Enemy Attack

After teaching that know-it-all guard a lesson, Lu Chuan's status among the group was noticeably different.

It was not that everyone treated him with utmost reverence, but that dismissive look was gone, and no one dared to patronize him anymore.

Yet Lu Chuan did not plan to keep a stern face the whole time.

These few men might still have to fight side by side in the future, and he had no desire to be left out in the cold by his own people on the battlefield.

Taking advantage of the others setting up tents and gathering firewood, Lu Chuan went out for a bit and came back with a wild rabbit.

The group had originally intended to gnaw on dry rations, but seeing this wild rabbit, they were all overjoyed.

After finishing this meal of roasted rabbit, his relationship with the guards softened considerably.

The guard who had been flipped over by Lu Chuan was named Wang Zhi, and he was quite attentive to Lu Chuan, who had beaten him.

One moment he handed over water, the next he asked if help was needed to set up the tent, making Lu Chuan feel a bit between laughter and tears.

"Alright, alright," Lu Chuan waved his hand, "I am not here to be some big master. We can consider ourselves friends who got to know each other through a fight, so you don't need to treat me like this."

"Fine then, I'll listen to you, Brother Lu." Wang Zhi chuckled and sat down right beside him.

As they chatted, he suddenly lowered his voice and asked, "That's right, Brother Lu, if I may boldly ask, how much silver is your monthly stipend for coming here?"

Lu Chuan's heart stirred.

Of course he knew such a question should not be answered casually, but he also wanted to know just what level Zhao Xuanhe's offered sum actually stood at.

"Not bad, the Young Master gives me twenty taels a month."

"Twenty taels?!"

Wang Zhi's eyes widened, and when the few people nearby heard this, they also crowded over.

"Goodness me, twenty taels!"

"No wonder Brother Lu is so formidable. The Young Master really put down a heavy stake..."

Lu Chuan was stunned for a moment, then asked, "What about you all?"

"Us?" An older guard took over the conversation, "Among the few of us, the most is eighteen taels, the least..."

He glanced at Wang Zhi, "Just him, fifteen taels."

Wang Zhi scratched his head, feeling no embarrassment at all.

"Of course, Biao Tou Fang cannot be compared with us," he jutted his chin toward Biao Tou Fang ahead,

"A Biao Tou of the Second Qi and Blood must start at least at thirty taels, and for that old gentleman, a single transport trip fetches forty taels."

Lu Chuan nodded, showing nothing on the surface, but feeling immensely shocked inwardly.

Thirty taels—so that was the price for Second Qi and Blood.

For Zhao Xuanhe to give him thirty taels was not just high, it was outrageously high.

He was only at First Qi and Blood, yet he was hired at such a high price; the resistance he faced... could be imagined.

He recalled the situation when he met Elder Zhao in the backyard that day, remembering Elder Zhao's gaze, and suddenly understood something.

Disregarding his father's disapproval, Zhao Xuanhe had forcefully crammed him into this team and even given him a price that only someone with Second Qi and Blood could command.

Brother Zhao... Lu Chuan thought to himself, saying nothing more.

The journey went without a hitch.

In two days' time, the six of them hurried to Qingyang County.

They settled accounts clearly at the local pharmacy and bought a full fifteen hundred taels' worth of medicinal herbs.

Lu Chuan watched from the side, catching a few casual remarks, and roughly understood that these were the main ingredients for Qi and Blood Pills—Yellow Essence, Chinese Angelica, Blood Vine, and the like, all things that martial artists could not do without during cultivation.

The medicinal materials filled a horse-drawn carriage to the brim, a heavy load indeed.

On the way back, Biao Tou Fang's expression was noticeably more solemn than on the outbound trip.

"It was easy coming here," he rode his horse at the very front, speaking without turning his head,

"Going back, this fifteen hundred taels of medicinal herbs is a piece of fat meat. Mountain bandits, outlaws, and the envious ones are numerous. In the past, almost every single trip had people coming to shake us down, so keep your eyes sharp for me."

Lu Chuan and the others naturally understood.

These medicinal herbs were not just valuable; the crucial point was that valuable goods were also particularly easy to offload. Qi and Blood Pills were a rigid demand for martial artists, and once robbed, there was no worry about finding a market—even using them oneself yielded a huge profit.

As the carriage headed back, the speed was much slower than on the way there, naturally because the pack horse was pulling a full cart of cargo.

Fortunately, after traveling more than a hundred li, it was uneventful.

By the evening of the third day, they left the main road and turned into a small trail.

Biao Tou Fang reined in his horse and surveyed the surroundings.

The sky had already grown dark, and on both sides of the trail were dense woods, with rolling mountain ridges stretching endlessly out of sight.

"We stop here for today. The trail is treacherous, and going any further in the dark will be more troublesome. Pitch camp, and we move out tomorrow morning."

The others acknowledged the order and began to unload the cart, set up tents, and feed the horses.

Wang Zhi smiled while busy, "Hehe, once we deliver this batch of goods to Renhetang Pharmacy tomorrow, this month's tasks will all be finished!"

The others laughed along with him, their faces filled with the relief of work completed and money secured.

Yet Lu Chuan did not smile.

He squatted beside the horse-drawn carriage, his gaze carefully sweeping across the surrounding woods.

Although they had not penetrated deep into the woods, the things that could hide within this patch of forest were truly numerous.

Biao Tou Fang did not smile either.

He glared at Wang Zhi and the others, "They haven't been delivered yet, what are you celebrating for! If the job gets botched, bring your heads to see me!"

Wang Zhi shrank his neck abashedly.

The night gradually deepened.

They unhitched the horse from the cart and tethered it to one side.

This was mainly out of fear that the horse would be startled at night and run around dragging the cart, in which case things really would be finished.

The men lay down around the carriage, leaving two to keep watch.

The first half of the night belonged to Biao Tou Fang and Lu Chuan.

Biao Tou Fang leaned against the carriage, a saber tucked at his waist, his eyes half-closed.

Lu Chuan squatted by the campfire, his gaze sweeping toward the surrounding darkness from time to time.

He possessed Eagle Eye.

This ability usually did not show its prowess, but when keeping watch at night, it was exceptionally useful.

Where others looked and saw only pitch-black nothingness, he could actually spot those figures hiding in the dark places.

Most of the night passed without any movement.

The two men for the shift change also came over; one was Wang Zhi, and the other was a man named Mo Lao Er.

"Boss," Wang Zhi lowered his voice, "You guys go sleep, the two of us will keep watch."

Biao Tou Fang did not move.

Wang Zhi spoke again, "You didn't sleep at all last night, and traveled all day today... Rest for a while, tomorrow daytime we still have to rely on you."

Mo Lao Er chimed in as well, "That's right, Boss, just catnap for a bit. It's almost dawn anyway, nothing will go wrong."

Biao Tou Fang looked at the sky.

There was less than half a shichen until dawn.

He was indeed drowsy; even as a martial artist, having gone three days without proper sleep, he felt somewhat fatigued.

"I'll catnap for half a shichen, call me when the time comes."

"Alright."

Biao Tou Fang lay down and quickly fell silent.

Lu Chuan also changed shifts, but he remained vigilant nonetheless.

With him taking such a high price, if something went wrong with this batch of goods, he truly would have no face to account to Zhao Xuanhe.

Wang Zhi and Mo Lao Er sat on the other side, speaking softly in a desultory chat.

Dawn was approaching, but this was also the time when people were most prone to letting down their guard.

Suddenly, Lu Chuan's pupils shrank violently.

Within his Eagle Eye, amid the shadows beside the wood line, a speck of shadow moved.

Before Lu Chuan could see clearly, that figure abruptly surged up, lunging straight at them!

The half-sleeping Lu Chuan also sprang up instantly, roaring with explosive fury:

"Ambush!"

Biao Tou Fang's reaction was extremely fast; almost simultaneously with Lu Chuan's cry, he had already grabbed for his long saber.

Yet the shadow's movement was even faster. When he kicked out toward Biao Tou Fang, the latter only had time to cross his scabbard horizontally to block his chest.

"Bang!"

With a muffled sound, Biao Tou Fang flew backward together with his saber.

"Second Qi and Blood!" His expression changed instantly.

Having succeeded in a single strike, the bandit did not pause at all, backhanding a slash to split open the sack containing the medicinal herbs.

How could Lu Chuan let him succeed?

With a stomp of his feet, he unleashed a full-power Mountain Collapse slash directly targeting the man's back!

Seeing this, the bandit had no choice but to abandon seizing the medicinal herbs, turning around to cross his saber in a parry.

"Clang!"

The two sabers struck, sending sparks flying everywhere.

Second Qi and Blood, truly tough enough... Lu Chuan barely parried a few more blows.

Biao Tou Fang had already scrambled up. Taking advantage of the clash between the two, he seized an opening in the bandit and chopped at him with his saber.

Blood spurted out, and the bandit let out a muffled grunt, his gaze turning abruptly fierce.

"Courting death!"

He suddenly erupted, sweeping his saber horizontally to force both men back, and immediately grabbed a large package of medicinal herbs from the split sack, turning to dash deep into the woods.

"Where is the little thief running!" Biao Tou Fang brandished his saber and gave chase.