Wu Family Guards

The two stood side by side. It was plain at a glance which one was better.

Seeing this, the Wu man clicked his tongue, while the woman's gloom lifted. She looked at Chen Mo again, and this time he seemed much more agreeable to her.

Luo Heng furrowed his brow. He'd lost?

The ironclad proof on the wooden post left him no room to argue. He could feel the many eyes around him, all watching with barely concealed mockery.

The woman smiled brightly. "By the looks of it, Chen Mo has the edge. Second Brother, you have nothing more to say, do you?"

The Wu man gave a quiet snort and turned away.

The woman turned to Chen Mo. "Young friend Chen Mo, on behalf of the Wu Family, I'd like to invite you to serve as a guard for our caravan. The pay is four taels of silver and four packets of Yiqi Powder each month. Exceptional service will earn you an additional reward. Would you be willing?"

Chen Mo's thoughts raced.

He was short of money at the moment. The seven taels he'd seized from Huang E had plugged the hole for now, but it wouldn't last.

The Wu Family's guards couldn't compare to the position of an Attendant, and the family seemed to be locked in a power struggle. Still, he had nowhere better to go for the time being.

He might as well join the Wu Family for now and see what opportunities arose.

Having made up his mind, he nodded. "All right. I can do that."

Seeing this, the Wu man clasped his hands toward Master Yin. "Master Yin, I'll take my leave first."

Without waiting for the woman to respond, he walked straight out. The Zhao Family members left one after another as well.

At last, the woman beckoned Chen Mo over. "Chen Mo, there are a few things I'd like to discuss with you in private."

The two walked one after the other through the martial hall's rear garden.

After checking that no one was around, the woman spoke. "Chen Mo, my name is Wu Zhiai. I'm three or four years older than you, so you can call me Sister Ai. You must have a few questions, right?"

Chen Mo nodded, making no attempt to hide them. "Why did you specifically ask for me? We haven't had much to do with each other."

Wu Zhiai gently shook her head. "I wouldn't say we've had no connection at all. To be frank, I'm not in a very good position within the Wu Family, so I need allies of my own. There's someone else in the same situation as me: Master Wu from your Iron Furnace Room. He was the one who recommended you."

"Master Wu?"

Chen Mo thought back. Master Wu was indeed a member of the Wu Family, but he'd heard that morning that Master Wu had little standing there. So Chen Mo hadn't given him much thought before.

If Master Wu had mentioned Chen Mo to Wu Zhiai, it made sense.

"Sister Ai, I'd like to know who's who within the Wu Family."

Since he was joining the Wu Family, he needed to understand it well. He ought to prepare in advance for whom he might meet and what he should say or do.

Wu Zhiai explained at length. "The old head of the Wu Family has passed away. Now the family is divided into two factions. One consists of the eldest and second brothers—the First Brother and Second Brother I mentioned. The other is just me, though you could perhaps count Master Wu as well."

"I wasn't born to the old head of the Wu Family, but I built up the family's caravan business and most of its sources of income. Before he passed away, the old head publicly promised to leave me half the family's assets. But after his death, the eldest and second brothers went back on their word. That's why I'm at odds with them."

Chen Mo nodded, understanding.

"What position does Master Wu hold in the family?"

Wu Zhiai replied, "Master Wu is the old head's younger brother. But because he was born to a concubine, he has no standing."

Chen Mo asked about the caravan guards' duties.

Wu Zhiai continued, "You'll be responsible for escorting the Wu Family caravan. It travels between Anyang County and Black River Town, and often runs into bandits. Your job is to keep the goods safe."

Then she added, "But the safety of the people is more important. If you run into a powerful enemy, don't act rashly. Besides ordinary bandits, the Zhao Family is also our enemy."

"Also, since I chose you, you're one of my people. The eldest and second brothers may make things difficult for you, so be prepared."

Chen Mo committed it all to memory.

They fell silent for a while. As they walked, their shoes crunched crisply over the fallen branches in the garden.

Chen Mo pondered the situation. He hadn't expected that, even after securing a position, he'd get caught up in the Wu Family's mess. For now, he'd have to take things one step at a time.

Sometimes, muddy water was the best place to fish.

Just then, Wu Zhiai sighed softly. "Born in troubled times, we have to keep our own lives and deaths in our hands. I hope that one day we'll be able to call the shots in the Wu Family. When that day comes, I won't treat you unfairly."

Chen Mo turned her words over in his mind. Whether Wu Zhiai was encouraging him or trying to win him over, at least he had an "ally" now.

"By the way." Wu Zhiai turned around. "A shipment is due to arrive from the county town tomorrow. You can go meet it."

"All right."

Chen Mo agreed, then saw Wu Zhiai out of the martial hall.

After Wu Zhiai left, Chen Mo went back to practicing his stance work and boxing, doing fifty repetitions of each.

When he finished, he walked over to Third Senior Brother Ji Chang. "Senior Brother, would you care to trade a few moves?"

Ji Chang rose at once.

The next day at noon.

Chen Mo arrived at the Wu Family estate. Wu Zhiai personally welcomed him into the courtyard, showed him a set of martial clothes and an iron saber, then handed him two packets of Yiqi Powder. "These two packets are an advance payment. You can take one now, just in case."

Yiqi Powder helped circulate qi and build strength. Chen Mo had seen his senior brothers take it before.

Then Wu Zhiai explained, "Three other guards will go with you today. Two are neutral, but one belongs to their side. Be careful they don't trip you up."

Before long, the four guards gathered in front of the Wu Family estate. Chen Mo looked up and saw a burly man standing tall with a steel blade in hand, his eyes bright and alert.

This was the man Wu Zhiai had called "one of their people": Li Tu, at the middle stage of Ming Jin. He looked up at Chen Mo too, and their gazes met.

"You must be the Wu Family's new guard. In our line of work, the most important thing is to keep your eyes open, move quickly, and not hold the others back. I hope you can manage that."

Chen Mo gave a slight fist salute but didn't argue.

The other two hadn't reached Ming Jin. Their role in the group was to run errands and handle odd jobs, and neither dared to speak up.

The four set off soon afterward, heading north. The trip was fairly uneventful, and before sunset they reached a post station south of the county town, where they met the Wu Family caravan.

After a brief rest, they packed up and set off.

From that moment on, escorting the caravan back to the Wu Family under the deepening dusk was when the guards' real work began.

Under the dusk sky, clouds hung low and stars were sparse. The forest was so quiet that only a few footsteps rustling through leaves could be heard.

Li Tu suddenly said, "New brother, there's fog in this forest. Bandits may be lying in wait. I know this area well, so I'll take the lead. How about you bring up the rear?"

Chen Mo glanced up slightly. He could more or less guess what the man was thinking.

Even if there were bandits, they'd only be small-time thugs. Li Tu would knock them all down in a few quick moves, then claim the credit and reward for himself, giving the First and Second Brothers even more leverage.

Though he'd guessed what Li Tu had in mind, Chen Mo was new here and had no grounds to object, so he agreed for the time being.

Seeing Chen Mo nod, Li Tu looked a little smug. "Good. You're an agreeable young man!"