Arrival

"...That's how it happened. As for why Xie Fei attacked me, I don't really know." Chen Feng told Zhang Biao Tou everything he knew.

Chen Feng spread his hands.

He made it clear that he hadn't known Xie Fei before, much less had any grudge against him.

He was more inclined to believe that Xie Fei had been acting on someone else's orders.

The others exchanged glances.

But after thinking it over, they could more or less figure out what had happened—

Xie Fei had mixed Sleeping Drug into the Escort Team's food to assassinate Chen Feng.

He had also given Zhang Biao Tou, a Bone Forging Realm expert, "special treatment," dosing him several times more heavily than an ordinary person.

Chen Feng and the Martial Artists from the Cheng Family, however, had eaten the provisions they'd brought themselves.

They hadn't handed them over to Xie Fei.

So they hadn't been drugged.

Chen Feng was relieved he'd been cautious. Otherwise, if Xie Fei's blade had come down, he might not have died, but he would've been skinned alive.

One careless moment—

and he'd have had a wound as big as a bowl.

"..."

The others fell silent for a long while.

Xie Fei was unconscious now.

They'd have to wait for him to wake before they could learn what had driven him to turn on his companions.

However...

With him in this state, whether he'd wake up was anyone's guess.

One Escort Guard was still treating Xie Fei, but his hands were anything but gentle.

He bandaged him with a couple of perfunctory wraps.

He clearly had a grudge against Xie Fei.

Out here in the wilderness,

drugging the entire caravan—

if beasts or bandits had suddenly shown up, someone would surely have died because of what Xie Fei had done.

No one wanted to die in a daze.

They could only despise anyone who put the whole team's lives on the edge of a cliff.

"What about the Night Watch?"

Zhang Biao Tou's voice was grim.

He'd clearly assigned two people to the job, yet not a sound had been raised.

Two Escort Guards came out from behind, heads bowed and unable to meet his eyes. One of them said quietly:

"Xie Fei asked to take my shift, so I agreed. Who would've thought..."

The other had gone to sleep at the start and hadn't been woken to take over.

Zhang Biao Tou's expression darkened.

As the Escort Guard in charge, he had to bear the main responsibility for what had happened.

"I'll give up all my earnings as compensation. You two on Night Watch duty, you'll give up part of yours, too."

"...Yes."×2

The two of them might as well have worked this whole trip for nothing, and their resentment toward Xie Fei grew even deeper.

"Chen Feng, once Xie Fei wakes up, I'll give you a satisfactory explanation," Zhang Biao Tou said.

Chen Feng nodded slightly.

Dragging along an unconscious, injured man

slowed the caravan considerably.

They'd expected to reach Nanxun Town before noon, but only just made it there by dusk.

Fortunately, they hadn't run into any danger along the way.

As ox carts and horses grew more frequent on the road, everyone's spirits lifted.

The Escort Mission had gone smoothly overall. Not a single piece of cargo had been damaged, so they could collect the full payment from the Cheng Family.

Nanxun Town was even larger than Pingcheng.

Its white walls were mottled, its dark tiled roofs stood scattered in graceful disarray, and willows trailed beside the lake. Every so often, a black-awning boat glided past, carving ripples across the water.

The refinement of the Jiangnan water towns was everywhere.

The scenery and even the spirit of the people along the roads were far better than in Pingcheng.

It was the great rivers that had bestowed such prosperity on Nanxun Town.

The Xun River ran alongside Nanxun Town.

The Xun River was an important route for Canal Boat transport. Silver flowed like water along it, in and out of Nanxun Town's docks.

After delivering the goods to the Xu Family,

Zhang Biao Tou allowed everyone to rest there for two days before heading back.

During that time, Xie Fei woke up.

Once he heard the news,

Chen Feng went with Zhang Jinsong to the inn.

Xie Fei was lying on the bed, his eyes vacant, as if he'd lost all will to live.

When the two entered the room, Xie Fei fell silent. He opened his mouth, then slowly shut it again.

His gaze toward Chen Feng held fear, anger... and a trace of regret.

Under Zhang Biao Tou's questioning,

he eventually came clean about everything:

Before the Escort Mission had set out, people from the Lin Family had approached him, offering a huge bounty for Chen Feng's head.

They'd also promised

to protect Xie Fei afterward.

Faced with the temptation of never having to worry about food or drink for the rest of his life, Xie Fei hadn't been able to resist, and he'd taken the job.

The result...

He'd tried to steal a chicken and ended up losing the rice.

Instead, Chen Feng had crippled all his martial skills.

Once they'd gotten the truth out of him, the two shut the door and left the room.

Did Xie Fei hate Chen Feng?

He surely did.

But one thing was certain: he regretted it now.

He'd fallen from the heights of a Blood Refining Realm Martial Artist to such a wretched state.

He had only himself to blame.

After learning that Xie Fei had acted on someone else's orders, Chen Feng said no more. Xie Fei had already received the punishment he deserved.

But the Lin Family...

Chen Feng had already begun devising a plan for revenge. Lin Jingshu was staying with the Li Family, so he couldn't do anything to her for now.

But the Lin Family kept stirring up trouble.

Chen Feng wasn't feeling that charitable.

"I never went looking for you, yet you keep jumping out in front of me again and again..."

First the Black Tiger Gang, now Xie Fei.

It was downright infuriating.

"Chen Feng, this time it was my mistake. I'm sorry." Zhang Jinsong cupped his hands.

At the same time, he took out a money pouch

and handed it to Chen Feng.

"This is compensation for you."

Chen Feng accepted it and weighed it discreetly. It was heavy.

"Then I'll take it."

Chen Feng thanked him and tucked the pouch away. If he hadn't been cautious this time, the consequences would've been unthinkable.

He'd earned this money.

Seeing Chen Feng accept it, Zhang Biao Tou let out a breath of relief, then said:

"There's one more thing. On the return trip, the Xu Family wants to hire us to transport some goods back to Pingcheng. The pay is very generous."

"The Escort Team will split up then. Anyone who wants to take the job can come with me. For anyone who doesn't, I'll provide travel money, and they can leave with another caravan."

"An honest Blood Refining Realm expert won't have trouble finding a caravan."

Hearing this,

Chen Feng felt that something was off.

But he didn't say anything. He just listened quietly.

"Remember that Bone Forging Realm expert from the Cheng Family? He hopes you'll join us."

Chen Feng froze.

"I'll explain the details to everyone at the inn tonight. I'm bringing it up now so you can think it over."

"The pay will be at least as good as it was for the trip here."

With that, Zhang Jinsong left.

"The return trip... something's not right."

Chen Feng muttered to himself.

The Xun River's tributaries stretched in every direction, and one of them connected to Pingcheng.

Chen Feng had once worked as a porter at the docks.

He knew the place like the back of his hand.

So when Zhang Biao Tou said the Xu Family had goods they wanted an escort to deliver to Pingcheng, Chen Feng sensed something was off.

After all, they could take the river route.

If the trip from Pingcheng to Nanxun Town

meant traveling upstream, and the Canal Gang's tolls made river transport too expensive, then choosing an overland Escort Mission made sense.

But now, if they were traveling from Nanxun Town back to Pingcheng,

taking a Canal Boat would be more convenient by any measure.

It would be faster, too—they'd arrive in two or three days—and it would definitely cost less than an Escort Mission.

The dangers on the water would also be fewer than in the mountains.

There were water bandits, sure, but the Canal Gang kept them in check. They couldn't get too bold.

"There must be more to it."

Chen Feng reckoned the return journey might be fraught with danger.

They hadn't even encountered a single bandit on the way to Nanxun Town. Their luck had been astonishingly good, but no one could stay lucky forever.

Not even Chen Feng.

So he decided to listen to what they had to say that night.

Then he'd make up his mind.