The Situation II

"So that's how it was!"

Another meat bun was bitten more than halfway through, its rich, savory juices spreading through Jiang Jingnian's mouth. He could not help marveling at how generous the escort agency's mess hall was with its filling.

And the price was even cheaper than outside.

He chewed his food and nodded again. "I also happen to have something to report to the agency later."

"What is it?"

"It's about helping the Su Family in that fight. Didn't we knock over that young hall master a few days ago? I suspect Garden Celebration Hall..."

As Jiang Jingnian and Chai Li's group headed toward a nearby escort agency, they spoke as they walked about last night's attack.

In any case, this was something they had to report to the escort agency, so it was not some unspeakable secret.

Only, regarding the exact strength of those attackers,

Jiang Jingnian glossed it over vaguely. He merely said they had been Martial Masters of roughly equal skill, without going into too much detail.

He also exaggerated the course of the fight many times over, describing the soul-quaking life-and-death peril he had faced during the attack.

By the time Chai Li and the other escort hands heard it all, they too were shaken, with lingering fear rising in their hearts.

Luckily, they had returned to the escort agency early. If they had also wandered about outside, they might have suffered an attack as well.

They were only ordinary escort hands. If they had faced those Black Warriors, not only would they have become Escort Master Jiang's burden, they might have suffered grave casualties in the attack.

"Garden Celebration Hall has not only violated the Jianghu Rules again and again, but even hired murderers with such vile, underhanded methods?!"

A tall, brawny escort hand beside them wore an indignant expression. "Good thing Brother Jiang was highly skilled and did not let those villains succeed! When the meeting begins later, we'll tell the Chief Escort about this together."

This matter could be as minor or as major as one made it.

At its greatest, it meant they had completely torn off all pretenses. Garden Celebration Hall had been the first to flip the table, so however Tongda Escort Agency retaliated afterward, it would be understandable and justified.

Even if matters blew up, they would have reasons and evidence to face the foreign Patrol Bureau's inquiries without the slightest fear.

Chai Li nodded from the side, then sighed. "It's a pity those Black Warriors were too cunning. They left behind no evidence."

There was no conclusive evidence.

Then it was merely speculation.

Even if the escort agency sent people to retaliate, they could not allow matters to escalate too far.

"No matter. We'll ask the Chief Escort to decide when the time comes. There will certainly be an explanation!"

Another young escort hand took up the thread at this moment.

The group talked over one another as they discussed the matter all the way into the escort agency. Their intense reaction was not surprising.

The reason the other side had attacked Escort Master Jiang was naturally because of the matter of helping the Su Family in the fight. Since they had all gone together to help, they might well have been targeted too.

If this matter was not resolved, it would become an enormous hidden danger.

Seeing his colleagues all so righteously indignant, Jiang Jingnian merely nodded along from the side and did not say much more.

The group passed through the front courtyard.

They arrived at the meeting hall in the central courtyard.

At this time, the place was already packed shoulder to shoulder. Compared with the regular meeting a few days ago, there were especially many people here today—at least twice as many.

Even many escort masters who had originally been away on assignments had all returned if they were able.

They stood in groups of twos and threes, whispering among themselves about the meeting that was about to begin.

"There are quite a lot of people. Let's stand over there."

When Jiang Jingnian and the others entered from outside, they found that only the corner at the side still had space.

Seeing this, Chai Li swept her gaze around and estimated the number of attendees. Her previously normal expression immediately darkened.

She was a veteran escort hand and had joined Tongda Escort Agency many years ago.

Over all those years, the escort agency had convened such a large regular meeting only six or seven times.

Every time, it had been because something major needed to be announced or dealt with.

She remembered that the last similar meeting had been half a year ago, when they had come into a business conflict with a foreign transport company. There had been considerable casualties, and in the end the First Master had been forced to yield and retreat, cutting back some of the escort agency's core business.

After that incident, this old-established escort agency had gradually weakened by the day.

"What is it?"

A young escort hand beside her noticed the change in Chai Li's expression and asked quietly, "Sister Chai Li, is something wrong?"

Jiang Jingnian had been surveying the surrounding crowd. Hearing their exchange, he turned his gaze toward them as well.

"No apprentices are attending today's meeting."

"And there are far too many people. Apart from those apprentices, the escort agency only has a little over a hundred escort masters and escort hands in total, yet there are nearly eighty or ninety people here now."

Chai Li pointed at the people standing in the hall. At a glance, not a single apprentice could be seen among them.

They were all escort hands and escort masters.

The few escort hands beside her also frowned slightly and looked around. They found that the situation was indeed as Chai Li had said.

Jiang Jingnian, standing beside them, revealed a thoughtful look. "It seems this adjustment to the escort agency's business is a matter of great importance!"

Just as everyone was talking animatedly,

the Chief Escort entered boldly from outside with Li Escort Chief and several agency stewards, then made his way to the raised area of the meeting hall.

Looking at the somewhat noisy crowd below, he merely pressed his palm lightly downward. "Everyone, quiet down!"

His voice, carrying a trace of inner force, instantly spread to every corner of the meeting hall.

As the Chief Escort's words fell, the clamor created by all the conversations immediately subsided and gradually returned to silence.

"The three masters are currently away on business and will not return for several days. Li Escort Chief and I will preside over this meeting for now."

As he spoke, the Chief Escort pointed to a young man at his side, dressed in fitted blue martial attire with resolute features.

The agency stewards stood below and to the left of the two escort chiefs. Each held documents in his hands, lowering his head to review and sort through them.

The people from the escort agency below raised their heads slightly and quietly watched the two escort chiefs in the distance.

"Colleagues, some of you should have read Peace City's newspapers recently, correct?"

"The Dou'a Sect is about to establish itself in Peace City's Stockade!"

"Perhaps many of you have never heard this sect's name, but you have surely heard of the Mountain Cloud School behind our escort agency?"

"The Dou'a Sect and the Mountain Cloud School once shared the same roots. Both originated in Central Jade Prefecture of Chen State. Back then, they were called the Mountain Cloud Sect, one of Central Jade Prefecture's foremost great sects."

"Later, conflict arose within the sect, splitting it into two factions. The two sides fought a life-and-death struggle over the sect master's position, even shattering the Mountain Cloud Sect's mountain gate to pieces. Countless members were killed or wounded."

"In the end, one surviving faction of the sect came to Peace City and established the Mountain Cloud School."

"The other went to Nanwan Prefecture and became the Dou'a Sect."

"Over the years, the two sides had occasionally clashed and killed one another, but it had never been too intense. After all, they were separated by a great distance. Only when disciples encountered each other while traveling abroad would there be casualties."

"However, since the beginning of this year, the situation has changed."

"Those people from the Dou'a Sect claim, under the fine name of delivering the souls of displaced refugees, that they are actually trying to borrow the warlords' power to swallow up the Mountain Cloud School once more and reunite the Mountain Cloud Sect, divided for so many years!"

The Chief Escort's long hair hung loose over his shoulders. Yet compared to his usual indolent manner, his expression was particularly grave at this moment.