The Escort Lives with the Cargo, Dies with the Cargo Lost?

The Iron Garb Sect martial artists had an obvious weakness: they were too slow.

Each and every one of them had cultivated their body-tempering arts to an exceptionally profound level. Their defense and strength were indeed astonishing.

When facing martial artists of the same realm, if one could not break through their defenses, defeat was all but certain. They would inevitably wear their opponent down to death.

But as long as one, like Chen Yuan, surpassed them in strength and possessed a weapon capable of breaking their defenses, the result would be nothing but a complete slaughter.

The remaining two Iron Garb Sect disciples could not even dodge Chen Yuan's blade. In an instant, they were cut down.

The Iron Garb Sect's senior brother was nearly driven mad with rage, his eyes crimson.

He had brought these fellow disciples to hunt down the Clear Wind Escort Agency, yet now every one of them was dead.

Even if he returned with the Azure Dragon Blooddrinker, his merits would not outweigh his faults. The sect would certainly punish him severely.

"You only know how to hide and launch sneak attacks! What kind of skill is that? If you've got the guts, fight me head-on! Today, I'll crush your head with my bare hands!"

The Iron Garb Sect senior brother roared and flung two stools at Chen Yuan with both hands.

"Fine. As you wish!"

Chen Yuan slashed out. Blade qi surged forth and shattered both stools to pieces.

The blade howled. The Autumn Wind Slash descended, its overwhelming blade radiance rushing toward the Iron Garb Sect senior brother.

This move could easily slaughter Iron Garb Sect martial artists in the Blood-Shifting Realm, but it had little effect on their senior brother.

He let out a furious shout. Blackish-gray true qi spread across his entire body as the Iron Conical Hat in his hand spun like a windmill, smashing wildly toward Chen Yuan.

Though the Azure Dragon Blooddrinker was sharp, it could not directly cleave apart the heavy Iron Conical Hat. It could only hack it into a mangled ruin.

Some of the blade radiance struck the Iron Garb Sect senior brother's body, producing resounding metallic clangs.

Part of the blade radiance tore through his protective true qi, leaving blade wounds across his body, yet not a drop of blood flowed.

After cultivating the Iron Chain Across the River Method to the minor stage, Iron Garb Sect disciples could control their blood and qi. He could completely prevent such shallow wounds from leaking any blood and qi.

In the blink of an eye, the Iron Garb Sect senior brother had closed to within less than two feet of Chen Yuan.

The Iron Conical Hat in his hand finally could not hold out any longer. Under Chen Yuan's blade, it exploded into several pieces.

"Die!"

The Iron Garb Sect senior brother spread his arms wide, intending to wrap Chen Yuan entirely in his embrace.

The dazzling blade radiance in Chen Yuan's hand fell. The Iron Garb Sect senior brother merely shifted slightly, and the blade slid past his neck before cutting viciously into his shoulder blade.

The cut was deep enough to reveal bone, but in the next instant, his shoulder bones shifted as sinew, flesh, blood, and qi converged madly around the wound, clamping the blade tightly in place.

A savage grin appeared on the Iron Garb Sect senior brother's face.

This man's blade techniques were fast and ruthless, his inner strength exceedingly deep, and his explosive force terrifying.

In a normal fight, he was at too much of a disadvantage. Only this method of trading wounds for wounds, life for life, could kill his opponent.

Just as Chen Yuan was about to be caught in his embrace and strangled to death, Chen Yuan abruptly abandoned his blade. His hands coiled around the other man's arms like nimble serpents.

Under the force of Silk-Winding Force, softness overcame hardness, instantly dispersing the strength in the Iron Garb Sect senior brother's arms.

Then, the inner strength from the acupoints across Chen Yuan's body converged. He drove the Surging Waves, Flowing Clouds Formula to its utmost limit, exerted force with both arms, and twisted with the power to split gold and shatter jade!

Amid a series of cracking sounds, the Iron Garb Sect senior brother's thick arms were directly twisted apart by Chen Yuan, bent at grotesque angles.

With a miserable scream, the Iron Garb Sect senior brother could no longer control his own blood and qi. Blood instantly spurted from the wound in his shoulder.

Chen Yuan pulled out his blade. With nothing left to obstruct it, the Azure Dragon Blooddrinker swept horizontally, and his opponent's head instantly fell to the ground.

The entire hall fell silent for a moment before loud cheers suddenly erupted.

Some of the jianghu men watching from around the room cheered, while others whistled. Accents from every corner of the land filled the hall of Yellow Dragon Post.

Killing was nothing unusual in a place like this. They had long since grown accustomed to it.

But Chen Yuan's battle just now, facing many enemies alone, had been truly spectacular.

He first killed the weaker opponents, avoiding the danger of being surrounded.

Then he answered offense with offense, confronting the Iron Garb Sect senior brother head-on and forcing him into a desperate gamble, only to suddenly reveal his trump card and kill him in the area where he was strongest.

It could be said that throughout Chen Yuan's attack, not a single move had been wasted.

This clean and decisive slaughter was a thrilling sight for these men who lived by the blade and roamed the jianghu.

Chen Yuan flicked the blood from his blade. The droplets scattered across the floor in a thin line.

It was a good blade, but it had no sheath. He needed to find somewhere to have one made.

At that moment, Jin Kaiyuan of the Clear Wind Escort Agency walked over and respectfully bowed deeply.

"Thank you, young hero, for saving our lives. Everyone at the Clear Wind Escort Agency is endlessly grateful. May I ask your name, young hero? We will remember it forever and never forget your kindness."

Chen Yuan casually waved a hand.

His original intention had only been to seize the blade, not to save these people.

He did not care much about the Iron Garb Sect, but there was no need to deliberately leave his name behind and invite trouble.

At this moment, Qingqing, the female escort, looked at the Azure Dragon Blooddrinker in Chen Yuan's hand. She hesitated, just about to say something, when Jin Kaiyuan yanked her hard and made her swallow her words.

Jin Kaiyuan's disciple had always admired her, and his attention had been fixed on Qingqing.

Seeing her expression, he immediately understood what she meant and loudly said, "Thank you, young hero, for saving our lives. But the Azure Dragon Blooddrinker is cargo entrusted to the Clear Wind Escort Agency. Might young hero return it to us?"

Jin Kaiyuan's expression changed drastically. Just as he was about to stop him, Chen Yuan shot him a cold glance that made him freeze.

Chen Yuan turned around and looked at the young escort, barely over twenty, with a faint smile. "Return it? Why didn't you ask them to return it when it was in the Iron Garb Sect's hands?"

"The Iron Garb Sect villains are arrogant and tyrannical. Young hero, you drew your sword to uphold justice and aid the weak, so naturally you are different from them.

"The Clear Wind Escort Agency has always followed one rule: the escort lives with the cargo, and dies with the cargo lost. Please do us this favor, young hero, and return the weapon."

After saying this, the young escort even felt rather pleased with himself.

He had praised this young hero to the skies, placing labels like chivalry and aiding the weak upon him. How could he still have the nerve not to return the Azure Dragon Blooddrinker?

Afterward, he would have turned the tide and recovered the weapon. Qingqing would surely think more highly of him, and his master would see him as the successor to the escort agency. His future would be bright indeed.

"The escort lives with the cargo, and dies with the cargo lost? Then go die!"

Blade light flashed, and the young escort's head instantly flew into the air. Blood gushed like a fountain from his headless corpse, drenching Qingqing, Jin Kaiyuan, and the others.

Qingqing wanted to scream, but she suddenly covered her mouth. Her face was filled with terror as she stared at Chen Yuan, not daring to make the slightest sound.

Chen Yuan expressionlessly turned his gaze toward Jin Kaiyuan and the others. "Is that your rule too? The escort lives with the cargo, and dies with the cargo lost?"

Jin Kaiyuan shuddered and immediately said, "The Clear Wind Escort Agency's cargo was taken by the Iron Garb Sect long ago. This is young hero's blade and has nothing whatsoever to do with the Clear Wind Escort Agency!"

Chen Yuan snorted and turned to leave, though he still felt somewhat irritated.

He remembered that in the original plot, the player had encountered the Iron Garb Sect seizing the cargo, stepped in to help reclaim the blade, and naturally obtained it afterward. Everything had gone smoothly.

So why did he always run into so many idiots whenever it was his turn?

It had been like that with Duan Mubai, and now the people from the Clear Wind Escort Agency were the same.

In truth, Chen Yuan had skipped through this part of the plot and forgotten some of the details. He had acted too early.

In the original plot, the player had entered the post station midway through, seen that the other side had already begun killing people, and only then stepped in to help.

By then, all the young escorts from the Clear Wind Escort Agency had died, leaving only Jin Kaiyuan alive.

As an old hand of the jianghu, Jin Kaiyuan naturally would not have been so foolish.

Besides, with only himself left in the escort agency, he would already have been utterly disheartened. Why would he still care about any cargo?

If Chen Yuan had acted a little later, the outcome would have been much the same.

Only after Chen Yuan had completely left did Qingqing finally burst into tears.

"Stop crying. He deserved it!"

Jin Kaiyuan gritted his teeth. "He nearly got us all killed!"

"Why are the people of the jianghu all so unreasonable? That was clearly our cargo!"

Qingqing sobbed, terror and confusion in her eyes.

Just then, the post station chief arrived with several armed post guards.

The post station chief had been appointed by the imperial court, but he was also a powerful local figure in the jianghu. Otherwise, he could not keep order among these passing jianghu people, proud and unruly men who lived on the edge of a blade.

"It is not that jianghu people do not reason. It is that their reason is spoken with fists and blades, not with mouths."

The slightly plump post station chief, who wore two small mustaches, gently shook his head. "That gentleman only killed one person just now. He was already merciful enough to deserve being called a young hero.

"That dead fellow was full of petty cleverness. He thought he could flatter the man, use morality to pressure him, and force him to return the weapon. He truly was an utter fool.

"Brother, it is not my place to say this, but I have seen countless escort parties passing through here. Which escort party is not led by several veterans with a few newcomers? How can you, one veteran, lead a whole group of newcomers?

"It is already good luck that none of you died on the road."

The surrounding jianghu people all nodded in agreement.

That kid truly had no idea what was what. He had petty tricks, yet could not see the situation clearly.

Seeing that the man was young and handsome, he assumed he was some noble young hero from a prestigious sect whom he could casually pressure and manipulate with words.

He did not realize that the man had killed eight Iron Garb Sect martial artists without even blinking as severed limbs, intestines, and organs spilled across the floor. How could such a person be simple?

Playing petty tricks on such a vicious man was simply courting death.

Jin Kaiyuan revealed a bitter smile.

It really had been good luck.

If their luck had been any worse, they would all have died here today.

"Enough, brother. The dead are dead. It is no pity for a fool like that to die, or sooner or later he would have ruined your escort agency."

The post station chief lightly patted Jin Kaiyuan's shoulder and gave him a genial smile. "But before you leave, you still need to settle the bill.

"So many tables and chairs were smashed, the floor needs repairs, and all these severed limbs and arms are ruining everyone's appetite. I still need to arrange for someone to wash the floor.

"Three thousand taels of silver, please. If you do not have enough silver, you can leave that young lady here as collateral."

With a wave of the post station chief's hand, the post guards behind him surrounded Jin Kaiyuan and the others.

Everyone from the Iron Garb Sect was dead, and the man from earlier was clearly not someone to provoke. If they did not demand the money from these people, then who would they demand it from?

Jin Kaiyuan nearly spat out another mouthful of blood. He forced out a smile uglier than crying. "I'll pay!"