Chapter 35. Didn't they say to keep your enemies close?

Feng Yanchao nodded as he gazed at the tall mountain, then asked Peng Liancao.

"Shen Laoshi, do you know anything about the Red Silk Hall?"

"I don't know much, but I've heard of the name of its owner, Xue Lianhou of the Tongtian Blood Sect."

"Wow! He must be quite skilled with an axe. They say he can reach the heavens."

Peng Liancao nodded, and from behind, a group of people slowly approached. The flag on the carriage indicated they were from a security company.

Sure enough, a man in his late forties, looking fierce, quickly approached and greeted them.

"Ha! Hello! I am Li Wanye, the chief of Phoenix Security Company. Though I may be lacking, my friends in the martial world call me the Cloudy Moon Sword."

Li Wanye casually glanced at the Five Peaks Ten Heroes.

Meeting over a dozen unfamiliar martial artists during a security run—especially in front of Mount Balong—made him nervous. That's why he took the initiative to greet them.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the sharp glint in their eyes, confirming from his experience that they were from the righteous sects.

Just then, the fourth of the Five Peaks Ten Heroes, Xu Rendal, replied with a calm face.

"Indeed. We are disciples of the Flying Dragon Sect, on our way to Ascending Heaven Sect in Nan Zhili City."

"Ascending Heaven Sect?"

Li Wanye looked at the Five Peaks Ten Heroes with a slightly surprised expression.

Xu Rendal, feeling uneasy at the other's excitement but having already taken the step, nodded.

"Yes."

Li Wanye's eyes sparkled as he asked.

"Is there something happening at Ascending Heaven Sect?"

"Ah, well..."

Xu Rendal trailed off, as no one had shown such interest before.

In his stead, Zhuo Gao Ming stepped forward.

"That's a matter of our sect, so I can't disclose it."

Li Wanye, realizing his mistake, blushed.

"Ah, I apologize. I heard that Ascending Heaven Sect is related to my wife's family, so I got excited."

Though it was a long time ago and the memory was hazy, Ascending Heaven Sect was not from the evil sects. If they were, he would have remembered clearly.

Zhuo Gao Ming nodded with a smile.

"Ha, I see. We were on our way to offer assistance. Our sect and Ascending Heaven Sect are like one family."

Hearing 'like one family,' Li Wanye's face relaxed.

"I see. By any chance, are you planning to cross Mount Balong today?"

"We are, but..."

"Ah! If so, why don't you travel with us? The bandits on Mount Balong have been causing trouble lately. We are well-prepared, but it would be better to have more people."

"I'll discuss it with our leader."

"Ah, yes, I hope you can travel with us. Thank you."

Zhuo Gao Ming left Li Wanye, who bowed deeply, and went to Peng Liancao.

"Brother, did you hear? The chief of Phoenix Security Company wants to travel with us. What do you think?"

Peng Liancao's gaze turned to Gu Mifu Jian, Shen Yangjue, for his experienced advice.

Shen Yangjue, a seasoned bandit, answered without hesitation.

"This is like a melon rolling in with its vine. If the Red Silk Hall appears, we'll attack from behind based on the situation. If nothing happens, we'll just quietly cross the mountain."

However, the clever Xu Rendal objected.

"That doesn't seem right. Didn't the people from Dabie Hall say not to travel in other halls' territories? If this is the Red Silk Hall's territory, we might just get into trouble for nothing."

Peng Liancao couldn't make a hasty decision, as Xu Rendal's words had merit.

Of course, the 'good deed' meant helping the Red Silk Hall attack the security company. But if the Red Silk Hall refused to share the loot, they might just end up with nothing.

As the deliberation dragged on, the third of the Five Peaks Ten Heroes, Ma Xing, spoke up.

"Brother, there are over twenty security company martial artists. With us, that's over thirty. Will the Red Silk Hall even show their face? Besides, our supplies are running low. We could just travel with them..."

The mention of food sparked a discussion among the Five Peaks Ten Heroes.

"Maybe they'll share their food if we travel with them?"

"They say they eat well."

"Well, they do, but it's all the same before the cook prepares it, right?"

"No, they have a variety. They travel a lot."

"Brother Qu, you're right. It's better than eating dried meat every day."

The topic shifted to food as interest in the loot waned. The Five Peaks Ten Heroes generally agreed that the security company's food seemed decent.

Listening quietly, Peng Liancao glanced at Lian Dihan.

Lian Dihan was also focused on the food discussion, smiling.

Seeing this, Peng Liancao's reluctance to travel with them vanished.

If they weren't visiting the Red Silk Hall, traveling with the security company wasn't bad. Ma Xing's point about their dwindling supplies also mattered.

"Second, go check if they can provide food during the journey. If they can, we'll travel with them. If not, we'll go ahead on our own."

"Understood."

Zhuo Gao Ming hurried back to Li Wanye.

A moment later, he awkwardly smiled at Li Wanye, who was looking at him expectantly.

"Our supplies are running low. If the security company can share food, we'll travel with you. Otherwise, we'll head to the nearest village."

Li Wanye nodded in understanding.

"Ah! In that case, we'll provide food during the journey."

Li Wanye added the caveat "during the journey."

He couldn't commit to feeding eleven more people indefinitely.

Chief Li Wanye immediately returned to Phoenix Security Company to inform them of the Flying Dragon Sect's joining.

One of the security chiefs, Guo Biao, looked at the Five Peaks Ten Heroes with doubt.

"Chief, are these people we met on the road really okay?"

"I understand your concern, Chief Guo. But think about it. If they were suspicious, wouldn't it be more unsettling to have them follow us? You can't hide your eyes, and you'll see they're trustworthy once you look into their eyes."

"Understood..."

Chief Li Wanye's words silenced Guo Yuan.

Since they were traveling together, they had to trust the chief's experience and judgment. Besides, it was awkward to have such martial artists follow them into the mountains.

"Didn't they say to keep your enemies close? It's better to watch them closely. Better than getting hit from behind without knowing."

"Chief, you're right. I'll keep a close eye on them."

Guo Yuan's expression relaxed.

***

At the Red Silk Hall on Mount Balong.

A bandit, panting, rushed into the hut of the hall's owner, Xue Lianhou of the Tongtian Blood Sect.

"Phew! Phew! Master, we received a message from the mountain. Phoenix Security Company is coming."

"Heh, is that so? We need to prepare then."

As Xue Lianhou stood up, the bandit continued.

"However, there are quite a few armed people."

"How many?"

"Over thirty."

Xue Lianhou frowned.

He was planning a big heist before the Green Forest Conference, but the large escort was frustrating.

The deputy hall owner, Luo Yangjin, interjected.

"With that many guards, the cargo must be valuable. Should we give it a try?"

"You're right. With so many guards, I'm tempted."

Xue Lianhou's eyes gleamed with greed.

"If we let them pass, they might look down on us. We outnumber them."

Luo Yangjin's gentle prodding triggered a roar from Xue Lianhou.

"Damn! Who dares mock the Red Silk Hall! Gather everyone!"

"Understood!"

The bandit outside lightly struck the bell hanging in the hut.

Ding, ding, ding.

The bell's sound, neither loud nor soft, echoed around the hall.

Soon, bandits gathered in front of Xue Lianhou's hut, numbering sixty.

As usual, Luo Yangjin took the lead.

"Phoenix Security Company is passing through Mount Balong. They have about thirty guards, but we can't just let them pass. We're not blind. Am I wrong?"

"Right!"

His subordinates' response brought a sardonic smile to Luo Yangjin's face.

"Who is the master of Mount Balong?"

"The Red Silk Hall!"

"Exactly. Let's teach these bastards who the master of Mount Balong is today!"

"Yaaah!"

Luo Yangjin's incitement led the bandits to cheer and wave their weapons.

Once the mood was right, Luo Yangjin stepped back.

Xue Lianhou, wielding a massive axe, led the sixty bandits.

A Phoenix Security Company carriage entered Mount Balong.

Thirty armed martial artists walked in formation before and behind it.

The Five Peaks Ten Heroes, by chance, were walking at the front with the chief. Chief Li Wanye, walking shoulder to shoulder with the Five Peaks Ten Heroes, had arranged it this way.

Of course, it was intentional on the experienced Li Wanye's part, but the Five Peaks Ten Heroes didn't realize it.

Shen Yangjue glanced at Li Wanye with a mocking eye but said nothing. Since they had no plans to rob the security company, they decided to pretend not to notice.

About an hour after entering Mount Balong,

Rumble.

A log rolled onto the road.

Soon, a spear flew and embedded itself in the road.

A faded green cloth hung from the spear, fluttering in the wind.

Anyone could see it was a Green Forest symbol, one with a long history and tradition.

Chief Li Wanye's face tensed.

Feng Yanchao glanced at the Five Peaks Ten Heroes, his eyes showing his dilemma. Not only had they entered another Green Forest territory, but they were also traveling with the security company. He was unsure how to handle the situation.

Swoosh.

Fierce-faced bandits appeared from all sides.

Chief Li Wanye bowed to the bandits.

"I am Li Wanye, chief of Phoenix Security Company, known as the Cloudy Moon Sword in the martial world. It's an honor to meet the heroes of Mount Balong. I should have sought permission to pass, but I didn't. Please show mercy."

The hall owner, Xue Lianhou, stepped out from the bandits.

"Heh, Li Wanye. You've got some guts. Did you think adding more people would make us let you pass quietly?"

"Of course not. I have a gift prepared for you, Brother Xue."

Li Wanye showed a leather bag from his robes.

"How much?"

"A hundred taels of silver."

Xue Lianhou looked at the bag and Li Wanye, his expression ambiguous. While generous for a security company's passage, it was still insufficient for the Green Forest Conference.

The deputy hall owner, Luo Yangjin, interjected.

"We have a big event in the Green Forest, so we need more money. Either give us another hundred taels or leave the carriage and go back!"

The demand for another hundred taels made Li Wanye frown.

A hundred taels was no small amount.

Moreover, there was no guarantee that giving another hundred taels would make them back off. Green Forest bandits often raised or lowered their demands based on their mood.

He needed to show that they weren't easy to push around for the negotiations to go smoothly. For that, the Flying Dragon Sect's cooperation was essential.

After some thought, Li Wanye decided to gauge Feng Yanchao's thoughts.

"Brother Feng, they're asking for another hundred taels. What do you think? If we show weakness, they'll strip us to the bone..."

Feng Yanchao, looking troubled, tugged at his beard.

It seemed Li Wanye wasn't willing to give the hundred taels easily.

He wanted to pass quietly, but now he was involved in a negotiation in someone else's territory!