Invitation

The caravan traveled along the official road for two days.

After leaving Qingyun County, the farmland on both sides of the road gradually thinned out, replaced by rolling low hills and wild woods.

The road surface also changed from blue stone slabs to dirt, and the wheels kicked up clouds of dust as they rolled over it.

Zhou Yan rode in the middle of the convoy. He had not said much along the way, but his eyes had never been idle.

After observing for the past two days,

he had figured out that there were eight people in the guard squad. The leader was Captain Wu, a man in his early thirties at Qi-Gathering Realm Great Accomplishment, wielding a long spear.

Among the remaining seven were three at Lesser Qi Gathering.

One was a lean man with twin blades, one was a taciturn, square-faced brute, and the last was younger, with a bow slung at his waist.

The other four were at Body Tempering Great Accomplishment. Including Zheng Tong, there were five at the Qi-Gathering Realm, plus himself at Body Tempering Peak.

That was no weak lineup.

What concerned Zhou Yan even more was another aura that he had faintly sensed since the first day of departure.

Somewhere within or near the convoy, there was a Martial Adept.

That aura was the same as Instructor Ding's. Force radiated outward from it, something neither Body Tempering nor Qi Gathering could possess.

Yet he had never seen the person.

Either they were hiding inside a carriage, or following them from the shadows.

He ran through the numbers in his head.

The Sun Family was indeed a prominent household in Qingyun County, but they had sent more than a dozen guards to escort the Third Young Master and Fourth Young Miss to visit their maternal relatives.

Five at Qi Gathering, five at Body Tempering, and another Martial Adept hidden in the dark.

This did not look like a family visit. It looked more like they were escorting a highly valuable shipment.

The Third Young Master and Fourth Young Miss were not simply visiting their maternal relatives.

Or perhaps something had happened in Qinghe City that required such a large escort.

Zhou Yan suppressed the thought and did not dwell on it. He was only a guard. He took silver to do a job, and he would not ask what he should not ask.

They made camp at dusk.

The convoy stopped in a mountain hollow surrounded by low pine woods.

The old steward directed the drivers to arrange the carriages in a circle, while the guards pitched tents within it.

Captain Wu sent two men into the woods to gather firewood, then took Zheng Tong around the camp perimeter to inspect the area.

When Zhou Yan reached the creek, Fourth Young Miss Sun Wenyao was there as well.

She was crouched beside a rock downstream, washing her hands without a maid by her side.

She had tucked her skirt up at the waist to keep it from getting wet. The creek water was cold, and after rubbing her hands twice, she pulled them back.

She wiped them on her skirt, crouched there a little longer, then picked up a flat stone and skipped it across the water.

The stone bounced twice on the surface before sinking.

Zhou Yan filled his waterskin upstream and pretended not to notice.

As a guard, it was improper for him to strike up a conversation with a young miss of the household.

But Sun Wenyao spoke first. "Are you Zhao Shan's brother-in-law?"

Zhou Yan paused, turned around, and cupped his hands. "Yes, Fourth Young Miss."

Sun Wenyao rose to her feet and brushed the grass clippings from her skirt.

She was taller than she had looked from afar, with delicate features and an open, forthright temperament. Her gaze was direct.

"My third brother wants to have a chat with you," she said. "He's good at judging people, but he likes to beat around the bush when he talks."

Zhou Yan glanced at her. She was only sixteen or seventeen, yet spoke with the maturity of someone in her twenties.

"Thank you for the advice, Fourth Young Miss."

Sun Wenyao said nothing more and lifted her skirt as she walked toward the bank.

After taking two steps, she stopped and tilted her head. "For the Body-Tempering Decoction sold by the Sun Family, use twenty percent less licorice and the medicinal effect will improve considerably."

Zhou Yan froze.

Sun Wenyao had already gone far away, her skirt brushing through the grass.

At that moment, a young maid in a green dress ran over, panting. "Guard Zhou, the Third Young Master requests your presence."

Zhou Yan screwed the cap onto his waterskin and followed the maid to a tent in the center of the camp.

The tent was small, with a single oil lamp burning inside.

Sun Wenyue sat on a low stool with a map spread before him and a teacup in hand.

When he saw Zhou Yan enter, he set down the teacup and pointed at the stool opposite him.

"Sit."

Zhou Yan sat down, the oil lamp's glow falling across Sun Wenyue's face.

This young man of twenty-three or twenty-four had a steady bearing, and his eyes held more depth than those of his peers.

"The journey has been tiring these past two days," Sun Wenyue said unhurriedly. "Zhao Shan has mentioned you to me several times. You reached Body Tempering in less than a year of martial training. I asked around, and Instructor Ding told me that among the Body-Tempering Realm martial artists he had seen in recent years, your Stake Stance foundation was the most solid."

Zhou Yan raised his brows. Instructor Ding usually barely spoke at all, yet he had actually spoken for him before the Third Young Master.

"You flatter me, Third Young Master."

Sun Wenyue waved a hand. "I do not speak in pleasantries. When I judge someone, I look at only one thing: whether they can be of use. I have inquired about your Stake Stance foundation, your Body Tempering cultivation, and your steadiness in handling matters. Zhou Yan, have you considered your path ahead?"

"What path?" Zhou Yan asked.

"The path of the martial hall, or the path of the Sun Family." Sun Wenyue set down his teacup and leaned forward slightly. "At Mountain-Suppressing Martial Hall, you earn five taels of silver a month. One dose of Body-Tempering Decoction costs three taels. Your monthly pay alone cannot even cover your medicine costs. Once you break through to Qi Gathering, the expenses will be even greater. Qi Gathering Pills, cultivation methods, weapons—which of them does not burn through money? The martial hall teaches you martial arts, but it will not support you. The Sun Family can."

Zhou Yan did not respond.

Sun Wenyue continued, "The Sun Family has twelve retainers. There are martial artists at both Body Tempering and Qi Gathering. Once you sign a contract, you become one of the Sun Family. There will be ample supplies of Body-Tempering Decoction and Qi Gathering Pills, and your monthly pay will increase fivefold. There is only one condition: serve the Sun Family with complete devotion."

"For how long?"

"Ten years." Sun Wenyue held up his fingers.

Zhou Yan fell silent for several breaths as the flame in the oil lamp flickered twice.

The terms were indeed tempting.

Body-Tempering Decoction and Qi Gathering Pills whenever he needed them, cultivation methods to choose freely, and five times the silver.

With those resources piled onto him, combined with the system, his cultivation speed could double again.

But signing a contract for ten years meant that for those ten years, his life would belong to the Sun Family.

If they ordered him somewhere, he would have to go. If they ordered him to fight someone, he would have to fight.

But he did not like placing his life in someone else's hands.

As a guard, he could choose which jobs to take. One trip was one trip, and he could leave whenever he wanted.

As a retainer, he would be tied to the same rope as them, unable to jump off even if he wanted to.

"Thank you for your high regard, Third Young Master." Zhou Yan cupped his hands. "My foundation is still shallow, and I am not worthy of a retainer's position. I hope you will forgive me."

Sun Wenyue looked at him. There was neither anger nor disappointment in those steady eyes.

"What a pity." Sun Wenyue sighed. "If you are unwilling, I will not force you. But..."

He paused. "Since you will not sign a contract, we can follow the terms for outside hires. After this assignment, I will give you an additional five taels each month. You may obtain Body-Tempering Decoction from the Sun Family at cost. You will not be bound to us. You may accept assignments, and you may leave whenever you wish. What do you think?"

The terms had not changed, except one condition had been removed: he would not be bound.

An extra five taels every month, and Body-Tempering Decoction at cost. Altogether, he could save more than ten taels of silver each month.

Most importantly, there were no restrictions whatsoever.

Zhou Yan looked at Sun Wenyue.

The man had not become angry after being refused. Instead, he took a step back and continued trying to recruit him.

At only twenty-three or twenty-four, he handled his words and affairs without a single flaw. He was no ordinary wealthy young master.

"Thank you, Third Young Master." Zhou Yan cupped his hands.

"No need to thank me." Sun Wenyue picked up his teacup again, and the corner of his mouth moved slightly. "You are a man with your own mind. I like dealing with people who have their own minds. Rest early tonight. We enter Mountain Road tomorrow."

Zhou Yan rose, cupped his hands in farewell, and lifted the tent flap to leave.

The night wind rushed toward him. Several guards sat around the fire roasting dried rations, while Captain Wu sat on a large stone at the edge of the camp, wiping down his spear.

The lean man with twin blades was sharpening their edges against a whetstone, stroke after stroke. The scraping sound carried far through the night.

On the other side of the camp, Fourth Young Miss sat beneath a low pine tree with a small medicine grinder before her.

Firelight reflected off her face as she ground the herbs with a pestle, neither hurried nor slow.

The old steward stood beside her with an account book, reading aloud. She responded from time to time, but her hands never stopped working.

Zhou Yan headed toward his tent. As he passed the bonfire, Zheng Tong handed him a piece of warmed dried meat.

"What did the Third Young Master want with you?"

"Nothing much." Zhou Yan took the dried meat and bit into it. "He asked me a few questions about Stake Stance."

Zheng Tong gave an oh and did not ask further.

Zhou Yan sat beside the bonfire, chewing the dried meat. His gaze crossed over the flames and swept toward the depths of the forest.

That Martial Adept's aura was still there, somewhere within the woods.

This assignment was definitely more than a simple family visit.

But it did not matter.

He would not become a retainer or sign a contract. He would take the money and do the job.

Once they reached Qinghe City half a month later, the assignment would be complete and they would each go their separate ways.

As for Sun Wenyue, that man had too many schemes. They could cooperate, but Zhou Yan could not entrust his life to him.