the leader shouted loudly: "Actually, this is part of the plan, and this plan began to be schemed as soon as the Adventurers arrived here!"

Several people looked at each other, you at me, I at you, unable to believe the leader's words.

All that could be heard was the leader continuing: "As for the two Adventurers I crossed blades with, one wields a sword, his attack style rigid, only a few moves; yet I could never quickly defeat him, even ending up at a disadvantage—do you know why?"

The leader said this, posing that question; the few before him shook their heads, indicating they didn't know, but hearing the leader say this, they were more curious.

Yeah! Why does that guy, clearly lacking any attack techniques, always manage to defeat us?

The few we previously sent out also died under his sword.

They couldn't figure it out, partly doubting the truth of the leader's situation, partly feeling the leader wouldn't deceive us, would he?

One of them asked: "Then how do we defeat them?"

The leader shook his head, somewhat disappointed, saying: "Relying solely on our own strength to defeat them is very difficult, unless..."

The leader was just about to reveal the next part of the plan when he saw, outside the door, a figure holding a long spear standing behind them.

"Yo, what have I found? A few bounty hunters?" That figure looked at the several people before him, speaking with mocking weapon, contemptuously.

They widened their eyes, smiled, showing a mocking demeanor, and said teasingly: "Yo, this isn't the Adventurers' dog, is it? How so, Master gone? You can only come back to find us? I heard your master might already be dead! Hahahaha..."

The crowd's laughter was loud, mocking the man before them, while that person remained silent until they stopped laughing.

The leader then said to the man before him: "Jin Meng, your task was already finished, wasn't it? You could now live well with your wife and children, so why are you still wading into this muddy water?"

Jin Meng gave a slight smile, then raised his head contemptuously, looking at the few people before him, and said calmly: "Actually, there is already enough gold, but in that country on the verge of collapse, do you think there is still any justice to speak of?"

The leader said nothing; the two exchanged glances, then nodded.

Only seeing Jin Meng turn around and prepare to leave, he heard the few people behind him cursing; he paid no attention to them, for they were merely people chasing wealth, and there was nothing wrong with that.

Because Jin Meng was originally like that too, joining the bounty hunters for money; it was merely a chance encounter that let him meet those two.

That is also the reason he began to change.

As Jin Meng's back gradually shrank to a small black dot, the few people then began to ask the leader: "Why don't we make a move? His weapon is a fine spear."

The leader sighed and shook his head; at that moment, the bounty hunters understood—that spear was not something they could possess.

"Our play, or rather, this world, is about to become a great stage. Each country will have its script, but the cover of the script—or the role they bear—is unclear; yet when the curtain falls, it will surely be accompanied by decline."

The leader spoke with feeling, then slowly departed, disappearing into the sunset.

The sky was filled with burning clouds that dyed the heavens red; half a setting sun lingered in the sky, unwilling to descend, while a silver disc appeared in the east, facing the fiery sun.

It was like looking at an old man nearing the end of his life, full of sorrow yet admirable.

However, in the end it still fell.

Jin Meng slowly departed; before leaving, he entrusted his wife to take good care of their children, then produced a large bundle of gold.

His wife was also frightened for a day, but after asking for clarification, she felt much more at ease and agreed to let her husband go on his journey.

After settling this matter, Jin Meng had no further worries and set out on the road to find those two.

However, the earlier disaster that had struck the country made him dare not live in the city any longer, so he took his wife and children to the dwarves on the way.

This, however, eased his mind somewhat.

Jin Meng shouldered his spear and slowly began to march toward the Power State.

He had a premonition that he would find his lifesaver here, then continue serving them, and Jin Meng himself felt this was the best way to repay the debt.

The sky gradually darkened, spreading an endless black curtain; the moon delayed its appearance, like a maiden who fears power.