The arrow struck the bandit squarely in the chest. He let out a scream, and his cleaver clattered to the ground.
Wang Min was locked in combat with another bandit. Hearing the commotion behind him, he caught sight of the fallen man out of the corner of his eye.
Then he saw the hunting bow in Li Yuan's hands and immediately understood.
"Good shot, kid!"
Seizing the moment when the bandit opposite him was distracted, Wang Min swung his thick-backed cleaver in a sweeping slash, forcing the man back.
The battle did not last long. The bandits looked fierce, but seemed to value their lives dearly. They fought with their hands tied, afraid of getting hurt.
After a dozen or so of them had died, they began to lose their nerve.
The escorts from the Wei Yuan Escort Agency, meanwhile, worked together with practiced ease. By comparison, the bandits seemed like a ragtag group thrown together at the last minute.
Li Yuan's arrows also proved a great help. Every time he drew his bow, another bandit was either killed or wounded.
Those who tried to close in on him were swiftly subdued with a few moves.
He wasn't afraid of being approached, either. After learning the Five Animals Fist, he was just as capable in close combat as at range.
The bandit leader was a brawny man in the Ox Skin Realm. He had exchanged blows with Sun Tong for a while.
Seeing that he couldn't break through despite his repeated attacks, and that the other side had an archer backing them up while his own men had already suffered several casualties, he knew this was a bone too tough to chew.
He gave a signal, indicating that they should retreat.
"Don't chase desperate foes! Check for casualties and tighten the perimeter!" Sun Tong shouted, stopping the escorts who wanted to pursue.
Who knew whether the enemy was trying to lure them away? They also had to guard against an ambush.
Protecting the cargo came first.
The mood beside the bonfire was heavy and oppressive.
Two escorts had died, three others had been seriously injured, and one porter was badly wounded.
The men wrapped the two dead escorts in cloth, intending to take them to the next town for burial.
Li Yuan and the others stood around their comrades' bodies, silent.
They had been chatting together just that evening. Now they were gone.
Wang Min sighed and patted Li Yuan on the shoulder. "That's the life of an escort. You walk with a blade at your throat.
"We'll take them back. The agency won't skimp on their compensation."
Clearly, they couldn't stay there.
The party set off in the night and followed the main road for several miles before making camp again on a small hillside sheltered from the wind.
Li Yuan only rested with his eyes closed for a little while. In these troubled times, strength was the only sure foundation for survival.
If he had been a little stronger, perhaps those men wouldn't have died.
The next day, after what had happened the night before, the party's mood was noticeably subdued, and they spoke less.
After traveling for another two days, they finally saw Black Water County in the distance.
Once they had safely delivered the cargo to the county and completed the handover,
"Uncle Wang, Uncle Sun, I'd like to look around the county. I'll come back on my own later," Li Yuan said, finding Wang Min.
Wang Min looked him over. The kid was skilled and level-headed; he didn't seem like the sort to cause trouble.
He nodded. "All right. Be careful and come back early. We'll rest today and head back tomorrow."
"Got it, Uncle Wang," Li Yuan replied.
After saying goodbye to the two men, Li Yuan asked for directions to Quiet Heart Temple, then left Black Water County alone.
It was deep winter, and the weather was cold and dry.
Li Yuan wore a faded gray cotton robe, with a cotton-and-linen jacket over it and a felt hat pulled down against the wind.
Years of training in the mountains and practicing martial arts had made him sturdier. His steps were steady, and there was confidence in his eyes.
Quiet Heart Temple stood on a small hill about three miles outside Black Water County.
Under the gray sky, Li Yuan followed a stone-paved path. The leaves had all fallen from the trees along the road, leaving only bare branches.
After walking for about half an hour, he arrived at the gates of Quiet Heart Temple.
The temple was modest in size, with gray brick walls and tiled roofs. It exuded an ancient, tranquil air.
The vermilion gates had faded somewhat, but they were kept very clean.
Though it was winter, he could still see worshippers coming and going through the gates.
Some climbed the hill with devout expressions, while others descended looking relaxed. The temple's incense offerings were clearly doing well.
Li Yuan mingled with the worshippers and walked through the gates.
A bronze incense burner stood in the courtyard, sending up wisps of smoke that carried a faint sandalwood scent.
Unlike the others, Li Yuan didn't go in to pray. Instead, he reached out and stopped a young novice passing by.
"Little Master, might I ask whether the abbot is here? Someone asked me to deliver a letter," Li Yuan said politely.
The novice glanced at him and pressed his palms together. "Please follow me, benefactor."
The novice led Li Yuan through the front courtyard to a quiet meditation room at the back.
"My master is inside."
Li Yuan thanked him and gently knocked on the door.
"Come in."
A calm voice came from within.
Li Yuan pushed the door open and entered.
The room was simply furnished: a bed, a table, a chair, and several bookshelves filled with sutras.
An old monk in a blue-gray robe, with a white beard and brows, sat at the table.
"I was asked by Madam Chen of Wuxi County to deliver a letter." Li Yuan took the pale-yellow envelope from inside his robe and handed it to him.
The old monk took the envelope and carefully examined the intact orchid design on the seal, then gave a slight nod.
He did not open it immediately. Instead, he took a small cloth pouch from a drawer and handed it to Li Yuan. "Sorry for the trouble, benefactor. Please accept this payment for your journey."
Li Yuan took the pouch. "You're too kind, Abbot. It was my duty."
"You're no ordinary man. The journey was long, and you've worked hard," the old monk said warmly.
"Would you care to rest at the temple for a while and have a vegetarian meal before you leave?"
"Thank you for your kindness, Abbot, but I still have to return to Wuxi. I can't stay long," Li Yuan declined.
The old monk did not press him. He joined his palms together. "Amitabha. May you have a safe journey."
Li Yuan returned the gesture and left the room.
After confirming there were indeed five taels of silver in the pouch, Li Yuan felt relieved.
"As long as I'm careful on the way, this task is pretty easy."
With the cargo gone, they encountered no further danger on the return journey to Wuxi County.
Soon, the party arrived back in Wuxi County.
After recording the return at the Wei Yuan Escort Agency, Li Yuan collected his wages and immediately spent most of them on meat.
With chaos looming, Li Yuan, who had studied history, knew that silver would only become less valuable.
Stockpiling as much grain as possible while he still could was what mattered most.
Li Yuan stored some of the meat and rice he'd bought in his rented place in the Shanty Town and the rest in Blue Stone Village.
After the last time his home had been robbed, he split his food in half this time.
The Shanty Town wasn't safe, either. Once he had the money, Li Yuan would find a better place and buy a house.
A few days later, Li Yuan returned to Five Animals Academy to continue tempering his qi and blood.
In recent days, however, a student in the Ox Skin Realm had joined the academy.
His name was Lin Mingsheng, a member of the Lin Family, one of the four great clans in the Inner City.
He was around seventeen or eighteen, about the same age as Li Yuan.
He was fair and handsome, with abundant qi and blood—a picture-perfect pretty boy.
Zhao Qin said the great clans were clever, too, with the world in such turmoil.
Whether in a great clan or a martial arts school, resources inevitably flowed toward some people more than others.
They selected students who weren't especially gifted and sent them to various martial arts schools, where they could build relationships early with capable students from well-off families.
When necessary, they could also help those students with resources from their clans.
It was easy to add flowers to brocade, but hard to send charcoal in a snowstorm.
When those students eventually left their martial arts schools, where else would they go? Wouldn't they naturally consider joining the great clans that could provide them with resources?
That also let the clans forge ties with the students' families. It was why every trade and business in Wuxi County depended on them.
The poor would only get poorer, and the rich richer.
Lin Mingsheng wasn't the only one. The same thing happened at the other martial arts schools.
For Lin Mingsheng, learning all five styles of the Five Animals Fist to perfection would still be worth it.
Mastering all five styles of the Five Animals Fist certainly had a high ceiling, but it would take a great deal of effort.
Before you continue