Departure

"The headquarters of the Might-Guard Escort Agency!"

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

"Very well. Since you are being so gracious, Cheng will accept."

After pondering briefly, Cheng Heng cupped his fists and said.

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 nominal post once we reach the prefectural city. It will definitely satisfy you. Since you have agreed, then we shall meet again in two days!"

The two chatted for quite some time afterward before Lin Qing finally saw Cheng Heng off with great reluctance.

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

"Chief Escort Lin, was lowering yourself like this today a bit too much? Cheng Heng may have some ability, but once we reach the prefectural city, recruiting Skill-Transforming Force martial artists will be far easier than in Gaoyang County."

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

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

Though Cheng Heng could be considered a talented young man, Qingchuan Prefecture gathered youthful talents from every region, as well as quite a few Skill-Transforming Force martial artists seasoned by countless battles.

Was it truly worth treating Cheng Heng so favorably for the Might-Guard Escort Agency?

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

"You two likely do 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."

"It is precisely this bold and righteous character that I value in him!"

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

Taking a nominal post with the Might-Guard Escort Agency would bring him nothing but benefits at present.

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

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

After weighing the gains and losses, Cheng Heng entered the Martial Dao Space to cultivate, quietly awaiting his departure for Qingchuan Prefecture two days later.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

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

A snowfall had just ended. Though the road was somewhat muddy, it did not hinder travel.

Five carriages stood fully prepared on the road, with a banner bearing the Might-Guard Escort Agency's name flying high.

On both sides of the road, dozens of martial experts clad in the escort agency's fitted uniforms stood silently waiting, their auras steady.

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

"Once I am settled in the prefectural city, I will come pick you up at once!"

Cheng Heng held Li Qingwan, whose face was filled with reluctance, and comforted her softly.

Before leaving, he had already bid farewell to Wu Zhong and Wang Ming, so only Li Qingwan had come to see him off today.

Li Qingwan forcibly held back her tears before finally saying reluctantly,

"I made the clothes inside for you. You are 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 is time to depart!"

Mounted on a black steed, Lin Qing slowly approached Cheng Heng.

"Alright!"

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

At last, with a shout from the drivers responsible for escorting the goods, the escort agency's carriages slowly set out on the road to 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 with Cheng Heng and Chen An, telling them much about Qingchuan Prefecture and benefiting them greatly.

At the same time, they gained a rough understanding of the powers within Qingchuan Prefecture.

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

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

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

The second-rate power was the Qingchuan Prefecture Army, connected upward to the imperial court and empowered to supervise all other forces.

The third-rate powers were the three great martial families, the two major merchant associations, 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 by its breath!

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

Though they had known beforehand that the various powers in Qingchuan Prefecture were tangled and complex, after learning the details, they felt the undercurrents surging all the more strongly.

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

Thinking of this, Cheng Heng asked,

"Chief Escort Lin, could you explain these five great sects to us—the conditions for accepting disciples, as well as the cultivation arts of their sects?"

Lin Qing nodded gently and said,

"Of these five great sects, your first choice should be the Mountain-Shaking Sect. Though all five are first-rate powers, there are still ranks among them."

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

Cheng Heng nodded slightly upon hearing this. The Mountain-Shaking Sect was indeed his first choice; his hardening cultivation art 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 do not contend with the world, but in truth their intelligence network spreads throughout Qingchuan Prefecture. They even have branches in other prefectural cities, and their information is the most well-informed."

"The Myriad Swords Sect chiefly cultivates sword arts. All its disciples enter the Martial Dao through the sword, their killing intent profoundly fierce as they pursue the ideal of shattering ten thousand arts with a single sword. Moreover, the sect is exceedingly protective of its own, so it must not be lightly provoked."

"The Heavenly Treasure Sect is renowned throughout the prefectural city for its alchemical path. Their pill-refining skill is so miraculous it seems to have reached the divine, and most of their disciples are alchemists. Though their combat strength is not high, their status is exceptionally noble."

The Heavenly Treasure Sect!

Cheng Heng's heart tightened slightly. That Mid-Grade Marrow-Cleansing Pill he had obtained from the Li Family had likely 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 Cheng Heng to gain the benefit for nothing in the end!

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

"The last, the Cloudpiercing Sect, is difficult to sum up in a single word."

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

"The reason for their decline was their excessive strength. Back then, the Cloudpiercing Sect alone was divided into seven great academies. Their sect-defending cultivation art was called the Seven-Origin Vajra-Mixing Art, with each of the seven academies cultivating one portion of it."

"Unfortunately, they ultimately declined through internal strife. All seven academies believed themselves to be the true orthodox branch, and their fighting was extraordinarily vicious, leaving them unable to recover their vitality even now!"

Cheng Heng raised his brows upon hearing this.

"The Seven-Origin Vajra-Mixing Art?"

"Correct. Speaking of this cultivation art, it could be called unprecedented before and unmatched since!"

"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 possesses no fewer than seven kinds of true qi!"