Escort

Zuo Dongxi had spent more than a decade fighting his way up through the Patrol Horse Gang. He had always handled things steadily.

The Feng Family job had come so suddenly that he had no time to prepare.

Besides, he had recently heard in the gang that the Feng Family's third young master had fallen out with the eldest branch. In the end, a Clan Elder had to step in personally before the dispute was barely contained.

The waters ran too deep in great families like these. Zuo Dongxi had never wanted to wade in, but he owed the Feng Family's chief steward a favor.

He could not turn down the job, so he had to grit his teeth and take it.

The men of the Patrol Horse Gang were old brothers who had licked blood from the blade's edge alongside him. He did not want to drag them into this nest of trouble.

Then an idea struck him: he could turn to the carriage company.

He barely knew most of its people.

Even if someone came to harm on the road, a little silver would settle matters.

His conscience could live with that.

Shen Chongsan had said Chen Ye was a Martial Master recommended by Head Escort Sun. He was solidly skilled and, having only just arrived, had no relatives, friends, or family to tie him down. He fit Zuo Dongxi's requirements perfectly.

If the journey went smoothly, everyone would be happy, and it might even open wider roads for him in the future.

If something went wrong, it would not shake the Patrol Horse Gang's foundations.

Satisfied, he promptly took Chen Ye and the carriages straight to the Feng Mansion.

Capital City, outside the Feng Mansion.

Zuo Dongxi brought the three new carriages to a steady halt at the gate and called behind him. Chen Ye jumped down from the driver's bench.

"The Feng Family may only be a lesser branch, but it's still a century-old Aristocratic Clan. The reward for this job won't be small." Zuo Dongxi patted Chen Ye's shoulder and lowered his voice. "Keep your eyes sharp on the road. If there's a problem with a carriage, deal with it promptly. If anything really happens, don't charge forward, but don't hide at the back either. Use your head."

Chen Ye murmured his agreement and looked up.

The two stone lions before the Feng Mansion glared fiercely, while a pair of drum-shaped stone blocks stood inside, steady as mountains.

This was an Aristocratic Clan founded on military merit.

Chen Ye counted silently. Five carriages were already parked outside, nearly filling the whole street.

It was quite a display. He wondered what the Feng Family was planning.

Before long, the Feng Family's side gate opened, and a lean middle-aged man came out.

His clothes were a little finer than an ordinary manager's, and his eyes were keen. His arms reached past his knees; his finger joints were broad and covered in thick calluses. Every movement carried an air of crisp efficiency.

His presence was dense and contained, giving nothing away.

Before the man even reached him, Chen Ye felt every hair on his body stand up, as though needles were pricking his skin.

The four grains of True Yang deep in his dantian grew faintly warm.

This was no ordinary man.

Chen Ye sensed that the man's cultivation far surpassed his own.

Zuo Dongxi hurried forward, cupped his fists, and smiled. "Steward Feng, I'm glad I could deliver! The carriages and horses are all ready for you."

"As expected of you, Gang Leader Zuo. If you hadn't stepped in, I truly wouldn't have known how to answer for this assignment. You've done me a great favor." Steward Feng cupped his fists in return, his words leaving no opening.

After they exchanged pleasantries, the Feng Family's chief steward grew serious. "This shipment is vital to the third young master. Nothing can go wrong on the road. You must deliver both him and the goods on time."

Zuo Dongxi thumped his chest and promised he would.

He also pointed to Chen Ye. "This is a Martial Master from the carriage company who has undergone Mortal Shedding. He knows carriages and horses, too. Knowing how much the third young master values this journey, I specifically asked the company to send him along to lend a hand. I guarantee he won't hold up the young master's business."

"With your word on it, Gang Leader Zuo, I can rest easy."

Chen Ye stood quietly to one side, his gaze passing over the Feng Family steward and the guards behind him. He said nothing.

After another short wait, the man they were waiting for finally emerged from the mansion.

The third young master, Feng Yanwu, looked to be in his twenties, with fine, handsome features.

He wore a pale-blue silk robe and a green jade pendant at his waist. Standing there, he was as upright as pine and bamboo, with an air of refined nobility.

He was unlike Gao Yunheng.

This Feng Family young master treated others with gentle courtesy, without a trace of an Aristocratic Clan heir's arrogance.

As he came through the gate, his gaze swept over the servants waiting outside, and he nodded slightly in greeting.

When he passed the lead carriage, he noticed a loose mortise-and-tenon joint on its driver's bench. He raised a hand for a servant to fix it, then inspected it carefully himself.

On the way here, Zuo Dongxi had mentioned that this third young master was a strong contender to become the Feng Family's next head.

Despite his youth, he had already undergone Mortal Shedding five times and brought his body to perfection.

In another year or two, he was very likely to break through to the Dragon Elephant Realm.

By then, the position of family head would most likely be his.

Feng Yanwu personally inspected the convoy, then waved for the loading to begin.

For a time, figures hurried back and forth before the Feng Mansion.

Servants streamed out of the mansion like ants, carrying boxes to load into the carriages.

Once all the goods were loaded, Feng Yanwu checked that nothing had been left behind. Only then did he dismiss the servants, keeping a group of guards to accompany him.

The old steward attentively lifted the carriage curtain for him and presented the purple clay tea set he usually used.

Then he took a green porcelain jar of tea from a servant beside him and passed it into the carriage. "Young master, the old madam sent this Spring Jade Tea over this morning. She asked you to savor it slowly on the road, and to be careful in what you say and do."

"Mm." Feng Yanwu took it calmly and stepped into the carriage.

The convoy set off.

Zuo Dongxi rode at its head, while Chen Ye brought up the rear.

The long procession rolled through the streets, passed beneath the towering city gate, and took the official road.

Sitting at the rear of the convoy, Chen Ye glanced back toward the Feng Mansion. Something about this did not feel right.

Before setting out, he had asked around. The convoy was exceptionally well guarded, with no shortage of martial artists who, like him, had undergone Mortal Shedding.

On the surface, its defenses were tight. Nothing could go wrong.

Yet for some reason, the entire group felt too solemn for an ordinary delivery.

After everything he had been through, Chen Ye had been burned too many times. Instinctively, he put himself on high alert.

For the next half day.

Feng Yanwu stayed inside his carriage. Attendants rode on horseback around him, while his trusted aides remained at his side, waiting on him closely.

The journey was peaceful.

Chen Ye shook his head, assuming he had been overthinking it.

The heavy cargo meant the convoy had to stop from time to time to rest and water the horses.

By afternoon.

The convoy stopped in the countryside, about a hundred li from Luoyang.

The sun blazed overhead, and the carriage was stifling.

Feng Yanwu could no longer bear it, so he stepped out to stretch his limbs.

Several guards stood a few paces away. Sweat had soaked through their short tunics, plastering the cloth to their backs.

Feng Yanwu glanced at them, then turned and gave a few instructions to an aide beside him.

The aide took several waterskins from the carriage and handed them to the guards one by one.

Feng Yanwu took one as well, but did not drink. He held it as he walked ahead to admire the scenery.

Along the way, he spotted a clear spring bubbling from a crack in the rocks nearby. Its rippling water was clear enough to reflect a face.

His eyes lit up. "Fetch some spring water. It'll be perfect for making tea."

The guards knew he loved tea more than life itself. They immediately sent someone to draw water and boiled it on the spot.

To be safe, a guard tested the water with a spirit needle and even had several men drink a few mouthfuls first. Only after they showed no ill effects did he take out the Spring Jade Tea and carefully brew it.