The banquet proceeded as usual.
Zhang Su was called to the main table, where he sat with his elder brother and a host of prominent figures from the prefectural city.
Though Zhang Su was a man of few words, his elder brother Zhang Chen was an eloquent speaker.
And perhaps it was merely an illusion.
But Zhang Su noticed that his elder brother seemed to be standing a little straighter.
By afternoon, Zhang Chen was already thoroughly drunk.
Yet he was delighted.
"Second Brother, hahaha, my second brother is a martial arts genius..."
Seeing Zhang Chen like this, his sister-in-law did not reproach him. Instead, she could not help but laugh.
Looking at Zhang Su, she said with a smile, "Second Brother, look at your elder brother. He really is happy. He hardly ever drinks on ordinary days, yet today he has had so much..."
Zhang Su nodded.
He could also see that his elder brother was genuinely happy from the bottom of his heart.
Just then, a sudden commotion erupted outside.
And the noise grew louder and louder.
Su Zhenzhen frowned.
"Xiaocui, go see what is happening outside."
"Yes, Miss."
Xiaocui quickly headed outside.
The noise outside did not subside.
It was even mixed with startled cries.
Zhang Su's senses were sharp.
But the sounds were too chaotic.
He could only vaguely make out words such as "escort agency" and "corpses."
Before long, Xiaocui hurried back.
She still looked greatly excited.
"Miss, Young Master-in-law, the Zhenyuan Escort Agency people have returned..."
"And their carts are carrying dozens of corpses. That sight was truly terrifying. I asked around, and those corpses were supposedly bandits from Feitian Ridge. They were extremely vicious and had quite a reputation in the martial world..."
With Xiaocui's detailed explanation, everyone learned what had happened.
"What? Bandits from Feitian Ridge?"
Zhang Chen, who had been somewhat drunk, seemed to sober up at once when he heard "Feitian Ridge."
He hurriedly asked, "The goods—what happened to the goods being escorted by the agency?"
Xiaocui thought carefully. "The goods do not seem to have suffered any losses. Everyone is saying that Chief Escort Li's martial arts are formidable, and that he even killed the chief of Feitian Ridge..."
Zhang Chen sighed in relief upon hearing this.
However, Zhang Su's expression turned somewhat strange.
Li He had killed He Xiongfei?
The Zhenyuan Escort Agency had wiped out Feitian Ridge?
But Zhang Su had already handed the bodies of the Feitian Ridge bandits over to the Zhenyuan Escort Agency.
They had also paid him two thousand taels of silver.
How the Zhenyuan Escort Agency chose to publicize the matter had nothing to do with him.
Besides, such empty fame was of no use to Zhang Su.
Thus, Zhang Su sat quietly without saying a word.
But Zhang Chen could not sit still.
That shipment escorted by the Zhenyuan Escort Agency was far too important.
"No, I need to go take a look."
Zhang Chen immediately rose to his feet.
Su Zhenzhen hurriedly pulled Zhang Chen back and said in a low voice, "Husband, do not be so anxious. Chief Escort Li still has to go to the yamen to deal with those corpses. In any case, the Zhenyuan Escort Agency will definitely deliver the goods to the Su Family."
"Wait a little longer. Today is a joyous occasion, so do not go look at those corpses. It is inauspicious."
After thinking it over carefully, Zhang Chen felt that made sense.
Those bloody corpses truly were inauspicious.
Besides, since the Zhenyuan Escort Agency had returned with such fanfare, the goods were most likely fine.
That set his mind at ease.
"Fine. Then we shall wait for Chief Escort Li to personally come to the Su Family. We will naturally learn the details then."
Zhang Chen was sober now as well.
That important shipment had also been safely escorted back by the Zhenyuan Escort Agency.
He felt incomparably exhilarated.
However, while Zhang Chen did not go look, others wanted to join in the excitement.
Those who went to watch came back chattering endlessly as well.
"I saw it with my own eyes—the Zhenyuan Escort Agency people escorted dozens of corpses to the yamen. Tsk tsk, that scene was truly horrifying."
"Yes, I saw it too. They say the bandit leader was Flying Blade He Xiongfei. He was enormously built, and the saber he used was exceptionally heavy, probably dozens of jin. It was like a door plank—one look was enough to tell it was no ordinary weapon."
"Heh, such a powerful martial artist was still killed by Chief Escort Li. The Zhenyuan Escort Agency's Chief Escort Li is truly as vigorous in old age as ever, his bearing undiminished from his prime."
"More than undiminished from his prime—he is even stronger than before! I have heard of He Xiongfei, the chief of Feitian Ridge. He had a great reputation in the martial world. They say that aside from Internal Force experts, no one could do anything to him. Yet Chief Escort Li killed him. Tsk tsk, truly astonishing."
"Looking at it this way, Chief Escort Li has been hiding his true abilities. In the future, our Zhao Family Trading Firm should consider having the Zhenyuan Escort Agency handle our escorts as well..."
Discussions like these could be heard everywhere.
Zhang Su's mouth twitched.
He had not yet seen Li He of the Zhenyuan Escort Agency.
But he could already imagine how high-spirited Li He must be right now.
He probably felt those two thousand taels had been well spent!
Zhang Su had not taken even one extra tael from him!
Time gradually reached evening.
The banquet had ended.
The guests left the Su Family one after another.
Zhang Chen, his sister-in-law, and the Third Branch members were all waiting in the Council Hall.
Zhang Su had been dragged along as well.
Although Zhang Su was an "outsider," no one in the Su Family dared raise any objections now.
Before long, people from the Zhenyuan Escort Agency arrived.
They were escorting cart after cart.
All of them were loaded with the Su Family's goods.
Li He's face was glowing red. As he strode forward, he moved with the force of a tiger and the wind at his heels.
He walked all the way into the Su Family Council Hall.
Li He had just been about to speak.
But then he spotted Zhang Su at a glance.
The smile on his face immediately stiffened.
Zhang Su asked meaningfully, "Chief Escort Li, were your two thousand taels well spent? I did not charge you even one extra tael, did I?"
Li He hurriedly nodded. "Worth it, absolutely worth it! Forget two thousand taels—even three thousand or five thousand taels would have been worth it!"
Everyone in the Council Hall was utterly baffled.
They had no idea what was going on.
"Second Brother, do you know Chief Escort Li?"
Zhang Chen asked.
"I have met Chief Escort Li once before."
Zhang Su's words made Li He understand at once that Zhang Su had not explained the matter of the Feitian Ridge bandits to the Su Family.
But Zhang Su not saying anything did not mean Li He would remain silent as well.
Zhang Su's silence was him giving Li He face.
Li He therefore took a deep breath and bowed to Zhang Su. "I must thank Second Young Master for saving the Zhenyuan Escort Agency!"
Everyone became even more confused.
At this point, Li He explained, "Everyone, the Feitian Ridge bandits were not killed by me, nor did it have anything to do with the Zhenyuan Escort Agency. They were... killed by Second Young Master."
"Those dozens of corpses, including He Xiongfei, the chief of Feitian Ridge, were all slain by Second Young Master with a single sword thrust sealing their throats!"
"This old man is ashamed... Had Second Young Master not acted, the Zhenyuan Escort Agency would likely have been finished..."
Everyone was shaken to the core.
Disbelief filled their faces.
Those dozens of fierce bandits had all been killed by Zhang Su?
They knew Zhang Su was powerful.
If he could defeat Jiang Cheng with one sword strike, his strength was certainly extraordinary.
But that had merely been a spar.
Compared to the dozens of Feitian Ridge bandits, it was like comparing a small witch to a great wizard.
Yet Zhang Su had slaughtered all the Feitian Ridge bandits by himself.
The impact this had on everyone was simply too great.
"Second Brother, is everything Chief Escort Li said true?"
Zhang Chen asked.
"That is right, it is all true. However, I heard the words 'Su Family' and learned that these goods belonged to the Su Family, so I lent a hand. I did not expect those bandits to be all show and no substance, so I simply killed them all."
"Afterward, I sold the bandits' corpses to Chief Escort Li and arrived at the Su Family first."
Zhang Su spoke in a calm tone.
It was as though he were merely recounting something utterly ordinary.
Yet everyone understood just how perilous and thrilling it had been.
One man had killed dozens of vicious bandits.
There had even been a martial-world expert like the bandit chief He Xiongfei among them.
What terrifying strength would that require?
Su Zhenzhen could not help asking, "Second Brother, at the Guiyuan Sect, have you already become one of the Top Ten Outer Sect Disciples?"
Everyone's hearts jolted.
They did not know much about the Guiyuan Sect.
But they knew of the Top Ten Outer Sect Disciples of the Guiyuan Sect.
They were the foremost experts of the Guiyuan Sect's Outer Sect.
They were also its most gifted disciples.
Anyone who could rank among the Top Ten Outer Sect Disciples of the Guiyuan Sect was undoubtedly a major figure!
Zhang Su shook his head. "I am not yet one of the Top Ten Outer Sect Disciples."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
If Zhang Su had become one of the Top Ten Outer Sect Disciples after entering the Guiyuan Sect for only a year, that would have been far too shocking.
Zhang Su did not mention that he planned to challenge the Top Ten Outer Sect Disciples upon returning to the mountain.
The matter had not yet been decided.
There was little point in speaking of it now.
Once he truly became one of the Top Ten Outer Sect Disciples, the Su Family would certainly receive the news.
There was no need to rush.
Before you continue