Strangely, the fierce, menacing bandits were all crowded on the west side of the intersection, while the open space just across the road was vast and empty, yet not a single person ventured over, as if some ghostly presence lurked in that desolate area.

Even stranger, all the bandits craned their necks, gazing anxiously toward the mountain pass to the north, each one looking restless, as if waiting for someone.

Two hours earlier, Samuel Cooper had thought he was being guided by “divine will,” but unexpectedly became a captive of the bandits, mixed in with a group of filthy, panic-stricken men and women.

Among all the captives, Samuel Cooper was actually the dirtiest—sweat, dust, and ashes covered him completely, making him look like a human-shaped clay statue.

Taking advantage of the bandits’ inattention, Samuel Cooper spat out the white silk he’d been holding in his mouth for half the day. Not daring to check it, he secretly stuffed it into his chest. He’d already been searched once and hoped there wouldn’t be a second time.

The person they were waiting for still hadn’t arrived, making the bandits increasingly restless and irritable, cursing under their breath. They weren’t used to being so close to their peers; two gangs had already fought over it, leaving several injured, though fortunately no one had died.

Samuel Cooper still felt somewhat baffled about being captured. How could so many bandits have gathered near the Gu family manor? People said this kind of person had been wiped out years ago. He looked up at the bandit who had caught him, hoping to glean some information.

That bandit, like the others, wore a leather felt coat even in the heat of summer. He was strong, heavily bearded, his face filthy, with a scar on his left cheek.

The scar-faced bandit sensed the gaze from below and glanced down at the young captive, his eyes cold and merciless. “Go ahead, run.”

Of course, Samuel Cooper wasn’t that foolish. He stood among the bandits, surrounded on all sides by endless desert. Trying to escape would be suicide, not to mention his hands were tied and he was bound together with the other captives.

“You’ve got your money—why not let me go?”

Though his tone was tough, Samuel Cooper already vaguely understood that, in the eyes of the bandits, he and the other men and women, and even the livestock, were all just money.

The scar-faced bandit spat on the ground, the thick phlegm grazing Samuel Cooper’s scalp as it flew past. He didn’t even bother to answer this ignorant kid’s question.

An elderly bandit, his face weathered, cast a gloomy look over the newcomers and the captives, then suddenly spoke: “Not much of a haul, Eagle.”

The scar-faced bandit called “Eagle” spat again. “A tiger leaves nothing behind.”

Samuel Cooper’s heart skipped a beat. “Tiger” must be the one who slaughtered the Gu family. The bandits clearly knew the details. He had always thought the killers who destroyed his family had hidden their tracks and would be hard to trace.

Apparently, his eyes betrayed some special emotion, for the old bandit gave him an extra glance, but said nothing more, continuing to gaze toward the northern mountain pass.

Samuel Cooper waited a while, but no one brought up the topic of the “tiger” again, so he had to ask himself, “The tiger you follow is no small figure.”

The bandit Eagle pressed his lips together, as if he hadn’t heard the question at all. After a long moment, he finally replied coldly:

“Nonsense. Is there any tiger bigger than Walker King?”

Walker King.

No one in the Western Regions hadn’t heard of Walker King.

Samuel Cooper’s heart, which had been lifted, suddenly sank. The strength of his enemy was far beyond his expectations.

Chapter 0005: The Swordsman

Two years ago, as soon as he arrived at the Central Plains border, Samuel Cooper heard countless legends about Golden Hawk Fort and Walker King. At the time, he was deeply fascinated by this infamous assassin organization of the Western Regions. He had even mentioned wanting to catch a glimpse of Walker King’s true face, and was mocked by his second brother for it.

In the Western Regions, the Gu family had no chance to get involved with Golden Hawk Fort, and Samuel Cooper soon forgot about that fortress and its king. He never imagined that, when the name resurfaced, it would be connected to the massacre of his family.

That night, after the masked men stormed the manor, his father and brothers frequently mentioned the “butcher,” who was actually “Dubu.” Logan Cooper had long suspected that Golden Hawk Fort harbored ill intentions toward the manor, which was why he deliberately “drove away” his daughter and youngest son.

Why did Golden Hawk Fort want to wipe out the Gu family? Why—what was the reason?

Samuel Cooper racked his brains but couldn’t figure it out. In the two years the Gu family had been in the Western Regions, they had hardly interacted with outsiders. How could they have offended the “king of assassins” of the Western Regions?

The sound of hoofbeats approached. From the northern mountain pass, a brown horse galloped over, ridden by a knight in a gray cloak. The bandits were at first delighted to see him, then disappointed—this was not the person they were waiting for. If not for the strict order against crossing the boundary, someone would have already gone up to demand a toll from this knight.

The gray-cloaked knight, suddenly seeing this group of fierce-looking men gathered by the roadside, showed no surprise or panic at all, urging his horse to trot forward.

Whoosh—a flying dagger was thrown at the knight. People couldn’t cross the boundary, but weapons could.

The knight’s gray cloak swept by like a cloud. He raised his right arm, caught the flying dagger, and casually dropped it into a leather pouch. “Received.”

As the cloak lifted, a long sword hanging at the horse’s side was revealed.

“The Swordsman of the Great Snow Mountain!”

Someone in the crowd shouted. Nearly a hundred bandits seemed to be under a spell, almost simultaneously urging their horses to back up two steps. The one who had thrown the dagger didn’t dare make a sound. Some of the captives understood, some were confused, but all were affected by this wave of fear and retreated together.