As his mastery of Tiger Subduing Fist deepened,
Fang Chen felt his strength growing greater and greater, while the toughness of his skin was also steadily increasing!
This constant positive feedback left him completely free of mental fatigue.
On the contrary, he even felt thoroughly addicted to it, wanting only to keep grinding and keep experiencing the feeling of growing stronger!
Fang Chen understood that this was precisely the panel's advantage.
It allowed him to see his progress with every repetition clearly.
Fang Chen kept grinding away at his proficiency, enjoying it as much as leveling up in a game.
Tiger Subduing Fist proficiency +2!
The sky gradually darkened.
After Fang Chen bid farewell to Zhou Hai and the others, he went straight home.
The road he took was different from before, because his home was now in a different location.
Fang Chen looked around, wanting to familiarize himself with the road again.
At that moment, Fang Chen suddenly saw a wanted notice.
The notice looked very new.
It had probably been posted just today.
It bore a portrait of a middle-aged man with a sinister gaze, along with the words:
Wanted traitor: Xu Yanfeng
Former affiliation: Golden Scale Pavilion
Crime: Stole the pavilion's treasured artifact, the "Cloud Silkworm Silk Armor," and fled.
Fang Chen narrowed his eyes and pondered.
"Cloud Silkworm Silk Armor? That sounds like an extremely expensive soft armor."
"I've heard it's very light. When worn, it barely feels like it has any weight at all."
"As for this Golden Scale Pavilion... I'm not very familiar with it."
Fang Chen continued reading, wanting to see how much the reward was.
Reward: Five hundred taels of silver for capturing him alive or taking his life.
Twenty to fifty taels of silver, depending on the value, for providing definite information.
The notice also described Xu Yanfeng's physical features in detail.
"This... the reward is really that high?"
Fang Chen was somewhat astonished. How could an ordinary wanted notice offer so much silver?
The Cloud Silkworm Silk Armor must indeed be extremely valuable, and Xu Yanfeng's strength was probably formidable as well.
Only after reading further did he discover another reminder written at the end:
"This man is a Sinew and Bone Realm expert. Do not engage him without sufficient strength!"
At that, Fang Chen immediately abandoned the idea.
"A Sinew and Bone Realm expert... If I fought him, he could probably kill me with ease."
"Looks like this silver isn't meant for me."
Fang Chen let out a soft sigh, stopped thinking about it, and continued toward home.
Early the next morning,
Fang Chen did not go to the martial arts school. Instead, he planned to buy some things for self-defense.
After all, he would be setting out on an escort mission tomorrow. It was better to make more preparations.
Fang Chen first went to a weapons shop and bought a suit of soft armor.
It was Iron-studded Leather Armor, made with tanned cowhide as its base, with refined iron plates embedded over vital areas such as the chest and back!
This leather armor was more durable and offered better protection than cloth armor. It provided decent defense against ordinary sabers and swords, whether slashing or stabbing, and could block most arrows.
This suit of soft armor cost Fang Chen fifty taels of silver. A custom-made one would have cost even more.
Besides that, Fang Chen also acquired some lime, poison, corpse-dissolving water, and other items, just in case any unusual situations arose.
Only after finishing these preparations did Fang Chen return to the martial arts school to continue practicing.
A day passed in the blink of an eye.
Tiger Subduing Fist proficiency +2! Tiger Subduing Fist proficiency +2!
Tiger Subduing Fist progressed steadily, while Gale Saber Technique was not neglected either. Every night, he practiced the saber technique in the open space behind the courtyard of his new residence.
As a result, his Gale Saber Technique also grew increasingly practiced.
Fang Chen felt that his current combat strength was considerably greater than when he had just broken through!
If he encountered demons, bandits, or other enemies while escorting the goods, he would naturally have much more confidence!
The day of the escort mission soon arrived.
Outside Tian Yuan Escort Agency,
the entire escort team was ready to set out, and all the goods had been loaded onto the carts. Fang Chen wore the escort agency's uniform and waited beside the old escort master.
The Head Escort gave the two of them a few reminders before ordering the escort team to depart.
As the wheels creaked and rumbled, the carts slowly headed out of the city.
Fang Chen gradually became familiar with some of the others.
A runner named Xu He said with a laugh, "Brother Fang, you're new here, so you may not understand Old Master Liu's temperament."
"Although his words are rather stern, everything he does is for our sake."
Old Master Liu was what the group called the old escort master.
Xu He lowered his voice and said, "Old Master Liu once had a nephew who also worked as an escort for Tian Yuan Escort Agency."
"Later, because he lacked practical experience, he possessed strength but died at the hands of bandits."
"After that, Old Master Liu became even stricter. He only wants the escort teams to travel more safely."
Fang Chen had not expected the old escort master to have such a story.
No wonder he had been so cold before...
He probably thought that someone like Fang Chen, who had gotten in through connections, was just like his nephew back then—lacking genuine strength.
On one hand, he was worried about the escort team's safety. On the other, he was worried about Fang Chen's safety.
At that moment,
the old escort master rode over on horseback. Seeing this, the runner Xu He hurriedly shut his mouth.
The old escort master said to Fang Chen, "Come with me. I'll teach you some of my experience."
Fang Chen nodded and followed the old escort master to the front of the group.
The old escort master said, "If we run into danger later, give up if you can't win. Don't force yourself."
"People like you, who have never experienced danger, generally can't display their normal level of strength when they encounter bandits or demons."
"If you panic for even a moment, it's entirely possible you'll lose your life."
Fang Chen muttered inwardly,
I've already killed several people... Though, admittedly, there wasn't much danger involved...
Seeing that Fang Chen's face remained expressionless, the old escort master sighed inwardly.
He thought Fang Chen had not taken his words to heart at all and had no idea how dangerous escort work was.
I hope this boy won't be too arrogant when the time comes. Otherwise, he'll throw his life away for nothing.
The old escort master shook his head and continued,
"I've seen plenty of people pee their pants the first time they encountered a demon."
"Don't be so disgraceful that you ruin the reputation of us escorts."
Hearing something that interested him, Fang Chen asked, "Old Master Liu, what do demons look like?"
The old escort master replied,
"Adult demons look extremely similar to us, except that they retain some characteristics of beasts."
"They enjoy eating people and are bloodthirsty by nature. Though they resemble humans, they look ferocious and terrifying—hideously ugly."
Fang Chen nodded and continued asking about other matters.
Old Master Liu patiently explained every question, hoping Fang Chen could absorb more experience.
Listening to Old Master Liu speak at length, Fang Chen felt his horizons broaden greatly, so he listened even more attentively.
Some people whose positions in the escort team were not particularly important also quietly gathered around, listening to Old Master Liu recount his various experiences.
Seeing Fang Chen finally take the matter seriously, Old Master Liu's expression softened somewhat.
Thus, they chatted as they traveled.
Time soon reached the afternoon of the second day after their departure.
They had already arrived at their destination.
To Old Master Liu's delight, they had encountered no major danger along the way.
At most, they had run into some hungry wild beasts, but the others had dealt with them easily.
Fang Chen had not even had a chance to act.
No danger was fine, too. The entire journey would take only four or five days, yet he would receive a full hundred taels of silver.
The money truly came quickly!
Just as Fang Chen thought there would be no more danger,
the third night arrived.
Fang Chen and the others were building a fire and preparing to roast something to eat. However, they seemed to be running short of firewood, so Old Master Liu sent a group of people into the nearby woods to gather some dead branches and fallen leaves.
After some time,
a sudden shout rang out!
"There are demons! Prepare for battle!"
Everyone turned their eyes toward the woods and saw several members of the group running rapidly toward them.
Fang Chen knitted his brows and watched carefully, but he detected nothing unusual.
Only after those people had run some distance out of the woods
did several red glows suddenly appear behind them!
What was horrifying was that the red glows continued multiplying!
And they were rapidly closing in!
Old Master Liu shouted, "They're Red-eyed Bats! Everyone, prepare to engage the enemy!"
"Those without martial strength, move toward the center! Those with torches, stand on the outside and raise your torches high!"
Old Master Liu turned to Fang Chen and said,
"Kid, don't you dare pee your pants later!"
Before you continue