As Jin Sheng rejoined the main caravan he made sure to be discreet. He and his men moved through the rows of wagons and beetle-mounts with ease, though his eyes remained sharp.
Reaching his tent, he breathed easily until the face of the creepy bastard he least wanted to see appeared.
"Leader Jin," a middle-aged man with a face full of scars and eyes that formed into slits when smiling, saluted.
"Oh, Deputy Ge Yi," Jin Sheng replied, his voice neutral. "Unfortunately, I am quite busy, so say whatever you have to say."
"I came to ask you what happened at Xiao Tian Village," Ge Yi said, his gaze lingering a tad bit too long on Jin Sheng's robes.
"Why so curious?"
"I wanted to know, after all, we just visited that village." Ge Yi said, taking a seat.
"Well, nothing unheard of occurred," Jin Sheng said with a sigh. "A beast attack has destroyed the Xiao Tian Village, and unfortunately, there were no survivors."
"I see. It pains me to hear such a tragic event took place," Ge Yi replied.
"I didn't take you for a kind and considerate man," Jin Sheng said with a slight scoff.
"Leader Jin, appearances can be deceiving. You should know that, and in the cultivation world, even more so," Ge Yi said, a creepy smile playing on his lips.
"You are right. Appearances can be deceiving, though not in your case," Jin Sheng countered with a smirk.
"You seem to have a negative opinion of me, Leader Jin."
"I don't have a negative opinion of you; I have a correct opinion of you." replied Jin Sheng, his eyes growing even sharper.
"Is that so…" Ge Yi purposely muttered to himself. He realized the leader of the caravan was more perceptive than he had initially given him credit for, though considering Jin Sheng's age, it wasn't entirely unexpected.
Just as Ge Yi was thinking of pressing further, a messenger came shouting "Master Ge, we have news! Please come to the rear!"
Ge Yi rose. "It seems I am busy as well. We will speak later, Leader Jin."
He couldn't imagine Jin Sheng finding anything useful, and even if he had, it couldn't be linked back to his squad. So he lost interest in the ordeal for the moment.
"Well, goodbye. I hope you don't get hit on your way out," Jin Sheng said without looking. He then turned to his guards. "Someone look for Tie Ergou and send him to me."
The guards outside immediately followed the command.
"Don't worry leader Jin i won't give my enemies the pleasure," Ge Yi said just before exiting Jin Sheng's tent.
"Hnnn" Jin sheng scoffed but didn't comment back; he already had enough of that bastard face.
…
Minutes later, a youth entered the tent. He was tall and thin with an honest face that gave the first impression that he was a little bit dim-witted. "Did you look for me, Lord Jin?"
"Yes, I did. I have a chore for you." Before Tie Ergou could ask more, Jin Sheng spoke toward the corner of the room: "Boy, come out."
As the words fell, Tian Shen Ji emerged from a large storage chest in the corner. Tie Ergou gasped in shock, his eyes widening. "Lord Jin, why is there a child here?"
"You don't need to know that. The only thing you need to know is that from here on, he is your responsibility. You must ensure he is not seen by the other groups in the caravan. Do you understand?" replied Jin Sheng with a dangerous tone
"Yes..." Tie Ergou replied, a slight tremor in his voice.
Jin Sheng looked at Tian Shen Ji. "From here on out, we will not interact unless I come to you. There are too many eyes on me. Tie Ergou will take care of you. Now, go wash yourself for heaven's sake. You seem to stink even more than before." Jin Sheng said with an almost disgusted face.
"Okay, sir," Tian Shen Ji replied. He walked straight toward Tie Ergou and stopped in front of him.
Tie Ergou examined the boy. The child seemed horrendously skinny and was covered head-to-toe in heaven-knows-what. He smelled horrific; the only things not covered in filth were his obsidian eyes.
"We will take our leave, Lord Jin," Tie Ergou said earnestly.
As they left, Jin Sheng sighed, seeing as his new headache depart.
"What is your name, little brother?" Tie Ergou asked as they walked toward a secluded washing area.
"T… Shen Ji," Tian Shen Ji paused and then replied revealing only part of his name.
"I see, Brother Shen. Like you heard, my name is Tie Ergou. I'll be taking care of you. You really are skinny; Normally I would have taken you to eat first, but like Lord Jin said, you really stink."
As Tie Ergou took Tian Shen Ji to take a bath he couldn't help but ask "Brother Shen, what are you covered in?"
Tian Shen Ji looked back at Tie Ergou and replied with a blank expression. "Shit."
"Shit?" Tie Ergou asked, amazed. He then asked another question. "Why?"
"For good luck," Tian Shen Ji replied without a change in his voice.
Tie Ergou was truly perplexed. He wondered what kind of "good luck" ritual involved such a thing. But who was he to judge after all he had done all kinds of strange rituals to strengthen his luck, granted none as crazy and strange as this one.
"Well let?s go wash you really well," said Tie Ergou
Tian Shen Ji had spent his entire day with Tie Ergou and he had tried to make as many observations as possible.
It had been quite easy as Tie Ergou wasn't the smart type, but wasn't stupid either; he simply came from a humble background. The only redeeming quality he had was that he was honest, that, or he was a really good actor, but Tian Shen Ji was betting on the former.
He secretly observed the caravan members.
The caravan was a mixed bunch, numbering in the thousands. Most were martial artists from different forces. To him, this didn't look like a merchant alliance; it looked like a military one.
Other than Jin Sheng who was the publicly elected leader, there were more than a dozen deputy leaders.
This was both good and bad for Tian Shen Ji, the complicated structure made it easier for him to go unnoticed, but he had a nagging feeling. His father's strange behavior had started after the merchants had left. The more complex the caravan, the harder it would be to find the truth.
Tian Shen Ji scratched his head. "What a headache."