Dragon Cavalry

Xiang Yunting waved a hand amiably, a hint of amazement in his eyes:

"I've been out on assignments lately. The moment I returned to the martial arts school, I heard Second Senior Brother talking about a genius in the inner courtyard who broke into the Blood Tempering Realm just sixteen days after joining. Now that I've met you, Junior Brother, your blood and qi are steady and composed. You truly are an outstanding young man!"

"You flatter me, Senior Brother..."

After exchanging a few pleasantries, the three sat around the stone table.

Xu Chuan poured hot tea, put away his smile, and looked seriously at Shen Xiuhan:

"Junior Brother Shen, Yunting hurried back to the martial arts school today partly to meet you, but mainly because of tomorrow's 'placement.' Have you heard anything about it?"

Shen Xiuhan nodded slightly:

"A little. We take up posts with the major families in the city to earn the money and resources needed for cultivation, correct?"

"Exactly."

Xu Chuan took a sip of tea, pointed to himself, and sighed:

"The martial path consumes money more than anything else. Blood tempering is only the beginning. Bone tempering and tendon tempering afterward all require vast amounts of meat, medicinal meals, and silver."

"Your third and fourth senior brothers and I are all registered as escorts with the Eastern Guard Escort Agency in the inner city."

"The three of us take turns escorting shipments. Last month was my turn; this month it's theirs."

"As for your fifth senior sister, she's become a bodyguard for the Luo Family's eldest daughter."

At this point, Xu Chuan leaned forward slightly and lowered his voice:

"The world is treacherous, and the various powers grind against one another. I'll tell you frankly today, Junior Brother: if you can't find a place you like tomorrow, you might as well come with me and take a post at the Eastern Guard Escort Agency."

"With fellow disciples together, we can huddle for warmth when danger comes and look after one another, rather than let outsiders bully us!"

Seeing Shen Xiuhan lost in thought, Xiang Yunting added with a smile:

"Of course, we just don't want you getting the short end of the stick, so we're giving you a fallback. If another family offers better terms tomorrow, or there's a job that catches your eye, feel free to give it a try!"

Xu Chuan nodded as well:

"Exactly."

"...I understand. Thank you, Senior Brothers."

Warmth stirred in Shen Xiuhan's heart. After a moment's thought, he took the opportunity to ask:

"May I ask what the Eastern Guard Escort Agency offers?"

"Barely passable."

Xiang Yunting shook his head and sighed:

"For a Blood Tempering Realm martial artist, the base monthly pay is three taels, along with a monthly allotment of five jin of meat and one Blood-Fixing Pill, plus a bowl of Black Ginseng Blood-Replenishing Decoction every fortnight. Each escort run earns a one-tael bonus. If you encounter river pirates or mounted bandits and blood is spilled, they'll give you some additional silver afterward."

"Generally, your monthly income tops out at four or five taels. Just barely enough for cultivation."

Four or five taels a month!

And meat, pills, medicinal decoctions...

Such generous terms were only barely enough for cultivation?

Shen Xiuhan felt a chill of apprehension.

The resources Bright Force martial artists consumed in cultivation exceeded even his expectations.

After a pause, Shen Xiuhan suddenly remembered something and asked curiously:

"By the way, Senior Brother, I heard there's an Eastern Guard Martial Hall in the inner city... What connection does it have to the Eastern Guard Escort Agency?"

At that, Xiang Yunting grinned:

"It's much more than a connection. Junior Brother, do you know Longcloud's five great families?"

"Hmm... Are they the White, Ji, Luo, Han, and Wang families?"

"Correct."

Xiang Yunting explained patiently:

"The five great families have stood firm in Longcloud for years because they either have a Transformation Force expert holding the fort or possess enormous power as a lineage."

"The White Family needs no introduction. With that Transformation Force ancestor backing them, they're the most arrogant and domineering of the lot."

"The Ji Clan Commerce Guild does business along waterways throughout Cangzhou. I've heard they have connections in every prefecture and county, and they're so rich they practically drip oil."

"As for the Luo Family... that's the county magistrate's family. He himself entered the Transformation Force level ten years ago."

"The Han Family seems to be a branch of the prominent Han Clan in Xinyi Prefecture. I don't know much about them, but I've heard they're a major lineage too..."

Then Xiang Yunting kept him in suspense, asking with a smile:

"The remaining Wang Family usually keeps its mountains and waters hidden, yet none of the other four families can afford to provoke them lightly. Do you know why, Junior Brother?"

"Please enlighten me, Senior Brother."

Shen Xiuhan's expression was earnest.

He came from a tenant farmer's household and had broken into Bright Force less than a month ago.

Everything he knew about the inner city's power structure came from street rumors whose truth was impossible to judge. His sources of information were far too limited.

Take Longcloud's five great families, for instance.

He only knew that the White Family, the Luo Family, and the Eastern Guard Martial Hall had Transformation Force experts holding the fort. He had no idea why the Ji and Han families could stand alongside them.

As for the Wang Family, which made all four other families wary, he knew even less. It was like looking at flowers through a fog.

Xiang Yunting sipped his tea and said:

"Junior Brother Shen, our Longcloud County is remote. Among Great Qi's Nine Provinces and thirty-six prefectures, it hardly counts as a prosperous, splendid place."

"So there are very few experts here with any real reputation."

"But twenty years ago, this place produced an extraordinary figure!"

Meeting Shen Xiuhan's gaze, Xiang Yunting's face took on a slightly fervent look:

"The General Who Pacifies the East, who commands a mighty army and holds a great fortress on the eastern frontier against the Yue Kingdom!"

The General Who Pacifies the East...

Shen Xiuhan's heart jolted.

Judging by that title, did the Wang Family really have such an astonishing background?

Seemingly pleased with his reaction, Xiang Yunting continued:

"The general is busy with military affairs and hasn't returned in a long time, but Longcloud County is still his hometown."

"The Eastern Guard Martial Hall, the Eastern Guard Escort Agency, the Wang Clan Arms Shop, the General's Restaurant, the Wang Clan Spring Harmony Apothecary... all of them are his properties!"

"And that's not all. Wang Xuanyang, the Eastern Guard Martial Hall's eldest disciple, is the general's own son... Though he's a concubine's son, Wang Zhidao, the current head of the Longcloud Wang Clan, still treats him as his own!"

"With that background, never mind that Wang Zhidao is also a Transformation Force expert-even if he knew nothing of martial arts, who in Longcloud County would dare touch so much as a blade of grass or a tree belonging to the Wang Family?"

After hearing this, towering waves surged through Shen Xiuhan's heart.

No wonder the other four families spoke of the Wang Family with such guarded reserve and gave them a wide berth.

So that was why...

A high-ranking military commander!

No matter how gangs crowded the land or clans carved it into their own domains, no matter how formidable one man's martial prowess, how could any of them withstand the cutting edge of thousands upon thousands of soldiers?

At that moment, Xu Chuan, who had been drinking his tea in silence, set down his cup and asked, his eyes burning:

"Junior Brother Shen, do you know why your third and fourth senior brothers and I bent over backward to get into the Eastern Guard Escort Agency, even though its pay isn't high?"

"I'd like to hear the details."

"It's simply to fight for a future!"

Xu Chuan sighed:

"The general guards the eastern frontier year-round. Though he hasn't returned home in twenty years, every few years he sends someone back to the county to select promising young local martial artists who dare to fight and strive, then recruits them into the army."

"The Wang Family's Eastern Guard Martial Hall and Eastern Guard Escort Agency naturally have the advantage of a pavilion nearest the water. They're considered his 'own people' and get picked first."

"Martial artists from humble backgrounds like us have no great clans or families supporting us. If we want to go farther, how can we let ourselves be trapped in Longcloud County until we die?"

"So we have to leap out of this well, enter the vast world beyond, and see what the wider world truly has to offer!"

"And the General Who Pacifies the East's Dragon Cavalry Army is the best place for us!"