Chapter 66. I'll Collect the Debt (1)

"I will now conduct the appointment ceremony for the intermediate-level escort. All appointees, please come forward."

Everyone lined up in the training ground of the Sichuan branch, and the person who had come from headquarters held the appointment certificates and announced this with a solemn voice.

Guo Dushan and I exchanged a glance and slowly ascended the platform.

'So this is how one becomes an intermediate-level escort.'

The events I had accomplished since joining the escort agency flowed through my mind like a river.

The first time I risked my life fighting bandits, the time I wrote a letter of protection and fought with Bai Shengyi, the time I had to duel with Yang Jinpo because of that, and so on...

'The fight with Yan Junshe on Wujiang Mountain also comes to mind.'

When I swung a lightning-fast sword, the former leader of the demon sect, Yan Junshe, pitifully begged for his life and died.

'I overcame everything and stood here.'

While I was reminiscing about the past, the person from headquarters, with a solemn face, announced to everyone.

"Appointment as an intermediate-level escort. Guo Dushan."

Next, it was my turn. I walked forward slowly, stood straight, and prepared to receive the appointment certificate.

'Finally, I'm becoming an intermediate-level escort.'

It was a moving moment. I trembled slightly as I waited for the words of the person from headquarters. The hardships I had endured in the martial world seemed to flash before my eyes. I looked at the appointment certificate the person from headquarters was holding and thought,

'If there was Asteage, I would have coated it and kept it permanently.'

It was truly a pity that there was no Asteage in the martial world. My coating skills were so good that even the head of the escort agency acknowledged them.

My perfect attachment technique, which didn't allow even the smallest bubble, was so impressive that the head of the escort agency once said, "You... If you go out into society and just stick phone films, you could make a living."

Anyway, seeing the appointment certificate, I felt that my hard work was finally bearing fruit, and I trembled slightly.

The person from headquarters, looking at me, declared in a solemn voice,

"The content is the same."

"..."

What the hell. Is it a waste to say that?

It's not much different, is it?

I received the appointment certificate with trembling hands amidst the applause of my colleagues.

Anyway, from today, I became an intermediate-level escort.

***

The members of our branch who had come to support the Sichuan branch started to pack their bags, as it was time to return.

Senior Zou Junping, who decided to stay at the Sichuan branch, began to hand over the tasks he had been responsible for in our branch.

"Basically, it's like that. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir. But, sir."

"Hmm?"

Since most of it was already known, I quickly wrapped up the conversation. What I really wanted to know was what had happened during the escort.

"Exactly, how did the two of you end up like that?"

"..."

When I asked how he and Tang Xian had ended up that way, Senior Zou Junping suddenly clammed up. I tapped the table and interrogated him.

"This isn't something you can solve by keeping your mouth shut! Speak quickly!"

After a long time of pressing, Senior Zou finally spoke.

"W... Well, it happened like this..."

***

The incident began with the attack by the Odu Men.

'Odu Men! Truly, they are no help at all.'

Whether it was Odu Men or Ogu Men, they had laid poison traps along the route the escort would take and waited.

In other words, they had created a minefield with poison.

"So, what happened?"

"Fortunately, no one was poisoned. Tang Xian discovered it early."

It is said that as soon as Tang Xian waved her hand a few times, the poison field was instantly neutralized.

When the poison trap was so easily neutralized, the Odu Men retreated, detonating a few poison bombs on their way out, which Tang Xian also neutralized.

"Indeed, Miss Tang. She is one of the Ten Young Heroes, and it seems her reputation is not exaggerated."

"Tang Xian is quite remarkable."

"..."

That evening, after repelling the Odu Men, while having dinner, Senior Zou noticed that Tang Xian's chopstick skills seemed clumsy.

"That's strange. For a direct descendant of the Tang family, Tang Xian's dining etiquette is clumsy."

"More importantly..."

I interrupted the conversation for a moment because I felt dizzy every time Zou Junping called Tang Xian 'Xian.'

"Did you observe Miss Tang carefully throughout the meal?"

"W... Well, I did."

"Like, with a 'I'm interested' look in your eyes?"

"It's not like that, but... I did keep an eye on her. It was her first escort, so I was worried..."

That's a bit much. Really.

How could someone change so much in just one day?

I looked at Zou Junping with a sour expression.

While I was looking at him, Zou Junping's story continued.

"So, I went to see her that night."

Worried that something might be wrong, Zou Junping visited her late at night.

'Excuse me for coming so late, Miss Tang.'

'It's fine. What's the matter?'

'Is... Is your hand uncomfortable?'

Upon hearing this, Tang Xian subtly hid her hand, and Zou Junping realized that something was wrong.

'Please go back. I'm fine.'

'Can I see your hand?'

'...'

When Zou Junping grabbed Tang Xian's hand, he noticed that it was trembling slightly due to the poison.

"It turns out that the poison bombs that exploded near her contained a highly volatile and potent poison."

"Hmm. They were trying to take out the expert first, weren't they?"

"Exactly. That was their plan."

In other words, it was a targeted attack.

'If that had happened, it would have been dangerous.'

Thinking about it, if it weren't for Tang Xian, the rest of us in the escort agency wouldn't have had a way to deal with the poison. It seemed that the poison field was also designed to identify the expert.

Still, Tang Xian, skilled in poison, managed to neutralize the potent poison, but the strong poison left lingering effects in her body, which Zou Junping noticed.

"So, when I examined Tang Xian, it wasn't just that her body was a bit uncomfortable. It was much more serious."

It turned out that she had developed a severe case of hand tremors, making it difficult for her to walk. However, Tang Xian didn't show any signs to avoid causing worry.

So, Zou Junping tried to persuade her.

'To this extent... You should stop the escort and get treated.'

'I can't do that. I can still endure it.'

'At least, you should ride in the carriage...'

'If I show any weakness, the Odu Men will attack again.'

Tang Xian's reasoning was logical. If the only poison expert in the escort were to collapse, it was obvious that the Odu Men would attack again. Curious about what happened next, I urged him to continue.

"So, what happened?"

"So, I decided to pretend to be her lover."

What? Why doesn't this make sense!

I jumped up in protest.

"Why did the story suddenly take this turn?!"

"By pretending to be her lover, I could naturally support her and even feed her without arousing suspicion."

"..."

So, for a whole month, they stuck together, and it was natural for feelings to develop between them.

Eventually, one night, Tang Xian wanted to go look at the moon, and Zou Junping helped her. They looked at the moon in the sky, and the atmosphere led to a natural kiss, and they became lovers.

"Phew..."

After hearing Zou Junping's story, I sighed deeply. Seeing my reaction, Zou Junping stammered.

"Anyway... I'm grateful to you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have met Tang Xian."

"Well, I understand. If you get married, send me an invitation."

I'll give a small amount as a gift.

I'll use coins.

Mentioning marriage, Zou Junping sighed.

"Marriage... Sigh. I'm worried."

"Hmm. Is it because Miss Tang is from the Tang family?"

"Exactly."

It was easy to guess.

Even though martial artists often have love marriages, it's not a common occurrence for a middle-level escort, who can barely read, to marry a direct descendant of the Tang family.

'Still, it's the Tang family, so there's a possibility...'

The Tang family has a tradition of accepting sons-in-law to maintain the security of their poison knowledge.

This made it rare for them to marry into families of equal status, and they often accepted partners of lower status.

In a typical noble family, it would be impossible due to the difference in status, but with the Tang family, there was at least a slight possibility.

Zou Junping sighed deeply and said,

"Tang Xian says not to worry, but... I need to bring a lot of dowry. I'm very worried."

"Well... Hang in there."

There are no personal loans in this world. I can only hope that Zou Junping has saved enough money.

I thought it would be good if the Tang family gave Zou Junping a hard time and stood up.

At that moment, Zou Junping suddenly remembered something and said,

"Oh, by the way, I received a message from Tang Xian yesterday. You brought... that dangqi, right?"

"Yes, what about it?"

"Princess said it didn't fit in her zoo, so she sent it back. I heard it returned to Nanheng Escort Agency."

Oh, dangqi...

I sighed involuntarily when I heard that dangqi had been returned.

"Wh... What happened? That kid, though he looks a bit rough, is actually very affectionate and cute."

When I defended dangqi, Zou Junping shook his head.

"I don't know the details, but I doubt it was because he was ugly. It was probably a political hint to support Yuan Da."

"Ah..."

Indeed, a princess wouldn't return something just because it was ugly.

In the royal family, even the food they eat carries political messages. How much more so for a princess.

"Anyway, what will you do with dangqi?"

It's not possible to return him to his original home after a two-week journey.

I held my aching head.

***

We had to leave in two days, so there was a discussion about what to do with the golden bear.

"I'll take care of the golden bear."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. I brought him here by force, so it would be too cruel to send him back."

Pang Gui held dangqi tightly. However, Bai Linghua, like a mother comforting a child who brought home a stray dog, tried to reason with her.

"It's not that simple. It will cost a lot to feed him, and if he attacks someone, you'll be responsible."

"But, Sister, I can afford the food. And he's not dangerous at all. Look how gentle he is."

Everyone watched as dangqi extended his large paw to touch Pang Gui's hand. Seeing dangqi panting, Bai Linghua sighed and said,

"You'll have to take him for walks. Understand?"

"I can ride on his back, so no worries."

Pang Gui confidently declared.

I imagined Pang Gui riding on the golden bear and shook my head.

Anyway, we finally completed the long escort and returned to Mayangxian branch.

***

Since it was a long escort, all the members who went to support the Sichuan branch received a two-week paid leave.

A short leave if you look at it that way, but a long one if you consider the duration of the escort.

'The escort agency is good in this way.'

The escort agency is generally generous with annual leave.

In a way, this is natural. After such a long journey carrying heavy loads, people are usually exhausted.

If they don't rest and continue working, they might fall ill for a few days or even develop chronic conditions.

In martial arts terms, it could be said that their innate energy is damaged.

In modern times, chronic conditions might sound like a minor issue, but in this era, where even a cold can be fatal, these conditions are truly chronic and incurable.

After a severe bout of illness, people often suffer for months before suddenly passing away.

Therefore, the escort agency has a culture of ensuring rest after an escort.

'But I don't really need to rest that much.'

The need for rest applies to those without or with little internal energy. I am different. Due to my five years of deep internal energy cultivation, I don't easily fall ill.

So, I planned to practice during the leave.

But...

'I don't have anyone to guide my practice.'

The problem was that Wei Jiyan was not around.

Wei Jiyan was currently learning the escort agency's business from Bai Linghua at Baiyun Escort Agency, similar to an internship.

Why an internship? Because she's not yet ready to officially handle the agency's business.

'I need to get permission from the head of the Pang family, who has been taking care of me...'

'Yes? Can't you just get permission?'

'I need to meet her in person, but she doesn't plan to return yet...'

Therefore, she hasn't received official permission and is currently helping with various tasks at the agency to learn.

'I guess Bai Linghua will pay her.'

I believe so.

Anyway, I was practicing alone. I could feel my motivation waning.

'It feels like I'm training alone after only receiving PT.'

I was focusing on the basics to avoid developing bad habits while practicing sword techniques alone, but the more I practiced, the less motivated I became. I even considered just taking a long rest.

'Is this burnout?'

My body felt as powerless as a burnt-out charcoal fire. I needed something to reignite my motivation, something that would burn brightly.

At that moment, I heard a knock on the door.

-Knock knock

What is it? It's not mealtime yet.

I lay on the bed and called out weakly,

"Who is it?"

"It's me."

Who are you?

But it felt like a familiar situation. Déjà vu?

Should I ask again? Just as I was thinking, I heard the voice again.

"It's me. The youth leader."

"Oh!"

What's this guy up to now?