Running an Escort

The next day.

Xishan County, the official road.

Zhou Ming wore green robes and carried the Blood-Qi AK. His long, luxuriant hair was pinned up with a wooden hairpin.

The bronze complexion he had gained from weathering sun and wind had become much fairer after he broke through to become a Martial Artist, his flesh nourished by Blood Qi.

His rough skin seemed to have been replaced by a fresh new layer, and his handsome features now stood out as well.

At the moment, Zhou Ming was leading the convoy slowly along the official road.

Though it was called a convoy, there were actually only two carriages. Yet the value of an escort job was not measured by the amount of cargo.

It depended on the client.

This silver escort was not a cargo escort, but a passenger escort, primarily meant for protection and safe conveyance.

First came ensuring the client's safety; only then came delivering them to their destination.

If the person died, it was a failed escort. If they lived but were not delivered successfully, it was a broken escort.

There were over a dozen people escorting the two carriages.

In total, there were three Eighth Rank fighters, six Ninth Grade fighters, and one prospective escort master whose Stance Training had reached perfection.

Because they traveled along the official road, the conditions were excellent, and they covered a hundred li in a single day.

The setting sun sank, and the bright moon began to rise.

Once everyone had settled down, Wang Quan assigned Escort Master Li and the prospective escort master to guard the convoy, then gathered the others for a discussion.

Looking at the group, Wang Quan began explaining the details of this escort job.

This escort was Wang Quan's private job. Someone had approached him in secret, and he had accepted it, rather than having the client go directly to the Dragon Soaring Escort Agency to place a commission.

For this kind of passenger escort—especially a private escort—the identity of the person being protected was kept confidential.

Only after setting out would the person accepting the job reveal the specific details of the passenger escort at an appropriate time, to prevent information from leaking.

It was also to give the escort masters one more chance to choose whether they wanted to continue with the job.

After hearing Wang Quan's account,

they learned that the first carriage carried the widow and daughter of a merchant being hunted by his enemies. Before his death, the merchant had paid a hefty sum to entrust Wang Quan with the task: should anything happen to them, he was to make certain they reached Sealed Prefecture, which bordered Jinzhou.

Once they entered Sealed Prefecture, they could leave on their own.

"What strength do these enemies have? Has anyone investigated?" Escort Master Lu, Lu Wenjing, asked with a frown.

"Seventh Rank Perfect Foundation."

"Then why not ask Wu Escort Leader to make the trip?"

"Forget it, Old Wang. I'm not taking part in this job."

"Offending a Seventh Rank Martial Artist with a Perfect Foundation over one escort job isn't worth it."

The group immediately fell into a heated argument.

A moment later, two Ninth Grade escort masters cupped their fists toward the others and left without looking back.

Zhou Ming, who was squatting on the ground in bored idleness, watched the two escort masters leave. Just then, he saw the curtain over the window of the first carriage lift slightly.

A little girl timidly poked out half her head and secretly looked in their direction. Then a beautiful woman lifted a corner of the curtain and quickly glanced toward Zhou Ming.

She gave him an apologetic look, pulled the little girl away, and lowered the curtain again.

Though it had only been a fleeting glimpse, Zhou Ming had clearly seen the pretty woman's appearance.

He plucked a blade of grass and held it between his teeth.

Damn it!

No wonder the widow genre was so popular. There really was something to it.

"Escort Leader Wang, a Seventh Rank Perfect Foundation? You took a job like this? Aren't you pushing us into unrighteousness?" said a veteran Eighth Rank escort leader.

Wang Quan waved his hand. "Don't worry. I gave this job careful thought before accepting it. If those enemies truly come after us, we can just abandon the escort."

"Still, I'm afraid they might be bloodthirsty enough to clean us up along with them. Escort Leader Wang, my nephew and I won't be taking this job."

After speaking, another veteran Eighth Rank escort leader left with a Ninth Grade escort master.

In the end, of the ten-man team, one Eighth Rank fighter and three Ninth Grade fighters had left.

Wang Quan watched them depart, then glanced at Zhou Ming, who was squatting beside him. "Sigh. Veteran Martial Artists are not even as calm as a newcomer."

Zhou Ming rose to his feet and stamped them, easing the slight numbness in his legs.

"Uncle Wang, let's set out overnight. The longer the night, the more dreams it brings. The news may not have leaked before, but it might not remain that way now. Wealth moves men's hearts. I don't know how valuable a favor from someone with a Seventh Rank Perfect Foundation is, but it is definitely worth more than what we stand to earn from this escort."

As soon as the words fell, Wang Quan, Escort Master Lu, and the veteran Eighth Rank escort leader were all startled. They stared at Zhou Ming.

Seeing their expressions, Zhou Ming immediately asked, "Do private escorts often run into trouble?"

"We'll talk on the road. Set out first."

With that, Wang Quan immediately headed for the carriages, and everyone followed.

Under the moonlight, the two carriages sped forward, one behind the other.

By dawn, they had traveled another fifty li through the night.

At a relay station, the group stopped and casually ordered some food.

The beautiful woman and the little girl had already made it clear that they were not to show themselves or leave the carriage. Zhou Ming brought their food to them.

After eating their fill, the group did not linger and instead chose to depart immediately.

The horses had also been replaced at the relay station.

For several days in a row, aside from stopping at relay stations to eat and rest, the group barely paused, chasing wind and racing moon all the way.

Zhou Ming drove the horse of the passenger escort carriage, holding a whip in one hand and his gun in the other, leaning steadily against the carriage door.

"Young man, how much longer until we reach Sealed Prefecture?" the beautiful woman's voice came from inside the carriage.

"Bear with it. We'll be there in a few more days."

The beautiful woman said nothing inside the carriage and continued enduring its jolting ride.

Zhou Ming sighed inwardly.

Even as a Martial Artist whose body had been tempered, he had been jolted until his waist ached and his back hurt after all these days. Ordinary people had it far worse.

As for the little girl, her face was deathly pale. She would likely come down with a serious illness.

Just then, a group of people suddenly emerged from the woods beside the official road ahead.

Escort Master Li, seated beside Zhou Ming, turned grave. "Bandits. They look like seasoned hands with blood all over both hands."

Escort Master Li was just about to blow the whistle to stop the carriages when Zhou Ming's voice reached his ears.

"Blow it—keep moving!"

Before Escort Master Li could sound the whistle,

Da! Da! Da! Da! Da! Da!

Zhou Ming raised the AK and swept fire toward the distance.

As the carriage sped away, Escort Master Li stood on its platform and stared blankly at the corpses lying across the official road behind them, unable to say a word.

Once the convoy had completely vanished down the official road, a group of people sprang from the woods around the pile of corpses and swiftly collected the bodies.

A bald, burly man stared at the endless official road and sank into thought.

At that moment, a slightly balding middle-aged man walked to the burly man's side and said, "Boss, eighteen brothers are dead and seven are badly wounded. Boss, we have to avenge them."

The moment he spoke, the bald brute raised his hand and slapped him. Glowering, he said, "Avenge them? You want me dead so you can take my place, don't you?"

After saying that, the bald brute slammed his palm into a tree beside the official road, leaving a palm print on the trunk. He snarled, "Instantly killing Ninth Grade fighters, and you still want revenge? What the hell am I supposed to use for revenge?"

"Change tactics. Have the boys put up a shed and open a teahouse. We lost so many brothers—we can't make this trip for nothing."

"After this job, it'll be time to change locations."