Nominal Escort Agency

As they left the real estate agency, dusk was approaching.

Shang Yong looked at Wang Yuan, who stood beside him with a calm expression, and extended another invitation.

This time, his smile was much more sincere. "Junior Brother, you saved me the trouble of finding a courtyard this time. You should at least do me the honor of letting me treat you to a simple meal, right?"

"How about Drunken Immortal Tower?"

Wang Yuan looked at Shang Yong's smile, which held a hint of mischief but no malice.

He also recalled the timely help he had received and the generous gifts from before. To refuse again would seem ungracious.

He nodded and smiled, "Then I'll trouble you, Third Senior Brother."

"Haha, no problem, no problem!" Shang Yong laughed heartily, appearing very pleased.

Wang Gui and Madam Zhou also returned home first, while Wang Yuan and Shang Yong headed to the restaurant.

Drunken Immortal Tower, the most renowned restaurant in the South District.

Shang Yong was clearly a regular. He directly requested a private room with a window on the top floor.

The private room was luxuriously decorated, and from the window, they could see the streetscape of the South District as the lanterns began to light up.

The food and drinks were served quickly, a dazzling array.

Wang Yuan had never even seen many of the dishes before. The aroma was intoxicating, and the ingredients were clearly of the highest quality, far beyond ordinary meals.

There was Steamed Red Scale Fish, Braised Ironback Beef Brisket, Lingzhi Stewed Snow Pigeon...

All were delicacies rich in Blood Essence.

The two ate and chatted, the atmosphere harmonious.

Shang Yong was knowledgeable and witty, regaling Wang Yuan with interesting anecdotes from Gaoye City and even Yunzhou, broadening Wang Yuan's horizons.

After three rounds of drinks and five courses of food.

Shang Yong put down his wine cup, his expression becoming a little more serious as he got to the main topic.

"Junior Brother, it's been quite turbulent around Gaoye City lately."

Shang Yong gently swirled the amber-colored wine in his cup, his tone carrying a hint of gravity.

"I'm sure you've sensed it vaguely. This group of bandits, the 'Black Wind Bandits,' have become unusually rampant recently. Their activity range is expanding, and they even dare to raid the official roads leading to the Prefecture City."

"A while ago, the Three Great Families of the Inner City jointly dispatched a team led by an Entering Force Martial Master to suppress the bandits outside the city. Guess what happened?"

He paused and looked at Wang Yuan.

"They suffered a crushing defeat! They lost quite a few men, and even the Entering Force Martial Master leading the team was seriously injured."

"Now the city is on edge, and with the Incense God Cult stirring up trouble, the situation is quite tense."

Wang Yuan's brow furrowed upon hearing this.

Black Wind Bandits?

He recalled vaguely hearing the name before, but he hadn't expected them to be so rampant that even the combined forces of the Three Great Families suffered a loss.

Shang Yong continued, "My Wanguan Merchant Association deals in trade and transportation."

"With the current unrest outside the city, the association has suffered huge losses."

"After discussing with my father and several uncles, we decided to put me in charge of establishing our own 'Escort Agency' for the merchant association, recruiting skilled individuals to specifically protect important merchant caravans and reduce losses."

He looked at Wang Yuan, his gaze earnest.

"The main reason I came to find you, Junior Brother, besides congratulating you on your move and significant advancement in cultivation, is to invite you to join our yet-to-be-officially-established 'Wanguan Escort Agency'."

"Me?"

Wang Yuan was a little surprised, as he was only publicly known as a minor Blood Change Martial Artist.

"That's right."

Shang Yong nodded.

"Junior Brother, although you are currently only at the first stage of Blood Change, you have extraordinary talent and boundless potential."

"I value your future."

"Therefore, for now, you only need to have your name on the roster of the escort agency, considered a member of our agency."

"You don't need to do anything regularly; you can continue to cultivate peacefully at the Fist Academy."

"Only for certain particularly important or conveniently located escort missions will we trouble you to act."

"To put it plainly, it's to build goodwill first. When you grow stronger in the future, you will naturally be one of the pillars of the escort agency."

To entice Wang Yuan, Shang Yong directly presented his offer. "Of course, we won't let Junior Brother's name be on the roster for nothing."

"You'll receive a fixed monthly allowance of thirty taels of silver."

"You can have priority to borrow and study martial arts Secret Manuals collected within the escort agency by paying a fee."

"We will also provide a fixed amount of Blood Strengthening Pills each month, which are very beneficial for Blood Change realm Martial Artists; most importantly..."

As Shang Yong spoke, he took out a piece of dried meat, about the size of a palm, dark red in color, and emanating a rich Blood Essence aura, from an exquisite jade box he carried. He pushed it in front of Wang Yuan.

"This is dried meat made from the heart of a second-tier monster beast, the 'Fire Rhino.' It's a top-grade monster beast meat, exceptionally effective for strengthening blood essence and refining the physique."

"Join the escort agency, and you'll receive a fixed amount every month."

"Junior disciple, why don't you try a piece first."

Wang Yuan looked at the piece of dried meat, able to clearly feel the immense energy contained within it.

It was far beyond the ordinary monster beast meat he had eaten before.

He picked up the dried meat and put it in his mouth.

The dried meat was very chewy.

But with every chew, a torrent of scorching, pure energy exploded in his mouth, quickly surging through his limbs and bones, finally converging into the black Talent Bead in his chest.

[Energy Absorption in Progress... Current Energy: (28/100)]

Wang Yuan's heart trembled.

Just this small piece of dried meat provided such considerable energy.

It was far more efficient than the ordinary monster beast meat and pills he had consumed previously.

If he could have a long-term supply, the speed at which he accumulated energy for his next talent awakening would undoubtedly accelerate greatly.

This Wanguan Merchant Association truly had deep reserves!

Wang Yuan pondered.

To have his name listed, enjoy considerable freedom in his daily life, and receive silver, pills, precious martial arts reference rights, and this top-grade monster beast meat that could greatly boost his Talent Bead's energy accumulation, all for free every month...

And all he had to give in return was to act in certain specific situations and an "ally" identity for the future.

This deal, for him, had far more benefits than drawbacks.

What he lacked most right now were stable, high-quality cultivation resources.

After weighing for a moment, Wang Yuan looked up at Shang Yong, who was looking at him with anticipation, and nodded solemnly:

"I am grateful for Senior Disciple Brother's regard. If the escort agency does not mind my low cultivation level, I am willing to join and contribute my humble efforts."

"Good! Excellent!"

Shang Yong clapped his hands and laughed, appearing extremely happy.

"With Junior Disciple Brother joining, my escort agency is truly like a tiger with wings."

"Come, let's toast to our future endeavors, working side-by-side!"

Two wine cups gently clinked in the air.

Wang Yuan knew that from this moment on, he, the Wanguan Merchant Association, and this Third Senior Disciple Brother Shang Yong were officially tied to the same boat.

However, it wasn't a big deal. Favors were a two-way street.

After all, both Shang Yong and he were disciples of Zheng Shan, which naturally made their relationship close.

The night was as dark as ink, blanketing a relatively orderly compound in the East District of the outer city. This was the headquarters of the Black Tiger Gang.

Gang leader Zhao Hu, a stout middle-aged man with fierce eyes, was listening to the report from his trusted subordinate with a livid expression.

When he heard the words "Wang Yuan," "Panshi Fist Academy," "one instance of Blood Change," and "easily defeated Liu Yunfeng in public" strung together, The teacup in his hand shattered with a "crack," and scalding tea sprayed out.

"One instance of Blood Change... How long has it been?"

Zhao Hu's face was filled with shock and a trace of fear.

"One month! Just one month!"

"He went from a sickly wretch who was almost beaten to death to a martial artist who has undergone one Blood Change? And he defeated that Liu family brat?"

He suddenly stood up and paced agitatedly in the hall.

Song San's death, the strange fire at the end of Bluestone Alley, and the disappearance of Widow Li and others...

Before, he had only suspected, but now he was almost certain that Wang Yuan was responsible!

"This brat... must not be allowed to live!"

Fierce light erupted in Zhao Hu's eyes, and a cold killing intent permeated the air.