A Great Start

The Tiger-Leopard-Bear Essence Pill's medicinal power came on fiercely and faded slowly.

Its potency was vigorous, its force violent, and its tempering effect astonishing.

The process was rather painfully exhilarating.

But compared to training the Stele-Splitting Hand, it was merely a minor disturbance.

Roar!

Boom!

His sinews and bones crackled as his bloodforce surged wildly.

Zhao Hong's entire body shook, and his aura abruptly rose by another level.

"Feels great."

Feeling the tremendous increase in his vitality and strength, Zhao Hong leaped to his feet and stretched his limbs.

A single pill was worth at least more than ten days of grueling cultivation.

The Tiger-Leopard-Bear Essence Pill was highly effective, and the Hundred-Forged Bloodforce Pill could not be much worse.

He still had five left.

Even if their effects weakened somewhat afterward, the gains they would bring were easy to foresee.

Bloodforce was within reach.

Later that evening.

Some people returned to the crude encampment.

Under Liu Zheng's introduction, Zhao Hong also met several Copper Bell Guards who followed Liu Zheng.

Li Haogang, Zhong Yuan, and Sun Tao.

The other Silver Bell Guard who worked with Liu Zheng was called Wu Lingxian. Since Liu Zheng had taken leave, he was still leading people on patrol near the trade route below.

Only one Golden Bell Guard was stationed here, but Zhao Hong did not meet him.

His name was Li Tai. He was not from an aristocratic family, and his cultivation had reached the Mysterious Embryo realm.

As for Zhao Hong, this colleague who had suddenly appeared, with Liu Zheng's introduction, the others were all quite warm toward him.

There was none of that incomprehensible behavior of showing hostility from the outset.

Zhao Hong was no fool either.

You could know a person's face, but not their heart.

Even colleagues who normally got along like sworn brothers could turn against each other over matters of interest.

"Brother, you're still young, yet your inner force is already at perfection. Your talent must be exceptional. You're nearly on par with me as soon as you arrive."

"Brother Sun, I'm definitely no match for you. I also lack experience, so I'll need Brother Sun to look after me from now on."

Sun Tao patted Zhao Hong's shoulder and grinned. "We're all one of our own. Ask anything you don't understand."

"Oh, right. You haven't learned the Demon-Subduing Saber Art yet, have you? This saber art is quite powerful. I'm only one step away from mastering it."

"Mastery? Hiss."

"Brother Sun, you're amazing."

"Could you demonstrate it for me?"

Zhao Hong looked at Sun Tao with admiration, giving him plenty of validation.

"Hahaha, why not?"

Sun Tao looked pleased with himself. He rose, picked up his saber, and began practicing.

Zhao Hong watched with utmost seriousness, even copying the movements beside him.

Though he did not think much of the Demon-Subduing Saber Art, that was only because he already possessed the Six Harmonies Saber Art.

But the Demon-Subduing Saber Art itself was not bad.

In Sun Tao's hands, with his cultivation nearing mastery, it sliced through the air with fierce force and imposing momentum.

After parting ways with Sun Tao, Zhao Hong promptly cast the Demon-Subduing Saber Art aside.

He had indeed watched and learned seriously at the time.

But afterward, he did not practice it in the slightest.

He went into the nearby forest to train the Stele-Splitting Hand and the Mighty Vajra Finger.

The next day.

Led by Liu Zheng, the group rushed down the mountain.

The Cloud Ridge Trade Route, also known as the Cloud Ridge Ancient Road, ran from Bright Sun Prefecture, where Stone Valley County was located, to Profound Mausoleum Prefecture. Profound Mausoleum Prefecture and Bright Sun Prefecture belonged to Azure Province and Liang Province respectively.

The profits generated by this trade route were considerable, especially from certain special goods transported by major merchant associations.

In the past, many merchant caravans traveling through here had to pay an enormous price, and some never returned at all.

But now, with the Judge's Office stationed here.

Though the extremely unlucky could still encounter danger, things were incomparably better than before.

Whenever they passed through, even if they had to offer the Judge's Office personnel some benefits, they did so willingly and cheerfully.

"Sun Tao, take Zhao Hong with you and look after him."

"Don't worry, Chief. Leave it to me."

Sun Tao slapped his chest.

Then he pulled Zhao Hong straight toward the south.

Through the dense wilderness, they could vaguely see an ancient road in the distance winding northward.

Before Zhao Hong could ask, Sun Tao pointed at the ancient road outside and said, "Our task here is simple: patrol and keep watch. If we find demons or bandits, we capture them."

"If a merchant caravan passes by, we escort it for a stretch, and that's it."

"You came a little late. These days, those merchant caravans have been passing through like mad, one after another. Without bandits, criminals, or even demons robbing and killing them, they're all extremely polite once they get here—and generous, too."

As he said this, though no one was nearby, Sun Tao still lowered his voice slightly. "Even us Copper Bell Guards all get a share. At the least, ten to twenty taels; at most, forty or fifty taels."

"Over ten days or half a month, that's no small sum."

Money was a bastard.

But no one ever thought they had too much of it.

Zhao Hong was very poor and loved money.

At this, his eyes lit up.

The Judge's Office truly lived up to its name.

No, it should be said that Brother Zhou had taken great care of him.

If Zhou Baishan had not taken the initiative to suggest it, Zhao Hong might have been assigned to the other side after joining the Judge's Office, where it was nothing but danger.

"Brother Sun, if there's anything I need to watch out for, just give me a signal."

"Don't worry."

Zhao Hong's attitude before and after greatly pleased Sun Tao. He did not begrudge him this surface-level information and experience.

Before long.

The two arrived at the edge of the trade route and began patrolling.

"If nothing happens, as long as you don't stray too far, stay nearby and cultivate when you should."

"Don't worry about too much."

"Speaking of which, we're stationed on this side because we're weaker. Over in the fang-shaped area, those people go out to search for and wipe out bandits. Their gains are far greater, and they earn merit much faster, but it's extremely dangerous."

"This side is better."

"Brother Sun is right. I came from that side, and I even saw some corpses with my own eyes. It was awful."

"A merchant caravan."

"Let's go."

Sun Tao's eyes lit up. Calling to Zhao Hong, he darted outside.

In truth, Zhao Hong had sensed the movement long ago, but he had not said anything.

Following Sun Tao to the edge of the trade route, he saw a modest-sized merchant caravan approaching.

It was a convoy of only three carts.

Two saber-wielding martial artists guarded each side.

Zhao Hong became vigilant.

Sun Tao did not know that the gray-robed man he and Zhou Baishan had encountered had been a caravan steward. The information he revealed before dying had been unusual.

They could not let down their guard.

"Are you sirs from the Judge's Office?"

A shout came from far away.

Zhao Hong noticed that the caravan had slowed considerably at the same time.

Sun Tao raised a hand, then suddenly flicked the bell at his waist.

Clang, clang, clang—

Immediately afterward, the copper bell at Zhao Hong's waist responded and rang on its own.

This was a minor technique from the bell-refining method.

It could only stir the bells of nearby colleagues.

Even if outsiders obtained the bells, without the orthodox refining method, they could not achieve this.

Zhao Hong looked down and immediately understood that this was meant to verify their identities.

Sun Tao explained it to him in a low voice as well.

The caravan soon arrived.

The steward stepped forward with several guards and cupped his fists in greeting.

Zhao Hong could sense that though there were not many of them, they were not weak.

They were all Bloodforce martial artists.

The steward was the strongest, probably at Bloodforce perfection.

Sun Tao was familiar with the process.

"Where are you from? Bring out your documents."

Merchant caravans feared people impersonating the Judge's Office, while the Judge's Office feared criminals disguising themselves as merchant caravans to cause trouble.

Of course, such things could not be entirely prevented.

But both sides would do their best to identify one another.

The merchant caravan showed no contempt for two mere Copper Bell Guards. They politely produced their documents and proved their identity.

They were a merchant association from a nearby county town.

Swish! Swish!

A money pouch landed in Zhao Hong's hand.

Meeting the steward's enthusiastic smile, Zhao Hong immediately smiled back.

It was heavy.

There had to be at least around twenty taels inside.

A great start.