On the Road

A few days after taking an appointment at Renhetang Pharmacy, Lu Chuan received a message from Zhao Xuanhe.

He did not dare delay and hurried to Renhetang Pharmacy.

When he entered, Zhao Xuanhe had already been waiting for him for quite some time. Seeing him arrive, he smiled and said:

"You finally came, Brother Lu. This time, I need you to go to nearby Qingyang County and bring back a batch of medicinal ingredients. It's a journey of one hundred and eighty li round trip. The other guards are already waiting in the backyard. Go over there quickly."

Lu Chuan nodded. "All right."

The two of them passed through the front hall and headed toward the backyard.

Just as they turned around a corridor, they nearly ran into a richly dressed old man.

Zhao Xuanhe's expression turned slightly unnatural. "Father."

Zhao's father raised his eyelids, but his gaze fell on Lu Chuan behind him.

He swept Lu Chuan a faint glance without saying anything, then walked straight toward the front hall.

Lu Chuan was filled with confusion. He looked at Zhao Xuanhe, wanting to say something.

Zhao Xuanhe spoke first, a smile returning to his face. "All right, all right, hurry over there. Don't keep them waiting."

Lu Chuan swallowed his words and continued toward the backyard with him.

The backyard was quite large. An empty carriage stood there, with five people beside it.

The leader was a middle-aged man nearly two meters tall, broad-shouldered and thick-backed. Standing there, he looked like half a wall.

Lu Chuan stood over six feet tall, but beside him, he was instantly dwarfed.

What concerned Lu Chuan even more was that this man made no effort to conceal the fluctuations of his qi and blood.

That oppressive presence spread out without restraint, like a crouching tiger. Merely lying there was enough to make people afraid to approach.

"Second Qi and Blood!"

Lu Chuan's heart tightened.

With his current strength, within the First Qi and Blood realm, he feared no one.

Even an old hand like Wang Xiaochuan, who had reached First Qi and Blood Complete, was someone he dared to cross hands with.

But Second Qi and Blood... that was another level entirely. He was still far from reaching it.

Zhao Xuanhe led Lu Chuan over.

"Darthead Fang, this is Lu Chuan, the man I mentioned to you. During this escort, please look after him."

Darthead Fang lowered his head and glanced at Lu Chuan, his gaze casual.

"All right. His strength seems passable. Once we're on the road, follow my orders."

Lu Chuan clasped his fists. "I'm Lu Chuan. Greetings, Darthead Fang."

Darthead Fang gave a slight nod.

After delivering Lu Chuan, Zhao Xuanhe did not linger. He nodded at Lu Chuan. "Brother Lu, I'll be leaving first."

"Take care, Brother Zhao."

Only after Zhao Xuanhe's back disappeared through the courtyard gate did Darthead Fang speak.

His gaze swept over everyone present.

"All right, everyone's here. This time, we're going to Qingyang County to purchase medicinal ingredients for Qi and Blood Pills worth fifteen hundred taels of silver. Although all of you have clean backgrounds and guarantors, I still have to explain the rules."

"The journey will take roughly five days. The route and where we rest have all been decided in advance. No one is allowed to leave the group without permission, send private letters, or speak with outsiders. Remember, if anything goes wrong with this shipment, not only will this trip be for nothing, our reputations will stink as well."

His gaze swept over them again, carrying a hint of warning this time.

"Stay sharp on the road."

The five men answered in unison.

Lu Chuan nodded as well.

Once the rules had been explained, someone brought over several sets of gray-white long robes, one for each person. Someone else carried over several long sabers and distributed them in turn.

Lu Chuan accepted a saber and carefully examined it in his hand.

The blade was heavy, its tempering even and clean, its edge sharp.

It was no divine weapon, but it was considerably stronger than the sabers usually issued by ordinary Martial Arts Halls.

[Weapon: Standard Steel Saber]

[Quality: Mortal Grade High-rank]

[Description: A long saber uniformly issued by Renhetang Pharmacy to escort guards. It is made with solid materials and expertly forged.]

It had neither martial arts insight nor any special effects, but just the words "Mortal Grade High-rank" alone made it worth a considerable amount of silver.

Lu Chuan estimated that the saber was worth at least twenty taels.

Renhetang Pharmacy was truly wealthy.

He slid the saber back into its scabbard.

Once everything was ready, the six men harnessed the horses to the carriage and set off for Qingyang County.

The empty carriage moved lightly along the official road toward Qingyang County. After traveling for most of the day, Lu Chuan gradually began to pick up on the situation.

The guards chatted idly along the way, and from their conversation, Lu Chuan realized he was the only newcomer.

The others had all made several trips before. They were familiar with one another and spoke freely.

They did not hold any hostility toward Lu Chuan. After all, having one more person would not reduce their pay by even a cent.

But a lack of hostility did not mean they would not provoke him.

At dusk, the group stopped in front of an abandoned temple.

Darthead Fang looked at the sky and waved for them to stop. "All right, we'll make camp here tonight."

Once the carriage came to a halt, several guards began unloading supplies and putting up tents.

Lu Chuan had just tied up the horses when someone shouted from behind him:

"New guy, go find some water and gather some firewood."

Lu Chuan turned around.

The speaker was a sturdy man in his twenties. He held his chin high, his tone extremely rude.

Lu Chuan glanced at him but did not move.

"Why should I?"

The temple where they had camped was terribly desolate. There did not seem to be any water for several li in any direction, so finding water was obviously a grueling task.

The man froze for a moment, then laughed. He turned to glance at the other guards, as if he had seen something amusing.

"Well, aren't you a tough one?"

He stepped forward and said arrogantly, "Newcomers have to work as soon as they arrive. That's the rule. What, you don't even know that you're supposed to respect your seniors?"

Lu Chuan did not answer. He glanced to the side. Darthead Fang was leaning against the carriage as if he had not heard the commotion, while the other guards sat nearby, all wearing expressions of anticipation.

So they all plan to sit back and watch the fun...

Only then did Lu Chuan look at the burly man before him.

Seeing that Lu Chuan still did not move, the smile on the man's face faded.

"All right, then I'll teach you."

He did not draw his saber. He merely strode forward, swung his right fist in a wide arc, and smashed it straight toward Lu Chuan.

Lu Chuan merely raised a hand with effortless ease.

With a muffled slap, the man's fist was caught in Lu Chuan's palm.

It did not budge an inch.

The man's expression changed. He tugged hard, but could not pull free.

Lu Chuan looked at him and understood.

This fellow was probably at the Major Success level of First Qi and Blood. His qi and blood were vigorous, and he had considerable strength, but compared to Lu Chuan, he was still a cut below.

Lu Chuan twisted his wrist, drove force through his waist and hips, and swung the man up in a shoulder throw.

The burly man crashed heavily onto the ground, sending dust billowing into the air.

He lay there grimacing in pain and could not get up for quite some time.

"Ow... ow..." he hissed through his teeth, all his earlier swagger gone. "I was wrong, I was wrong. I'll gather the firewood, I'll go find the water..."

Lu Chuan released his hand.

After getting up, the man rubbed his shoulder and ran sheepishly toward the woods.

The several guards nearby watched the scene, their expressions wonderfully varied.

One of them chuckled. "Heh, this kid's pretty strong. Good thing I didn't step up."

Another chimed in, "Fortunately, fortunately. Otherwise, I'd be the one lying on the ground right now."

Darthead Fang leaned against the carriage and glanced at Lu Chuan without saying anything.

But there was clearly a little more approval in his gaze.

Lu Chuan withdrew his hand and nodded at the several guards.

They nodded back as well, counting it as an introduction.

Lu Chuan understood men of this sort all too well.

Reasoning with them was useless, and courtesy was useless too.

They feared power, not virtue. That saying could not have been more accurate for them.

If his strength had been insufficient, he would probably have had to handle every dirty and exhausting chore along the way, while suffering their abuse the entire journey.

Now, at least, he could enjoy some peace.

He found a clean stone and sat down, closing his eyes to regulate his breathing.

The twilight deepened, and the campfire blazed to life.

The guards went about their own business. No one called for him to gather firewood or fetch water again.