Chapter 26: Chapter 25: Escort Group
In the original plot, a hard requirement for controlling the Seven Kills Stele was a cultivation at the Sixth Realm, the Condensing Truth Realm.
Those in the Condensing Truth Realm could already transform their True Qi into tangible True Essence, making their power much greater. Only with such strength could one withstand the impact of the Blood Fiend Power.
Furthermore, with the True Essence Power circulating within the body, one could control the Blood Fiend Power more perfectly.
Chen Yuan had taken a shortcut to master the Seven Kills Stele by relying on his Star Shifting Divine Artifact Incarnation, but now the side effects had arrived.
The Blood Fiend Power was far too tyrannical. The moment Chen Yuan circulated even a small amount, his Qi Blood would involuntarily begin to boil. It would accelerate, and in the end, it would even begin to burn uncontrollably, consuming his Qi Blood until nothing was left.
It was no longer Chen Yuan controlling the Blood Fiend Power; it was the Blood Fiend Power controlling him.
Chen Yuan had tried to suppress it, but to no avail.
Currently, when he activated his Killing Intent Origin and drew the Blood Fiend Power into his body, he could only last for five breaths.
After those five breaths, he had to use all his Inner Strength to suppress the Blood Fiend and retract his Killing Intent Origin, or the situation would spiral out of control.
Moreover, Chen Yuan didn’t dare to rashly use the incredibly powerful Blood Killing Heaven-Seizing Hand.
The amount of Blood Fiend consumed by the Blood Killing Heaven-Seizing Hand was staggering. After a single palm strike, Chen Yuan would have to suppress it with all his might, or his Qi Blood would surely run rampant.
Chen Yuan had gone through great pains to obtain the Seven Kills Stele, and certainly not to become a man who could only last for five seconds.
He had to find a way to resolve this side effect.
’After thinking it over, there really is a Cultivation Technique that could solve this side effect. It’s on the border of You Province, and I should have a chance to get my hands on it.’
But before he went for the Cultivation Technique, Chen Yuan needed to acquire a weapon. The event in the plot for that should be happening very soon.
During his previous fight with Murong Qing, his Yanling Saber had been easily shattered by her Dragon Patterned Green Gold Treasure Sword. It was a huge detriment to his combat strength.
Aside from Divine Artifact Demon Soldiers, ordinary Weapons were divided into four grades: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow.
Chen Yuan’s Yanling Saber was a Yellow Level ordinary weapon, the mass-produced type.
Yellow Level Lower Grade weapons were ordinary steel sabers, while Yellow Level Upper Grade ones were forged from refined steel.
Profound Level Weapons, on the other hand, had various rare materials added during their creation to achieve different effects.
For instance, they could be sharper, or contain materials that allowed Inner Strength to flow into the weapon more smoothly.
Furthermore, every Profound Level Weapon was personally forged by a Weapon Master, making each one unique.
Thus, in the Jianghu, although Yellow and Profound Level Weapons were only one grade apart, their prices could differ by more than a thousandfold.
After leaving the barren mountains, Chen Yuan checked his bearings and headed straight for the Yellow Dragon Posthouse in southern You Province.
You Province was located in the northern part of the Great Xia, with several official roads leading to the Central Plains.
The Yellow Dragon Posthouse was a mandatory stop on one of these roads. Every day, countless traveling merchants, Escort Agencies, and Jianghu People passed through.
Along the way, Chen Yuan bought a horse and changed into a set of black, close-fitting martial attire. He wore a conical hat and a Yanling Saber at his waist.
This getup was that of a standard, ordinary member of the Jianghu, completely inconspicuous.
After three days of hard riding, Chen Yuan arrived at the Yellow Dragon Posthouse.
The Yellow Dragon Posthouse was situated beside the main road. It was enormous and consisted of three main parts.
First was the main hall for eating, drinking, and resting, which was large enough to hold several hundred people.
Behind the main hall were rows of brick houses that provided lodging for traveling merchants.
The Yellow Dragon Posthouse also had a dedicated horse field. Some of the horses were reserved for the Court’s use, while others could be freely bought and sold.
Traveling merchants who needed to switch horses almost always did so at the Yellow Dragon Posthouse.
Chen Yuan dismounted and handed the reins to an attendant at the entrance.
The attendant handed Chen Yuan a numbered wooden plaque and said with a smile, "Please hold on to this, sir. When you’re ready to leave, use this plaque to retrieve your horse and settle the fodder bill."
Chen Yuan raised an eyebrow. ’This Yellow Dragon Posthouse is more bustling than I expected.’
’In modern terms, this attendant is basically a valet.’
Chen Yuan pushed open the doors to the main hall. The vast room was like a boisterous marketplace, with a wave of noise that seemed powerful enough to tear the roof off.
People of all stripes were crammed around long, rough-hewn wooden tables—eating, drinking, and gambling.
A cacophony of different accents blended into a constant drone. The air was thick with the stench of sweat, livestock, and cheap liquor, so foul it could make one gag.
As Chen Yuan entered, the people in the hall subconsciously glanced his way.
However, upon seeing he was just another ordinary Jianghu person, they all looked away.
Chen Yuan found a secluded table, sat down, and ordered a few small dishes while he waited for the right people to arrive.
’I’m not exactly sure when this part of the plot is supposed to happen, but it should be within the next few days.’
Chen Yuan ran his hand over the table and was surprised to find it covered in numerous slash marks.
Some of the marks were stained a dark red, clearly from blood that had seeped into the cuts and could no longer be washed away.
Countless travelers passed through the Yellow Dragon Posthouse daily, a motley crew of good and bad. Fights, and even killings, were commonplace here.
Sometimes fights broke out over gambling losses, other times over a simple disagreement.
In the short time it took Chen Yuan to eat his meal, he saw three separate brawls break out.
These people weren’t completely without rules, however.
The losers would slink away in defeat, while the winners were responsible for paying for any damages.
Chen Yuan waited at the Yellow Dragon Posthouse for five days. Then, a small escort team of only five people walked into the main hall.
Seeing the five of them, Chen Yuan raised his eyebrows slightly. ’This looks like the group I’m waiting for.’
’This was just a minor side plot. I fast-forwarded through it when I watched the replay, so I don’t remember the exact number of people, but it was definitely a small escort team.’
’If events unfold as they should, this has to be them.’
An escort team of just five people was a rare sight in the Jianghu.
Normally, when an Escort Agency was on a job, it needed a Leader of the Escort Team to take charge and coordinate everything.
There would be at least two Scouts to check the path ahead, positioned to keep in contact with each other from a distance.
Three or more Darts Masters would be needed to guard the cargo.
If the cargo was particularly large or numerous, they would also need to hire cart drivers and assistants to handle transportation.
Therefore, a typical escort team consisted of at least a dozen people.
The Leader of the Escort Team for this five-person group was a middle-aged man in his fifties. The other four were all young people, including one woman—another rarity for an Escort Agency.
Aside from the leader, the other four each carried a case on their backs. This was likely the cargo they were escorting.
The leader of the escort team scanned the room and, with the eye of an expert, chose a table in the center but toward the back.
The spot seemed conspicuous, but it actually offered a commanding view of the entire room. It was close to both the main entrance and the back door, allowing for a swift escape if trouble arose.
"Uncle Jin, I heard the roasted venison in Fujiang City is to die for. We’re not far, can we take a little detour and swing by Fujiang City?"
The Female Darts Master was only in her early twenties. She was pretty and full of youthful energy, dressed in black and red close-fitting martial attire that accentuated her tall, slender figure.
The other three Darts Masters were also young. One of them quickly chimed in, "Qingqing, if you want to eat it, I’ll treat you. You can have as much as you want."
Uncle Jin, the leader, frowned. "Eat, eat, eat! Is that all you can think about at a time like this?"
"If you hadn’t been so reckless and naive, accepting this job from the Lin Family, would we be in this mess, terrified and tiptoeing the whole way?"
Qingqing pouted and retorted, "But I was just trying to help our Qingfeng Escort Agency! The Lin Family is paying three thousand taels for us to transport a single weapon. That’s a great deal! We’d be fools to pass it up, wouldn’t we?"
"You... you foolish girl! You don’t use your head!"
Uncle Jin poked her on the head in exasperation. "Why don’t you think for a second? If it’s such a great deal, why didn’t any of the other escort agencies in Pan Yang City take it? Why would it fall to a greenhorn like you? Your father was always so cautious in his dealings. You didn’t inherit an ounce of his sense!"
The young Darts Master who had spoken earlier quickly came to her defense. "Master, don’t be so hard on Qingqing. She was just trying to do what’s best for the agency. We haven’t had a big order like this in years."
Uncle Jin sighed. "It’s a big order, alright. A big, life-threatening order."
"The Lin Family has gravely offended the Iron Armor Sect. The enmity between them is so deep that it won’t end until one side is destroyed."
"In all of Pan Yang City, who do you see that dares to get involved with the Lin Family?"
"Only you, in your naivete, would be foolish enough to accept their job."
"But you didn’t back out after you found out, Master," another apprentice muttered, only to get a sharp rap on the head from Uncle Jin.
"Of course not, you idiot! Can we just back out of a job we’ve already been paid for? What’s the most important thing in our business? It’s our reputation!"
"Without our reputation, why would anyone trust us to escort their goods?"
"The Qingfeng Escort Agency is already committed. If we back out now, our name will be mud. We might as well just close down for good!"
Uncle Jin sighed helplessly, feeling utterly exhausted.
He and Qingqing’s father had founded the Qingfeng Escort Agency together, building it from a small operation into a modestly well-known name in Pan Yang City.
But tragically, Qingqing’s father and a group of the agency’s veteran Darts Masters had been ambushed and killed by bandits. The Qingfeng Escort Agency’s strength had plummeted, leaving him as the only experienced hand among a few green youths.
He had promised Qingqing’s father that he would look after these kids and keep the agency from dissolving, but he never imagined they would land him in such a huge mess.
"We’re almost halfway done with this trip. Don’t any of you cause any more trouble. We’ll only be out of this crisis once we’ve safely delivered the cargo."
"Venison, venison... You’ll be someone else’s venison if you’re not careful! Now shut up and eat. We leave as soon as we’re finished!"
Uncle Jin reprimanded them in a low voice, then ordered some simple food and began to eat heartily.
As he ate, his eyes continuously scanned his surroundings.
Just as they finished their meal and Uncle Jin was thinking of resting a moment before setting off, the main doors of the posthouse were violently thrown open.
Eight men from the Jianghu, all wearing Iron Conical Hats, strode into the Yellow Dragon Posthouse.
The eight men were dressed strangely. The Iron Conical Hats on their heads were unusually wide, obscuring almost their entire faces, and looked incredibly heavy.
It was already deep into autumn, yet they wore only thin vests that left their chests and arms bare.
Their exposed skin, however, had a dark, metallic-gray sheen. Their muscles were gnarled and bulging, a clear sign of profound mastery in Horizontal Training Techniques.
Upon seeing these eight men, the color drained from Uncle Jin’s face. His hand trembled, and his chopsticks clattered to the floor.
"The Iron Armor Sect!"
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