Thoughts

The fire crackled, and a deathly silence fell over the scene.

Zhou Yong leaned on his blade, breathing heavily as he limped over.

He looked at the two corpses of the men in black on the ground, then at Chen Jianghe, who was drenched in blood. His face flushed a mix of green and red.

After a long moment, he abruptly dropped his blade, walked up to Chen Jianghe, and bowed with his fists cupped, his voice raspy. "Brother Chen! Just now... just now I, Zhou Yong, was blind! I spoke harsh words and wronged you! I apologize! Whether you want to beat me or curse me, I, Zhou Yong, will have no complaints!"

Wang Gui followed him over, his honest face full of guilt. "Brother Chen, I'm sorry... I also thought you..."

Although Zhao Tieshan did not speak, he also bowed solemnly, his eyes no longer holding a shred of contempt, only lingering fear and admiration.

Had it not been for Chen Jianghe's calm handling of the situation, the outcome tonight would have been unpredictable.

Chen Jianghe stepped aside, reaching out to help Zhou Yong and Wang Gui up. "Brother Zhou, Brother Wang, you are too kind. The situation was critical, and you two were fighting for your lives at the front. It was only natural to misunderstand when you saw me lying in wait. If we were in each other's shoes, I might have cursed even louder."

His tone was sincere, devoid of any pretense.

Hearing this, Zhou Yong's eyes turned slightly red. He patted Chen Jianghe's shoulder heavily. "Good brother! Say no more! From now on, as long as I'm on the road, my life is tied to yours!"

Su Derong struggled to stand up. "Save the pleasantries for later. First, count the casualties, treat the wounded, and stay alert for any further traps!"

The group immediately sprang into action.

Chen Jianghe looked at the cargo crates engulfed in flames, his heart sinking.

The crackling of fire devouring wood filled his ears, and a sense of powerlessness welled up in his chest.

The chaotic world is a furnace, and human lives are but firewood. Even if he fought to the death, could he not protect what he wanted to protect after all?

If all twenty crates of medicinal herbs were destroyed, this shipment would be a total failure. The escort agency's reputation would be tarnished, and the days ahead would likely be...

"Don't panic." Su Derong's weak voice suddenly sounded.

Chen Jianghe turned to see his Third Senior Brother wearing a slightly cunning smile. Though pale from blood loss, his eyes shone with a sense of relief.

"The cargo for this trip..." Su Derong lowered his voice so only those nearby could hear, "is ostensibly twenty crates of herbs. In reality, only ten are genuine."

Zhou Yong looked up abruptly. "Young Gang Leader, what did you say?!"

Wang Gui's eyes widened as well.

Zhao Tieshan was stunned for a moment before realization dawned on him. A look of understanding appeared on his blood-stained face. "So that's it... no wonder the Young Gang Leader dared to order the carts burned!"

Su Derong caught his breath and said slowly, "After years of escorting, the Su Family has long prepared this 'openly repair the plank road, secretly march to Chencang' strategy. Of the twenty crates, ten are real herbs, and ten are dry wood soaked in kerosene. The real goods... are hidden in the secret compartments and linings of the floorboards of three carts."

He looked at Zhao Tieshan. "Master Zhao, go and verify."

Zhao Tieshan's spirits lifted. Ignoring his own severe injuries, he stumbled to the three carts that hadn't been completely incinerated, pried up the floorboards with his blade, and fumbled for a moment.

"Found them!"

Having quickly checked the secret compartments, Zhao Tieshan looked up to report, "Young Gang Leader, the compartments are intact and haven't deformed. The herbs inside should be undamaged."

Seeing this, the group let out long sighs of relief, joy appearing on their faces.

Chen Jianghe remained silent, watching the burned-out carts and the corpses of the men in black and the Pathfinders scattered across the ground.

The flames gradually died down, and the smell of charred wood mixed with the stench of blood drifted into his nostrils.

Su Derong walked to his side, followed his gaze, and said in a low voice, "Jianghe, what are you thinking about?"

Chen Jianghe said in a deep voice, "I'm just thinking that if they had sent a few more experts with Dark Strength tonight, or if those two experts had been more cautious... this method might not have been foolproof, and we might have all lost our lives here."

Hearing this, Su Derong looked deeply at Chen Jianghe and said softly, "That is why my grandfather once said this method can only be considered 'small wisdom'."

He looked toward the pitch-black night sky beyond the mountain pass, his voice drifting. "Unfortunately... the Su Family now only has this 'small wisdom' to rely on."

He patted Chen Jianghe's shoulder, his tone becoming steady again. "But regardless, we made it through tonight. Jianghe, you did extremely well. The restraint, the decisiveness..."

Chen Jianghe cupped his hands. "It is all thanks to your guidance, Senior Brother."

Su Derong smiled, turned to face the others, and called out, "Count the wounded, dress the injuries, and gather water and dry rations from what we have. We move out in two quarters of an hour! This place is not safe to linger!"

"Yes!"

The group acknowledged and busied themselves.

Chen Jianghe walked to the foot of a cliff, washed the blood from his hands with the clear spring water, and wiped the bloodstains off his Brass Knuckles.

Chen Jianghe clenched his fist, the edges of the Brass Knuckles digging into his palm, bringing a sharp sensation of pain.

In the end... I am still too weak, he said to himself silently.

He still needed to keep growing stronger. Only by constantly becoming stronger could he possess the power to truly control his own destiny.

The caravan hit the road again.

The severely wounded Pathfinder was placed on the cargo crate of the second cart, cushioned by several thick layers of cloth, still unconscious.

Wang Gui stood guard nearby, occasionally wiping his forehead with a damp cloth.

Su Derong sat on the shaft of the lead cart, his face still pale, but he had regained his usual lazy demeanor.

Chen Jianghe sat beside him, his gaze sweeping across both sides of the road from time to time.

"The Green Dragon Gang won't be coming back," Su Derong suddenly spoke, his voice very soft. "The probing is over; they know this shipment has a tough nut to crack and won't suffer any more pointless losses."

Chen Jianghe nodded. "But we still need to be careful on the return journey."

"We certainly should be," Su Derong laughed. "Though your status is higher than mine now!"

Chen Jianghe looked at him.

Su Derong's gaze rested on the winding mountain path ahead as he said slowly, "Last night, you saved me, and Zhou Yong and Wang Gui saw it all. From now on, in this team, your word will carry more weight than mine."

Chen Jianghe frowned. "Why would Senior Brother say that? I only..."

"Only did what you had to do?" Su Derong interrupted him, shaking his head with a smile. "Jianghe, you don't understand. In the escort business, where we lick blood off the blade, strength is paramount, and loyalty is everything. You saved me last night, and you saved everyone else, too. They will keep that debt of gratitude in their hearts. And as for me..."

He paused, a hint of self-mockery in his smile. "Although I am the Young Gang Leader, I've spent most of these years hanging around the martial arts school; I can count the number of times I've actually escorted a shipment on one hand."

Chen Jianghe fell silent.

He knew Su Derong was telling the truth, but he didn't know how to respond.

"But this is a good thing," Su Derong suddenly patted his shoulder, his eyes turning serious. "Jianghe, I'm badly injured. For the rest of this journey, you'll have to take the lead for me. Making decisions, giving orders—just consider it me being a bit lazy, how about that?"

Chen Jianghe looked at the undeniable sincerity in Su Derong's eyes and slowly nodded. "I will follow your lead, Senior Brother."

In the days that followed, the caravan encountered no further waves.

They passed through the treacherous Black Wind Ridge safely, and at Wolf Tooth Gorge, they presented a letter and paid a toll; the bandit leader guarding the pass took the thirty taels of "passage money" and waved them through.

Supplies and rest stops along the way followed the old rules of the escort agency, without a single step out of order.

But the atmosphere within the team had quietly changed.

Everyone sought Chen Jianghe's opinion before doing anything.

Su Derong was happy to be idle, spending most of his time leaning against the carriage shaft to nurse his wounds. Occasionally, he would open his eyes to see that everything was in perfect order, then close them again to rest, a faint, lingering smile on his lips.

Half a month later, the city walls of Yilin County came into view.

The sun slanted to the west, stretching the shadow of the gatehouse long across the ground.

As the caravan drove into the streets of the outer city, it drew many eyes.

The escort flags were stained with dust and the carriage shafts with blood; though the men were in rags, every one of them held their back straight.

A sharp-eyed clerk spotted them early and sprinted off to the Su Family Escort Agency to report their arrival.