In the Su Family Escort Agency's tea room, fragrant steam curled from the tea.
Su Jingming lifted his teacup, blew away the foam, and turned his gaze to Chen Jianghe. He spoke slowly. "Jianghe, you're Master Li's disciple, and Derong recommended you. My Su Family certainly won't treat you unfairly. I've drawn up the terms for your position. Have a listen."
He set down his teacup, his voice steady. "As a nominal escort guard, you'll receive ten taels of silver a month, plus twenty catties of meat and four portions of Blood Qi Powder. That's your fixed pay. An escort guard's real income comes from a share of the escort fee. For each run, you'll get between one and three tenths, depending on the distance, the weight of the goods, and the level of risk. If the goods are valuable, you could make twenty or thirty taels on a single run."
At this, Su Jingming waved a hand. "Jianghe, you can ask around. See if any of the other escort agencies or shops in Yilin County offer better terms than my Su Family."
His tone suddenly turned somewhat rueful. "Truthfully, I'd wanted to offer you more. But Derong came to see me yesterday and said Master Li had given him instructions—not to make the terms too generous just because you're his disciple. He was afraid you'd grow lazy and comfortable and undermine your Martial Dao foundation."
Su Derong fanned himself beside them. Hearing this, he laughed. "Little Uncle, Master's actual words were much harsher. He said, 'That boy's character is decent enough, but he's young. If everything goes smoothly for him, he'll inevitably grow complacent and lazy. Let him suffer a little and learn how hard it is to earn money and how arduous the Martial Dao is. Then he'll be able to go farther in the future.'"
Chen Jianghe heard him, and his heart was suddenly a tangle of emotions.
He naturally understood his master's intentions. Over the past six months, without Uncle Liu's support, his Third Senior Brother supplying him with meat, and the martial school's regular provisions, there was no way he could have advanced to Bright Strength so smoothly.
His master was afraid he would grow used to relying on others and forget that the path of the Martial Dao ultimately had to be forged with his own fists and feet.
Still, he couldn't help muttering to himself, Master, Master, I've never seen you be so "far-sighted" when you're drinking.
Seeing that Chen Jianghe hadn't replied for a while, Su Derong assumed he was weighing the offer. He lightly tapped Chen's shoulder with the spine of his fan and teased, "What? You still aren't satisfied?"
Only then did Chen Jianghe come back to himself. He hurriedly clasped his hands. "Senior Brother, you misunderstand. I don't think it's too little. I was just thinking... I'm unworthy of such generous treatment."
Su Jingming waved his hand. "There's no need to feel unworthy. Now that you've taken a position with my Su Family, you're part of the escort agency. We're giving you these terms in the hope that you'll improve quickly and be able to lend a hand when trouble comes. It's mutually beneficial."
He paused, his expression growing more serious. "But I'll be blunt, Jianghe. It's easy to take up this line of work, but hard to keep your footing. Things outside the city aren't peaceful these days. The Green Dragon Gang is watching like a tiger, and bandits from all over are taking advantage of the chaos. When you're escorting goods, blades have no eyes, and life and death are uncertain. If you've decided to take the job, you need to understand that."
Chen Jianghe replied solemnly, "Senior, I'm deeply grateful for your kindness. These terms are already extremely generous. I have no complaints whatsoever."
Su Jingming nodded and gave Su Derong a look. "Derong, take Jianghe to the accounts room to sign the contract. Have Old Zhou explain the fine print to him."
Su Derong acknowledged him, then stood and smiled at Chen Jianghe. "Come on, Junior Brother. Once you sign the contract, we'll be in the same boat from now on. But, Jianghe, I should warn you—"
His smile faded, and his tone turned serious. "Read the terms carefully when you sign. This line of work is good eating, but it can burn your mouth."
The accounts room was on the east side of the escort agency's courtyard. It was a small but tidy room. The moment they entered, the scent of ink and paper from old ledgers reached them.
The man in charge was an elderly gentleman of about sixty, surnamed Zhou. He'd kept the Su Family's books for more than twenty years.
At that moment, he was bent over his desk, working an abacus. Hearing footsteps, he didn't even look up. "What is it?"
Su Derong smiled. "Mr. Zhou, this is my junior fellow disciple, Chen Jianghe. He's here to sign a contract for a nominal escort position."
Only then did Mr. Zhou lift his eyelids and look Chen Jianghe over. He slowly set down the abacus, took two copies of the contract from a drawer, and pushed them across the desk to Chen.
"Read the terms carefully." Mr. Zhou's voice was flat as he pointed to the first line of the contract. "As a nominal escort guard, you'll receive a monthly salary of ten taels, paid on the fifth day of the month. If the agency summons you, you must come. Anyone who fails to appear without good reason will forfeit that month's pay; anyone who abandons their post in battle will have their cultivation crippled and be driven out of Yilin County."
Chen Jianghe took the contract and read it carefully.
The clauses were densely packed, with more than a dozen in all.
Besides the terms already mentioned, there were others, such as "no accepting outside work without permission," "no disclosing the routes taken by the escorts," and "if an escort guard is injured, disabled, or killed, the agency will compensate their family," along with other details.
After reading it, he fell silent for a moment, then asked, "Elder Zhou, there's something I don't understand."
"Go ahead."
"If the agency summons me while I'm in seclusion at the martial school, trying to break through, what should I do?"
Elder Zhou looked up at him, his gaze tinged with scrutiny. "You can report it in advance. But within a year, you may do so no more than twice, and each time must not exceed half a month. If you fail to appear after that, it'll be treated as an unjustified absence."
"What if the escort is attacked on the road and the goods are lost?"
"Responsibility will be determined according to the circumstances. If you fought to the best of your ability but were defeated, and were injured, disabled, or killed, the agency will compensate your family. The amount will depend on the circumstances. But if you run away out of fear..." Mr. Zhou said casually, "As I just said, your cultivation will be crippled, and you'll be driven out of the county seat."
Chen Jianghe fell silent.
Outside, he could faintly hear the escort guards shouting as they practiced their punches, along with the clashing of weapons.
In this world, what kind of livelihood didn't come stained with blood?
At last, he picked up the brush, dipped it in ink, and carefully wrote the three characters Chen Jianghe on the contract. Then he pressed a fingertip into the red seal paste and left his print beside his name.
Mr. Zhou took one copy, checked it over, and nodded before handing the other back to him. "Keep it safe. Your pay starts this month. Come collect it on the fifth. You can collect your meat and medicinal powder on the first of each month with your token."
Chen Jianghe carefully folded the contract and tucked it into the inner pocket against his chest.
When he left the accounts room, the afternoon sun was a little dazzling.
Su Derong fanned himself and tilted his head, smiling as he looked at Chen Jianghe. "Well? Think you can keep your footing in this line of work?"
Chen Jianghe touched the contract inside his robe and replied solemnly, "I can. Thank you for recommending me, Senior Brother."
"What are you thanking me for?" Su Derong waved a hand. His smile faded a little, and he grew serious. "Jianghe, I know you're steady by nature and don't like taking risks. But now that you're in this line of work, some risks can't be avoided. If you ever get into trouble, remember this: staying alive matters more than anything. You can earn money again, but you only get one life."
Chen Jianghe nodded firmly. "I'll remember your advice, Senior Brother."
Only then did Su Derong smile again. His fan snapped open with a swish. "Good! We've taken care of an important matter today. Come on, let me buy you a drink to celebrate your official entry into the trade!"
Chen Jianghe smiled and shook his head. "I appreciate the offer, Senior Brother, but I need to get back to the martial school and tell my mother the good news."
Su Derong didn't insist. He patted Chen's shoulder. "That's only right. We'll catch up another day. Remember to collect your pay on the fifth. Don't be late."