Escort agencies

"This is the Shunfeng Escort Agency. Its head escort is surnamed Zhang, known in the martial world as Zhang Yidao. He's a fine saber wielder and has already forged skin of copper and bones of iron. Even thirty or fifty men are no match for him!"

"I just went and asked. They charge a hundred taels of silver to take someone through the pass, with food and drink at your own expense. That's a little steep..."

"This is the Weiwu Escort Agency. Its head escort is surnamed Liu, known in the martial world as Liu Yishou. He doesn't use weapons, but he's honed his grappling skills to perfection. Even the magistrate of Guo County here in Cangzhou Prefectural City invited him to teach the constables at the County Yamen. He's someone with official connections, and plenty of people on both sides of the law respect his character!"

"Tsk, just what you'd expect from someone with official connections. Head Escort Liu charges even more: a hundred and fifty taels a person. They do provide food, but what tasty provisions could a bunch of rough fellows possibly bring..."

"Up ahead is the Zongjian Escort Agency. Its head escort is surnamed Dugu, known in the martial world as Dugu Jian. Of course, his actual name is Dugu Jian too. Everyone he recruits is a promising swordsman. Miss, take a look around here while I go ask about the price..."

Cangzhou Prefectural City lived up to its status as a prefectural seat. Not only did countless commoners live there, but its escort agencies alone occupied a street ten li long.

Of course, it was not actually ten li long.

But even if that was an exaggeration, it still showed just how prosperous Cangzhou Prefectural City was.

"Uncle, how much is it?"

"Ah, don't ask. Dugu Jian charges even more. Two hundred taels! Honestly..."

They had spent the entire morning walking and seen no fewer than ten escort agencies. But perhaps because Lu Mingyue was alone, the agencies all felt there was little profit to be made, so their quotes were all around a hundred taels of silver.

It was not that Lu Mingyue was being stingy. She really did not have much silver left. If she paid over a hundred taels in escort fees, she could only afford some plain dry rations for herself, and there was no guarantee she would find a suitable blessed grotto before those rations ran out.

So it was not just the innkeeper who wanted to find Lu Mingyue an affordable escort agency. Lu Mingyue herself was choosing carefully too.

This left a certain young man following several hundred meters behind Lu Mingyue seething with anger.

Seeing that Lu Mingyue was almost at the end of the street of escort agencies, the young man narrowed his eyes, then quickly took a roundabout route to the exit at the other end.

"I can't possibly come up with two hundred taels!"

Upon learning the price Dugu Jian had quoted, Lu Mingyue could not help giving a wry smile, worry stirring in her heart.

"This is difficult..."

The innkeeper grew worried too. Looking toward the street's exit, where only two escort agencies remained, he was now finding it a little hard to hear the young woman beside him call him uncle.

He had blown his own trumpet too loudly last night. He could not even find a suitable escort agency. How could he have the nerve to let the young woman call him uncle?

"Come on, there are still two Escort Agencies left. If all else fails, I'll swallow my pride and bargain the price down for you!"

But however worried he was, the matter still had to be handled. A man who could open an establishment as large as the Dragon Gate Inn in Cangzhou Prefectural City was naturally not one to dither. The innkeeper immediately led Lu Mingyue into a nearby escort agency.

"The Sifang Escort Agency's head escort is called Li Wu. He's a junior of mine, in a manner of speaking. Their agency has few people, they're young, and business isn't particularly good. Out of respect for me, he certainly won't ask too much..."

One moment the innkeeper was still giving his assurances; less than two breaths later, he had lost face.

"Uncle Long, it's not that I won't show you respect. It's just that everyone on this street charges the same rate. If I make an exception today, how am I supposed to stay in this business?"

The Sifang Escort Agency's head escort was a man in his thirties. After seeing the innkeeper walk in with Lu Mingyue, he quoted a price of a hundred taels.

He also cut off the innkeeper before he could bargain.

The innkeeper's face flushed red. In the height of summer, a group of young men practiced bare-chested in the training yard, their sweat falling like rain, yet he felt as though he was coming down with heatstroke.

"Uncle, why don't we try the next one?" Lu Mingyue had no intention of making things difficult for the innkeeper. If nothing else worked, she would simply reveal her identity as an immortal cultivator and leave the city directly.

Though somewhat dangerous, it would be simple and save trouble.

Lu Mingyue refused to believe she would really be that unlucky.

"Miss, aside from the Sifang Escort Agency, there's no other agency that can take you through the pass!"

The innkeeper had evidently understood what Lu Mingyue meant, but his answer surprised her somewhat.

"Isn't there another one over there, the Evergreen Escort Agency?"

Lu Mingyue pointed at an escort agency's sign near the street's exit and looked at the innkeeper in bewilderment.

"Ah! You don't know, miss. A few years ago, the Evergreen Escort Agency ran into a rogue cultivator while escorting a shipment. Not only were they robbed, but more than half their escorts were killed. Of all the agencies on this street, theirs is the least reliable!"

At this point, the innkeeper paused, then continued with a secretive expression:

"What's more, when an Escort Agency like theirs gets targeted by a rogue cultivator out there, they'll switch to another line of work if they can't recover. They're worried about running into that same rogue cultivator again. Never mind losing their own lives—who would dare entrust a shipment to an Escort Agency like that?"

So, after being robbed by a rogue cultivator, the Evergreen Escort Agency had failed to recover even after all these years. Nobody dared hire them to escort shipments anymore, yet they had not changed their line of work either.

"Why don't we go and ask?"

Lu Mingyue felt a little apprehensive too. Who knew what cultivation level that rogue cultivator had reached?

Still, since that person had not slaughtered everyone at the Evergreen Escort Agency, perhaps their cultivation was not particularly high.

In any case, she only needed to get through the pass successfully. She could part ways with the Evergreen Escort Agency afterward, and would not necessarily run into that rogue cultivator.

"Ah, there's no point asking. Their agency only has eight people left now. Even counting their head escort, Meng Hai, that's only nine..."

The innkeeper wanted to say more, but just then, three people happened to approach the Evergreen Escort Agency's entrance.

A man and woman in their thirties stood leaning shoulder to shoulder, seemingly husband and wife.

The other was a young man of about twenty, with a reserved expression on his face.

"May I ask, head escort, can your Escort Agency escort us through the pass?"

The man in his thirties at the front spoke first, calling into the Escort Agency, and an elderly man in his fifties emerged.

"Heh heh, I'm Meng Hai, head escort of the Evergreen Escort Agency. May I ask, are the three of you planning to go through the pass?"

"Yes, the three of us. Head escort, how much do you charge... to escort people?" The man glanced at the young man and asked about the price.

Not only did Lu Mingyue's expression shift, but the innkeeper beside her also pricked up his ears.

"To tell you the truth, you're our Escort Agency's first customers this summer. As for the price, if the three of you are going through the pass together, this much will do!"

The head escort of the Evergreen Escort Agency had evidently noticed Lu Mingyue and the innkeeper too. As he spoke, he glanced at Lu Mingyue.

Thank you to darling "2021...8209" for the monthly vote~

I hope you darlings are happy and cheerful every day. Don't spend time with people who make you unhappy, and don't do things that make you unhappy~