At dawn the next morning, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, Chen Jianghe found Su Derong in the front courtyard.
"Third Senior—"
He had barely started when he saw Su Derong hurriedly tying the sash of his outer robe, looking ready to head out.
"Jianghe? You're just in time!" Su Derong looked up, his eyes lighting up. "I was just about to come find you."
Chen Jianghe paused. "You were looking for me, Senior Brother?"
"Something's come up at home. I need to go back for a while." Su Derong tucked his fan into his belt and straightened his collar. "Would you be willing to come with me to the escort agency?"
Chen Jianghe's thoughts stirred, and he took the opportunity to say, "What a coincidence. I was just hoping to discuss something with you, Senior Brother..."
"Is it about getting a position?" Su Derong cut in, understanding in his eyes.
Chen Jianghe was taken aback. "How did you know?"
Su Derong's mouth twisted into a smile. "You broke through to Bright Strength yesterday, and Master gave you medicine. Naturally, your next step is to find a source of income. Which disciple in the school hasn't followed that path?"
He clapped Chen Jianghe on the shoulder. "As it happens, come with me today. My family's escort agency is short-handed right now."
Chen Jianghe's heart leapt with joy. He hurriedly clasped his fists. "Many thanks for giving me this opportunity, Senior Brother!"
"I've thought of you as my own brother for a while now, but don't thank me just yet." Su Derong waved his hand, his expression growing serious. "The escort agency has its rules, and there's a proper way to get a position. You may have reached Bright Strength, but you're still new. Plenty of things have to be done by the book."
"Come on. I'll explain on the way." Su Derong turned and headed out of the martial arts school.
Chen Jianghe hurried after him. They left through the side gate, one following the other, and headed west along the quiet streets of the early morning.
Su Derong fanned himself as they walked at an unhurried pace. "After you broke through to Bright Strength yesterday, I started thinking I should find you a steady way to make a living. Then word came from home, so I took the opportunity to bring you to the agency and show you the ropes."
He glanced sideways at Chen Jianghe. "But Jianghe, I need to make this clear first. The escort business may look glamorous, but it's dangerous. When you're out on a run, bandits, highwaymen, and cutthroats looking to rob you blind are all part of the job. Even if you only take a position and don't normally go out with the teams, if the agency runs into trouble, you'll still have to step up."
Chen Jianghe nodded. "I understand. Your willingness to recommend me is already a tremendous kindness."
They wound through streets and alleys. About half an hour later, they reached a fairly well-kept neighborhood in the western part of the Outer City.
The flagstone road was still pitted in places, but at least there were no streams of filthy water running through it. There were more shops on either side, most selling goods related to escort work, such as leather, ironware, and tack.
A grand residence stood ahead. Its black-lacquered gates were open, and a gilded signboard hung above them, bearing four bold characters: Su Family Escort Agency.
Several sturdy men squatted by the entrance. Dressed alike in short gray cloth jackets and broad leather belts, they were gathered around a stone lock, chatting and laughing. When they saw Su Derong, they quickly stood and bowed respectfully. "Young Gang Leader!"
Beyond the gate lay a spacious courtyard paved with blue bricks. Cargo chests and burlap sacks were piled beneath the corridors on either side, and the air was thick with the mixed smells of leather, tung oil, and fodder.
People bustled through the courtyard, carrying bundles, hitching carts, and feeding horses. Shouts, hoofbeats, and the rumble of wheels over stone filled the air, noisy but orderly.
Su Derong gestured with his fan as he walked, introducing the place to Chen Jianghe.
"See those fellows over there, catching their breath by the wall—" He nodded toward the corridor on the west side. "They're the runners."
Chen Jianghe followed the direction he pointed. The men were dark-skinned, mostly in their twenties or thirties. Their gray jackets had been washed pale, waterskins and batons hung from their belts, and their straw sandals had worn down to little more than thin soles.
"The runners?" Chen Jianghe asked.
"That's right. They're like the fellows at our martial arts school. They've trained for a few years but never reached the threshold of Bright Strength, so they can't stay at the school and come to the escort agency to earn a living instead. Our school is different, though—mainly because our master is different. Later, I'll have my uncle explain it all to you."
He paused. "Runners do the hardest and most dangerous jobs: scouting the road, delivering messages, and guarding the carts. If bandits show up, they're the ones who have to face them first. A short-distance run pays two or three taels of silver; a long one pays no less than seven or eight. The pay isn't much, but the risks are high. When highwaymen or bandits attack, the runners are usually the first to suffer. So the trade is full of poor fellows with no home and no work, gambling their lives for money."
Chen Jianghe silently nodded and turned his gaze to the other side.
Five or six men there carried themselves with noticeably greater composure. Their stances were relaxed and balanced, their shoulders and backs subtly braced with muscle and bone.
Some leaned against pillars, chatting; others were warming up alone. All wore indigo martial outfits like the men at the gate.
"Those are ordinary escort guards," Su Derong said. "You need at least Bright Strength to take a position. They're responsible for escorting goods, protecting the carts, and dealing with ordinary bandits. A short-distance run pays about twenty taels of silver. Long-distance and high-value runs pay even more."
"What about Dark Strength experts like you, Senior Brother?" Chen Jianghe asked.
Su Derong smiled and gave his fan a wave. "There are only seven or eight Dark Strength escort guards in the whole agency. They're the foundation the Su Family has built up over the years. They don't usually stay at the agency. They either take on long-distance, high-value runs or oversee our branches outside the city. Even when they're just on the roster, their monthly salary is no less than fifty taels, and they get a share of the profits on every run."
He suddenly tapped Chen Jianghe's shoulder with the spine of his fan. "Speaking of which, this is perfect. Come on, Jianghe. Let's trade a punch."
Chen Jianghe was taken aback. "Here?"
"Right here." Su Derong stepped back two paces, tucked his fan into his belt, and took a casual stance. "Attack me with all your Bright Strength. That'll let me see your fundamentals and give you a firsthand feel for the difference between Bright Strength and Dark Strength."
Chen Jianghe drew a deep breath, lowered his waist and hips, and settled into the Three Body Stance.
He knew Su Derong meant well. Hearing about a gap a thousand times was no substitute for experiencing it himself.
"Senior Brother, forgive me."
As the words left his mouth, Chen Jianghe's right fist shot out.
He held nothing back. His muscles and bones rang out like an explosion, and his fist tore through the air, aimed straight at Su Derong's chest.
Su Derong stood still, smiling.
Just as the fist was about to reach him, his left palm shot up and met Chen Jianghe's fist with a light touch.
There was no sound of a hard collision.
Chen Jianghe felt a force that was soft yet overwhelming flow from Su Derong's palm into him, drilling along the sinews of his arm.
Wherever it passed, his muscles went numb and his bones turned weak. His entire right arm instantly lost its strength.
Then a hidden, yin-like force pierced straight through to his chest, sending his blood and qi surging. He stumbled back three steps before managing to steady himself.
Chen Jianghe's right hand, hidden inside his sleeve, instinctively reached for the pouch of lime at his waist. But the moment his fingers touched the coarse cloth opening, he forced himself to stop and slowly let go.
Su Derong withdrew his hand and smiled. "What do you think?"
Chen Jianghe steadied his breathing and suppressed the discomfort in his chest. "Bright Strength can split stone and shatter rocks. Dark Strength can destroy the heart and sever the meridians. That's the difference."
"Exactly." Su Derong walked over and patted his shoulder. "Bright Strength is for 'hitting people.' Dark Strength is for 'hurting people.' If your punch had landed on an ordinary strongman, it could have broken his bones. But against a Dark Strength expert, it's like striking cotton with a needle hidden inside: you can't hurt him, and his Dark Strength takes advantage of you instead."
His expression turned serious, and he lowered his voice. "Jianghe, I've already discreetly reported your breakthrough to Bright Strength in half a year to my uncle, Su Jingming, and told him to keep it secret. The escort agency is short-handed right now, and I hope you'll take a position and help out for the sake of our ties as fellow disciples. My uncle will discuss the specific arrangements with you shortly."
Chen Jianghe cupped his fists. "I'll follow your arrangements, Senior Brother."
Su Derong nodded, then seemed to remember something. Lowering his voice, he said, "By the way, you've spent more than half a year training hard at the martial arts school. You may not know what's going on outside..."