PS: There were some problems with the previous ten chapters, and they'll need major revisions.
So starting with this chapter (36), there may be some discontinuity.
I expect to finish the revisions in two days (5.9).
You can wait until then, and start rereading from Chapter 21.
Of all the people, Manager Liu Xitian was the happiest to hear that Lu Cheng had recovered two carts of medicinal herbs.
Liu Xitian had originally been nothing more than a farmer.
When that great figure in the imperial court had collapsed in Liu Village, he had been less than ten years old.
It was only when he reached middle age, after that official had risen to prominence, that Liu Village began to prosper.
So people of Liu Xitian's generation were just like the chickens and dogs who ascended to heaven when one man attained the Dao.
People like him had never received the slightest training in commerce or political intrigue.
He had no learning, nor the slightest breadth of vision or experience.
Yet, because his Lineage had developed so rapidly, he had gained a status far above that of his peers in a short time. He mistakenly believed he, too, was a man of great talent and ambition.
Little by little, he had developed the arrogance of a nouveau riche who looked down on everyone.
But whenever a real problem arose, he was immediately exposed for what he was.
Forget solving problems; he could barely even control his own emotions.
The herbs had already been ordered. If they were lost, Liu Village would have to pay a huge sum in compensation.
That was enough to send the already-useless Liu Xitian into a panic.
If the herbs were lost, he would surely be cast to the edge of power in Liu Village. He might even be sent off to grow herbs.
He had worked hard for half his life to become a landowner, and had barely enjoyed it for a few days. Who could stomach having to return to the fields?
And it wasn't just him. His whole family would struggle to rise again.
On top of that, he had, after all, come from a farming family.
In the past, bandits had attacked their deliveries, but they had always been easily driven off.
Now, after witnessing so many deaths, he was nearly scared witless.
So when Lu Cheng managed to recoup some of the losses, the useless man felt a little of that familiar sense of security.
He had felt it once before, when he was leading a team for the first time and the guards had easily driven off a bandit attack.
Now, the memory had returned.
With someone to rely on, he regained a little courage and clear-headedness.
That was right. Lu Cheng was still with the party.
Ever since Lu Cheng had rescued Liu Xitian from the river bandits, the manager, who had once been hostile toward him, had come to trust him quite a bit.
Now, he almost regarded Lu Cheng as his savior.
Having survived the disaster, he could no longer hold himself back.
The man in his forties laughed and cried at the same time.
Tears and snot streaked his smiling face as he repeatedly bowed to Lu Cheng.
He looked utterly ridiculous.
"Lu Cheng, Young Hero Lu, we owe it all to you! I was so rude to you before. I was truly blind!"
As he spoke, he even raised a hand and began slapping himself.
"I deserve to die! I deserve to die!"
Lu Cheng spent a long while calming him down before finally stopping him.
Liu Xitian wiped away his tears and snot, then looked around.
Of the original ten carts, only four remained. The party of more than thirty people had been reduced to less than a third of its original size.
His emotions surged up again, and he nearly burst into tears once more.
"Good heavens! If only I'd listened to Young Hero Lu earlier, things wouldn't have ended up like this!"
"How am I supposed to explain this to the Lineage?"
At Liu Xitian's words, the remaining people all changed expressions.
Xiao Kuang of Emerald Cloud Abbey and Zhou Yunxiang of Lin Martial Arts Hall were especially troubled.
As the leaders of the guards, their duty had been to keep the convoy safe.
Under normal circumstances, it might have been easy enough to explain.
But everyone in the party knew that the two had been at each other's throats throughout the journey.
They had nearly split up the party.
With losses this severe, there was no way either of them could escape blame.
Compensation was a secondary concern. The real problem was that they had brought shame upon their respective schools.
So this time, the two had to "cooperate."
They exchanged a glance and, through a rare bit of wordless communication, reached an agreement.
Xiao Kuang was on better terms with Liu Xitian, so he spoke first.
"Manager Liu, don't be too anxious."
"This situation was unlike anything we've encountered before. No one could have expected so many martial artists to attack us."
"Four martial artists at the Refining Strength Mid-Stage, ten at the Early Stage of Strength Refining, and more than twenty skilled fighters."
Xiao Kuang's face filled with rueful astonishment.
"With strength like that, they're already on par with some martial arts factions."
"Even the Cloud Billow Sect and Flying Cloud Sect in Yang City each have only one martial artist at the Late Stage of Strength Refining to hold down the fort."
Zhou Yunxiang nodded as well.
"That's right. Those river bandits and thugs we encountered along the way were nothing to worry about."
"So this time, it wasn't our fault that we failed."
"On the contrary, managing to save half the herbs was no small feat."
"No matter who had been in charge, they couldn't have done as well as you, Manager Liu."
To Liu Xitian, those words were as good as handing him a ready-made excuse.
Sure enough, he felt relieved as soon as he heard them.
A hint of joy crept onto his face.
That was right. Xiao Kuang and Zhou Yunxiang were absolutely right.
The situation had been so complicated. How could he be blamed?
The bandits were practically the equivalent of a martial arts sect.
Yet the convoy's defenses had been no different from before—well, except for Lu Cheng.
But he had also saved two carts of herbs.
Looked at that way, he had rendered meritorious service, not made a mistake!
Liu Village had only begun dealing extensively with martial artists in recent years, after it started growing herbs.
For more than a decade before that, it had been occupied with ordinary business.
When would Liu Xitian ever have had a chance to encounter martial artists?
So, in just a few words, the two men changed his understanding of the situation.
He didn't even think to hold them responsible for failing to protect the convoy.
Lu Cheng said nothing.
He simply watched as the two men took turns "fooling" Liu Xitian.
Lu Cheng didn't care what became of Xiao Kuang and Zhou Yunxiang.
Nor could he influence Liu Village's decision.
The only thing he could do was find the inside man, for Fatty and the other two.
What happened after that was none of his concern.
Once the three of them had finished "comforting" one another, Lu Cheng spoke.
"Manager Liu, now that things have come to this, what are your plans from here?"
Given the convoy's current state, there was no way they could continue to Yunshan County.
They could either turn back.
Or they could stay here and wait for Liu Village to send more people and replenish the herbs.
But based on Lu Cheng's judgment, Liu Village wouldn't choose the latter.
"Well..."
Liu Xitian couldn't make up his mind right away.
He could only look to Xiao Kuang, Zhou Yunxiang, and Lu Cheng.
Xiao Kuang and Zhou Yunxiang had only just managed to fool Liu Xitian and "agree" on what to say. How could they dare to say anything now?
Seeing Liu Xitian hesitate, one lowered his head while the other turned away.
Neither would meet his eyes.
Left with no choice, Liu Xitian stared at Lu Cheng.
Lu Cheng gave a cold laugh inwardly, but kept his expression unchanged. He lowered his voice.
"If Manager Liu hasn't made any arrangements, I do have a suggestion."
Liu Xitian hurriedly said, "A suggestion from Young Hero Lu would be more than welcome. Please, tell us."
Xiao Kuang and Zhou Yunxiang also turned their eyes toward him.
Lu Cheng looked at Liu Xitian.
"To be honest, while pursuing the enemy, I recognized their identities from the way one of the bandits moved!"
"Tomorrow morning, I'll hurry back to Liu Village and find the clan chief."
"Then I'll ask the Martial Suppression Battalion to take action. Not only can we recover the herbs, we can wipe out those lowlifes who skulk in the shadows!"
As he spoke, Lu Cheng kept the two men in the corner of his eye.
He took in every reaction they made.
The moment he said the first sentence, he caught a flicker of panic on one of their faces.
Seeing that, Lu Cheng immediately understood.
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