Zhenyuan Escort Agency

After Luo Bin finished speaking, the page boy's face turned pale with fear. Anyone bold enough to say such a thing was far beyond the reach of a mere gatekeeper to offend. He immediately took off running toward the inner courtyard, shouting as he went:

"Gentlemen, masters, someone's come to challenge our escort agency!"

"Come out quickly and take charge! Oh, woe is me..."

His voice struck the still waters like a pebble, and ripples spread in an instant.

"Who? Who's got the nerve to challenge our Zhenyuan Escort Agency? Do they not know the reputation of our escort guards and Martial Masters? I want to see who's got a bear's heart and a leopard's gall..."

A burly man in a short jacket snorted. He was about to rush outside to "see for himself" what this challenger looked like, when another, short and thin man beside him suddenly grabbed him.

"Wei Ang, don't be rash. Times have changed. If someone dares to challenge us, they must have something to rely on. What if they have guns? We Golden Skin Pass brothers would have a hard time taking that.

"Better to call out Brother Duan and the other Jade Bone Pass experts to put on a show of strength. If anything goes wrong, there'll be less chance of someone getting hurt."

The burly man called Wei Ang was reckless, but not stupid. After hearing the short, thin man's words, he thought it over briefly, then headed toward the rear courtyard.

The Zhenyuan Escort Agency's grounds were unlike the "several courtyards deep" residences of wealthy families. The interior had been remodeled and divided into just a front courtyard and a rear courtyard. The front courtyard housed mostly Golden Skin Pass fighters, along with some Martial Masters who had yet to enter a realm...

The agency's four Jade Bone Pass Martial Masters all lived in the rear courtyard.

A short while later, with Wei Ang leading the way, a man in a dark blue short jacket walked out, his stride steady and his bearing composed. The two of them immediately spotted Luo Bin.

Luo Bin had been admiring the scenery around him. Sensing something, he turned and looked over. His gaze met the two approaching Martial Masters in turn, then settled on the steady-striding man.

"Young master, you've come alone... to challenge our agency?" Wei Ang felt an absurdity well up inside him.

The boy looked about sixteen or seventeen. Even if he came from one of Ping City's wealthy families, how much could he have achieved in martial arts at such a young age? Was he really challenging the entire Zhenyuan Escort Agency by himself?

Never mind Wei Ang and the vigorous, prime-of-life escort guard beside him, Duan Qing. There were also plenty of veteran guards who had immersed themselves in martial arts for years. Though they spent much of the year escorting goods on the road, quite a few were still at the agency...

When they heard the words "someone's come to challenge us," none of them had even bothered to get up from their heated kangs. Wei Ang was the only one cautious enough to bring along someone who had broken through into the Jade Bone Pass just a few days ago.

Luo Bin's gaze lingered on Duan Qing as he sized him up.

The pressure this man gave him was nowhere near Jiang Ling's. But looking at the skin exposed by his short jacket, the lustrous quality of the Golden Skin Realm seemed to have faded. His overall bearing was restrained. In an instant, Luo Bin reached a conclusion.

This was a Jade Bone Pass Martial Master!

The battle-loving streak in his blood stirred, even as it gave rise to a question.

"What's going on with this Zhenyuan Escort Agency? Any escort guard who comes out seems to have Jade Bone Pass strength?"

"I've been with the Chen Family for so many days. A family this large ought to have at least one publicly known Jade Bone Martial Master, besides the unfathomable Jiang Ling..."

"The Chen Family is playing me!"

Luo Bin came back to himself and said, "That's right. I'm alone.

"I've long heard of the Zhenyuan Escort Agency's prestige. Its escort guards can travel through the Ghostly Demon Forest without trouble, and have even worked with the ocean merchants of the Kingdom of Balun. But I wonder, have you ever seen those 'Western false gods'?"

Wei Ang was a late-stage Golden Skin Pass Martial Master. Unlike ordinary people, he had his own pride. Hearing Luo Bin's arrogant tone, he was instantly furious and was about to teach this ignorant young man a lesson when Duan Qing suddenly reached out his right hand and pressed down on his shoulder with a surging force.

"Brother Duan, you...!"

"You're too hotheaded. Go back and rest. I'll handle this."

Wei Ang slunk back into the courtyard. Duan Qing smiled like a spring breeze and said, "Young master, you haven't entered the Jade Bone Pass. I'm afraid you won't be able to challenge our agency..."

Luo Bin smiled. "How do you know I can't? I'd like to see what a Jade Bone Pass Martial Master can do."

That was exactly his goal. If he introduced himself politely, the agency's Martial Masters would surely give him the runaround. After all, the upper echelons of Ping City cared about their reputations; they wouldn't gang up on a junior.

But when he came in with an attitude so obnoxious it practically begged for a beating, things were different.

Only then could he make these worldly, slippery escort guards who had spent years roaming the martial world hate him to the bone and go all out...

Duan Qing chuckled. "Since you're so confident, why don't we move into the courtyard? Out here, we might disturb the passersby..."

"Fine."

Luo Bin didn't waste words. He followed Duan Qing inside.

A spacious training ground came into view. Many people were sparring in the open space, while a solid platform stood at the very center, where escort guards practiced against each other. At a glance, nearly all of them were early- or mid-stage Golden Skin Pass Martial Masters.

They were all young-looking, ranging from fifteen or sixteen to eighteen or nineteen. There were also plenty in their twenties, as well as middle-aged men. They were neatly dressed, their blood and qi abundant, and the ratio of men to women was roughly seven to three.

When the crowd saw Duan Qing lead in a young man wearing a suit, countless gazes swept over. Noticing the faintly bulging lines of muscle beneath Luo Bin's suit, they couldn't help frowning.

"Who is he? Brother Duan's a great Jade Bone Pass Martial Master, yet he's being so cordial to some kid?"

"He can't be simple. Didn't the gatekeeper just shout that someone was here to challenge us?"

"No way, is it him? He came alone to challenge the agency? Our Zhenyuan Escort Agency has plenty of brothers who haven't entered a realm, but our higher-level fighters are still far from weak."

Wei Ang added from among the crowd, "This is the guy who came to challenge us. He's unbelievably arrogant. Brother Duan and I already asked him why he was here...

"He really doesn't know what's good for him. I've never seen anyone dare to challenge us here in all these years..."

The murmuring rose and fell. When Duan Qing heard it, he felt the same way.

Now even just any Tom, Dick, or Harry could come to the escort agency and try to swindle them...

He waved down the people sparring on the platform, then explained the situation to the crowd. For a while, curses rang out without end.

"What gives some little brat the right to be so arrogant...!"

"Does he really think our agency is his own backyard, where he can come and go as he pleases? He'd better leave us with an explanation today, or we're not letting him walk out of here!"

Hearing the surging flood of reproaches, Luo Bin felt a thrill of excitement. Since reaching the peak of the Golden Skin Realm, the strength of the Pure Yang Body-Forging Technique had never been put to the test. Today was the perfect chance to sharpen his fighting skills and gain some insight.

But one thing had to be said: the Zhenyuan Escort Agency had a truly enormous number of Martial Masters...

Among those he'd encountered while dealing with the Chen Family and the Green Bamboo Gang, Zhang Huai and Hu Junzhi were Golden Skin Pass Martial Masters, and Luo Wendi seemed to be one too. As for Jade Bone Pass Martial Masters, he didn't know whether the Chen Family was deliberately hiding them, but he still hadn't seen a single one...

Yet here, in the Zhenyuan Escort Agency's courtyard, early-stage Golden Skin Pass fighters were everywhere, and mid-stage ones were as common as dogs.

Zhang Huai and Hu Junzhi were definitely on his side, so Luo Bin had held back when sparring with them, afraid he might hurt them... But today, he'd finally get to let loose!