First Arrival in Cangfeng City

Their fists and feet flew back and forth, and the fight was a lively one.

One used broad, sweeping long punches, while the other countered at close range with short strikes.

After fighting for about the time it took to burn an incense stick, the man using long punches slipped up and took a blow to the chest, falling in defeat.

Jiang Qinghe saw everything clearly from the side.

Overall, the two were evenly matched.

Their strength was both around Major Accomplishment in Body Tempering, and their blood and vitality were abundant, carrying the vigor of youth. Only their foundations in martial techniques still lacked refinement.

They were presumably the newcomers who had joined the convoy this time.

Several more matches followed, and the cultivation levels of those who stepped forward gradually rose.

From Body Tempering Realm completion all the way to the final duel between two experts at Major Accomplishment in Muscle Tendon Strengthening, every move was worthy of praise, drawing repeated cheers from the onlookers.

Gong Jie could not hold himself back either and leaped into the ring to seek instruction.

He faced an Escort at Minor Accomplishment in Muscle Tendon Strengthening. Relying on a burst of drive and considerable skill, he held out for dozens of exchanges before finally losing, causing Jiang Qinghe to look at him in a new light as he secretly thought:

"That fellow A-Jie was truly wasted at the Martial Academy. After leaving, though, he had taken to it like a fish to water, soaring into the sky in a single bound."

After Gong Jie stepped down, he wiped away his sweat and urged him on.

"How about it, Qinghe? Want to test your hand too?"

Jiang Qinghe had not intended to, but seeing the curious gazes of the Escorts around him, he no longer stood on ceremony and rose to his feet.

"Alright!"

He walked slowly into the open space. His opponent was the very Escort who had fought Gong Jie just now.

He was a middle-aged man with a somewhat fierce-looking face. Under the firelight, a scar across his brow could faintly be seen.

After the two exchanged cupped hands in greeting, the man struck first, sending a punch toward Jiang Qinghe's left shoulder with astonishing speed.

At the same time, his other hand guarded his front tightly.

Jiang Qinghe did neither dodging nor evading, simply swinging out his right palm.

Just before it met the blow, his palm became a claw and precisely seized the edge of the man's fist.

Then, with a casual pull, he used the deft force of four ounces moving a thousand pounds. The man immediately staggered several steps and stumbled sideways.

In the distance, Gong Yongxing and Gong Jun, who were watching the match, both had their eyes light up.

Their eyes were exceedingly sharp. From that single move alone, they could tell that Jiang Qinghe's force surpassed his opponent's.

Even more rare was that he had held back, sparing the other man embarrassment.

In the ring, the middle-aged man adjusted his breathing and attacked again.

This time, he changed tactics. His fists fell upon Jiang Qinghe like raindrops, each punch tearing through the air with a whistle.

Jiang Qinghe's figure drifted about like willow catkins in the wind.

Yet he always avoided the sharpest edge at the very brink of danger. Even when he occasionally raised a hand to block, he stopped at the point of contact.

After a dozen or so exchanges, sweat had already appeared on the middle-aged man's forehead.

The pressure upon him grew. He knew there was no small gap between them, and that his opponent deliberately withdrew his strength every time, clearly saving him face.

Though the man looked fierce, his temperament was forthright. He leaped back a step and cupped his hands.

"Little brother, your skill is formidable. I concede."

The surroundings fell silent at first, then a wave of cheers broke out.

Although these Escorts had long heard of Jiang Qinghe from Gong Jie, they had merely thought him a half-grown youth and had not taken him too seriously.

Now, seeing him defeat one of the Escort Agency's skilled men with such understated ease, their gazes could not help gaining a measure of reverence.

"Qinghe, you're really something!"

Seeing the middle-aged man who had just beaten him being kept under Jiang Qinghe's control with a turn of his hand, Gong Jie could not help putting on a long sigh.

"Every time I take one step forward and look up, I can't even see your shadow. You're leaving me farther and farther behind!"

Jiang Qinghe could not help smiling at this, teasing him.

"A-Jie, don't you know that comparing people can make one furious? The path of martial arts values persistence. Why must you always compare yourself to me?"

"Fine, fine!"

Gong Jie's eyes suddenly lit up, and he clapped his hands.

"Once we enter the city, we'll have another contest at the wine table tonight! I refuse to believe that if I can't beat you in martial arts, I'll lose to you in drinking too!"

"Those who practice martial arts must not be greedy for wine!"

Jiang Qinghe shook his head with a laugh.

Hearing the two bicker, the Escorts around them burst into laughter.

After traveling together all this way, everyone had already grown familiar with one another. Now, after the match just now, they regarded Jiang Qinghe even more highly.

Men of the martial world were straightforward by nature; often, no fight meant no friendship.

With hard fists and an easygoing temperament, one naturally won respect.

After this exchange, Jiang Qinghe naturally blended into the atmosphere of the escort convoy. He was no longer merely the friend brought along by the young master of the Escort Agency.

The next morning, daylight had only begun to break.

After a night of rest, everyone was brimming with energy.

Knowing they would reach the destination of this journey that very day and lay down their heavy burden, everyone wore expressions of ease and anticipation. Even their steps unconsciously became much lighter.

After days of eating in the wind and sleeping in the open, traveling cautiously, their mouths had long since tasted nothing but blandness. All they wanted now was to enter the city as soon as possible and relax properly.

The farther they went, the more the scenery by the road changed.

The endless fields gradually gave way to scattered villages, with wisps of cooking smoke rising one after another.

On the distant horizon, the outline of a towering city wall gradually became clear.

Under the sunlight, it gleamed with a bluish-gray sheen.

"Whew, now that we've reached this place, we can finally put our minds completely at ease!"

An Escort beside them let out a long breath and spoke softly, the last trace of vigilance on his face finally relaxing.

This official road was already within Cangfeng City's territory. Its security was far from comparable to the wilderness.

After another two hours of travel, the convoy finally arrived beneath Cangfeng City.

Jiang Qinghe looked up, and the shock in his heart was beyond words.

When he had heard Gong Jie describe it before, he had not thought much of it. Only now, standing beneath it himself, did he truly understand what a mighty city was.

The city walls stood eighteen zhang high, nearly the height of twenty-story buildings.

Their surface was built from enormous blue-black boulders, fitted together so tightly that not even a bird could find a perch upon their sheer face.

Flags fluttered atop the battlements, and fully armed soldiers could faintly be seen patrolling back and forth.

"Good heavens! How did they build a wall like this?"

Two newly arrived Escorts in the convoy were clearly visiting for the first time as well, and they stood dumbfounded in shock.

By comparison, most of the veteran Escorts looked unsurprised, though a hint of awe still inevitably showed in their eyes.

At the city gate, a squad of guards clad in iron armor held long spears as they vigilantly examined every person entering the city.

Unlike the lazy gate guards of Lin'an County, these soldiers had sharp gazes and emitted an air of grim killing intent. They were clearly hardened veterans who had survived bloody battlefields.

"Ten copper coins per person."

The leading guard held his spear across the way and spoke in a deep voice.

Gong Yongxing stepped forward and paid the entry tax. Only then could the convoy slowly pass through the towering gate passage.

The moment they entered the city, a surging wave of clamor rushed toward them.

The sight before their eyes opened Jiang Qinghe's horizons.

Vendors lined the streets in dense, bustling crowds that stretched beyond sight.

The buildings rising on both sides were no fewer than three or four stories tall even at their lowest, while the tallest reached seven or eight stories.

Upturned eaves, carved beams, and painted rafters displayed prosperity to its fullest.

"Listen up, all of you!"

Gong Yongxing's booming voice carried from afar.

"Before the goods are delivered, no one is to run off, and no one is to stir up trouble! Once our business is done, there will naturally be time for everyone to relax and look around. Do you understand?"

"Understood, Chief Escort!"

Everyone nodded in response.