Sure enough, they reached a clearing with a campfire and rolled-up tree trunks, just as Zhi Cheng had already found one, at dusk. Zhi Cheng turned to Qing Lai.
"How should we...?" the question stuck in his throat as Qing Lai suddenly rushed forward. He was quick, agile and with the help of the element of surprise, he had overpowered the thirteen men in an instant before Zhi Cheng could regain his composure.
He stepped into the clearing. The interrupted acupuncture points caused cramps and pain. He was not as kind as the last time he put them to sleep. Now every breath meant pain.
When they tried to move, their bodies convulsed into spasms. Unable to make a sound. Still, he hadn't killed them. Zhi Cheng snorted gruffly, but held back.
"What are you looking for? Why are you pursuing innocents and leaving no one alive?" Qing Lai asked one of the last men kneeling in front of him. He could no longer move his legs and his arms hung limply.
"That's an order from the boss," the man choked. "What do I know, some herb. Medicine or tea or some nonsense," he gasped.
"What do you need medicine or tea for?" asked Zhi Cheng in surprise.
He had already been surprised when he had found a pile of spices and herbs in their last camp. So they hadn't separated the money from the weed because they thought it was useless, but because they were passing it on. The man was visibly squirming.
"I don't know. Our leader has a deal with someone, we don't ask, we just do our job. Everything we find in the way of herbs and spices, whether fresh, dried or ground, is given straight to the boss," he whimpered.
"Where is your leader?" asked Qing Lai sternly. The man pressed his lips together.
"I don't care how scared you are, what I'm going to do to you if you don't talk will be a thousand times worse!" threatened Qing Lai.
Zhi Cheng had his hands on his hips. Again, there was no sign of a lie in Qing lai's voice. The mugger gulped as he looked into the man's bright, golden eyes.
Although his appearance seemed meek, there was a coldness and contempt in his gaze that made his blood run cold. Meanwhile, Zhi Cheng had rummaged through the boxes and smelled the various herbs and spices.
"I can't find anything unusual," he remarked, pushing aside a writhing, gasping man.
A small trickle of blood was running from the corner of his mouth. Zhi Cheng opened another box and looked furtively at Qing Lai, but he was still bent over the looter, holding him up by his chin. So the Ghost King pocketed a few taels of gold and then closed the box again.
"Who is your leader and where can I find him?" repeated Qing Lai threateningly. As the trembling man was still shaking his head, Zhi Cheng kicked one of the men lying on the ground in the head. It cracked and there was a sickening, tearing sound. The thief froze.
Without turning around, Qing Lai growled; "You didn't have to do that!"
"Would you have done it then, Brother Qing?" Zhi Cheng returned, stepping next to the nearest man. Qing Lai didn't even flinch, but Zhi Cheng could hear his tense breathing as he snapped the neck of the next barbarian.
Surely it could be done more aesthetically, but he had already used up too much black magic and he could do without the blood thickening in his veins.
Zhi Cheng held back from scratching his veins and draining the itchy, stinking, poisoned blood inside him and kicked the next man in the chest with full force.
"I'm talking, I'm talking yes!" gasped the prisoner in Qing Lai's hand. The sworn pacifist had turned around and was looking at Zhi Cheng with a doubtful expression. Although he was aware that they could not let the men live, this approach was too brutal.
"Don't you have a weapon? Take a sword, Brother Zhi," he asked him doubtfully.
Zhi Cheng looked up. He had completely forgotten how to use a weapon. He only fought with black magic and occasionally slit the occasional throat with his fan. He had never been good with weapons, but it would certainly be more advantageous to use one here in the mortal world.
He raised his hands apologetically and set off in search of a suitable weapon. He found what he was looking for in one of the crates. It was a thin, long sword. Unobtrusive and easy to hide in the folds of his robe. It just wasn't particularly sharp.
When he stabbed it into the chest of one of the men, who was coughing and gasping for mercy, there was a tearing sound that hurt his ears. Qing Lai turned around once more.
"You are bloodthirsty!" he lectured curtly.
"I can't help the poor quality!" Zhi Cheng snapped back and threw the sword aside.
He took an axe from the nearest crate and stomped towards the next looter. The latter soaked himself and rolled his eyes until only the whites of his eyes were visible. Then he stopped twitching. Nevertheless, Zhi took the precaution of cutting off half his head. Not because he wanted to, but because the axe was too heavy in his hands and he slipped.
"Damn," he groaned and threw the axe aside. Such a crude weapon was not for him.
While the man in Qing Lai's arms was confessing like a gushing waterfall, Zhi Cheng had found a certain pleasure in trying out various weapons.
A spear was quite comfortable in his hand, but it was too unwieldy for him. He could only hit with a bow and arrow if he was standing directly in front of an immobilized target.
He was in the middle of plunging a couple of throwing knives into the chest of one of the last men and was surprised to discover that he was excellent at it when Qing Lai stepped up next to him.
"Have you been letting off steam?" he asked angrily. "Is that what you learn on the street?" Zhi Cheng struck down the man Qing Lai had been dealing with with a well-aimed throw of his knife.
The man, who was about to crawl away with his arms and legs paralyzed, twitched briefly and then collapsed.
"No, I've only just discovered this talent," he replied cheerfully. Then he became more serious.
"Brother Qing, these barbarians have claimed nearly a hundred innocent lives, and not just this time. They've been harassing this trade route for quite a while," he said, guessing into the blue.
But after what he had seen, it wasn't hard to figure out that the trade route had been targeted for quite some time.
"If you don't want to kill her, I'll do it. I have no sympathy for these trash and letting them live is not an option," he said.
Qing Lai, who had put his hand on Zhi Cheng's shoulder to appease him, lowered it again. Just because he was right didn't mean he approved of his actions. He turned and pointed to the west.
"There's another cave system a few hours that way," he said. Zhi Cheng pocketed a few knives, he had taken a liking to them and then let himself be dragged along by Qing Lai, who gruffly urged him onwards.
"Have you got everything now or do you want to pocket some more silver, Brother Zhi?" he asked sharply.
Zhi Cheng smiled mischievously, so he had caught him. He wasn't surprised, Qing Lai was a lot more attentive than he appeared to be.
"Don't be angry, Brother Qing, I'll return everything to its owners properly," he defended himself. Qing Lai suspected that there was something wrong with his statement and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"And how exactly do you plan to do that?" he asked when he thought he could handle the answer.
Zhi Cheng clicked his tongue as he tightened his purse and stowed the throwing knives in his robe.
"I'll put it all into inns and entertainment, so the money will find its way back to its owner as quickly as possible. To the honorable merchants!" he replied sternly.
Qing Lai could not deny that Zhi Cheng was right to a certain extent. Money flowed like a river and it always returned to where it was already in abundance. A few more open hands along the way didn't make much difference. He sighed.
"Brother Zhi, if this keeps up, you'll be the one paying for our food and new clothes. I'm a poor man and theft is out of the question for me!"
Zhi Cheng laughed and beamed all over his face. He had expected more trouble, but Qing Lai didn't seem to be lecturing him unnecessarily.
Even though he had chosen the path of virtue and righteousness, he would not deny Zhi Cheng a few stolen taels from the looters.