Escort Run

Leaving Hundred Herb Hall, Jiang Che suddenly spotted a shop selling cooked food not far across the street.

The scent of roast chicken drifted over.

Jiang Che sniffed, unable to stop himself from craving it.

Compared to Exotic Beast Meat, this roast chicken was simply a supreme delicacy.

He walked over. "Boss, how much is the roast chicken?"

"Three hundred copper coins each! Roasted fresh today. Would you like one, sir?"

The owner was a short man, not even reaching Jiang Che's chest.

"Fine, give me one!" Jiang Che took out the copper coins and paid without hesitation.

To the old Jiang Che, three hundred copper coins would have been an enormous sum.

But after buying expensive Exotic Beast Meat, he now felt that this roast chicken was truly far too cheap.

Though it was not Exotic Beast Meat, eating more meat could still replenish a little Qi-Blood. It was useful, at least.

Besides, both he and his sister craved it.

Once it had been wrapped in lotus leaves, Jiang Che carried the roast chicken home.

When he was nearly home, Jiang Che suddenly noticed several burly men in black jackets, short blades tucked at their waists, going door to door and asking about something.

They looked fierce and vicious, pounding on doors until they shook.

An old man whose door had been forcibly smashed open was pale as death, while the children behind him had been frightened into endless tears.

"The Thunderbolt Gang..."

Jiang Che recognized them.

If it had been the old Jiang Che, he might have been afraid.

But now, he was already a Martial Artist.

Those ordinary gang members who had not even cultivated Qi-Blood, no matter how sturdy they were, were no match for him.

In a sense, Martial Artists were no longer ordinary people.

Jiang Che walked straight over.

When the Thunderbolt Gang members saw Jiang Che approaching, they had just been about to stop him.

But then they saw the disciple uniform of White Cloud Martial Hall on him and sensed the sharp aura radiating from his body. Their expressions instantly changed.

"A Blood-Qi Realm Martial Artist..."

They muttered under their breaths.

"Retreat!"

The leader did not want to clash with a Martial Artist and immediately led his men away.

"Sir, what was that about?" Jiang Che stepped forward and asked.

The old man was bald and wore a white short jacket. As he watched the departing Thunderbolt Gang members, terror still lingered on his face.

"Alas, what a sin! Those fiends from the Thunderbolt Gang!"

The old man's voice was hoarse, still trembling from the shock.

"People from their gang have been dying one after another lately. It's eerie as hell! Every one of them had their heads gone, their bellies slit open, and their innards missing. It was a miserable sight!

"But they still haven't caught whoever did it. Their gang leader says someone is playing tricks and pretending to be ghosts, so they send people out to investigate every day. But I think..."

The old man shrank his neck and lowered his voice. "It must be some evil specter!"

Jiang Che nodded and said no more.

"Looks like that Green-Eyed Monster is getting more and more brazen..."

The moment Jiang Che recalled the scene from that night, a chill ran through his heart, and he unconsciously quickened his pace.

His strength had improved considerably since his breakthrough, yet he still felt he was no match for that monster.

"At the very least, it's in the Stone Skin Realm... no, perhaps even the Iron-Hide Realm!"

Jiang Che thought to himself.

When he returned home, Jiang Ling was sitting with her head lowered, sewing something.

"Brother, you're back!" The moment Jiang Ling saw Jiang Che come home, she quickly hid what she was holding behind her back and hurried over.

"Didn't I tell you not to take on this kind of work anymore?" Jiang Che frowned, his tone carrying a trace of helplessness.

"I don't know what else to do at home, so... being idle is still being idle." Jiang Ling's face reddened slightly, and a flash of panic crossed her eyes.

Then, as though she had smelled something, her eyes lit up at once.

"Huh?"

Seeing her expression, Jiang Che's lips curved up unconsciously. He took out the roast chicken wrapped in lotus leaves.

"Wow! Roast chicken!"

Jiang Ling cried out in delight, practically bouncing with excitement.

"I'm attached to the escort agency now. I earn thirty taels of silver a month, and every escort run brings another ten taels! It's only roast chicken—we can eat it every day!" Jiang Che patted her head.

"Wow, roast chicken every day!" Jiang Ling's eyes widened until they were round as coins.

Soon, the siblings sat around the table and began devouring the food with great gusto.

After finishing the roast chicken, Jiang Che took several oil-paper packets of Exotic Beast Meat jerky from his clothes and carefully spread them across the table.

"Brother, what's this?" Jiang Ling asked curiously.

Jiang Che handed her a strip. Jiang Ling picked it up and sniffed it, immediately wrinkling her brow.

"What a fishy, gamey smell. What is this?" Jiang Ling's little face instantly scrunched into a ball, and she put it back down in disgust.

"This is Exotic Beast Meat jerky. Martial Artists use it to replenish Qi-Blood," Jiang Che explained.

"This... can you really eat it? Won't it upset your stomach?" Jiang Ling's face was full of doubt.

"Of course you can eat it... though it really doesn't smell very good, and... well, it doesn't taste very good either." Jiang Che shook his head with a bitter smile. "But to replenish Qi-Blood, you have to eat it no matter how bad it tastes!"

With that, he picked up a strip of jerky, black with a hint of red. He broke off a small piece, drew a deep breath, and put it into his mouth.

The moment he began chewing, the fishy, gamey stench grew even stronger and instantly filled the entire room.

His sister covered her nose and left.

Jiang Che did not dare chew for long and swallowed it with grim determination.

Yet it seemed to stick in his throat, nearly choking him to death. He hurriedly gulped down a mouthful of water before finally managing to swallow it.

Before long, he felt a swelling heat in his lower abdomen.

The body that had been depleted from excessive martial training without timely replenishment also seemed to be gradually recovering.

His eyes lit up. He picked up a brush and noted down the type of jerky, as well as the Qi-Blood sensation it produced.

Then, he began trying the next piece.

After trying all the Exotic Beast Meat jerkies, Jiang Che compared them carefully and discovered that the most effective one was unexpectedly not the Pig-Sheep Beast jerky, but jerky from a snake-like Exotic Beast!

It came from a Black Beast called the Shadow Ring Snake, an Exotic Beast bred from ordinary venomous snakes.

"Looks like Senior Brother Zhang was right. What suits others may not necessarily suit me..."

"I'll buy this one from now on."

Jiang Che silently committed it to memory.

That day, Jiang Che was practicing his fists in the Disciple Courtyard of White Cloud Martial Hall.

Sweat soaked through his training clothes, and every punch carried the sound of wind.

After eating Exotic Beast Meat for several days in a row, Jiang Che felt his Qi-Blood had grown much stronger.

Though he was still inferior to Zhang Xiong and the others.

He was already far stronger than before.

"Layered Cloud Fist is almost at Minor Accomplishment Realm too..."

[Layered Cloud Fist Entry Realm (86/100)]

Jiang Che looked at the Proficiency Panel, joy rising in his heart.

Everything was slowly getting better.

"Senior Brother Jiang!" An ordinary apprentice from the Martial Arts Hall called from the entrance. "Someone's here to see you!"

Jiang Che stopped moving, wiped away his sweat, and headed for the entrance.

A thread of excitement rose in Jiang Che's heart. Could it be...

Outside stood a man dressed in a fitted blue outfit.

"Brother Jiang Che?" the man asked.

"That's me." Jiang Che nodded.

"I'm Li Qiang, an escort master from the Zhenyuan Escort Agency."

The man cupped his fists.

"Three days from now, there's an escort run to Hengsha City—delivering goods, that is. We're short on hands, so Manager Wang sent me to ask whether you want to go."

Hengsha City!

Jiang Che's heart leaped.

It was finally here!

"I'll go!" Jiang Che answered without the slightest hesitation.

"Good! Gather at the escort agency entrance at the hour of the Rabbit three days from now." Li Qiang turned and left after saying that.

Jiang Che stood where he was, excitement stirring in his heart.

At last, he had a chance to go to Hengsha City!

But soon, he frowned.

What about his sister, Jiang Ling?

He was not at ease leaving her home alone.

Especially with the Thunderbolt Gang causing trouble lately, and that Green-Eyed Monster...

He had to think of something.