Xu Family Escort Agency

Shen Chu stood beside the convoy with a travel pack on his back.

He turned to glance at the gates of the Li Residence, his gaze lingering briefly on the plaque above them bearing the words "Li Residence." Then he looked away and swung himself onto the last carriage.

"Set off!"

Xu Zhibao cracked his horsewhip and shouted.

The convoy slowly began to move, its wheels rolling over the bluestone road with a rumbling clatter.

Beneath the rising morning sun, the group followed the official road at an unhurried pace toward Qingyang Prefecture.

The convoy traveled steadily for two days.

The weather had been clear these past two days. Endless fields and scattered villages stretched along both sides of the official road. Now and then, farmers heading to market passed by the roadside with shoulder poles, and upon spotting the authorities' convoy from afar, they would voluntarily step aside. Everything appeared peaceful.

On the last carriage, Shen Chu sat atop a pile of goods.

His gaze appeared casual, but he was in fact carefully surveying the surrounding terrain.

His position offered an excellent view. He could clearly see the road ahead while also keeping an eye on activity to either side.

When they stopped to rest at noon, Xu Zhibao came over carrying a waterskin. He handed it to Shen Chu, then sat down beside him.

He unscrewed the waterskin, took a drink, and casually asked, "Master Shen, is your hometown in Wangchuan County? Is there anyone else in your family?"

Shen Chu accepted the waterskin, thanked him, and took a drink as well. "There's no one left. Just a few old houses. I'm going back to take a look and tidy them up."

His answer was vague, and Xu Zhibao did not press him. Instead, Xu Zhibao began talking about his own background.

It turned out that he came from the Xu Family Escort Agency of Qingyang Prefecture. The Xu family had run escort operations in Qingyang Prefecture for three generations. They had more than a hundred escorts under their name and were considered a prominent family throughout the prefecture.

Xu Zhibao came from a collateral branch of the Xu family. His rank in the family was low, and he would not receive much of the family estate, so his family had sent him to serve as a constable at the Changping County yamen—both to gain experience and to build up credentials and connections.

After listening, Shen Chu had a rough understanding of the situation.

Though Xu Zhibao was merely a constable, with this grassroots work experience and the mighty tree of the Xu Family Escort Agency behind him, his future development would likely be much faster than it appeared on the surface.

And although Xu Zhibao seemed to be merely making idle conversation, he was probing him with all sorts of strange questions, both openly and subtly. Shen Chu could not help becoming even more guarded.

In his previous life, Shen Chu had been a master at playing dumb. He fed Xu Zhibao a stream of nonsense, leaving the latter thoroughly frustrated.

Damn it, Master Shen looks so honest and straightforward. Why is he so slippery when he talks?

"Shen Chu! Shen Chu!"

On the carriage beside them, Li Chengwen was leaning against a pile of goods and munching on a scallion pancake, grease glistening around his mouth.

Seeing Shen Chu and Xu Zhibao chatting animatedly, he grew curious. He waved Shen Chu over.

Shen Chu finally breathed a sigh of relief, ending the awkward conversation with Xu Zhibao and sitting down beside Li Chengwen.

"What were you two talking about?"

"Nothing much. We talked a little about Constable Xu's family affairs. He comes from a big family and was complaining to me. Every family has its own scripture that's hard to recite." Shen Chu smiled.

"Yes, every family has its own scripture that's hard to recite..."

Upon hearing this, Li Chengwen suddenly stopped chewing. His eyes drifted toward the distant horizon.

"Shen Chu, do you know why I'm working so hard this time?"

There was a rare seriousness in his tone.

Shen Chu shook his head.

Li Chengwen fell silent for a while before slowly saying, "When I was little, my family was actually quite poor. My father hadn't made his fortune yet. He took me through the streets collecting scrap iron. It was common for father and son to share a single bowl of plain noodle soup. Later, life gradually got better. Our family opened a blacksmith shop, and business grew larger and larger. Then, later on, my second younger brother was born..."

At this point, his voice paused slightly, and his expression became complicated. "The year my second brother was born, the family business had just gotten on track. We hired more than a dozen workers, and life suddenly improved. From then on, the way my father looked at me changed. He thought I was fat, thought I was stupid, thought I couldn't speak or handle affairs properly. No matter how he looked at me, I was less pleasing to the eye than my second brother."

He gave a bitter laugh, lowered his head to look at his round belly, and patted it self-mockingly.

"To be honest, I know I'm not as good as my second brother at currying favor with Father. But I refuse to accept it. I'm Father's son too. I want to do something for this family too."

As he said this, his eyes suddenly lit up, and his tone grew much firmer.

"This time, I only got this order thanks to my little sister's help. She's loved me ever since we were young. She knows I want to prove myself, so she's secretly helped me quite a lot. I can't let her down, and I definitely can't let Second Brother look down on me. I will deliver this shipment to Qingyang Prefecture safely and smoothly. I'll let Father see that I, Li Chengwen, am not someone who just eats for free!"

Unable to help himself, Shen Chu asked, "Young Master, you keep mentioning your little sister... May I ask who this little sister is?"

Just as Li Chengwen was about to answer, Xu Zhibao suddenly gave a low shout from nearby.

"Stop!"

The entire convoy halted at once.

Standing atop a carriage, Xu Zhibao shaded his eyes with a hand and narrowed them at the hillsides on either side of the official road ahead.

The slopes were covered in waist-high thickets. As the wind swept through, grass and brush swayed incessantly, revealing nothing unusual.

Yet Xu Zhibao's expression turned grave. He slowly drew the saber at his waist and said in a low voice, "Something's wrong. There may be an ambush ahead."

At those words, several drivers turned pale with fright.

Even the four yamen runners nervously tightened their grips on their wooden staffs, exchanging uneasy looks.

Li Chengwen suddenly burst into laughter. He rose from the carriage, patted his chest, and declared loudly, "Don't panic! I knew the road might not be peaceful, so I made preparations in advance!"

Everyone froze and looked at him.

Li Chengwen proudly raised his chin and pointed at Xu Zhibao.

"I asked Constable Xu long ago to transfer a team from their Xu Family Escort Agency to secretly follow behind us. If anything happens on our side, we just need to send a signal and they'll arrive immediately! Everyone, put your minds at ease. Walk when it's time to walk, eat when it's time to eat. With me, Li Chengwen, here, nothing can go wrong!"

The others looked skeptically at Xu Zhibao.

Xu Zhibao's expression did not change. He gave a slight nod, confirming Li Chengwen's words.

Only then did everyone relax a little. They tightened their grips on their weapons again and continued onward.

But Shen Chu noticed that although Xu Zhibao had nodded, something like an almost imperceptible flicker had passed through his eyes.

Shen Chu did not say anything. He merely quietly loosened one corner of the silk cloth wrapped around the long saber on the carriage and gently drew one blade free.

The convoy continued onward for roughly two li before entering a narrow pass.

The mountains on either side of the pass gradually closed in, and the forest grew especially dense.

Steep earthen slopes rose on both sides, thick with dense brush and weeds, leaving visibility extremely poor.