Escort

Contribution points were a good thing. As long as one completed missions for the Special Capture Division, one could exchange them for quite a few valuable items.

A mid-grade martial art could be obtained for one hundred points, while low-grade martial arts were even cheaper, requiring only twenty points.

But while contribution points were good, they were not so easy to earn.

Some missions offered many contribution points, but they were extremely dangerous. One careless slip, and it was death.

Some missions were not very dangerous, but they took a great deal of time. After fussing over them for ages, one still earned few contribution points. Such missions offered far too little for the effort and were equally not worth taking.

Only missions that were not too dangerous, did not take much time, and offered generous rewards were worth prioritizing.

Wu Si'an happened to spot just such a mission.

Escort supplies: A batch of supplies urgently needed to be escorted to Changgan County within one day. Multiple martial artists were needed to assist with the escort. Inner Force Realm martial artists would receive eighty contribution points, while True Qi Realm martial artists would receive one hundred and fifty.

This mission was quite good. Eighty contribution points for a single day was truly not a low reward.

Moreover, there would be many martial artists traveling together, providing a certain degree of safety. With so many martial artists gathered together, it would not be easy for them all to be wiped out.

The only problem was that the journey was too far.

Jiujiang Commandery governed four counties: Southwood, Longevity Cloud, Changdu, and Changgan.

Changgan County was the farthest from Jiujiang Commandery City. Delivering the goods there within a day would leave them terribly pressed for time.

If some accident delayed them, they might have to spend the night in the wilderness.

The wilderness at night in this world was no pleasant place. Evil spirits arose everywhere, and one might meet a fatal calamity. Only sheltering inside a city offered any guarantee of safety.

Ever since the great change in the world, every village and city had been protected by formations set up by Spirit Masters. The larger the city, the stronger the formation laid within it.

Though this mission carried some danger as well, compared with the others, it was still the most cost-effective mission available.

Li Yuan nodded. "All right, then this one."

After making their decision, the two went to speak with the steward in the hall responsible for issuing missions.

"This escort mission begins tomorrow. The convoy will depart from the east gate of the commandery city very early tomorrow morning, so do not miss the time."

The person responsible for issuing missions carefully explained the matters requiring attention for this mission to Li Yuan and the other man. The mission was then considered successfully accepted.

Afterward, the two returned to the martial arts school and reported to Qi Zhengyang that they would be going out. Qi Zhengyang did not say much, merely reminding them to stay safe on the road and proceed with caution.

The night passed swiftly. As soon as dawn broke the next day, the fully prepared Li Yuan and Wu Si'an arrived at the city gate.

More than a dozen carts loaded with goods had already formed a long line at the gate, ready to leave the city at any moment. The accompanying guards and martial artists were all in place as well.

The circle of martial artists in Jiujiang Commandery was only so large, and they basically all knew one another. Wu Si'an swept his gaze around and took stock of the situation.

"There are twenty-three martial artists in total. One is in the True Qi Realm, and the rest are in the Inner Force Realm."

Hearing Wu Si'an's explanation, Li Yuan, standing beside him, nodded to show that he understood.

Then Wu Si'an looked toward one of the martial artists and specifically pointed him out. "See that one in red? His name is Yan Nian. He's a True Qi martial artist, and even among the True Qi Realm, he's among the stronger batch."

With a True Qi Realm martial artist in the convoy, their safety was greatly assured.

Once everyone had arrived, the convoy passed through the city gate and headed out of the city.

The carts carried an enormous quantity of goods, all of them extremely heavy. Their wheels pressed two deep ruts into the ground.

The carts were covered with thick tarpaulins and bound tightly with ropes. As they jolted along, the cargo inside continuously clanged with metallic collisions, ringing out in a chorus of dings and clatters.

Li Yuan was not the only one curious about what the carts carried; the other martial artists traveling with them were curious as well. Though the goods being transported were important, they were not some great secret. Before long, someone pried the answer out of the convoy steward.

Weapons!

And not ordinary weapons, either. They were special weapons engraved with runes by Spirit Masters, immensely lethal against Evil Creatures—the so-called rune weapons.

Changgan County had suffered heavy losses of rune weapons, so the Spirit Masters stationed in Jiujiang Commandery City had hurriedly produced a batch and sent them over to relieve Changgan's pressing need.

Ordinarily, the counties could supply themselves with common iron weapons and blades, without needing support from the commandery city. Only precious rune weapons like these required transfer.

In these times, escorting goods over such a long distance was a trade that gambled with one's life. Only exceptionally precious supplies were worth transporting this way.

The convoy steward repeatedly emphasized to the accompanying martial artists that this shipment was extremely important. They had to deliver the goods to Changgan County without any problems.

Li Yuan and Wu Si'an walked alongside the convoy, listening to the steward chatter on endlessly ahead of them. Wu Si'an curled his lip in disdain and spoke quietly.

"If this escort is so important and has to arrive on time, then why not transport less in one trip?"

"With the carts loaded so full and so heavy, how are they supposed to go any faster?"

Hearing Wu Si'an's quiet complaint, Li Yuan also noticed the problem. There truly was too much cargo.

Even though the horses pulling the carts were all fine steeds, their speed could not increase. Reaching Changgan County before nightfall would likely be difficult.

Wu Si'an was not the only one to notice this issue. Some of the other martial artists noticed it too, but no one said anything. Other than the occasional quiet complaint, the journey remained fairly smooth.

Time gradually passed. The sun overhead climbed higher, and the heat steadily grew more scorching.

The people responsible for the escort, aside from acquaintances occasionally exchanging a few words, remained silent. Everyone kept their heads down and hurried onward.

Most of the escorts were martial artists. These people possessed immense strength and enduring stamina. No one rode a horse; they were all spread around the convoy, keeping watch over its safety at all times.

Martial artists were fast. At full speed, their running was no slower than galloping horses. But no matter how fast they could run, it was useless—the carts' sluggish pace dragged everyone down.

By noon, they had not even covered half the journey.

After running nonstop for most of the day, everyone was somewhat tired. The convoy found a patch of shade and stopped for a brief rest.

The martial artists had brought dry rations and sat on the ground to eat. The convoy steward also took out water and food from the carts, distributing them to any martial artists who needed them.

Those who knew one another chatted as they ate, and the tension brought by their frantic journey slowly eased.

"Don't eat too much. It'll make you drowsy easily." Wu Si'an sat beside Li Yuan and casually remarked.

Li Yuan nodded, his gaze turning toward one of the carts in the convoy, his eyes carrying a trace of puzzlement. "Who do you think is sitting in that cart?"

Wu Si'an glanced at it and said flatly, "It has nothing to do with us. No need to worry about them."

When the convoy had set off, the steward had already told everyone that this trip to Changgan was not merely for escorting supplies. Several distinguished guests would also be traveling with them in the carts, and he had warned the martial artists not to disturb or offend those guests.

Distinguished guests traveling with them?

What kind of distinguished guests do I care about!

So long as these distinguished guests did not stir up trouble or interfere with the escort of the supplies, the martial artists did not care in the slightest about the guests in that cart.

Most people paid no heed to the distinguished guests mentioned by the steward, but Li Yuan continued to look at that cart in confusion.

"Something is strange..."

"After such a weary journey by cart, shouldn't the people inside come down to get some air?"

"Do they eat inside the cart too?"

That cart was so quiet. Compared to the bustle outside, it was utterly out of place!

Li Yuan did not notice that as he looked toward the cart, an eye inside the carriage was also watching him through a gap in the curtain.