Escort Guards: We're Aboard Again

Escort Guards: We're Aboard Again

As Xu Bai pointed at the main gate behind him, the escort guards present turned their eyes toward his back.

To be honest, they wanted to use that money too. After all, none of their families were well-off, and that money could truly improve their lives.

If not for its shady origin, they would have spent it long ago.

Of course, it was fine if someone used it alone, like Xu Bai did. The problem was if everyone used it.

Now that Xu Bai said it could be used legitimately, everyone pricked up their ears and listened to what he had to say next.

"I bought this escort agency for twenty taels, but how much are your monthly wages? Can anyone answer me?" Xu Bai withdrew his hand, rested his elbow on his knee again, and spoke leisurely.

"If we don't take on an escort job, it's only one tael of silver a month." Liu Er was the first to step forward, raising his hand like a child answering a teacher's question.

Once someone answered, the other escort guards fell silent.

One tael of silver was equivalent to five hundred yuan in Xu Bai's previous life.

Not only were housing prices cheap in the Great Chu Kingdom, prices in general were cheap as well.

Aside from certain special items, such as books, ordinary living expenses did not cost much.

Thus, the actual purchasing power of one tael of silver far exceeded that of his previous life.

But was it enough? It had once been enough.

Yet once they thought of all the money they had left that they could not spend, it was no longer enough.

People were greedy. They ate from the bowl while eyeing the pot, but when the food in the pot could not be eaten, that was the most agonizing thing of all.

It was like visiting a pleasure house, stripping naked, only for the beauty to say, "I sell my art, not my body."

How unbearable would that be?

"If you want to spend your silver without worry, it must go through a process that makes it legitimate." Having received an answer, Xu Bai continued, "As for how to make it legitimate, that's far too simple."

By now, every escort guard's interest had been stirred to its peak, and they all stared at him eagerly.

"I bought this escort agency and pay you wages, but at only one tael a month, how long would it take to wash all your silver clean? What if this escort agency were bought by all of us together?" Xu Bai finally revealed his method.

The scene fell silent, and the escort guards looked at one another.

They still had not caught on.

Why would buying it together let them use the money legitimately?

"If we buy it together, then we are all owners of the escort agency. We set our own wages, and once the money passes through the escort agency, its origin naturally becomes legitimate," Xu Bai said.

At that explanation, everyone finally understood.

Thoughtful expressions appeared on their faces as they considered whether it was feasible.

Xu Bai turned his gaze toward Liu Er and gave him a meaningful look.

Liu Er had been thinking as well, but when he felt Xu Bai's gaze, his expression went blank.

Xu Bai was telling him to take the lead.

But he was still considering whether it would work. How was he supposed to take the lead? Under that gaze, he felt as though he were sitting on pins and needles.

Especially when he recalled the scene at Fierce Tiger Stronghold, he could only grit his teeth and raise his hand.

"I agree!"

The other escort guards all turned their eyes toward him.

"If it can be used legitimately, then of course I'm willing," Liu Er added stiffly.

The escort guards still hesitated somewhat. After all, this was no small matter.

Xu Bai felt it was time to add fuel to the fire.

"I am absolutely going to establish this escort agency partnership. No matter how many of you are willing, even if there is only one person, I will still do it." Xu Bai spoke calmly. "But once I do it, anyone who wants to join later can forget about it. Don't end up watching others spend money while your eyes turn red with envy."

The moment those words fell, the escort guards could no longer hold back.

As the saying went, watching someone else make money was even more painful than losing money yourself.

After hearing this, and imagining others spending money in the future while they could not, they unconsciously raised their hands.

Not a single one disagreed. They all accepted.

Xu Bai nodded in satisfaction. "Very good. Then this matter is settled. Now, I have one final requirement to discuss with everyone."

The escort guards all nodded together and waited quietly for Xu Bai's words.

"Now that we are partners, we are grasshoppers tied to the same rope. Everyone must keep this matter strictly secret. If anyone dares to speak of it, everyone here will drag him into the water. Don't even think about keeping yourself clean while the rest drown." Xu Bai's tone turned cold and harsh.

A chill wind swept through, and the escort guards shuddered.

Feeling Xu Bai's icy gaze, they seemed to recall Fierce Tiger Stronghold again, and fear appeared on every face.

They were aboard again.

Not only had they boarded the ship, they had sailed even farther out.

They could not speak of it. Absolutely not.

Once this matter leaked, every one of them would be finished.

The escort guards fell silent as cicadas in winter, not daring to utter a word.

But in their hearts, they understood that there was no turning back.

"Good. I see that everyone understands. Then disperse. The escort agency will continue its old business, and everyone should do whatever they need to do." Xu Bai stood, folded up the Small Stool, and carried it in his hand.

Only then did the escort guards breathe a sigh of relief. They no longer lingered, scattering one after another.

Only Liu Er was stopped by Xu Bai.

"Brother Xu... what is it?" Liu Er asked timidly.

"Go exchange this for a thousand copper coins. The escort agency needs small change. Also, since we're partners now, have them bring up their money." Xu Bai tossed him a silver ingot.

Liu Er hurriedly caught it and agreed repeatedly.

He did not think much of it. Back when the Old Escort Chief was still around, they often went to the Money House to exchange copper coins as well.

Without waiting for Xu Bai to say anything else, he hurried away.

After Liu Er left, Xu Bai carried the Small Stool back to the rear courtyard.

That Chinese scholar tree was still the same as ever, its progress bar moving very slowly.

There were no saber marks on this tree, unlike the wall at Fierce Tiger Stronghold. Xu Bai had no idea where the progress bar had come from.

But his most important matter now was not the progress bar on the tree, but the Nameless Saber Scripture.

After grinding away at it for so long, the Nameless Saber Scripture was nearly complete.

According to the information he had gotten from Yun Xiang, this saber scripture had been divided into twenty-four parts. Any ordinary martial world wanderer who comprehended just one of them could greatly advance their saber techniques.

Xu Bai was already an Eighth Rank Loose Cultivator. What he lacked instead was a saber technique.

He had been using the Bone Severing Blade Technique all along, but it still fell a little short. After all, it was only first-tier, and even among first-tier techniques, it ranked somewhat low.

In the previous battles, Maple Leaves Like Rain had actually played the decisive role.

But that was ultimately a ranged technique. For close-quarters combat, he still needed a saber technique.

Even when grinding progress bars, he had to base it on his actual needs. What he needed now was a close-combat skill.

"If I put in a bit more effort tonight, I should be able to finish grinding it out." Having made up his mind, Xu Bai returned to the largest room in the rear courtyard.

This room was his bedroom. Though the furniture inside had some age to it, none of it was damaged.

Xu Bai replaced it with his own things, then sat in a chair and took out the Nameless Saber Scripture.

"Let's get to work!"

The progress bar began to rise slowly, drawing closer and closer to completion.