A man and a wolf approached the three women.
Tang Wen looked at their blood-stained faces and tattered clothes, then handed over the bamboo tube and leather pouch he was carrying.
"Here, have something to eat first."
The leading woman reached out to take it, but her legs could no longer support her body, and she collapsed unceremoniously to the ground. She opened the food Tang Wen had given her and began eating ravenously.
"Thank you! We owe you our lives!" After a few bites, they finally remembered to express their gratitude.
Tang Wen nodded, then turned away without another glance and walked over to the three Black Mountain Martial Experts.
"Commander Tang Wen! I'm willing to join Flame Camp! Please don't kill me, I'll join Flame Camp!"
"Lord Tang Wen! I'll join too!"
"To be honest, we've long grown tired of the constant scheming in Black Mountain Battalion! We've always admired Flame Camp but never had the chance! Today is our opportunity, please take us in, Lord Tang Wen!"
The three men, despite the pain from their broken legs, propped themselves up with their hands and looked up at Tang Wen pleadingly.
"Shameless!" a Female Martial Expert cursed.
"Sir Tang! Don't fall for their tricks. These three chased us for hundreds of miles just because they discovered we were women! They're utterly deranged."
Tang Wen remained noncommittal. He drew his long blade, crippled their arms, knocked them unconscious, and then tied them up.
After finishing, he turned to the three women and said, "I know their character all too well."
The woman who had spoken earlier smiled sheepishly.
Their hatred for Black Mountain Battalion ran deep, so it was natural for them to warn him.
"Are you from Flame Camp, Sir Tang?"
The leading woman took a sip of water and passed the bamboo tube to her companion.
"Why, have you heard of us?"
The woman brushed her blood-stained hair aside and nodded. "We've been traveling west from Tri-Alliance City and have heard of your reputation."
"What do people say?" Tang Wen asked curiously.
"They say your camp is rare and fair, and that you don't practice slavery!"
Her tone carried a note of surprise, and she watched Tang Wen closely, trying to gauge the truth from his expression.
Tang Wen chuckled. "I'm sure they also say we're fools."
Not using slaves—wasn't that foolish?
The woman laughed. "Tri-Alliance City abolished slavery long ago."
"I've heard you have factories? Can you mass-produce firearms like this?" After asking, Tang Wen suddenly looked embarrassed. "I forgot to ask for your names."
The leading woman clasped her fists. "Bai Youruo, thirteenth daughter of the Bai family from White Stone City."
"Bai Ying."
"Bai Xue."
Tang Wen introduced himself as well.
Bai Youruo asked, "Sir Tang, you know about firearms?"
Tang Wen realized he had slipped up. "I've heard of them."
"Then I'll give you this gun as a token of my gratitude."
With that, Bai Youruo wiped the dust and grime off the Silver Revolver with her sleeve and handed it over generously.
"This?"
"Your life-saving kindness will be repaid later. This is just a small gift."
Tang Wen took it in his hand, feeling the weight of the gun heavier than he had expected.
Bai Youruo picked up her companion's gun and demonstrated how to load bullets and chamber them.
As they spoke, the sound of hoofbeats approached from behind.
Qian Dong arrived with a group of people.
"We're all from Flame Camp. What are your plans, Young Mistress Bai? If you wish to rest and then leave, we'll prepare horses, rations, and water for you."
Bai Youruo smiled bitterly. "I'm afraid we can't go anywhere right now. We hope Sir Tang can offer us shelter for a few days."
They were all injured, and continuing on the journey would be extremely perilous, especially if they encountered a pack of Mutated Beasts. They dared not set out.
It would be better to rest for a while at the well-reputed Flame Camp.
"Alright, welcome, all three of you!"
The guards made way and provided two horses.
The three women mounted the horses under the scrutinizing gazes of the guards.
To their relief, the people at Flame Camp also looked at them directly, but mostly with goodwill.
With the captives and Old Black Devil's head in tow, the group galloped northward.
At night, they arrived by the riverside.
Seeing the water, the three women couldn't hold back and asked Tang Wen if they could bathe.
Covered in blood and sweat, they were disgusted with themselves.
"Bathing in the river might not be a good idea, but you can heat some water and rinse off," Tang Wen explained. "There's a severe drought this year, and this water is for the Sand Wolves to drink."
Don't think the Sand Wolves don't care.
Among the Sand Wolves present, apart from the Wolf King, there were Superior Exotic Beasts. Anyone who dares to pollute their water source would face deadly consequences!
"Being able to wash is good enough, being able to wash is good enough!"
The three women heated water and rinsed off behind a large boulder.
The sound of splashing water sparked imaginations.
Unfortunately, the three Female Martial Experts took turns keeping watch while bathing, so the guards, though eager to peek, found no opportunity.
"Young man, which of these three Female Martial Experts caught your eye?" Qian Dong teased with a wink.
As soon as he spoke, Tang Wen knew what he was getting at and immediately pulled out his gun: "Don't get any wrong ideas, they really are from Tri-Alliance City! Look at this firearm, three or five Martial Practitioners or Apprentices with guns can kill a Martial Master!"
"Really? That powerful?"
"Even your armor wouldn't stand a chance!"
"Then isn't it comparable to your Flying Stone?"
"Not quite. But this is more practical. Even a first-class Martial Apprentice can train with it! If we could get a batch, the camp's strength would rise a notch."
Qian Dong was intrigued: "Old Tang! For the sake of the camp, you should win over that Young Mistress Bai!"
Tang Wen was speechless.
Just as he was about to say something.
Suddenly, he heard a cough.
Turning around, he saw Bai Youruo's tall figure.
Freshly bathed, Young Mistress Bai had washed away the dust from her face, revealing her age to be around twenty-three or twenty-four.
Her facial features were sharp, with a well-defined jawline, prominent features, and a distinct, slightly upturned mouth. Her skin, tanned from years of exposure in the wild, had a healthy wheat-like hue.
At that moment, with no clean clothes to change into, she still wore her dirty attire, her hair disheveled and draped over her shoulders, adding a touch of carefree and heroic charm.
Qian Dong chuckled, patted Tang Wen's shoulder, and walked away.
"Young Mistress Bai, don't mind him, he's just a chatterbox."
"I didn't hear anything."
Tang Wen casually changed the subject and handed her a piece of roasted Alligator Turtle meat: "Tri-Alliance City is far away, may I ask what brings Young Mistress Bai here?"
"We're part of an Exploration Team."
"Exploration Team? Exploring what?" This was a new term to him.
"Exploring history, hydrology, and terrain. Our Bai family, along with other major families in Tri-Alliance City, each have our own Exploration Teams," Bai Youruo explained as she ate, making sure Tang Wen understood before continuing:
"We want to know what exactly happened to this world!"
"The Great Upheaval? The Doomsday Calamity?" Tang Wen had read about it in books brought by the merchant caravans.
"Mr. Tang, you have quite the insight! Indeed, based on the documents and artifacts we've unearthed in other places, there once existed some very prosperous cities in this world. People lived in high-rise buildings, factories were everywhere, food was abundant, and the water was clean! It sounds like a dream."
Tang Wen thought of his previous life on Earth and compared it to the current environment. It truly seemed like a scene only found in dreams!
Young Mistress Bai opened up: "Our original destination was Mountain Chasing City. But something unexpected happened there, forcing us to come to the west. Who would have thought we'd encounter people from the Black Mountain Battalion again! This trip has been really unlucky."
As she spoke, her mood sank, as if the roasted meat in her hand no longer tasted good.
"As long as we're alive, there's hope," Tang Wen comforted her.
Bai Youruo forced a smile, her eyes gazing towards the east.
In the deep blue sky, the stars twinkled.
But her brows furrowed tighter and tighter.
Tang Wen understood that this young lady from a powerful family, after filling her stomach, now had new worries!
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