Chapter 12

"Test?" Wei He was puzzled.

"Exactly. This Seamless Gathering is a rare opportunity. Jiang Yan comes from a prominent family and will mobilize his family's resources to hire skilled hands to practice with us. So if possible, try to join in..."

Cheng Shaohou was genuinely concerned for Wei He. He believed that with Wei He's character and insight, it would be a great waste if he were limited by his slightly weaker aptitude.

Wei He smiled. Test? A bunch of kids playing a test game.

Although the content of this Seamless Gathering sounded tempting.

He had his own plans.

"Thank you for the recommendation, Senior Brother, but I know my aptitude is low, so I won't force myself to join and embarrass myself."

He answered calmly.

"Hey, don't be impulsive. This kind of opportunity, if you can gain some practical experience, will be very beneficial for you in the future," Cheng Shaohou advised.

"It's not impulsive, but I have my own plans. Thank you for your good intentions, Senior Brother," Wei He declined again.

Cheng Shaohou tried to persuade him a few more times, but to no avail, and finally went back to tell Jiang Yan and the others.

"It seems this Wei Junior Brother has a good sense of self-awareness," Xiao Ran couldn't help but laugh.

"I've seen this type of person many times. They climb the ladder, and Senior Brother Cheng was probably embarrassed by his constant纠缠 (entanglement) and brought it up to us. But if he thinks he can squeeze into our circle this way, he is greatly mistaken," Jiang Yan said with a calm smile, mimicking the posture of his father and elder brothers.

"Indeed, Senior Brother Cheng was embarrassed, but we don't have that problem," Xiao Ran agreed.

He also looked down on these low-aptitude people. They take so long to learn such simple things, so why are they even learning martial arts? Wouldn't it be better to go back and farm for a better harvest?

Jiang Su didn't comment, simply ignoring them and practicing his skin scraping.

Cheng Shaohou was speechless, only able to smile bitterly.

He wanted to explain that Wei He wasn't like that, but seeing the expressions of the others, he knew it would be in vain.

They didn't think much of Wei He. It would be better to let it go rather than let him come and suffer.

To avoid any trouble from rising blood pressure.

But, he sighed slightly in his heart.

Feeling sorry for Wei He losing this opportunity.

After all, this Seamless Gathering was a great chance to gain experience in sparring with skilled hands.

It even connected with the core disciples of other martial masters.

It was extremely helpful for gaining insight into various martial arts and increasing combat experience.

Unfortunately...

Wei He didn't feel particularly sorry about it.

After talking things through with Senior Brother Cheng Shaohou, and before the Cheng family started their formal business.

He took on a short-term escort job, planning to gain some experience first.

This was a temporary job from the Longfeng Escort Agency. The pay was good, 500 taels for a one-way trip, plus one stone of rice and ten pounds of smoked pork. It would be over in one day.

The job was to escort goods from the inner city to a fort near Mingde Temple outside the city.

He took this job because it would pass by Mingde Temple, where his parents had disappeared.

He was determined to investigate.

Going out alone, he was worried about the danger. But if he went with the Longfeng Escort Agency's team, it would be much safer.

Wei He had also heard that the jobs from the Longfeng Escort Agency were not as dangerous as in the TV shows of his previous life.

For a large agency like Longfeng, it was rare for anything to go wrong in ten trips.

Many bandits and mountain bandits would give them some face. Paying a toll would allow them to pass.

So he didn't think he would definitely run into trouble. The chances were very small.

And just right, Wei He planned to use this opportunity to see the outside of the city, which was rumored to be extremely dangerous, with his own eyes.

Three days later.

Wei He put on a prepared short cloak of the Longfeng Escort Agency. The gray cloak had "Longfeng" written on it, looking both economical and stylish.

Since they were only temporarily hired, it was impossible for everyone to have a custom-made uniform. This type of cloak, similar to a short cape, could be used by anyone regardless of height or build.

It could also be reused, making it a one-time investment.

The wide city gate slowly passed over Wei He's head.

He followed the long escort team, with a rough short knife on his waist.

This was not for fighting but for clearing bushes, weeds, and venomous insects.

The rumbling sound of wooden wheels kept coming from the front.

Wei He took out a water bag from his pocket and then a paper packet, from which he took a small piece of golden dried meat and chewed it carefully.

This was the silver-kissed black snake meat he had just received from Senior Brother Cheng. Although it was dried and contained less nutrition, a palm-sized piece was enough for a meal.

It was very filling.

In the past few days, Wei He had unhesitatingly taken a month's worth of rations, which was the paper packet in his pocket.

According to Cheng Shaohou's estimate, this packet of dried meat would last at least one and a half months.

But he couldn't imagine that Wei He would finish it in ten days at this rate.

Wei He drank some water, swallowed the dried meat, and pulled open his collar to look at his chest.

The black color of the Breakthrough Pearl was clearly re-emerging. A grain-sized area had already started to change color.

This silver-kissed black snake meat was indeed very effective.

If he had been eating gold coin bug meat, it would have taken at least two weeks to reach this level.

But now, it only took three days to show a change. The difference was significant.

"Good, good. Keep it up, and maybe in two months, it will be full again," Wei He thought with anticipation.

After experiencing the Bullhide level of qi and blood, he was even more curious about the subsequent levels.

At this moment, the escort team slowly and steadily left the city gate, following the gray official road toward the distant outskirts.

Wei He took the opportunity to walk along the side of the convoy, looking around outside the city.

Outside Feiye City.

Not far from the city wall were neatly divided fields, where farmers could be seen driving oxen to plow.

The fields, like cut tofu blocks, extended one after another, surrounding the official road to the horizon.

Beyond the fields were dense forests and hills.

Further away, there were continuous mountains.

Old escort master Chen Shiniu, who was walking on Wei He's right side, was specifically assigned to help him gain experience.

Seeing Wei He's fresh expression, he smiled.

"Do you think the outside of the city is full of danger, and you dare not leave the city gates?"

"A bit," Wei He nodded, indeed somewhat surprised.

"The outside of the city is dangerous, but not here. At least within ten miles of the city wall, it's safe. Beyond ten miles, hehe."

Chen Shiniu squinted at the official road ahead, his wrinkles shaking and trembling as he walked.

"When I first went on an escort job in my youth, I thought the same as you. The outside of the city was full of bandits, wild beasts, and venomous insects, extremely dangerous!"

"But later, I found out that whether it's dangerous or not depends on who you are."

"Uncle Chen, what do you mean by 'who'?" Wei He asked, not understanding.

"For example, our Longfeng Escort Agency, one of the three major agencies in Feiye City, has connections with various regions outside and has shared drinks with many clan leaders. Everyone gives us some face."

"So on this road, the main concern is wild beasts and venomous insects. With proper precautions, it's actually quite easy."

Chen Shiniu smiled. "And these fields around you, don't think they are all farmed by these farmers. In fact, nine out of ten of these fields don't belong to them."

"Then...?" Wei He asked.

"To the inner city lords," Chen Shiniu replied, with a hint of envy in his expression.

"The inner city, that's a good place, with all kinds of enjoyment, fine wine, and good tobacco. But everything costs money."

"Now, even money isn't as useful as it used to be," a nearby escort guard shook his head, "Last year, one tael of silver could buy a jar of lamb bone wine, but now it can only buy half a jar."

"Indeed, the value of money is getting worse every year," another escort guard sighed.

"So now, the boss gives part of the wages in rice and meat to avoid complaints," Chen Shiniu smiled.

"The boss is righteous."

"Indeed, the boss is very generous."

Suddenly, there was a chorus of praise for the Longfeng Escort Agency.

Wei He listened silently, not speaking, just observing. He also remained alert, observing the surroundings.

To prepare for this escort job, he had inserted hard wooden boards on his chest and back to protect against long-range arrows and stones.

As long as it didn't hit his head, the wooden boards would significantly reduce the risk of injury.

The escort team moved forward, and since it was a short trip, it would take only one day to complete, covering a distance of about ten miles.

Just to the city's defense boundary.

Wei He remained alert but found no need to use his skills. Everything outside the city was peaceful.

On the official road, he occasionally saw groups of wealthy young people out for a spring outing.

And sometimes, city patrol soldiers passed by.

The former was fine, not much different from what he saw inside the city. But the patrol soldiers he saw made him silent.

These patrol soldiers were pale and weak, walking with little energy, some holding weapons, others empty-handed.

They wore yellow undershirts and shabby gray leather armor that only covered their chests and backs, with nothing else.

Some of the patrol soldiers even wore broken cloth shoes with exposed toes!

Only the squad leader was dressed a bit better, but still very limited.

His weapons were complete, his leather armor was newer, and he wore black cloth boots, that's all.

With such soldiers, Wei He couldn't believe that Feiye City's safety could rely on them.

The team continued to move forward, and the carts they were escorting occasionally made a rumbling sound as they rolled over stones on the ground.

As the sky turned to afternoon, the escort team finally reached their destination.

According to the rules, they would rest for a while and resupply before returning.

Wei He took this opportunity to say goodbye to Chen Shiniu and went to Mingde Temple alone.

Since the area within ten miles of the city was considered safe, how did his parents disappear at Mingde Temple?

Since he was here, Wei He planned to quickly investigate.