James Lee was startled. He too faintly heard cursing voices in the distance. In a panic, he picked up two short spears. “Wait for me!” he called, chasing after Eric Bolton, who was striding away with long steps.

……

It wasn’t until the next morning that they finally shook off their pursuers, circling onto an abandoned official road heading north. Eric Bolton speared a few fish in a small creek, while James Lee had flint and tinder, and soon they had a fire going in a small grove, roasting fish to satisfy their hunger.

James Lee had already finished roasting a fat carp and, smiling, handed it to Eric Bolton. “Carp is a triggering food. I have a chronic illness and can’t eat it. You go ahead, I’ll roast a crucian carp for myself.”

Eric Bolton skewered a crucian carp on his bayonet, then handed both the bayonet and the fish to James Lee, exchanging them for the roasted carp, and said with a laugh, “Then I won’t be polite!”

James Lee took the bayonet and, while focusing intently on roasting the fish over the fire, casually asked, “Judging by your accent, Brother Zhang, you don’t sound like you’re from Jingzhao!”

“I am from Jingzhao, but I became a monk in Henei when I was young.”

James Lee smiled in sudden realization. “I thought so! Your accent is very much like those from Henei. So you became a monk there. But with all the chaos lately, many temples have been burned down. There must be many monks like you forced to return to secular life. Which temple in Henei did you join?”

Eric Bolton just smiled, lowered his head, and took big bites of fish, not answering the question. Although James Lee’s tone was light and joking, it was obvious he was probing for information.

A man like James Lee, with the makings of a warlord, only becomes fast friends in legends. If he didn’t get to the bottom of Eric Bolton’s background, how could he feel safe fleeing together?

James Lee absentmindedly roasted the fish over the fire, but out of the corner of his eye, he quickly glanced at Eric Bolton. Seeing that he was almost done with his fish, a barely noticeable cold smile flashed in James Lee’s eyes.

Chapter 0003: When Two Heroes Meet

Just then, Eric Bolton suddenly clutched his chest and collapsed to the ground, curling up in pain and crying out softly, “Mr. Lee, throw away the fish! There’s something wrong with it!”

James Lee’s face twisted into a ferocious expression. He stood up, kicked away the nearby saber, gripped his bayonet, and stepped forward menacingly. “You brat, to think you managed to take out my seven bodyguards—you do have some skill. But if you want to go up against me, James Lee, you’re still too green.”

“You… poisoned the fish!” Eric Bolton glared at him in fury.

“Of course. The Seven-Step Heartbreak Powder—ever heard of it?”

James Lee sneered and continued, “You think you saved me? No, you ruined my plan to lure the enemy, but I won’t hold it against you. Still, if you don’t die, how can I, James Lee, be safe? For the sake of you saving me, I’ll burn incense for you on this day next year.”

Just as he finished speaking, James Lee suddenly froze. Eric Bolton sat up and opened his left hand, revealing a perfectly intact, roasted carp—no sign it had been eaten. Eric Bolton smiled faintly. “Sorry, I ate a different one. Sorry to trouble you!”

James Lee roared and lunged at Eric Bolton with the bayonet. At that moment, Eric Bolton raised his gun, aimed at him, and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

Bang! With a gunshot, a bloody hole appeared in James Lee’s forehead. His eyes widened as the life faded from them, and he collapsed headfirst in front of Eric Bolton.

Eric Bolton slowly stood up, picked up the bayonet from James Lee’s hand, and kicked him coldly. “Did you think I couldn’t tell those men were yours? I just wanted to see what tricks you’d try.”

Eric Bolton searched James Lee’s body, found flint and tinder in his chest, and pulled out a palm-sized leather pouch, bulging and heavy, apparently filled with many things.

Suddenly, Eric Bolton heard someone shouting in the distance: “The sound came from over there! Surround them!”

Startled, Eric Bolton stood up and looked around, seeing countless figures closing in from all sides—only the southeast was clear.

Without hesitation, Eric Bolton dashed southeast, running several hundred steps before leaping into a long, deep ravine about ten feet deep.

Inside the ravine, tall water plants grew as high as a man, thick green water reached his ankles, and several snakes, startled, quickly swam away. Dense shrubs lined both sides of the ravine, their slender branches cascading down from the banks like waterfalls.

Eric Bolton burrowed into a clump of shrubs, pressing his back tightly against the damp earth.

Moments later, footsteps approached. Through the bushes, Eric Bolton saw a group of soldiers’ feet appear overhead, and his heart pounded with tension.

“What was that sound just now?” came a deep voice from above.

“Reporting to the general, we couldn’t find the source of the noise, but we did find a corpse. It seems to be the rebel James Lee, just recently dead—the body is still warm. Should we conduct a full search?”

After a moment’s silence, the deep voice replied, “There’s no time. Leave it for now. Order all soldiers to go set up an ambush!”

Then came the clatter of hooves, and four long, strong horse legs appeared above the bushes.

Through a gap in the shrubs, Eric Bolton caught sight of a weapon he would never forget for the rest of his life. The weapon was as large as a giant millstone, with an incredibly sharp spearhead in the center, and on either side grew a pair of golden wings like those of a phoenix, covered in countless tiny barbs. It resembled a trident, but was much broader and larger.