"All right, Xu, you're young, but your martial arts are fierce. You really did inherit Li's true teachings. Li must be resting easier in the afterlife." Xu Yang stopped at once when he heard this and turned toward the speaker.
Zhao Qiankun and an old man stood not far in front of him, both smiling as they watched him. Xu Yang's heart tightened. They were so close, yet he hadn't noticed them at all. If they'd been enemies, he would have been in serious trouble.
It seemed his vigilance still wasn't sharp enough. Of course, their cultivation had something to do with it too: both men were stronger than he was, especially the old man standing in front of Zhao Qiankun. The old man's cultivation was so formidable that Xu Yang couldn't discern the slightest hint of its depth.
Taking stock of his shortcomings, Xu Yang hurried forward and bowed. "I didn't know you were coming, senior. Please forgive my rudeness. May I ask who this senior is...?" He glanced at Zhao Qiankun for an answer.
"Haha, Qiankun, this young man is quite something. Li really found himself a good successor. At least now he can close his eyes in peace." The old man smiled at Zhao Qiankun. When he mentioned Li Yuan, he shook his head with a look of regret.
Zhao Qiankun smiled at Xu Yang. "Xu, this is Lei Dong, the head escort chief of the Shunfeng Escort Agency. He just arrived today. When he heard what happened to Li, he came to see you."
Xu Yang looked astonished and hurriedly studied the old man. He was in his fifties, with a ruddy complexion and keen light flashing in his eyes. His build was imposing, and his presence was fiercely commanding. Xu Yang immediately cupped his hands. "I didn't know you were coming, Senior Lei. This junior, Xu Yang, offers his respects."
Lei Dong nodded. "You're quite good, but if you want to inherit Li's position, you'll have to work much harder. Your current strength isn't enough. We'll talk when you reach the pinnacle realm." He took out a token and handed it back to Xu Yang.
Xu Yang stared blankly as he accepted the token, unable to guess Lei Dong's intentions. He quickly looked to Zhao Qiankun, who smiled. "Don't be surprised, Xu. The head escort chief thinks highly of you, so he's giving you a token ahead of time. It isn't Li's old one."
Xu Yang understood. He lowered his head to inspect the token and saw that it had indeed changed. A Xu character had appeared at the lower right corner of the secret character.
Lei Dong turned to Zhao Qiankun. "Since he's Li's successor, we should naturally look after the boy. The matter with Yin Moon Hall needs to be handled properly. Let him take part in this operation as a test for joining the organization."
Zhao Qiankun nodded. "Understood, head escort chief. But I'm afraid Yin Moon Hall won't let this go. They'll certainly stick their noses into this operation."
"I've prepared for that. We've found the mole—it was that traitor, Wang Dayou. I've already dealt with him." Lei Dong's face darkened with anger. "Yin Moon Hall is asking for death. How dare a mere martial-world organization oppose us? Do they not know we have the imperial court behind us?"
Xu Yang stepped forward when he heard this. "Seniors, something about this doesn't add up. Yin Moon Hall must know who backs us. It's one of the top powers in the martial world. What if they've found a new patron? Then naturally, they wouldn't fear us."
Lei Dong and Zhao Qiankun's expressions shifted. They seemed to have realized something, and exchanged a grave look. Zhao Qiankun said, "The arrow is already on the string; there's no turning back now. Besides, we don't even know whether Yin Moon Hall has a patron. And even if it does, that doesn't mean my Shunfeng Escort Agency is afraid of it."
Lei Dong nodded. "Qiankun is right. Still, we can't be careless. I've just remembered something I need to arrange, so I'll be going ahead. Tell the boy what's going on, Qiankun, so he knows what he's getting into."
With that, Lei Dong turned and strode away. Zhao Qiankun led Xu Yang to a nearby pavilion. Once they were seated, he told Xu Yang everything, then got up and left as well. Xu Yang was left alone, his brow furrowed as his mind raced.
A month earlier, the Haicheng Prefecture branch of the Shunfeng Escort Agency had sent word that it had discovered Old Man Tianjue's treasure map. The agency's leaders were overjoyed and immediately sent a team of capable men to bring the map back to headquarters.
After comparing it with other records, Lei Dong and the others pinpointed the treasure's burial site. As it happened, the treasure was buried in Cangwu Mountain, within Mountain City Prefecture—not far from Mountain City. A fast horse could reach the vicinity in a day. Lei Dong and the others had come to search for it.
But a mole inside the agency had leaked the news, and Yin Moon Hall had learned of it. Fortunately, they hadn't obtained the treasure map. That was why Old Ghost Yin had ambushed Zhao Qiankun and the others outside Mountain City: he wanted the exact location of the treasure.
The men who had accompanied Lei Dong on this expedition were all experts from the agency. Zhao Qiankun and the others had only been sent ahead, and with the Mountain City branch's forces joining them, the plan should have been foolproof. Now Yin Moon Hall had suddenly barged in, throwing the whole operation into turmoil.
There was no time to summon more men from headquarters. Who knew whether word of the treasure had spread? To avoid letting things drag on and invite trouble, Lei Dong and the others had to move quickly. Better to compete with just Yin Moon Hall than with a crowd of other factions.
Xu Yang had stumbled right into the whirlpool. He also had ties to the Shunfeng Escort Agency, a grudge against Yin Moon Hall, a clean background, and decent strength. He was the perfect muscle—and a convenient candidate to test. If he passed, they could recruit him into the imperial service. It was a neat way to kill several birds with one stone.
Thinking it over, Xu Yang couldn't help sighing. These old hands were all slippery as eels. Looking back, Zhao Qiankun probably hadn't wanted him to think he was quite so kind, either. He'd have to be careful on this treasure hunt.
The search would begin that afternoon. Lei Dong and the others still needed to prepare horses and provisions, and Xu Yang had nothing to do for the moment. After informing the servants, he left the residence to explore Mountain City.
It was every bit the bustling prefectural capital he'd expected, far livelier than the small county town where he'd lived. Crowds filled the streets, vendors hollered from both sides of the road, and every stall offered a dizzying variety of goods. Xu Yang wandered around, overwhelmed by the dazzling sights.
Suddenly, the crowd ahead broke into a commotion. Curious, Xu Yang hurried over. A little girl of six or seven was bawling her eyes out. She was exquisitely pretty, like a porcelain doll carved from pink jade.
Her clothes were beautiful, clearly not those of an ordinary family's child. She was crying bitterly as people gathered around and asked what was wrong. Xu Yang stepped forward, parted the crowd, and crouched in front of her with a smile. "Little girl, what's wrong? Do you need help?"
Strangely, the girl had ignored everyone else's questions, but when Xu Yang spoke, she paused and immediately stopped crying. She gazed at him with big, pitiful eyes. "Big brother, I got separated from my father. I can't find him."
Xu Yang laughed. "That's easy. I'll help you look. Where did you get separated from your father? How about we start there?"
The girl thought for a moment, then pointed behind her. "I came from that way. How do we look for him?" Xu Yang followed her gesture. The road led straight to the eastern part of the city. The west was the commercial district, the east the administrative district, the north the wealthy district, and the south the poor district.
The girl had probably come from the eastern district. He took her hand and led her out of the crowd, heading east. They soon left the western district and reached the eastern one. Following the girl's directions, Xu Yang brought her to the gate of a sprawling residence.
Xu Yang looked down and asked, "Is this the place, little sister?"
The girl nodded, staring blankly. "It seems like it, but then again, it doesn't!" As she spoke, she worriedly poked her head. Xu Yang was speechless, so he took her hand and knocked on the gate's ring.
With a creak, the gate opened from within, and a man of about sixty stepped out. Xu Yang's heart tightened. The old man made no sound as he walked, and his energy and spirit were astonishingly full. His martial arts were clearly profound. Xu Yang immediately went on guard.
The old man seemed not to notice Xu Yang's wariness. He spotted the little girl beside him, and his expression changed at once. With a flicker, he appeared in front of them and reached for her.
Xu Yang hurriedly stepped in front of the girl. A cold glint flashed in the old man's eyes. His left hand shot out faster, heading straight for Xu Yang's right shoulder. Xu Yang thrust out his right hand and met the old man's left with a sharp slap. A tremendous force surged into him, and he could no longer keep his footing. He flew backward.
At the same time, a sharp current of true energy followed his meridians and invaded his body. Xu Yang's injuries had not yet healed; this blow only made them worse, and he immediately spat out a mouthful of blood.
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