Chapter 600: 600

Chapter 600 Mysterious Oriental Man

The Chinese people of this era generally wore queues, and unlike later generations, were extremely skinny . On top of that, there were also yellow-skinned Native Americans, so it was not surprising that the bailiff failed to recognize Zhang Heng’s ancestry .

But when the bailiff dismounted and approached the stranger, he could tell that Zhang Heng was not an Indian-which was a relief . With all the conflict between the colonists and the natives, he did not want to be standing at the end of the barrel of an Indian’s gun in the no-man’s-land of the Gobi .

The bailiff removed his other holster and hung it on the horse’s back to reassure the Chinese man he meant no harm .

Seeing that the other party had expressed deference, Zhang Heng returned the favor by putting away his revolver .

“Alright . I never thought I’d come across a Chinese in this god-forsaken place . ” The bailiff offered Zhang Heng a hand . “I’m Morton . ”

Zhang Heng shook the hand and replied, “Zhang Heng . Anything is possible, Mr . Marshal . ” “Where are you heading, Mr . Zhang Heng?” the bailiff asked . “Lincoln county,” Zhang Heng replied frankly . “Good place . I was there a month ago . Although there are no suitable lands to grow tobacco or anything like that, there are many grazing pastures . The dark beer at the bar downtown is pretty good as well . You won’t want to miss it,” Morton gushed, eyeing the cornmeal mush in the pot .

“Please, help yourself,” Zhang Heng offered . He had planned to take a detour to replenish it at other towns anyway, and he did not mind giving away this half-bowl of polenta . “Thank you . ” Morton took out a metal canteen from the bag hanging next to the saddle-it was probably his lunch box . He scooped two spoonfuls of corn paste, and since it wasn’t too hot, he scarfed it down, licking his lips as he finished it up . The bailiff felt that he should do something in return for having eaten Zhang Heng’s food, so he offered some advice . “With all due respect, Mr . Zhang Heng, it is unwise to travel across the Gobi to Lincoln County alone . ”

“Why do you say that?”

“This is not a peaceful place . Murders and robberies are frequent here . I’m currently investigating a group of men whom I have pursued for over 20 days . They claim to be pelt traders, but they probably conduct shady deals behind closed doors . Not long ago, there was a bank robbery in Shining Silver town . A group of masked men killed the bank’s manager and a poor woman who had gone to deposit money there . They hauled forty kilograms of gold and escaped!

The local sheriff and a team of officers went after them, but the sheriff was shot and killed in the fight . Some of the masked men were also injured, but they were probably minor cuts and bruises . ” The bailiff paused to catch his breath and continued, “Before the incident, someone saw the group of pelt traders in a town nearby, and they looked very suspicious .

Speaking of which, where did you come from? Did you see any suspicious people along the way?” Zhang Heng was surprised to learn about the background of the people he killed in the bar . The people that the bailiff described were consistent with the group of men he encountered in the bar . At that time, Zhang Heng had an inkling that those men were no straight arrows .

After all, no matter how you’d put it, pelt traders setting up a stronghold in an uninhabited town was something unheard of, and those guys sure didn’t look like nice people either . Nonetheless, Zhang Heng was so preoccupied with getting on with the main mission that he wasted no time prying into the business of those men .

After he had gotten the information he wanted, he terminated the last guy . But it turned out that the excellent habit cost him forty kilograms of gold . Later, when he searched the tavern and did not find any gold, he recalled what Rich said before he died . He thought Zhang Heng had accepted his offer of compromise, but Rich didn’t even get to give up the gold whereabouts in exchange for his own life .

“No . I’ve not seen anyone of that description, Mr . Marshall,” answered Zhang Heng, “but I will keep an eye out . If I come across any of them, I will alert you at once . ”

Zhang Heng would never admit to having met those men . Apart from the fact that they were just suspects that hadn’t been actually convicted (and that he had killed them all), the most crucial piece of this puzzle was the whereabouts of 40 kilograms of gold . Even if he told the truth, that he hadn’t so much spotted a single nugget of gold, no one would believe him . What more, he was merely Chinese . Thus, Zhang Heng made a wise move by removing himself from this matter .

He even considered killing the bailiff . After all, the location where they met wasn’t very far from the abandoned little town . It may have taken Zhang Heng two days, but with the bailiff’s horse-riding expertise, it would only take the lawman one day to arrive at the town . Also, since there were not many people around, there was a good chance Zhang Heng would be named a suspect . But he eventually abandoned the idea . While the bailiff may be searching for Rich on his own, once he did find them, he probably wouldn’t have just come barging into the bar on his own .

He would have brought along some of his colleagues with him, and since Zhang Heng did not know where his companions were, and if he would cross paths with them, he could not possibly kill every single person he met . Morton looked at the eyes of the Chinese man before him, and he struggled to find anything unusual or odd-No-in fact, this man was unlike any other Chinese he had met before . Not only was he traveling in the desert without a companion, but he also appeared unfrightened nor was he intimidated by the strange and unfamiliar environment he was in . In fact, he even drew a gun at a law enforcement officer .

To top it off, he seemed well-versed with the West’s legal environment and even spoke standard fluent English as if he had spent some time in Europe . Morton even detected a hint of a London accent . So, there was this Chinese man, sitting on his own; seemingly a man of few words, but not silent to the point of being ignored . “Mysterious oriental man,” Morton thought to himself . Then he chuckled, “However this investigation turns out, I will drop by Lincoln County again sometime later .

If you have any information, you can always go to the sheriff there and they’ll send me a message . Remember, those men are dangerous . If you really do come across them, it’s best you keep your distance . ” “Thank you for the heads up, Mr . Marshall, and I wish you success in all your endeavors . ” Zhang Heng nodded .

Since another human was a rare sight in the vast desert, the two kept each other company for one night, during which Zhang Heng asked the bailiff for some tips on horse-riding . Morton had witnessed Zhang Heng’s outstanding marksmanship, one that bettered most cowboys, so it came as a surprise to see how Zhang Heng was actually a novice who knew nothing about riding, especially when he was on the horse . Even though the Asian man knew some of the basics, it still seemed as if it was his first time . Yet, this guy had the guts to ride on his own, all the way to Lincoln county . Morton did not know whether to praise Zhang Heng for his bravery or chastise him for stunning injudiciousness .

Chapter 601 Radish

Zhang Heng finally arrived at Lincoln County a day earlier than initially planned.

The night he met the bailiff, Zhang Heng mentioned that he wanted to learn his equestrianism. Morton was very patient. Not only did he answer all of Zhang Heng’s questions, but he guided him on a personal level and corrected most of the wrong postures.

That night, Zhang Heng finally completed his self-learning process. The teaching continued until after midnight, and the poor bailiff did not expect to pay such a high price for a bowl of corn paste. So the two went separate ways the next morning. Morton was still yawning due to lack of sleep.

Amid his journey, Zhang Heng continued to hone his horsemanship to perfection. Such vigorous training would indeed cause him days of backache. It was one thing that couldn’t be changed immediately, even after the right ways of riding a horse were learned. He would have to get used to it by himself.

However, the good news was that his riding was indeed improving. Although there was no change in his skill panel, he could personally feel the progress. At least for now, he had no problem with performing some of the basic skillsets.

Zhang Heng also gave his first horse a nameRadish. After all, it was not a good idea to keep calling it a horse with a hair loss problem. According to plan, he replenished supplies halfway and reached the destination smoothly a couple of hours later.

The Lincoln County’s county seat looked vivacious. This place was way more extensive than the two towns he visited earlier. Apparently, there were two mining areas and many farms nearby, so so many people lived here. The town was also equipped with a bank, telegraph office, grocery store, hotel, bar, schools, and even a printing press. It was an excellent place to settle down.

Zhang Heng jumped off the Radish’s back and patted the dust off his body. Getting to Lincoln County had been no less a challenging journey. Having spent six days and five nights in the wilderness, corn paste had become almost tasteless. As of now, the matter of settlement or the search for lucky horseshoes wasn’t on his mind. The most important thing was to look for a place to take a hot bath and fill his stomach with food.

But before that, he still had some small problems to solve.

Not long after he entered the town, he felt a faint hostility along the way. An old man was sitting in front of his house spat at his feet, the spit landing only two steps away from Radish. Two cowboys were leaning against the stables, catcalling every single girl who passed them. One of them said to Zhang Heng, “Hey, boy from the east, you’d better back the f*ck off to wherever you came from. You are not welcome here.”

Zhang Heng had faced the same situation in the small town, and now, he had a good idea of how to deal with them. He drew his gun and shot at the hat of an old man nearby. The latter froze for a moment, then sent out a salvo of all kinds of filthy words. Until Zhang Heng shot at the cup he was holding, he quickly shut his mouth, and his face was reddened.

The two cowboys did not expect a new visitor like Zhang Heng to be so arrogant. Immediately, they drew their guns without saying a word. While they were doing that, Zhang Heng had already drew the second revolver and pointed it at them.

“If I were you, I would go to the bar to have a drink before the sunset. After all, life is short, and no one knows what will happen next moment.”

The two cowboys then glanced at each other. Although they were unhappy with the outcome, they decided to step back and better understand the current situation.

Then Zhang Heng looked at the old man again, “Hey, it looks like you are going to need a new cup. I hope the next one will spend a little longer time with you.”

The old man was so furious that his veins popped, his arms trembling.

However, since the revolver was pointing at his head now, not a word could be said no matter how angry he was.

Suddenly, another person spoke.

“You have gotten what you want, now, can you put away your weapons?”.

It was a middle-aged man who was about fifty years old. He was wearing a dirty shirt and reeked of alcohol. If it were not for the grayish, weathered police badge on his chest, Zhang Heng would have thought that he was a tramp.

Since he walked out of the police station, he should be the sheriff here. Although Morton and the middle-aged drunkard standing in front of him were considered law enforcers, they somewhat differed. The sheriff was usually known as sergeant as well, and the town elected a sheriff to maintain the safety of an area. On rare occasions, a sheriff would act as the local magistrate to hold trials.

Bailiffs, on the other hand, were also called lawmen. Usually affiliated with the feds, their main job was to hunt down or escort fugitives.

One was in charge of their local area, and the other worked for the federation. The nature of their work was to maintain an area’s stability, punish the evil, and reward the good.

Zhang Heng saw that Lincoln County’s sheriff had come forward, so he decided to put away his revolvers. He came here to settle in this place, not to make trouble. It was not too bad if he provoked the ordinary people here. However, if he angered the sheriff here, he would be forced to leave this place.

However, Zhang Heng did not regret what he did earlier. Although cowboys and pirates were not the same kinds of people, they both bore many similarities. To be more precise, all humans had many things in common. The two shots he fired weren’t a mere vent of anger, but rather, to send a signal that they should not be messing with him.

Considering his skin color, it would be tough to get a head start in the West of this era. Coming to a new territory alone did not mean that you will be safe even if one decided to lay low. Instead of waiting for others to bully him, Zhang Heng took this opportunity to make a scene.

In this way, if someone wanted to badmouth him, they would now have to think about the consequences. Of course, it didn’t mean that Zhang Heng would be fine afterward. In fact, things would get more serious than he imagined. Although he had temporarily scared them off, it was not easy to live in a hostile environment like this. In this world where everyone had a gun, Zhang Heng would not be able to do as he pleased.

A few glasses of whiskey, coupled with a few provocations, was enough to make a person abandon all sanity. No matter how strong Zhang Heng was, it was impossible to go up against an entire town alone. And he couldn’t be on guard 24 hours a day either. He was, after all, a human, and he would get fatigued. He might be able to hang on for a day or two, or even a week, but eventually, he would get tired.

Zhang Heng had already begun to realize that it was not easy to complete the first half of the main mission and settle in Lincoln County.

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