Commission

Thud, thud, thud! Thud, thud, thud!

Two rapid bursts of knocking jolted the sleeping Yizhe awake from his dreams. He could not remember at all how he had fallen asleep the previous night.

Thud, thud, thud! The knocking continued.

"Who is it? So early in the morning!" Slightly irritated, he could only patiently drag himself up and walk toward the door.

"You are?"

Rubbing his bleary eyes, Yizhe opened the door. Standing outside was a short, stout middle-aged man with a round face, a long beard, and a small felt cap.

"Sir, please forgive the disturbance!" the stout middle-aged man said apologetically.

"I am the leader of the White Horse caravan. My name is Qing Shi!"

"Hm? What do you want?" Yizhe asked impatiently.

Though Yizhe pretended to know nothing, he already understood what was going on.

This plump caravan leader must have learned from the old innkeeper that he was staying here and had come to invite him to join the caravan.

Otherwise, the man would not have rushed over to knock on his door so early in the morning.

"Sir, I heard you are a ninja training abroad?" Qing Shi asked cautiously, seeking confirmation.

"Yes."

"I also heard that you intend to go to the Land of Iron. May I ask whether you are currently carrying out someone else's commission?" Hearing Yizhe confirm that he was a ninja, Qing Shi's smile widened.

It seemed the old innkeeper had not lied to him.

"No," Yizhe answered coldly.

By then, the fat caravan leader's intentions were utterly obvious.

"Wonderful! Would you be willing to accept our caravan's commission and protect us safely to the Land of Iron?" Hearing that Yizhe had no commission, Qing Shi was delighted and promptly voiced his request.

"You have been delayed here for several days already, haven't you?" Yizhe casually asked, raising his head to look at the ceiling.

"Yes. Since we could not find any ninja willing to join us, we did not dare set out," Qing Shi said worriedly.

"Under normal circumstances, merchants like you would hire a few samurai for courage, take such a remote route, and gamble that you would not run into bandits. The profit from this trip would be enough to make the risk worthwhile."

"But now, you have been hiding here and have not dared to leave. You must already know that someone will definitely block your path ahead. A few samurai are no longer enough to protect you, so you delayed your journey and dared not take the road."

"Am I right, Leader Qing Shi?" Yizhe stared at Qing Shi with a faintly amused smile.

"Yes, yes, yes! I never expected someone so young to be so exceptional and perceptive!" Qing Shi wiped cold sweat from his forehead as he forced a smile and praised him.

"The people stopping you are ninja too, aren't they? Otherwise, samurai guards alone would have been enough for you to try your luck!" Yizhe continued.

"That is correct! They are a gang of bandits led by two ninja! We have already fought them once, and several guards died!" Qing Shi explained with a pained expression.

"What rank are those two ninja?" Yizhe pressed.

"Both are Genin!" Qing Shi answered without hesitation, sounding very certain.

"You know that so clearly? You do not know them, do you?" Yizhe asked suspiciously.

"Heh, heh!" Qing Shi wiped the cold sweat from his forehead again and smiled awkwardly. "They are a notorious bandit gang along this route, called Red Ant. Since the two ninja leaders are not particularly strong, they can only dominate remote routes like this one. Our caravan often travels this route, so we have dealt with them many times and know a little about them!"

"Since you have dealt with them before, why not just pay a toll? What are you afraid of?" Yizhe was deeply puzzled.

"Sir, you do not understand. The goods our caravan is transporting this time are not ordinary supplies!" Qing Shi looked around before lowering his voice. "We are transporting a batch of weapons!"

"No wonder." Upon hearing that the caravan was carrying weapons, Yizhe finally understood.

Although the wars across the Ninja World had only just been settled, military preparedness could not possibly be relaxed. Weapons were indispensable supplies, and even in peacetime, this trade brought enormous profits, let alone now.

No wonder those bandits had torn off all pretense and decided to seize the cargo.

"But if I alone have to hold off two ninja, I am afraid it may be beyond my ability," Yizhe said with a cold smile.

"Sir, do not worry! You only need to keep the two Genin occupied. Leave everyone else to the guards! I believe that when Red Ant sees this, they will know when to back down!" Qing Shi said carefully.

"What about the payment? How will my payment be calculated? Holding off two Genin for you is dangerous work!" Ever since learning that there were only two Genin on the other side, Yizhe's interest had begun to stir.

As long as a commission was not too dangerous and would not threaten his life, Yizhe could accept it.

"As for payment... three thousand as a deposit! After we safely arrive in the Land of Iron, I will give you another seven thousand. How does that sound?" Hearing that Yizhe was inclined to accept the commission, Qing Shi's facial flesh quivered excitedly.

"Ten thousand?" Yizhe had not expected the plump leader to offer such a generous payment so readily, and he could not help reassessing the danger of the job.

After all, a Genin-level commission generally paid no more than five thousand.

"What do you think..." Qing Shi asked softly. This was the highest price he could offer.

"Hm..." Yizhe said worriedly, "Give me a little time to think it over."

"I see... then forgive my disturbance!" Qing Shi said with some disappointment, forcing a smile. "I will wait for you in the hall downstairs. I look forward to good news!"

"Our caravan has already delayed its journey for several days. If we wait any longer, we may not reach our destination on time! We will depart by this afternoon at the latest! I hope you can help us!" Qing Shi had just turned to leave with his bulky body when he seemed to remember something and turned back to add.

"Mm. I understand," Yizhe replied softly without giving a definite answer.

After Qing Shi left, Yizhe closed the door, lay on the bed, and began carefully considering whether he should accept this commission.

At first, when he heard that the other side only had two Genin, he had felt quite reassured.

His own strength had already reached the threshold of Chunin. With Eight Trigrams Palms Revolving Heaven to protect himself, even if he found himself in danger, he was still highly confident that he could escape alive.

But the fact that the plump caravan leader had so readily offered a high-paying commission of ten thousand forced Yizhe to reassess the danger posed by those two Genin.

After all, they were desperadoes who lived by the blade every day. Their combat experience was surely extensive. They were not comparable to a fledgling like him who had only just graduated from the Ninja Academy.

So be it. How can I grow without fighting at the edge of life and death? My training should begin here! After much deliberation, Yizhe ultimately decided to accept the commission.

Tap, tap, tap!

Qing Shi, who had been anxiously waiting in the hall, looked up at the sound and immediately spotted Yizhe calmly coming down the stairs.

"Sir, what have you decided?" Qing Shi hurried over with a smile and asked cautiously.

"I, Yizhe, accept your caravan's commission!"

Qing Shi had received an answer that filled him with joy.