Chapter 364: Oath of the Eight Riders

“I knew him, we used to drink together countless times. Just earlier, I agreed to have a drink with him tonight, but now he’s just a cold body.”

Zhang Mu felt a profound sadness in Hachikuju, something he had never seen before. He stayed silent, listening quietly as Hachikuju knelt beside Badar, speaking a language he didn’t understand.

Despite this, the ignorant crowd outside did not stop attacking just because one more person appeared. In their minds, anyone associated with non-believers should be killed. That’s why they dared to attack Hachikuju, especially a young man they had never seen before.

However, Zhang Mu’s second-rank mental shield was strong enough to withstand these superficial attacks. Once he endured the initial assault, the subsequent mental attacks couldn’t harm him at all.

Mental strength is invisible, so from the outside, all attacks seemed to vanish before this mysterious young man. It was as if they were being devoured by an unseen beast, which was even more terrifying than visible attacks being shattered.

The more mysterious things are, the more people fear and look around at each other. They stop what they are doing, and the crowd instantly becomes quiet. But because the body of the heretic has not been cremated according to God’s will, no one wants to leave. Also, they don’t want to attack Zhang Mu because of the power he displayed.

A strange silence fell over the square in front of the Great God Temple. Even those causing trouble did not dare to speak. They were unsure about where Zhang Mu came from, so they waited for instructions without making any move.

Inside the mental shield, it was quiet. Hachikuju gradually emerged from his grief and calmed down, becoming extremely frightening. He picked up the huge axe from the ground and stood up abruptly.

“He was fine just a moment ago, how did this happen?”

Seeing that Hachikuju had stabilized his emotions, Yuan Rui wanted to ask him what happened. He was alive and well just a moment ago, and Yuan Rui had a strong impression of this Mongolian man who had just escorted her into the city.

With a glance, Zhang Mu signaled her not to ask anymore, and Yuan Rui fell silent upon seeing his gaze.

“Brother Hachikuju, what do you plan to do?”

Without saying much, Zhang Mu deduced from Badar’s death and Hachikuju’s reaction that this matter must be related to himself. The only connection he had with Badar was being escorted into the city, and now Badar had lost his life.

In a chilling calmness, Hachikuju spoke slowly, “There’s no way around it. These people used ordinary folk to provoke me, hoping for me to retaliate. If it weren’t for you arriving in time, Brother Zhang Mu, I would have fallen into their trap. Once my second-rank ability is activated, my emotions are easily influenced.”

“Who is the mastermind behind the scenes?”

“I don’t know. It could be Xiao Nan, or someone from the Caravan Alliance, or even the leader of the four-warrior riders in the capital city who has joined forces with the Caravan Alliance. Their target is me, Hachikuju, and also you, Zhang Mu, my brother.”

“By the way, did you meet Dark Dove, a member of the Caravan Alliance who is of the same rank as you, Zhang Mu, my brother?”

Hachikuju scanned the crowd gathered outside the ravine, trying to find any clues, but there were too many people, making it impossible to spot the person who had incited the crowd earlier.

Zhang Mu nodded lightly and said, “Yes, that person should have recently been promoted to the second rank. Although his abilities are rare, they are mainly used for support functions and pose little threat.”

Hachikuju shook her head slowly and said, “Although Dark Dove’s strength is not strong, his abilities are extremely strange. However, he is also the weakest in the entire Caravan Alliance, often appearing in public and handling many external affairs. Don’t underestimate this Caravan Alliance, Zhang Mu, my brother.”

“Yes, I know the Caravan Alliance has serious issues.”

Suddenly, Zhang Mu looked towards the southeast and whispered, “Someone is coming.”

“It’s Xiao Nan’s aura. He’s making a big scene without any disguise, charging over. I don’t know what role he’s playing in this situation.”

Hachikuju looked in the direction where Zhang Mu was looking and said slowly.

“You’ll know soon.”

A group of soldiers armed with swords and axes marched in an orderly manner to the front of the Great God Temple. The crowded crowd finally made way for them. They were not foolish. This was the City Lord Xiao Nan’s guard team.

Xiao Nan was different from Hachikuju. He was the Sub City Lord of Hohhot City. Hachikuju had no authority. Xiao Nan was not bound by that. If they were chopped into pieces later, no one would help them.

As the team of soldiers separated the crowd to create a passageway, a figure in blue appeared in everyone’s view.

Wearing a blue shirt and carrying a long sword on his back, the person surprisingly blended in well with the soldiers around him.

It was the aura of killing, the killing aura of Xiao Nan had merged with the killing aura of his team of soldiers.

Hachikuju looked at Xiao Nan walking slowly towards him without showing any other emotions, just looking at him and saying, “Xiao Nan, give me an explanation.”

Xiao Nan took out the sword from his back, seemingly not hearing Hachikuju’s question. He simply tapped the tip of the sword with one finger, then leaned closer to listen to the faint sound of the sword vibrating.

I received an order to arrest the fake messenger of the gods, Badar is my subordinate, colluding with outsiders, releasing prisoners privately, threatening the safety of the capital city. According to the first law of the capital city, those who endanger the city will be killed without mercy!”

Xiao Nan seemed to be talking about a trivial matter, as if talking to his sword, and also as if talking to Hachikuju.

“Am I considered an outsider? Xiao Nan, have you forgotten the oath of the Eight Riders? You do not acknowledge the oath, yet you follow the order of the Caravan Alliance. You have fallen to such a point.”

Upon hearing the oath of the Eight Riders, Xiao Nan’s gaze flickered slightly, but quickly returned to calm. This time, he sheathed his sword, facing Hachikuju, saying, “Why pretend to be ignorant with me? The Eight Riders will soon be gone, and I am just making plans for the future.”

“Hachikuju, the oath of the Eight Riders is in the past. Do you know that?”

Upon hearing Xiao Nan speak so frankly, Hachikuju’s voice remained unchanged, as he had already guessed much from Badar’s death.

Badar is dead, warning Hachikuju, the monkey.

Hachikuju simply said, “I will avenge Badar.”

Hachikuju’s voice was unusually cold when saying this, making Xiao Nan involuntarily grip the sword in his hand.

Realizing his mistake, Xiao Nan smiled and said, “They will be back tomorrow, but without the support, how big of a wave can you still create?”

…

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep