Commanding Wind and Cloud
chapter-185

The rain didn't stop.

The rain drops that were the size of beans fell from the sky for a whole night and a whole day next day. Until the next evening, the storm didn't have any sign of toning down. As the chilling water fell from the sky, the temperature was also dropping fast.

Most of the demons guarding the boarder went back to the military camps. Some Belia Demon even went back into their blankets and lit up fires in braziers to get more warmth.　

On the tall watchtowers, some Belia Demons who were there due to mandatory reason wrapped their arms around the chest and walked back and forth on the watchtowers to get rid of the chilliness that they were feeling. They all complained, "This damn weather. Why is it so cold just after one storm? It's still early Autumn. I'm freezing! I wish I'm also back at the camp in my blanket sleeping."

In the heavy storm, a horse carriage slowly proceeded forward on the muddy road and stopped when it reached the Boarder of Demon Empire.

A Belia Demon looked out of the watchtower at the horse carriage that looked like it belonged to a merchant as he spat out a mouthful of stinky spit. He tugged in his head and shrunk in his neck into his clothes as he slowly walked down the watchtower. He crossed his arms and placed his hands under his armpits as he complained, "Doing business in this kind of weather? The merchants from Zence Empire are all crazy!"

"Where are you from?" The Belia Demon asked with a hostile tone as he walked towards the back of the horse carriage. He pulled out his spear and was about to pierce at the merchandizes that were protected by a layer of straws and grasses.

A gold bar suddenly appeared in front of this demon's eyes, and the demon's spear that was about to stab into the straws suddenly paused in mid-air. Two big eyes stared at three gold bars with greed as he forcefully swallowed his drool. For a moment, he forgot the urgent and strict order that his superior gave about carefully inspecting and examining every demon or person, items, and caravans that passed through the border.

Qian Jin mimicked Boss Leong's friendly smile as he handed over a gold bar with both of his hands with great respect; at the same time, he watched this Belia Demon's reaction with great awareness. If this demon accepted the gold bar and let them go, everything would be good; otherwise, he might have to attack and get through the border by force. It wasn't hard killing this demon, but Qian Jin didn't want to attract any more demons soldiers...

There were about a thousand demon soldiers who reside here. He would be turned into a hedgehog with all the arrows, spears, and knives stabbed in him. Even though he was a Level 9 Demon Fighter and had Wind and Cloud Golden Body to protect himself, he was no match to a thousand demons. He could barely get away, but the three guys lying in the straws couldn't get away for sure.

Gold bar! It was equal to a hundred gold coins! The Belia Demon started to breathe heavily. "A hundred gold coins! How long will it take me to get this much money being a soldier here?" He thought.

"General. I'm very touched by your kindness. You gave all your soldiers a break and is guarding this place yourself. It's hard to see a general that cares for his men this much nowadays." Qian Jin smiled as he spoke. As he said that, he got a ton of goosebumps. He knew that even the fatty Rollin would praise him for saying such flattery.

"General?" The Belia Demon was surprised; then, a bright smile appeared on his face. The more he heard Qian Jin's words, the brighter the smile he got. He raised his head and nodded as he casually answered back, "You are a hard worker; traveling in this kind of weather."

"Yeah, have to make a living. I'm just earning some small money. General, you are the real hard worker." Qian Jin complimented the demon more as he carefully observed the surroundings. Although Belia Demons were known for their laziness, he was afraid that they might come out to take a leak or something after drinking all night.

The Belia Demon took the gold bar with a big smile; he was very pleased with Qian Jin calling him a general. He got so buttered up that he felt his pores were opening up. For a moment, he couldn't even feel the chilliness of the rain, and Qian Jin got more and more pleasing in his eyes. The demon asked, "What kind of merchandise do you have?"

"Some of that Long River Fruits. You know, they could be sold for a good price at Zence Empire." Although the demon's tone was friendly, Qian Jin's guard went up.

"Long River Fruits?" The Belia Demon nodded. "Good stuff. They are the fruit that could only be seen at our great Lucifer Empire."

"That's right, that's right." Qian Jin laughed along. He was getting quite anxious. "That's why I need to rush this horse carriage back to Zence Empire. If these fruits were rotten on the way, I will lose a lot of money."

The Belia Demon laughed as well. Selling this Long River Fruit in Zence Empire would make money, but how could a carriage full of fruit make more than a hundred gold coins? Even idiots won't believe what Qian Jin said!

Qian Jin looked at the Belia Demon as he bends his back a bit more to show his sincerity. He was also prepared to kill this demon in a blink of an eye if the latter was going to say something unexpected and rush out of Demon Empire's territories by force!

A whole gold bar! The Belia Demon caressed the gold bar with his rough fingers. If he was going to inspect this carriage full of merchandises earnestly and did find something suspicious, most of the credits and money would be taken away by his superiors. He would be lucky if he got a few gold coins as a reward. But, if he left this horse carriage go, he would get a hundred gold coins for sure!

How was this demon going to choose between a few gold coins and a hundred gold coins? The Belia Demon laughed as he said, "Yeah, these fruits won't last that long. It's better for you to go as soon as you can. Let me open up the roadblocks for you."

Majority of Qian Jin's worries disappeared as he slowly rode the horse carriage out of Demon Territories. The Belia Demon stood by the side of the watchtower as he put the gold bar back to his pocket. He waved and said to Qian Jin, "There are a lot of bandits at the Frontier, be careful! If you are going to continue doing business, make sure to get across the border by this watchtower and checkpoint. I will make sure that you can travel through safely."

Qian Jin looked back and said, "Ok, general. How should I address you?"

"Me? Ben! Ben Sogen!" The Belia Demon straightened his back as he announced his name proudly.

"I will remember you, general." Qian Jin laughed on the carriage and answered back. Ben? There was such a family name in Belia Demon species, but it was a very ordinary family name and was at the lower end of the social classes. "It looks like calling him general was really useful."

Ben Sogen took out the gold bar from his pocket, exhaled onto the gold bar, and used his sleeve to cleanse it. He then placed it carefully into his pocket again and got onto the watchtower again with a satisfied smile on his face.

The noisy clip-clop stepping sounds mixed with mud splashing noise resonated in the sky as if there were numerous thunders sounding at the same time. Ben Sogen quickly formed two hollow fists and placed them in front of his eyes to help him see farther. When he saw who came, he shouted out subconsciously as he inhaled a ton of cold air through his yellow and uneven teeth: "Black Wind, it's Black Wind Bandits!"

On the black horses, every single bandit was wearing a black wooden armor. As they rushed towards the border of Demon Empire, the flag of Black Wind fluttered in the wind despite the fact that it was completely soaked. Even the dense raindrops couldn't hold the flag back from displaying the two dominating words "Black Wind".

The top ten bandits groups of the Frontier wasn't just famous at this long and chaos territories; they were equally famous at Lucifer Empire and Zence Empire.

The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and Ben Sogen couldn't see through it anymore. With a rare sad expression, he rubbed the gold bar in his pocket as he shook his head and said, "Eh, looks like I don't have any other chances of getting gold bars. Black Wind is known for their cruelty and not leaving any lives after a robbery."

Black Wind! Qian Jin was surprised to see that the bandits of Black Wind that was led by Hayen Brianna!

Under the pouring rain, the black soft armor tightly stuck to her body that Gomez Jane couldn't even compare. Hayen Brianna's long legs held her body firmly on the horse, and the black metal mask was still on her face.

The horses stopped charging and started to walk in the mud anxiously and splashed up more mud.

A friendly smile appeared on Hayen Brianna's face behind the mask as she said, "Wow, what a coincidence. We met again."

Qian Jin squatted on the horse carriage and stared at Hayen Brianna calmly with the horsewhip in his hands. He thought, "I don't think they are passing by here out of coincidence. Although Lucifer Empire won't send their army into the Frontier to wipe out all the bandit groups, they don't mind killing the bandits who dared to get this close to their border."

"I heard that a Two Stars soldier and three members of the Dark Group was killed. Did you guys do it?" Although Hayen Brianna's voice was mixed into the heavy rain, her crisp voice was still not covered by it. "Where are your peers? Are they injured? I heard that after the Dark Group investigated the battlefield. They said that the ones who killed their members are also severely injured."

Qian Jin got more understanding about the Dark Group more. He thought that they could think having their members killed would be a very shameful incident, so they would cover the matter up and send more powerful members to deal with the killers. He didn't expect them to spread the news out and let everyone chase after them. It looked like the Dark Group was a special department of Demon Empire that would only care about the result and not the process.

"Did you know? The Dark Group have placed a lot of money on the killer's head." Hayen Brianna covered her mouth under the mask as she giggled. "A lot of bandits are looking the killers. I thought you guys are probably the perpetrators, so I came here to wait for you."

"Then?" Qian Jin causally blinked; he didn't seem nervous at all.　　

"Then?" Hayen Brianna started laughing again. "Aren't you scared? So your friends are under those wet straws and grasses, right? Maybe you think you can escape, but can you escape with them together?"

"Scared? Why should I be scared?" Finally, confusion appeared on Qian Jin's face. "I don't understand. If you are not here to capture me, why would you appear here? Could it be that you just to want to inform me? But that doesn't make sense. Why would you inform me about this? What do you want to get from me?" He asked.

"You don't get it? Let me tell you. Our captain likes you."

"Of course our captain wants to see you!"

A bunch of shouts came out of the bandits' mouth. Even though Qian Jin considered himself thin-skinned, he felt a little awkward. "Damn, these bandits dare to say anything." He thought.

"If you guys say anything more, I will tear up your lips and cut off your tongues!" Hayen Brianna faked some anger. Although she whipped her whip in the air, she appeared weaker as she said, "How could I like this guy who doesn't even have his pubic hair grown out."

"Cough..." Qian Jin coughed. He had to state the truth when it was about the dignity of a man. "Hayen Brianna, I have to inform you that my hairs are grown out."

...　

For a moment, there was only silence except for the sound of the raindrops. Hayen Brianna's hand that raised her horsewhip in the air also froze as if someone cast a petrification spell on her.

A loud laughter exploded among the bandits, and some bandits even lied on the back of the horse as they slapped the saddles.

"Captain, did you hear that? His hairs are grown out, you can make your move."

"Yeah, captain! Since all of his hairs are grown, you should take the advantage of it!"

"You..." Hayen snapped her whip in the air as she shouted, "Do you guys really want me to tighten your skin?"

None of the bandits teased Hayen Brianna anymore, but they were still laughing.

Hayen Brianna stared at Qian Jin forcefully as she said, "I'm here to tell you that you guys couldn't make out of this chaotic place alive in your current condition. The bastards that were usually back at the camps sleeping and waiting for their death are looking for your guys like madmen."

"Then..." Qian Jin turned his head and looked at the border of the Demon Empire as he said, "Do I have to go back? I'm sure that the search inside that territories is stricter than here."

"Go back?" Hayen Brianna smiled. "You will only die faster if you go back."

For the first time, Qian Jin was getting really anxious. His warrior dimension could only store items that had no life. If he tried to place his friends in his warrior dimension, they would be killed before the demons could find them. But the thing was that he couldn't get them out of here alive. If he was on his own, he had a high chance of surviving since he had all that experience in Four Season Valley and in the West Mountains in Endless World.

"Do you trust me?" Hayen Brianna suddenly asked him, "Do you dare to come with me?"

Qian Jin instantly laughed. The Dark Group of Demon Empire was an organization that took revenge very seriously. He knew that he and his friends would be in a big trouble if he got captured since he killed four of their members, and one of them was a Two Stars soldier. It looked like the only chance for him to make it out here alive was to trust this woman and take a gamble!

Otherwise... Qian Jin curled his lips as he looked back at the wet straws on the horse carriage. "It would be impossible to take them out of here alive." He thought.

"Of course." Qian Jin rode the horse carriage towards Hayen Brianna as he said, "The only thing is that I don't know why you are helping me."

"Kid, didn't I just say... Ow! Captain, one of my teeth is gone..."

"That teeth is fake..." Hayen Brianna put back her whip as she said, "None of the teeth that you have if real, so it doesn't really matter."

"Eh... You really couldn't compare people with people..." That bandit sighed as he knocked his chest. He put on a heartbroken expression as he continued, "I have been with the captain for a while, then look at this little white... little black... Ok... This little brown-faced young man."

"Luffer, if you don't want all of your fake teeth to be whipped away, then shut up! Didn't you see captain reaching for her whip again?"

"Uh... You couldn't say the truth these days." Luffer lied on his horse as he said with a disappointed tone.

"Where did you get all these questions?" Hayen Brianna lead her team as she said, "Follow me closer if you don't want to die!"

Qian Jin rubbed his chin and cheek as he looked at Cech Flet who was lying in the straws with his over handsome face that even women would be jealous too. He shook his head as he thought, "I don't think she actually likes me. If she is going to like anyone, it should be Cech Flet. I don't know why she wants to help me... Whatever! Let me get through this situation first. It's really hard to get out of here alive with three of them injured.

Hayen Brianna rode the horse at the front of the team and made a lot of turns on this empty and open Frontier. If there were actual walls, they would look like they were in a maze.

"This is the special pathway that belonged to bandits." Luffer slowed down beside Qian Jin as he explained, "Normally, all bandits would rob anyone they want. But when there are big events like this, every bandit group had their own pathways and territories. These are all pre-set, and whoever catches the prey in their territory would get to keep the rewards. This is the rule; anyone who breaks the rule would be asking for war."

Qian Jin nodded to show that he understood it. He started to understand why many famous people would say that "You would learn more from traveling around the continent than reading all the books on the continent" in their own writings. For example, the relationships between the bandits were never talked about in the books, so Qian Jin learned something that he would never learn if he didn't come to the Frontier. And thanks to this rule, Hayen Brianna was able to bring him and his friends out of here safely.

The rain was still pouring down. Qian Jin looked up at the sky as he thought, "Did Fatty Rollin see that I was in trouble so he bribed the god that was in charge of the rain to help me? Eh! It is something that the fatty would do. If it wasn't for this rain, we would have been discovered by the demons and other bandits for sure."

There were mountains and rivers at the Frontier, and bandits had their own resting places.

Hayen Brianna's team stopped by a river. Due to the heavy rain, the river was overflowing. The surging river made loud noises that sounded like thousands of horses running around, and the presence was unique and naturally powerful.

Qian Jin was stunned when he saw the river that blocked their path. Nila's strike from the other day suddenly replayed in his head, and Qian Jin realized that the presence of Nila's strike was a little similar to the current of this river but less powerful than this surging current.

Crack... Crack... Crack...

Loud metal gilding noises sounded in the surge and the heavy rain, and a part of the ground beside the river slowly tilted towards one side!

It was about six meters wide! Below the land, there was a metal plate; it was a plate that was forged by blacksmiths using special materials so that it would never rust!

The resting spot was underground? Qian Jin laughed as he thought, "These bandits are really smart! In people's impressions, bandits really rested on mountains or valleys with wooden fences surrounding them. Who could have thought that this crew of bandits was resting under the ground? But the only thing is that, is there good ventilation? Could the air smell bad down there?"