Seven days later, at the Tiger Might Escort Agency.
Four horse-drawn wagons stood loaded with goods in the agency's courtyard. A party of twelve escorts mounted their horses and left through the city gates early that morning.
Their destination was Tianshan City, a hundred li away.
A tiger-head badge hung on Chen Tie's chest, and the other ten wore the same. Only the chief escort at the head of the party, the Flesh Refining expert Xu Shi, wore the agency's uniform.
For one thing, quite a few members of the party were temporary hires, so there was no need to have properly fitted clothes made for everyone. For another, matching uniforms were particularly conspicuous in these troubled times. If anything unusual happened, they could simply throw away their tiger-head badges and blend into the crowd.
The whole journey was expected to take ten days. Each person had a horse carrying twenty days' worth of dry rations, but not much water. After all, water was plentiful in this world, and unlike in his previous life, the streams and rivers were unpolluted and safe to drink from directly.
Outside Duchang City, Chen Tie could not help looking around as he rode. In his memories, the land beyond the city teemed with wild beasts and venomous creatures, making it difficult for ordinary people to survive.
As far as he could see beneath the city walls, fertile fields stretched in connected expanses, their seedlings flourishing. Plot after plot wound along the walls, and many farmers were working in them.
Mounted martial artists patrolled the roads from time to time, their gazes sweeping every corner of the fields. Short blades hung at their waists, and their Qi and blood remained concealed, unreleased.
However, their patrols covered only the five li beyond the city walls. Beyond the fertile fields lay hills and forests stretching without end.
"Junior Brother Chen, surprised? Did you think wild beasts and venomous creatures ran rampant everywhere out here?"
Chen Tie nodded slightly. "Yes, Third Senior Brother. Outside the city is completely different from what I thought."
Xu Da fell silent for a moment. "Actually, for ordinary people, wild beasts and venomous creatures really do run rampant outside the city. The only safe area is these five li of farmland."
"Five li?"
Xu Da said with a sigh, "That's right. These five li outside the city all belong to the lineages in the inner city. The patrolling martial artists only protect the fields. The farmers working here are all tenant farmers, and they can only manage to keep themselves fed and clothed. But compared with what others have, this is already work they could only dream of."
Chief Escort Xu Shi smiled. "The real danger lies beyond these fields. Wild beasts and venomous creatures are dangerous, but people are still the most dangerous of all."
"Uncle Shen, what do you mean?" Chen Tie pressed.
"Where there are people, there is the jianghu, and the jianghu isn't all fighting and killing," Shen Shi explained. "Our Tiger Might Escort Agency has traveled far and wide for years. We've greased plenty of palms among the mountain strongholds and local snakes. When we escort a shipment, they'll show us some respect."
"As for wild beasts and venomous creatures, every faction has its own experience in dealing with them. That's part of its accumulated foundation."
"Foundation?" Chen Tie did not understand.
Xu Shi's expression dimmed. "In these troubled times, there are plenty of wild beasts and venomous creatures out there, and even ferocious beasts. Most occupy a particular area. Once you've traveled enough, you learn how to deal with the different regions. Over time, recording it all gives you a practical map that can ensure your safety."
Chen Tie fell silent at this. The meaning was already clear.
The safe routes outside the city were all routes the various factions had explored at the cost of human lives, and every method of dealing with danger had been tested with lives on the line.
The party soon left the five li of fertile fields behind and entered a forest trail, their pace slowing noticeably.
Weeds overran both sides of the official road, and clumps of green had even sprouted on parts of the road itself. Clearly, it had gone without repairs for years.
They traveled fifteen li on the first day without incident and reached a large village called Gao Family Village. Xu Shi was clearly well acquainted with its master, and the party stayed there for the night.
Chen Tie noticed that Gao Family Village's walls stood a full three zhang high. Even if wild beasts prowled nearby, he supposed the danger was not great.
After each day's travel, there was another village where they could spend the night. The Tiger Might Escort Agency seemed thoroughly familiar with the route.
For the most part, Chen Tie shared a room with Xu Da, and nothing unexpected happened along the way.
Gradually, Chen Tie began to lower his guard. After all, with an established, safe route and lodging arranged in advance, all they needed to do was follow the routine.
Although they traveled through forests, they encountered no wild beasts or venomous creatures. When a few groups of mountain bandits occasionally blocked their path, Xu Shi stepped forward, and the other side generally cleared the way.
Chen Tie could not help beginning to doubt the dangers outside the city, feeling that those claims were all exaggerated publicity.
That lasted until the sixth day, when the party reached a solitary mountain, below which lay an unbroken expanse of lakes.
It was getting late. Xu Shi looked at the road ahead with a complicated gaze, casually scooped up a handful of clods, and crushed them with a squeeze.
Another veteran escort, Xu Fei, looked tense. "Chief, this place isn't easy to get through! Those water monkeys..."
Xu Shi waved a hand. "We have to deliver the goods in ten days. Going around would add another five. We can't afford the delay."
"It hasn't rained lately. It should be safe."
Xu Fei could only nod and let the matter drop.
The party quickly entered the forest beside the lake. Xu Shi pressed on with his head down, hoping to get as far beyond the forest as possible before dark.
But things did not go as he wished. It grew too dark, and they eventually spent the night at a lakeside relay station.
It was a stone relay station, a single story with stone walls and a wooden roof. It was not large, but it could accommodate twelve people with ease.
This was their first day camping in the wild. The escorts arranged the three wagons and the horses in a semicircle and lit a bonfire both inside and outside. After briefly tending to things and eating, everyone rested inside the station.
Of course, they could not all rest. Two people had to remain outside on watch.
Chen Tie ate dried meat in boredom, taking a sip of water from time to time.
Looking around, he saw the escorts who had finished eating chatting about anything and everything. Others sat in silence, wiping down the sabers they carried.
Just then, Xu Shi walked out of the station. Several other escorts exchanged glances and followed him.
Before long, the sound of blades and staves clashing actually came from outside.
Chen Tie hurried out of the station and saw the escorts gathered in a circle, with two men exchanging moves in the middle.
The man holding a long staff was Xu Fan, an escort from the Xu Family. The one holding a short saber was the escort Wang Mang. They stood facing each other.
Xu Fan's long staff struck first. Its tip quivered, then swept across toward his opponent's chest and abdomen with a whistle through the air. His broad, sweeping staff movements took full advantage of his reach.
Wang Mang did not dare meet it head-on. He slid sideways to avoid the sweeping shaft, spotted an opening, and ducked low as he lunged in. His short saber flashed coldly as it slashed toward Xu Fan's wrist.
Xu Fan sneered and turned his wrist, abruptly pulling the long staff back and bringing its butt across to block. With a dull thud, the shaft struck the back of the saber, jolting Wang Mang's arm slightly numb. Wang Mang immediately changed his move to attack low.
The two traded blows, the long staff attacking from a distance and the short saber closing in. Alongside their punches and kicks came the clash of weapons, and the surrounding escorts cheered.
"Old Fan, can you manage or not? Didn't eat enough?"
"Tsk, tsk, this newcomer's not bad. He closes in and hacks away without the slightest hesitation."
"Who do you think has the edge? I'd say the long staff is better. Every extra inch of length is an extra inch of strength!"
Chen Tie watched the two men in the middle thoughtfully.
"Chief Escort, what's going on?"
Xu Shi smiled, his eyes brightening a little. "This is an indispensable part of escort duty. For one thing, it livens things up. For another, it gives us a rough idea of everyone's abilities, making it easier to respond when danger comes."