Escort

When Lu Yuan arrived,

Shi Yun hurried over to greet him.

Bao Tianbao and Bao Dibao, the two dimwitted bailiffs, followed behind him.

"Brother Lu, you came early indeed!"

"I was even thinking of going to Green Mountain Village to pick you up!"

Shi Yun's face was piled high with smiles.

It was as if the conflict between them in Great River Village yesterday had never happened.

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare."

Lu Yuan smiled.

This fellow and Dou Chu, that smiling tiger, were two extremes.

He simply could not hide his true feelings.

Lu Yuan saw the trace of venom in his eyes at a glance.

However, Lu Yuan did not expose him. After exchanging a few lukewarm pleasantries, he swung himself onto the donkey.

"It's getting late. Let's set off."

Shi Yun waved his hand.

This mission was to head to the neighboring Sea-Gazing County.

Aside from handing the two female prisoners over to the Sea-Gazing County yamen, they also had to deliver that demon beast corpse to a secluded ancestral hall outside Sea-Gazing County Town.

Before long, the group left Pingyang County Town.

At this moment, a figure slowly emerged from the yamen's rear courtyard.

It was Chen Kuang.

He stared at Lu Yuan's retreating back, deep in thought.

"When I recruited that brat, I truly misjudged him."

"Could he really be a hidden dragon lying in the abyss?"

Chen Kuang shook his head and laughed even as he spoke.

"Captain, there's something strange about this guy. Before heading to Blackwater Village—"

"His performance was no different from trash."

"But there's no need to worry. This time, he'll definitely die in Pingyang County."

Dou Chu believed that Lu Yuan could never escape the killing formation they had arranged this time.

"If he belongs to the Demon Suppression Office..."

Chen Kuang glanced at Dou Chu.

"N-No, impossible."

Dou Chu grew somewhat flustered.

"Don't be afraid. The Great Harvest Dynasty has more than just the Demon Suppression Office."

Chen Kuang patted Dou Chu on the shoulder.

Then he changed out of his official uniform, put on ordinary clothes, and left the yamen.

After leaving Pingyang County,

the group kept their heads down and traveled during the day.

Lu Yuan rode his donkey by himself.

Since Shi Yun did not take the initiative to stir up trouble, Lu Yuan was naturally happy to have some peace and quiet.

Only the two dimwits, Bao Tianbao and Bao Dibao, would occasionally turn back to look at Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan did not actually care much about Shi Yun and his lot.

However, while traveling, Lu Yuan seemed to sense something following them, appearing and disappearing like a ghost.

"If something really happens, at worst I'll pour all my experience points into Carefree Steps."

"If I can't beat them, can't I still run?"

Lu Yuan pondered it for a moment.

They traveled along the official road. It gave them a little more sense of security, but it was not absolute safety.

Now and then, porters hurrying along and merchant caravans on horseback passed them by.

But more often, beastly roars drifted from the wilderness and dense forests.

Fortunately, nothing happened during the day.

By evening, unless one was truly highly skilled and bold, a martial artist of exceptional strength,

few dared to travel in the dark.

The wilderness was the domain of demon beasts.

Before night fully fell, Lu Yuan's group also reached an inn beside the official road.

"Innkeeper, we're stopping for food and lodging. Bring out your best wine and dishes."

Shi Yun swung down from his donkey.

Then he placed the escort documents on the counter.

Since everyone in their party wore yamen uniforms,

the innkeeper immediately understood that they were from the county yamen.

"Of course, of course. Esteemed guests, please wait a moment. I'll have the food prepared right away."

The innkeeper immediately arranged superior rooms and steaming-hot food for them with a fawning smile.

Anyone who could open a shop beside the official road had some worldly experience.

Naturally, he could tell the real thing from a fake.

"A batch of imperial hounds has arrived!"

"If these dogs weren't all useless, lining their own pockets one by one, would we have to roam all over the world?"

"Stop talking. Don't go looking for trouble."

It was mealtime, and the inn hall was quite lively. Many wandering martial artists and merchants were drinking cup after cup.

The reputation of Lu Yuan's group of government runners was clearly not very good in the martial world.

Shi Yun opened the prison cart and dragged the two female prisoners down.

To make eating easier, he removed the wooden shackles from their hands but fastened chains around their ankles.

"Come here."

Shi Yun led the two women to an empty table and sat beside them with his legs spread wide, calling for the waiter to bring food.

The two female prisoners in ankle chains immediately drew plenty of attention upon appearing in the inn.

"Tsk, tsk, escorting female prisoners is quite the cushy assignment!"

"Hehe, I wonder whether they can enjoy the services of a beauty made of paper and a foot-warming maid."

At the sight of the female prisoners, the wandering martial artists' eyes lit up.

They began looking the women up and down.

Their mouths also started spouting vulgarities.

Bang!

Shi Yun seemed used to such scenes.

He directly slammed his saber heavily onto the table.

"The yamen is conducting official business. Watch your words and actions."

His tone was not heavy, but it brimmed with Killing Intent.

The wandering martial artists awkwardly withdrew their gazes and went back to drinking and eating meat.

As for what they were thinking inside, that was impossible to know.

Lu Yuan sat at the neighboring table.

To his surprise, there was wine and meat on it.

"No wonder they say escorting female prisoners is a cushy assignment."

"The food is far too good."

Lu Yuan did not stand on ceremony. He picked up a slice of beef and put it into his mouth.

In these times, meat was not merely precious to ordinary people.

Even martial artists needed large amounts of meat as dietary nourishment to restore their bodies.

As he ate, Lu Yuan also observed the two female prisoners.

The woman on the left was plain-looking and named A Xiu.

She wore a tattered prison uniform, her hair disheveled, her expression full of fear.

From the moment she entered the inn, she had kept her shoulders hunched and clutched the hem of her clothes tightly with both hands.

The woman on the right, however, was completely different.

Her name was Shen Qingzhu. She had bright eyes and pearly teeth; even in a coarse prison uniform, her clear and refined beauty could not be concealed.

But what drew the most attention was her air of keeping people a thousand miles away.

"Eat."

"After this meal, who knows when you'll have food again?"

Shi Yun pushed two bowls of coarse rice and several small plates of vegetables before the two women.

A Xiu froze in fright, but in the next instant, she picked up her bowl and rapidly shoveled the food into her mouth.

Shen Qingzhu merely glanced at it and did not move her chopsticks.

Shi Yun frowned, yet he did not dare do anything to Shen Qingzhu.

"A Xiu!"

Shi Yun suddenly spoke.

A Xiu stopped eating and answered fearfully, "M-My lord, it's me."

"Your family doesn't seem to like you very much!"

Shi Yun casually remarked.

After all, when a woman committed a crime, her family would send clothes and silver to ensure she was treated better during the escort,

and to prevent her from being harassed or even violated. They would beg the escorting runners to look after her.

"A Xiu only has her elderly father and mother at home. They are weak and sickly, and her mother is even blind... The two of them already struggle to live on their own."

"I... I..."

A Xiu understood what Shi Yun meant.

With a thud, she dropped to her knees.

Her face was streaked with tears like pear blossoms in the rain.