Over the next few days, they encountered quite a few more refugees along the way, but nothing truly dangerous happened.
The weather was already harsh, and these refugees were cold and hungry. They simply didn't have the strength to keep chasing after the convoy.
Even when they stopped for the night, the convoy either stayed at a post station or camped directly out on the seldom-traveled Wilderness Plains.
Throughout those few days, Lu Yuan continued to do his best to practice Five Animals Fist once a day.
His proficiency had already passed two-thirds. At most, he reckoned it would take another three to five days to reach perfection.
In addition, he had successfully trained Wind-Breaking Blade Technique to the minor mastery stage, and his progress was nearly halfway to the next one.
If nothing unexpected happened, by the time he perfected Five Animals Fist, Wind-Breaking Blade Technique would likely reach perfection soon afterward.
By then, even if he hadn't undergone a second round of Blood Qi Tempering to become a Hidden Energy Realm martial artist, his abundant blood qi and blade aura should still let him easily hold his own against ordinary Hidden Energy Realm and even Transformation Realm martial artists.
The sun sank in the west over the barren wilderness.
Several bonfires burned beside a dead tree.
The escorts still gathered around one of the bonfires, chatting and laughing as they ate and drank.
Meanwhile, Wu Yu, Chen Ping, Lu Yuan, and the other Song Academy martial apprentices resumed practicing Wind-Breaking Blade Technique.
On the other side, Hong Lei and Fang Chang were also working hard under Master Song's personal instruction.
As for the important guest in the luxurious carriage, they hadn't come out once from beginning to end.
So everyone had been curious all along about what the guest inside the carriage was like: man or woman, young or old, and how many of them there were.
"Vmmm..."
Before long, a clear, low hum suddenly rang out.
Everyone turned to look. A scrawny young man in a worn blue jacket was swinging the blade in his hand faster and faster, his moves flowing smoothly into one another, almost like water running through clouds.
Each swing came faster than the last, as if it were stirring up fierce gusts of force.
"Has he reached the entry level?"
Someone couldn't help exclaiming.
"How is that possible? He mastered the basics of Wind-Breaking Blade Technique in just a few days? What kind of genius is Wang Liang?"
Wu Yu, Chen Pi, and the others stared at the young man in the blue jacket, unable to believe their eyes.
They had all been practicing Wind-Breaking Blade Technique extremely hard these past few days. They had even slowed their progress in Five Animals Fist because of it, yet they were still nowhere near reaching the entry level.
Wang Liang had been at Song Academy for more than three months, but he had only mastered the basics of Five Animals Fist a few days ago. And he had started learning Wind-Breaking Blade Technique at the same time as they had. How had he managed to master it in just a few short days?
"He really did it so quickly!"
Even Hong Lei and Fang Chang couldn't help showing a trace of surprise as they looked at Wang Liang.
Of course, cultivation was what mattered most to a martial artist. No matter how well someone mastered a technique, without sufficient cultivation to support it, it was difficult to unleash its true power.
In other words, Wang Liang had an ordinary constitution. Even if he had talent for blade techniques, he still couldn't threaten them and wasn't worth worrying about.
"What a pity. His talent for blade techniques is quite exceptional, but his constitution is too mediocre. He has no future. Otherwise, I could have had another disciple!"
Master Song merely glanced at Wang Liang with a flicker of surprise in his eyes, then paid him no further attention.
In his view, one's constitution determined everything. Without a good enough constitution, a person's potential was limited, and their future was all but nonexistent. They weren't worth investing time and resources in.
He himself was an example. His constitution was a little better than an ordinary person's, but it still wasn't anything special.
Though he had been fortunate enough to encounter martial arts in his youth, he had exhausted his potential before turning thirty and could no longer make the slightest progress. He would probably never manage to cross that threshold in his lifetime.
Perhaps he was considered a top Transformation Realm expert in Qinghe County, but outside it, he was nothing in front of a martial artist who had reached the ranks.
As the saying went, "Those who fail to enter the ranks are all ants!"
That was why he had placed all his hopes in his two personal disciples.
Fang Chang in particular had an even better constitution than Hong Lei's and could even be called a first-rate genius. With Master Song's full support, he had a very good chance of entering the ranks—and it wouldn't take more than five years.
As for the martial apprentices in the Outer Courtyard, whether it was Lu Yuan, who had mastered the basics of Five Animals Fist in half a month, or Wang Liang, who had mastered the basics of Wind-Breaking Blade Technique in just a few days, they were nothing more than shooting stars. Once their potential ran dry, they would fade into obscurity.
By then, quite a few people had gathered in front of Wang Liang to congratulate him.
"Wang Liang, well done!"
"To master the basics of Wind-Breaking Blade Technique in less than five days... Talents are as numerous as carp crossing the river. You can't look down on anyone. I'll have to keep working hard!"
Lu Yuan glanced up at Wang Liang, then continued practicing his blade swings.
[Wind-Breaking Blade Technique, Minor Mastery (631/1000)]
If all went well, he should be able to advance Wind-Breaking Blade Technique to major mastery tomorrow night.
Reaching perfection within five days and awakening his blade aura shouldn't be a problem either.
Although Lu Yuan had already trained Wind-Breaking Blade Technique to minor mastery, he hadn't deliberately pursued speed or force, since he wanted to conserve as much blood qi as possible. So while his movements looked smoother than everyone else's, they still didn't seem like those of someone who had reached the entry level, let alone minor mastery. As a result, he didn't attract much attention.
After practicing Wind-Breaking Blade Technique twice more, Lu Yuan put his blade away and began practicing Five Animals Fist.
When he finished, he wolfed down three meat buns before he finally recovered some of his strength.
"Once I bring Wind-Breaking Blade Technique to major mastery tomorrow, I should be able to protect myself, even if the road ahead turns dangerous!"
Leaning against the cargo, Lu Yuan gazed up at the sky and thought to himself.
He counted the sparse stars overhead, anticipation flickering within him, then slowly closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, it was already the next day.
The convoy continued onward, but it was moving much more slowly than it had over the past few days.
Not only had they left the Wilderness Plains and entered the mountainous region, where the roads were steep and difficult to travel, but the danger had also increased sharply now that they had crossed into another county.
The name of the Wei Yuan Escort Agency could intimidate every petty criminal in Qinghe County, but there was no guarantee it would work in other counties.
Besides, the mountains around them were high and densely wooded. Banditry was sure to be rampant.
If they ran into bandits who played by the rules, that would be fine. Given their employer's wealth, they could simply pay the toll.
But if they ran into bandits who didn't play by the rules—ones who wanted both their money and their lives—then they would probably have no choice but to fight their way through.
"We're already in Anding County. We should be able to reach the city safely by tomorrow or the day after!"
"We've been traveling for days, so we're a little tired, but at least we haven't run into any danger. Just hang on for two more days and we'll have those five taels of silver in our hands!"
"Stay on your guard. The closer we get to the end, the more likely something is to go wrong!"
Everyone kept glancing around as they spoke in low voices.
"Since we chose to escort the goods, we can't be afraid of danger. If any bandits dare come looking for death, I'll cut them down with one stroke and protect the employer!"
Chen Yong's gaze flickered. Then he spoke loudly.
"What a guy!"
Chen Pi frowned slightly.
Lu Yuan, meanwhile, pondered silently as he wiped down the long blade in his hand.
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