The flames crackled. For a moment, the scene fell deathly silent.
Zhou Yong leaned on his saber, panting hard as he limped over.
He looked at the two black-clad corpses on the ground, then at Chen Jianghe, who was drenched in blood. His face flushed red, then turned pale.
After a long moment, he suddenly tossed his saber aside, walked up to Chen Jianghe, and bowed with clasped fists. His voice was hoarse. "Brother Chen! Just now... just now, I was blind! I spoke out of turn and wronged you! I apologize! You can beat me or curse me—I, Zhou Yong, won't say a word!"
Wang Gui came over too, his honest face full of remorse. "Brother Chen, I'm sorry... I thought you were..."
Zhao Tieshan said nothing, but he clasped his fists solemnly. There was no trace of contempt left in his eyes, only lingering fear and admiration.
Had Chen Jianghe not kept his cool, the outcome tonight would have been impossible to predict.
Chen Jianghe stepped aside and helped Zhou Yong and Wang Gui up. "Brother Zhou, Brother Wang, you're making too much of it. Things were urgent. You two were fighting for your lives, and when you saw me hiding in the dark, it was only natural to misunderstand. If I'd been in your shoes, I might have cursed even worse."
His tone was sincere, without a trace of pretense.
At his words, Zhou Yong's eyes reddened. He gave Chen Jianghe's shoulder a hearty slap. "Good brother! No need to say another word! From now on, when we escort goods, my life is tied to yours!"
Su Derong struggled to his feet. "Save the pleasantries for later. First, count the dead and wounded, tend to the injured, and stay alert in case they have another trick up their sleeve!"
Everyone immediately got to work.
Chen Jianghe looked at the cargo boxes amid the flames, and his heart sank.
He heard the fire crackling as it devoured the wood, and a feeling of helplessness rose within him.
The world was a furnace in chaos, and human lives were kindling. Even if he fought with every last breath, could he still not protect what he wanted to protect?
If all twenty boxes of medicinal herbs were destroyed here, this escort mission would be a complete failure. The agency's reputation would suffer, and what would become of them after that...
"Don't panic." Su Derong's weak voice suddenly rang out.
Chen Jianghe turned. To his surprise, Third Senior Brother wore a faintly sly smile. His face was pale from blood loss, but his eyes gleamed with something like relief.
"The cargo on this escort..." Su Derong lowered his voice so only those nearby could hear. "On the surface, it's twenty boxes of medicinal herbs. In truth, only ten boxes are real."
Zhou Yong jerked his head up. "Young Gang Leader, what did you say?!"
Wang Gui's eyes widened too.
Zhao Tieshan was taken aback, then immediately understood. Realization dawned on his blood-smeared face. "So that's why... No wonder the Young Gang Leader dared to order the carts burned!"
Su Derong took a breath and explained slowly. "After years in this business, the Su Family prepared for this with a little 'repairing the plank road in the open while secretly crossing the Chencang Pass.' Of the twenty boxes, ten held real medicinal herbs, and ten held fire-oil-soaked kindling. The real goods... were divided among hidden compartments and false bottoms in three of the carts."
He looked at Zhao Tieshan. "Master Zhao, go check."
Zhao Tieshan's spirits lifted. Ignoring his serious injuries, he staggered over to the three escort carts that had not yet burned completely, pried up the cart floorboards with his saber, and felt around for a while.
"Found them!"
Zhao Tieshan quickly finished checking the hidden compartments, then looked up to report. "Young Gang Leader, they're intact. The compartments haven't warped, so the medicinal herbs inside should be undamaged."
Seeing this, everyone let out a long breath, their faces brightening with relief.
Chen Jianghe remained silent, gazing at the burned-out carts and the corpses of the black-clad men and escort guards scattered across the ground.
The flames dwindled. The stench of charred wood mingled with the smell of blood and seeped into his nostrils.
Su Derong came to stand beside him. Following his gaze, he asked quietly, "Jianghe, what are you thinking about?"
Chen Jianghe said gravely, "I was just thinking that if they'd sent a few more Dark Strength experts tonight, or if those two had been more cautious... this plan might not have worked. We might even have lost our lives here."
At his words, Su Derong gave Chen Jianghe a long look and said softly, "That's why Grandfather said this plan only counted as 'small cleverness.'"
He gazed toward the dark mountains beyond, his voice drifting away. "It's a pity... This little bit of 'small cleverness' is all the Su Family has left to rely on."
He patted Chen Jianghe's shoulder, his tone growing steady again. "But no matter what, we made it through tonight. Jianghe, you did extremely well. You were patient and decisive..."
Chen Jianghe clasped his fists. "It was all thanks to your guidance, Senior Brother."
Su Derong smiled, then turned to face everyone and called out, "Count the wounded, bandage their injuries, and gather what we can to replenish our water and provisions. We leave in half an hour! We can't stay here any longer!"
"Yes!"
Everyone answered and went about their work.
Chen Jianghe walked over to a cliff wall and washed the blood from his hands in the clear spring water. Then he wiped the blood from his Brass Knuckles.
Chen Jianghe clenched his fist, the knuckles of the Brass Knuckles digging into his palm and bringing a sharp pang of pain.
In the end... I'm still too weak. He said it silently to himself.
He still needed to grow stronger. Only by growing stronger could he gain the power to truly control his own fate.
The convoy set out again.
The seriously wounded escort guard was laid atop the cargo on the second cart, several thick layers of cloth beneath him. He remained unconscious.
Wang Gui stayed by his side, occasionally wiping his forehead with a damp cloth.
Su Derong sat on the front cart's shaft. His face was still pale, but his usual lazy manner had returned.
Chen Jianghe sat beside him, his gaze sweeping over the road from time to time.
"The Green Dragon Gang won't come again," Su Derong suddenly said in a quiet voice. "They've tested us and know this escort has some tough fighters. They won't risk more losses for nothing."
Chen Jianghe nodded. "But we still need to be careful on the way back."
"We do need to be careful." Su Derong smiled. "Still, your standing is higher than mine now!"
Chen Jianghe looked at him.
Su Derong's gaze rested on the winding mountain road ahead as he spoke slowly. "Last night, you saved me. Zhou Yong, Wang Gui, and the others all saw it. From now on, in this convoy, your word will carry more weight than mine."
Chen Jianghe frowned. "Why do you say that, Senior Brother? I only..."
"You only did what needed to be done?" Su Derong cut him off, shaking his head with a smile. "Jianghe, you don't understand. Escort work is a trade where you lick blood from the edge of a blade. Strength matters most, but so does loyalty. Last night, you saved me—and everyone else, too. They'll remember that. And me..."
He paused, his smile turning self-mocking. "I may be the Young Gang Leader, but I've spent most of these past years hanging around the martial arts school. I've gone on escort missions only a handful of times."
Chen Jianghe fell silent.
He knew Su Derong was telling the truth, but he didn't know how to respond.
"But that's a good thing." Su Derong suddenly patted his shoulder, his expression turning serious. "Jianghe, I'm badly hurt. You'll have to take charge for me over the next stretch. Make decisions when things come up, give the orders—just let me take it easy for once, all right?"
Chen Jianghe looked at the resolute expression in Su Derong's eyes and slowly nodded. "I'll do as you say, Senior Brother."
Over the next few days, nothing else happened to the convoy.
They made it through the perilous Black Wind Ridge unharmed. At Wolf Tooth Gorge, they paid off the bandit chief guarding the pass with thirty taels as "toll money," and he waved them through.
Along the way, they replenished their supplies and rested according to the escort agency's old rules, without a single misstep.
But the mood within the convoy quietly changed.
Before doing anything, everyone now sought Chen Jianghe's opinion.
Su Derong was happy to take it easy. He spent most of his time leaning against the cart shaft to recuperate. Every so often he opened his eyes to check that everything was in order, then closed them again to rest, a faint smile playing on his lips.
Half a month later, the walls of Yilin County came into view.
The sun slanted westward, stretching the shadow of the gate tower far across the ground.
As the convoy entered the streets of the Outer City, it drew plenty of attention.
The escort flags were dusty and the cart shafts were stained with blood. Though their clothes were ragged, every one of them held his back straight.
An alert employee had already run off to notify the Su Family Escort Agency.