??"Tie him up!"?? Johnny barked. His two lackeys hogtied Sean like a pig.

  ??"Where are the other two?"??

  Sean cursed inwardly but kept his mouth shut. For one, he genuinely didn't know, and for another, he had no intention of giving away their direction.

  One of the men began patting him down.

  ??"Boss, the gun's not on him."?? The man's hands slid down Sean's waist, delving into his pockets. He pulled out the stolen ten-odd dollars. ??"And the stolen money—wait, no…"??

  The man kept digging deeper into the pocket, as if he'd found something.

  Sean squirmed. The other lackey promptly pistol-whipped him, nearly knocking him out.

  Johnny yanked his subordinate aside, grabbed Sean's pants, and pulled them down—revealing a small pouch tucked inside his underwear.

  Under the moonlight, they opened the pouch. A glimmer of gold shone inside—tiny, fragmented nuggets.

  Johnny and his men exchanged stunned glances.

  ??"Boss, did the sheriff mention anything about gold when he sent you after them?"??

  ??"Uh… I left in a hurry. He was furious, just said they took some valuables and a deerskin pouch. The valuables didn't matter, but that pouch had to be recovered. Didn't say what was in it."??

  ??"You think this is the pouch?"??

  ??"Probably. There's gotta be at least a dozen ounces here. Must be why the old man was so worked up."??

  ??"Boss… that's over a dozen ounces of gold. What if we just say we lost them and then…"??

  ??"..."??

  Sean, still bound, had just regained his senses. Seeing the gold in their hands, his heart sank.

  He had secretly taken this pouch from the safe behind Chen Jianqiu's back, tied it to his waist, and stuffed it into his underwear. The rough nuggets had chafed against his skin the whole ride, but the jostling hadn't made a sound. Now, it was in Johnny's hands.

  And from the sound of it, they weren't planning to let him live.

  The men huddled under the moonlight, whispering excitedly.

  Meanwhile, two figures slipped silently from the shadows.

  ??"One, two, three…"?? Chen Jianqiu counted under his breath, observing their positions. The men, entranced by the gold, remained oblivious.

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  ??"Five in total."??

  He signaled to Flying Bird, who nodded, nocking an arrow and aiming at the only man still holding a gun.

  Chen Jianqiu pulled two shells from his pocket, loading his double-barreled shotgun. He tucked Flying Bird's tomahawk into his belt, crouched low, and crept forward.

  ??"Whoosh!"?? An arrow sliced through the air, piercing the gunman's skull.

  At the same instant, a shadow lunged from the darkness—Chen Jianqiu, shotgun in hand, fired two deafening blasts at the nearest men.

  At this range, accuracy didn't matter.

  ??Buckshot made all men equal.??

  Two bodies crumpled instantly. Chen Jianqiu surged forward, swinging the still-smoking shotgun like a club, smashing it into the third man's head.

  Another down.

  Johnny barely had time to react, but his gunfighter's instincts made him reach for his holster.

  Then Death itself seemed to loom before him. Chen Jianqiu tossed the shotgun aside, drew the tomahawk from his belt, and swung—

  ??Johnny's arm fell clean off.??

  Agony exploded from his shoulder. He collapsed to his knees, howling.

  Chen Jianqiu drew his revolver and put a bullet in each of the downed men—except Johnny. Then he stepped forward.

  ??"Who… who the hell are you?"?? Johnny gasped, blood loss and pain pushing him toward unconsciousness. The man before him moved like Satan himself—only someone who had clawed their way through battlefields could be this ruthless, this calm.

  ??"Who am I?"?? Chen Jianqiu crouched, examining Johnny's wound. Out here, he wouldn't last. ??"I don't know."??

  ??"Last time at the saloon, I spared your hand. You still wanted me dead. This time… I can't help you."?? He pressed the gun to Johnny's forehead and pulled the trigger.

  The entire sequence had felt instinctive—muscle memory, like when he'd played with the knife in the saloon.

  ??Who was he, really???

  He holstered the revolver, picked up the gold pouch, and strode toward Sean—still bound on the ground, his eyes wide with terror.

  A minute ago, five living men had been interrogating him about Chen Jianqiu's whereabouts. Now, one had an arrow through his skull, two had their chests blown open, and another had lost an arm—all of them with extra holes in their heads.

  ??"Boss, boss, I swear I wasn't hiding the gold on purpose! I—I—"?? Sean stammered.

  Chen Jianqiu didn't answer. He just tossed the pouch at him.

  ??"Sean. Your money."??

  Sean shook his head violently.

  ??"Hold onto it for us. If I really wanted you dead, I'd have done it already."?? Chen Jianqiu cut his bonds with the tomahawk. ??"If you'd taken that gun at the sheriff's office, or if you'd given us up just now, I'd have killed you."??

  ??"We all like money. But if we want to survive, trust matters more."?? He hauled Sean to his feet. ??"After this, we're friends."??

  The black man stood, his back drenched in cold sweat.

  Flying Bird was looting the bodies—grabbing dried rations, bullets, and a relatively intact jacket. He stacked the guns to the side. After firing that arrow, he'd been ready to join the fight, but the dark-skinned stranger had ended it before he could blink.

  Now, he respected this man deeply—swift, decisive, and fierce, no less than his own father.

  ??"Chen, we have a problem."?? He tossed the jacket to Chen Jianqiu. ??"After the gunshots, all the horses bolted—except Huey. So… we're horseless again."??

  Chen Jianqiu smacked his forehead. A quick glance confirmed it—aside from Flying Bird's Appaloosa, every other horse, including Johnny's men's mounts, had vanished.

  ??"See? I told you I return borrowed horses."?? He shrugged at Sean. ??"That Shire's probably halfway back to Stone Spring Station by now."??

  Flying Bird looked puzzled. Sean didn't dare roll his eyes.

  ??"Grab the supplies. Let's find a spot to camp, eat, and rest. We'll move out tomorrow."?? Chen Jianqiu picked up Johnny's knife. ??"That group was pretty much Stone Spring's entire law force. Once they don't return in a couple days, our names will hit the state's bounty board."??

  Flying Bird packed the supplies into the saddlebags. The three of them turned southwest and continued on foot.