Homeward Journey

"Though Ji Baichuan had not formally taken Chief as his master, they already shared the bond of master and disciple, and their feelings ran deep."

"So even if your talent is not lacking, why would Chief abandon his own disciple and shift resources toward you instead?"

At that, Fang Yong was instantly left speechless.

"We've talked enough. Get some rest—we still have to travel tomorrow morning." Escort Huang sighed softly and put out the campfire.

A day later.

Jiang Ping and the other escorts finally delivered Lady Chen to her uncle's residence.

"Farewell, everyone!" Song Yuanshan stood at the entrance, bidding them goodbye with the air of the household's master.

Lady Chen merely gave Jiang Ping and the others a slight nod before entering the residence with the help of her maid.

"Say, do you think Song Tianjiao can win Chen Qingyan's favor?"

Watching Song Yuanshan follow her into the residence of the provincial graduate, Liu Wensheng could not help gossiping.

"Not necessarily." Escort Huang shook his head and mentioned something. "Chen Qingyan's father and I are fairly well acquainted. He told me that Chen Qingyan was summoned here by his uncle this time to meet a hero—supposedly a Fearsome Person on the Martial Examination Ranking."

"Huh? Then there's a good show to watch." Jiang Ping peered through the Chen family's gates as they were about to close, looking inside again and again.

"True enough. Why don't we stay a few days before heading back?" Liu Wensheng and Fang Yong agreed as one.

"Is this a show you two can afford to watch? Let's go. The delivery is finished; we're returning to Yang City."

Escort Huang said helplessly.

Afterward, the group of escorts immediately led their horses out of the city and headed toward Yang City.

While resting on the road, Escort Huang pulled the three new escorts aside and revealed a hidden matter.

"Do you know why those Water Monkeys we encountered on the way here tried to kill us without mercy?"

"Why?"

"It was an order from the Chenfeng Bodyguard Agency."

"What was the reason?"

Huang Youren then told them the whole story.

It turned out that after the Chief Escort of the Four Seas Escort Agency failed an escort mission last time, he blamed part of the reason on the Chenfeng Bodyguard Agency.

Then, when the Chenfeng Bodyguard Agency was escorting silver this time, through the maneuvering of several escort chiefs, they suffered devastating losses and lost an Eighth-Rank Martial Artist.

"One of the Chenfeng Bodyguard Agency's escort chiefs died?" Liu Wensheng asked in surprise.

"Yes. Although several escort chiefs from our agency covered their tracks thoroughly, leaving no evidence to be found, rivals in the same trade are enemies. They were bound to suspect us first. And with an escort chief dead, the Chenfeng Bodyguard Agency was enraged beyond measure. They threw all caution to the wind and struck at weak escorts like us. We were saved by a senior, but the other escort team was miserable—quite a few died."

"How vicious. The disputes of these big shots actually target little escorts like us." Jiang Ping said in a low voice.

Had he not already cultivated Saber Qi this time, their entire group would likely have been buried alongside them.

"When interests are at stake, isn't it always a fight to the death?" Escort Huang had seen too much to feel much about it. He said to the three of them, "You three are the finest among the escorts our agency recruited this time. You've already been placed on the Chenfeng Bodyguard Agency's Kill List. So after we return, do not go out unless necessary. Stay within the agency."

"We won't have to keep doing that forever, will we?" Liu Wensheng was somewhat worried.

"Not to that extent. This time, the Chenfeng Bodyguard Agency only targeted two teams, which means they've left room for negotiation. There's still business to be done; everyone needs silver to buy Lingxi Meat. If we cannot go out, then the escorts of the Chenfeng Bodyguard Agency will surely not dare go out to accept missions either."

"That's good, then." Liu Wensheng let out a breath of relief.

"But things will definitely be unsettled for a while. Better safe than sorry," Escort Huang added at last.

Not long after.

The group hurriedly set out on the road home once more.

They reached Yun County at dusk the next day.

"We won't rush back tonight. The later it gets, the less safe it is. We'll return to Yang City tomorrow during the day," Escort Huang decided.

This suited Jiang Ping's wishes perfectly. He had been planning to buy the Scorching Sun Swordplay from the Black Market here.

Now was the perfect chance—the sooner he bought it, the sooner he could enjoy it.

In the dead of night.

Jiang Ping directly put on the Black Fox Mask, climbed out through the inn window, and headed for the place he had already inquired about...

This time went very smoothly. Just as he wished, he obtained an authentic copy of the Scorching Sun Swordplay from the Black Market, spending only fifty taels of silver.

"Profound indeed. The swordplay is fierce and Yang; the principles it encompasses truly run far deeper than those of the Riding the Wind Sword."

The moment Jiang Ping returned to the inn, he impatiently opened the Sword Manual and studied it closely, pondering every detail.

Before long, a small figure began practicing swordsmanship in his mind. The swordplay was fierce and unyielding, yet the moves were agile. As time passed, streak after streak of Sword Radiance carrying the Blazing Wind arose naturally.

The next morning.

Jiang Ping, exhausted from sword practice, was awakened by Liu Wensheng. After breakfast, the group set out once more and returned to Yang City without incident that afternoon.

"This journey had its scares, but no real danger. All in all, it was quite a success."

Escort Huang breathed in the air of Yang City, and the burden in his heart was finally lifted completely.

"This Escort Mission was also a special trial for you three. You experienced Life and Death, and you witnessed the bearing of a genius."

He turned to the three New Drafters as he spoke.

Jiang Ping and Liu Wensheng did not react much—one was highly confident, while the other had already resigned himself to fate.

Fang Yong, on the other hand, had a deep unwillingness in his eyes.

Escort Huang glanced at him, shook his head slightly, and said nothing.

Then the group followed the familiar streets toward the Escort Agency.

Before they had even reached its entrance, an excited cry of "Big Brother!" came from afar.

Jiang Ping looked toward the sound and immediately saw a Little fellow racing toward him.

"Big Brother!" Jiang Xiaoxi threw her arms around Jiang Ping's leg, her eyes brimming with tears. "Big Brother, Xiaoxi missed you so much."

Jiang Ping was somewhat surprised and asked how she had found this place.

"Mother told me. Xiaoxi missed Big Brother so badly that I came here alone." Jiang Xiaoxi wiped away her tears as she spoke.

Jiang Ping raised his brows slightly. In the end, he said nothing more, merely rubbing the Little fellow's head. "How long have you been waiting here?"

"Xiaoxi just got here." The Young girl spoke, then added, "Xiaoxi waits here every afternoon for Big Brother to come back."

Jiang Ping froze for a moment, then sighed.

"You little radish head, aren't you afraid of making everyone worry by going out alone?"

"Parents leave early and come home late every day just so Second Brother can eat meat. They don't care about Xiaoxi at all. Second Brother and Sister-in-law don't care about Xiaoxi either. They fight in their room every day, and lots of times Sister-in-law screams in pain."

The Little fellow said indignantly, feeling that Second Brother was simply awful. He beat up the pretty Sister-in-law every day—daytime and nighttime alike.

"..." Jiang Ping.

"Parents are so unfair. They won't even give Xiaoxi meat. Xiaoxi can only eat pickled vegetables and drink porridge every day. Xiaoxi craves it so much. I tried to sneak some of Second Brother's food and got scolded harshly by Father..."

The Young girl seemed to have endless things to say, constantly sharing her Daily Life with Jiang Ping.

Jiang Ping also grasped the general situation. Those Parents had likely emptied their entire savings to let Jiang An practice martial arts, and now they were desperately earning silver.

As for Jiang An, he had not changed his ways. He had long since lost the stomach for the hardships of martial arts and spent every day making merry with his wife.

"Even if Jiang An wastes away at home all day, what they think of is not how to teach or reprimand him, but how to earn more silver to support him. They still cling to hope for him."

Jiang Ping let out a cold laugh.

"Forget it. What does it have to do with me? It's just this Little fellow who has suffered. How long has it been since she last had anything oily to eat?"

He pinched his younger sister's hollow cheeks and looked at her waxy yellow hair, feeling a pang of heartache.

"Xiaoxi, do you want to eat a chicken drumstick?" Jiang Ping picked up his very light younger sister and walked into the Escort Agency.

"Yes!" Jiang Xiaoxi could not help swallowing at the thought. Then her eyes welled with tears again. "Big Brother is still the best to me."