Chapter 5

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Qing Shan Town, Stone Gate Tower.

Cheng Bu Zheng was waiting here early for the convoy to arrive, despite it being much earlier than the agreed time. By now, he could not afford to be the slightest bit careless.

Half an hour later.

A convoy of carriages slowly emerged from the town. The lead carriage had a black flag with white characters, embroidered with a large "Qian" character, which was the mark of the Qian family's convoy.

The streets of the town were sparsely populated. Seeing the large flag fluttering in the wind, people hurriedly moved to the side. Even the town's ruffians did not dare to cause trouble for the convoy, as they knew it belonged to the powerful Qian family in the town.

Suddenly.

"Stop!"

A clear voice came from the most luxurious carriage in the middle of the convoy.

The convoy slowly came to a halt. The carriage drivers were all experienced hands; otherwise, a sudden stop would have caused panic and chaos.

Inside the luxurious carriage in the middle, a curtain was suddenly lifted, revealing a youthful face, that of a young man around sixteen or seventeen years old.

This person was none other than Qian Zhe, the young master of the Qian family, who had an appointment with Cheng Bu Zheng.

"Bu Zheng... come up quickly!" Qian Zhe shouted to Cheng Bu Zheng at the Stone Gate Tower.

"Thank you, Brother Qian!" Cheng Bu Zheng bowed to Qian Zhe in the carriage.

Amid the envious gazes of the onlookers, Cheng Bu Zheng climbed into the luxurious carriage.

Immediately.

The convoy started moving again, slowly disappearing into the distance. The onlookers dispersed, each returning to their own business.

Once out of the town, the speed of the convoy increased. Cheng Bu Zheng, sitting inside the carriage, felt the change acutely.

............

Qian Zhe and Cheng Bu Zheng shared a carriage. One sat in the center, eating delicacies from a small table and occasionally sipping wine, while the other sat on one side, lifting the curtain and curiously observing the surroundings.

"Brother Qian, is that the Cang Qing Mountain Range?" Cheng Bu Zheng pointed out the window and asked.

Hearing this,

Qian Zhe glanced out the window and said with a proud look, "Yes... that's the Cang Qing Mountain Range. Only the Cang Qing Mountain Range is so perilous! Many bandits and outlaws are entrenched there, and most convoys have to pay a sufficient toll, or they will have to hand over their goods.

Of course, our Qian family convoy, they dare not collect tolls from us. Otherwise, they will have the life to collect but not the life to spend!"

Cheng Bu Zheng was quite surprised. He hadn't expected the Qian family to have such power, and he wondered what they relied on to disregard so many bandits and outlaws.

"Master..." Outside the carriage, an old servant of the Qian family couldn't help but remind him.

Hearing this, Qian Zhe stopped boasting and glanced at the old servant outside the carriage, a flash of resentment in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

Cheng Bu Zheng, who was very perceptive, did not press the sensitive topic. "Brother Qian, how long will it take to reach Medicine Mountain Town after passing through the Cang Qing Mountain Range?"

Qian Zhe silently calculated in his mind. "Hmm... about... another hour or so!"

"At that time, it will be almost dark. If you're not in a hurry, why not wait until tomorrow to reach the county town?... It's not very convenient to travel in the dark!" Cheng Bu Zheng said, feigning concern for his "good brother's" safety.

Qian Zhe replied indifferently, "Once we reach Medicine Mountain Town, it's only about half an hour to the county town. We can arrive before dark, so there's no need to worry, Brother!"

Cheng Bu Zheng's heart calmed down after hearing this. He now had a rough idea of the distance between the county town and Medicine Mountain Town and no longer feared running out of time.

Not long after,

The convoy's speed gradually slowed as it entered a canyon passage, the only route through the Cang Qing Mountain Range, which was also the territory of bandits and outlaws.

Suddenly, the convoy stopped.

Cheng Bu Zheng lifted the curtain and looked outside. He saw a small convoy of only three carriages being blocked by bandits not far ahead.

"Master... the convoy ahead doesn't have enough toll money and is using goods as collateral... please wait a moment..." the old servant driving the carriage outside said.

"Hmm!" Qian Zhe responded lightly and then smiled at Cheng Bu Zheng, "It seems there are newbies who don't know the rules! This time, they might not even break even!"

"Every trade has its rules, Brother Qian, you really know a lot!" Cheng Bu Zheng flattered him seamlessly.

"That's right..." Qian Zhe's face was pleased, and his tone was quite proud.

Not long after, the convoy started moving again. As expected, their convoy was not blocked by the bandits, as they seemed to know who the owner of the convoy was.

On a nearby hillside, a newcomer who had just joined the bandits saw the convoy with the "Qian" flag pass through the canyon unimpeded and asked a burly, bearded man beside him curiously,

"Brother... that large convoy looks like it has a lot of loot, why did they let it pass?"

The burly, bearded man slapped the newcomer's head hard and said fiercely, "That's the convoy of the master. Do you want to live longer? If you want to go and drink with the King of Hell, go ahead! I won't stop you."

The newcomer glanced at the convoy at the foot of the hill and muttered, "I wouldn't dare... even if I had the heart of a bear and the courage of a leopard... I wouldn't dare... I just didn't know, that's all."

As they passed through the Cang Qing Mountain Range, the number of wild beasts they encountered along the way gradually decreased. Any beasts that tried to approach the convoy were hunted down by the scouts on the flanks before they could get within ten zhang (about 33 feet).

Cheng Bu Zheng saw the fierce wild beasts, including wild boars, tigers, and leopards, and felt fortunate to have joined the Qian family convoy. Otherwise, he might not have made it to the Cang Qing Mountain Range alive.

An hour later.

Inside the carriage, Qian Zhe instructed the old servant driving the carriage, "Master Liu, stop the convoy!"

The old servant outside the carriage responded, "Yes, Master!"

"Master's order... stop the convoy immediately!" The old servant's loud voice echoed in the empty wilderness.

The convoy slowly came to a stop.

Inside the carriage, Cheng Bu Zheng bid farewell to Qian Zhe and got off the carriage, heading towards Medicine Mountain Town according to the map in his memory.

Qian Zhe lifted the curtain and watched Cheng Bu Zheng walk away, then coldly instructed the old servant,

"Master Liu... call Qian Qi over!"

A while later,

A man in black, riding a tall horse, arrived at the luxurious carriage. Qian Zhe lifted the curtain and said expressionlessly to Qian Qi outside,

"Follow the boy who just got off the carriage. If he doesn't go to Medicine Mountain Town and changes direction towards the county town, kill him on the spot. If he goes to Medicine Mountain Town, return immediately... don't cause any trouble! Understand?"

The man in black, riding the tall horse, replied respectfully, "Yes, Master!"

Not long after,

Cheng Bu Zheng, who was walking towards Medicine Mountain Town, suddenly crouched down at a bend in the road, pressing his ear to the ground. Hearing the vibrations, a cold light flashed in his eyes, and he stood up and continued walking towards Medicine Mountain Town silently.

"Indeed, it's as I suspected. Fortunately, I was cautious. Otherwise, I would have surely died today! I, Cheng Bu Zheng, will remember this great 'favor' from Qian Zhe!"