Departure

"The Might-Guard Escort Agency's headquarters!"

Hearing this, Cheng Heng finally set his mind at ease.

"Very well. Then I shall respectfully accept rather than decline. Cheng accepts."

After pondering briefly, Cheng Heng clasped his fists and spoke.

Lin Qing was overjoyed. Rising to his feet, he came before Cheng Heng and seized both his hands.

"Brother Cheng, we can discuss the salary for your post once we reach the prefectural city. I guarantee you'll be satisfied. Since you've agreed, then we'll meet again in two days!"

The two chatted for quite some time afterward before Lin Qing finally, reluctantly, saw Cheng Heng off.

After Cheng Heng had gone far away, the middle-aged man who had remained silent beside Lin Qing said,

"Chief Escort Lin, wasn't lowering yourself like this today a bit excessive? Cheng Heng may have some skill, but once we reach the prefectural city, recruiting Skill-Transforming Force martial artists will be far easier than in Gaoyang County."

"Is Cheng Heng really worth such preferential treatment from our escort agency?"

The middle-aged man's doubts were perfectly understandable.

Though Cheng Heng could be considered an outstanding young talent, Qingchuan Prefecture gathered gifted youths from every region, along with quite a few Skill-Transforming Force martial artists seasoned by countless battles.

Was it really worth the Might-Guard Escort Agency's while to treat Cheng Heng so generously?

Lin Qing's expression remained calm. "I know the prefectural city does not lack experts. But it isn't merely his strength that I value. What I value even more is his character."

"You two may not know this, but back when Cheng Heng was still a Hidden Force martial artist, he was willing to stand up for the Wang Family when they had nearly reached the end of the road."

"That bold and righteous character is precisely why I value him!"

Cheng Heng returned home, yet Lin Qing's words continued to linger in his mind.

Taking a post with the Might-Guard Escort Agency would bring him nothing but benefits in his current circumstances.

He was about to resign as Gaoyang County's constable. Once he arrived in Qingchuan Prefectural City, unfamiliar with the place and its people, he would likely find it hard to take even a single step.

After taking a post with the Might-Guard Escort Agency, he would, first, have cultivation resources, and second, it would greatly help him gain a firm foothold in Qingchuan Prefecture quickly!

Having weighed the pros and cons, Cheng Heng began cultivating in the Martial Dao Space, quietly awaiting the day, two days later, when he would set out for Qingchuan Prefecture.

Two days passed quickly.

At the road junction leading from Gaoyang County to the prefectural city.

Snow had just fallen. Though the road was somewhat muddy, it did not hinder travel.

On the road, five carriages stood ready to depart, with a banner bearing the Might-Guard Escort Agency's name flying high.

On both sides of the road, dozens of martial arts experts dressed in fitted escort uniforms stood silently waiting, their auras steady.

Today was the day Cheng Heng set out for Qingchuan Prefecture.

"Once I'm settled in the prefectural city, I'll come pick you up at once!"

Cheng Heng held Li Qingwan, whose face was full of reluctance, and comforted her softly.

Before departing, he had already said goodbye to Wu Zhong and Wang Ming, so Li Qingwan was the only one who had come to see him off today.

Li Qingwan held back her tears before finally saying reluctantly,

"Inside are clothes I made for you. You're a grown man with no one to look after you, so remember to change and wash them often."

With that, she placed a large bundle in Cheng Heng's arms.

"Brother Cheng, it's time to leave!"

Lin Qing rode a black steed as he slowly approached Cheng Heng.

"Alright!"

Cheng Heng answered, slung the bundle onto his back, and vaulted onto the horse beside him, bidding Li Qingwan farewell once more.

At last, amid a shout from the drivers responsible for escorting the goods, the escort agency's carriages slowly set onto the road toward the prefectural city.

This journey to Qingchuan Prefecture was somewhat slower due to the cargo they were escorting, and would take roughly thirty days.

Along the way, Lin Qing spoke constantly with Cheng Heng and Chen An, explaining much information about Qingchuan Prefecture to them. Both benefited greatly.

At the same time, they gained a general understanding of the forces within Qingchuan Prefecture.

Just as Wu Zhong had said, the first-rate powers in Qingchuan Prefecture were the five great sects.

The Mountain-Shaking Sect, Azure Water Pavilion, Myriad Swords Sect, Heavenly Treasure Sect, and Cloudpiercing Sect.

They held the power of taxation, life, and death over Qingchuan Prefecture's seventy-seven cities and towns.

The Qingchuan Prefecture Army was a second-rate power. It answered upward to the imperial court and possessed the authority to monitor all other forces.

The third-rate powers were the three great martial arts families, the two major merchant guilds, and the Thundering Lightning Escort Agency.

As for the Might-Guard Escort Agency, it was subordinate to the Thundering Lightning Escort Agency and had to live under its shadow!

Cheng Heng and Chen An's expressions gradually turned grave.

Though they had known beforehand that the various forces in Qingchuan Prefecture were tangled and complex, after learning the details, they felt the undercurrents beneath the surface all the more keenly.

Their foremost goal was to enter one of the five great sects and gain a firm foothold in Qingchuan Prefecture.

Thinking of this, Cheng Heng asked,

"Chief Escort Lin, could you explain these five great sects to us—their requirements for accepting disciples, as well as their sects' cultivation methods?"

Lin Qing nodded lightly and began,

"Of the five great sects, your first choice should be the Mountain-Shaking Sect. Though all five are ranked as first-rate powers, there are still distinctions of high and low among them."

"The Mountain-Shaking Sect is the foremost of the five. Its disciples primarily cultivate the physical body, and its external body-tempering arts are the finest in the prefectural city. The other sects all fall somewhat short!"

Cheng Heng nodded slightly. The Mountain-Shaking Sect was indeed his first choice; his body-tempering cultivation method suited the sect's path best!

"Next come Azure Water Pavilion, Myriad Swords Sect, Profound Flame Valley, and Cloudpiercing Sect."

"Azure Water Pavilion consists mostly of female disciples. On the surface, they seem to keep apart from worldly strife, but in truth, their intelligence network spreads across Qingchuan Prefecture. They even have branches in other prefectural cities, and their intelligence is the most extensive."

"The Myriad Swords Sect's cultivation methods focus on swordsmanship. All enter the Martial Dao through the sword. Their killing intent runs deep, and they pursue using one sword to shatter ten thousand techniques. Moreover, the sect is extremely protective of its own, so they must not be provoked lightly."

"The Heavenly Treasure Sect is renowned in the prefectural city for the Dao of alchemy. Their pill-refining skills are nothing short of miraculous. Most of their disciples are alchemists. Though their combat strength is not high, their status is exceedingly noble."

The Heavenly Treasure Sect!

Cheng Heng's heart tightened. The Mid-Grade Marrow-Cleansing Pill he had obtained from the Li Family must have come from the Heavenly Treasure Sect.

Even with the Li Family's wealth, buying a single Marrow-Cleansing Pill had drained their family fortune and exhausted their savings, only for it all to end up benefiting Cheng Heng for nothing!

When it came to the Cloudpiercing Sect, Lin Qing paused slightly before speaking slowly.

"The last is the Cloudpiercing Sect. It is hard to sum up in a few words."

"A hundred years ago, Qingchuan Prefecture's strongest power was not the Mountain-Shaking Sect, but the Cloudpiercing Sect!"

"The reason they declined was their excessive strength. Back then, the Cloudpiercing Sect alone was divided into seven great courtyards. Its sect-defining cultivation method was called the Seven-Origin Vajra-Mixing Art, with each of the seven courtyards cultivating one portion of it."

"Unfortunately, they ultimately declined because of internal strife. Each of the seven courtyards believed itself to be the true orthodox line, and their fighting was devastating. Even now, they have yet to recover their vitality!"

Hearing this, Cheng Heng raised an eyebrow.

"The Seven-Origin Vajra-Mixing Art?"

"That's right. Speaking of this cultivation method, none came before it, and none will come after it!"

"For martial artists, once Skill-Transforming Force breaks through into Core-Embracing Force, true qi is born within the body. Ordinary martial artists can cultivate only one kind of true qi, but the Seven-Origin Vajra-Mixing Art contains no fewer than seven kinds of true qi!"