Chapter 17

Li Jue was very tall, even taller than Wei He, making him one of the tallest in the courtyard.

However, his muscles were not very prominent, and from a distance, he looked quite slim, with no intimidating presence.

He was a very simple person, getting up early and working hard every day, one of the few who trained diligently, but for some reason, his progress did not improve.

Everyone watched as Xiao Ran stood in the center, slowly building up his qi and blood, his fists slightly turning black, much larger than those of the others. The reflection on his fists was dark and gray.

This was the Stone Skin stage. At this level, the qi and blood were much stronger than oxhide, at least several times more.

Wei He had once carefully compared the gap between himself and Cheng Shaojiu, who was at the Stone Skin stage.

There was a significant difference in endurance, strength, burst power, and speed.

"Xiao Ran, you're not even nineteen yet, right?" someone in the crowd suddenly said.

The atmosphere became even more silent.

"Good, good, good. No wonder you're the most outstanding one in this courtyard!" Old Zheng laughed, clearly very pleased.

He stood up, called Xiao Ran into the inner room, clearly to give him some private instructions.

The eldest disciple, Zhao Hong, drove everyone away, making them return to their positions and continue training.

Wei He returned to his position, pulled open his collar, and looked at his chest.

The Realm-Breaking Pearl pattern there was only half complete. This was the result of him consuming the Cheng family's silver-kissed black snake meat every day.

He always felt that the accumulation speed was much slower than he had expected.

'The nutrition of the silver-kissed black snake meat hasn't changed; what has changed is the container. My body is now stronger, and my qi and blood are more vigorous, so the total energy needed for the next breakthrough is greater, which I can understand. But if I keep accumulating like this, who knows how long it will take.'

Wei He sighed in his heart, but with the Realm-Breaking Pearl, he was already much stronger than the others.

So even though the accumulation of the Realm-Breaking Pearl was slow, he was very content.

Xiao Ran's breakthrough not only had a significant impact on the courtyard but also on the outside world.

For several days afterward, every day, various wealthy merchants, rich households, large families' managers, and gangs came to the courtyard for Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran rejected them all.

When these people saw that they couldn't recruit him, they didn't give up and instead changed their approach, inviting Xiao Ran to drink, eat, and listen to music every day.

Several times, carriages stopped at the entrance of the Huishan Fist courtyard, waiting for Xiao Ran to finish training and get in.

Many of his fellow disciples saw this and were extremely envious.

Xiao Ran was in high spirits, always smiling during his training.

The Huishan Fist courtyard was in a small circle in Shiqiao Town, and Xiao Ran's story quickly spread throughout the surrounding areas.

Suddenly, the already busy Xiao Ran had even more social engagements, and he was rarely seen.

Wei He, seeing this, was not anxious. He continued to practice and toughen his skin according to his own pace every day.

After becoming a true disciple, the tuition he needed to pay was reduced by a large amount. Occasionally, he went to the Cheng family to practice with Cheng Shaojiu, and his physical fitness and combat experience slowly improved.

Although it was slow, it was visible.

The most important thing was that the Realm-Breaking Pearl was continuously accumulating, making progress bit by bit.

Such days, where he could see hope, made Wei He's mindset even more peaceful.

But the peaceful days were few.

Soon, after fetching the custom-made spiked handle from the Li family blacksmith shop, Wei He received a message from the Cheng family.

There was a job, and they needed him to go on a trip.

Wei He felt that after eating the Cheng family's free rations for so long and receiving a monthly salary without doing any work, it was time to do something.

Otherwise, he would feel guilty.

......

......

......

It was just dawn.

The Cheng family courtyard.

A large flag with the Yonghe Escort Agency emblem was constantly flapping and curling on the flagpole.

Under the flag, about twenty escort guards gathered, all wearing gray and white long robes, gray waist belts, and short knives.

Cheng Shaojiu and a middle-aged man with a small mustache stood in front of the group of guards.

The middle-aged man with the small mustache was slightly shorter than Cheng Shaojiu, but his fingers were thick and large, not like a disease but rather like he had practiced some special martial arts.

He was also wearing a guard's uniform, but his waist belt was black.

His face was stern, and he cleared his throat.

"I am Cheng Kai, one of the three major guards of the Yonghe Escort Agency. Thanks to the respect of my fellow practitioners, they call me Cheng Iron Hand."

He moved his palms, lightly touching them together, and a sound like wood and stone colliding came from his hands.

"Many of you here are old hands, and many are new. So we will still follow the old rules: one old hand will lead one new hand.

I will now explain the rules of the Yonghe Escort Agency."

He coughed and spat a large mouthful of phlegm to the left, stomping it into the ground.

"First, on the road, new hands must follow the old hands in everything.

Second, new hands must not be hasty, not grab, and not talk, the three don'ts.

Third, this journey is quite long, at least half a month round trip. The route is already set, and anyone must first report everything before leaving.

No correspondence, no leaking of information, and no talking to others without permission during the journey!"

This Cheng Kai, a veteran of many escort missions, spouted a series of rules.

Wei He stood among the guards, quietly listening to the rules.

His face was calm, and he said nothing, but he understood and approved of the rules of the escort mission.

No wonder the benefits were so good; a half-month escort mission was long and dangerous. Without good benefits, no one would be willing to go.

Wei He understood this.

Soon, Cheng Kai finished speaking and began assigning the old hands to lead the new hands.

He himself, led by Cheng Shaojiu, walked over to Wei He.

He soon reached Wei He's side.

"Little brother Wei He, you will be personally led by me." Cheng Kai smiled, treating Wei He very kindly.

"I've heard a lot about you from Shaojiu. You often go on escort missions, but we rarely have the chance to meet. This time, I finally get to meet you in person. I am the third elder's uncle, so you can call me Uncle Cheng, okay?"

Wei He quickly clasped his hands.

"Uncle Cheng. Please take good care of me this time."

"No problem, this escort mission sounds like a lot of work, but once you get used to it, it's natural. You just need to watch, listen, and learn. With your intelligence, you should be familiar with it after two or three times." Cheng Kai said kindly.

"Thank you, Uncle Cheng." Wei He quickly responded.

Cheng Shaojiu gave him a nod.

Wei He understood.

After Cheng Kai spoke for a few more minutes and temporarily left, the two quietly walked to a corner.

In the shadows, Cheng Shaojiu took out a small bottle from his pocket.

The yellow porcelain bottle had nothing written on it, and when shaken, a sound of water could be heard inside.

"This is the snake venom water you asked for. I got you quite a bit. If it weren't for my family's snake meat business, there would be no place to get so much."

"Thank you, Senior!" Wei He quickly thanked him. Taking the small porcelain bottle, he could now use the custom-made spiked handle.

"You and I are brothers, no need to be so formal, but this stuff isn't cheap. It usually costs at least this much, so use it sparingly." Cheng Shaojiu whispered, making a gesture of the number five.

Wei He understood.

This was only because Cheng Shaojiu was the young master of the Cheng family, and getting such things only required the cost price, which was extremely low.

So he got the snake venom from the Cheng family, originally planning to pay, but Cheng Shaojiu waved his hand, saying it was free.

He always spent money like water and didn't care about such a small amount.

Wei He could only be grateful and remember it in his heart.

To make the poison effective immediately and influence the battle, it had to be highly toxic.

The silver-kissed black snake meat itself was a highly toxic snake, and the poison water refined from it was generally used by the Cheng family members occasionally.

It was rarely sold outside.

Cheng Shaojiu giving Wei He a small bottle for free was already a great favor.

This small bottle, if sold outside, would cost at least 500 taels, and there would be no market for it.

With the poison, Wei He followed Cheng Kai's team, took a short rest, and then set off with the escort cart, heading toward the city gate.

After leaving the city gate, the team raised the large flag.

Two horses in front, two horses at the back, and two horses in the middle pulling the escort cart, surrounded by the guards.

Wei He followed Cheng Kai, who was riding a horse, walking beside him.

Riding a horse was not for comfort but for better vision.

So the riders were the guards with the best eyesight.

The team moved quickly without stopping, and in half a day, they had traveled ten miles.

On the way, Wei He saw the Mingde Temple he had visited before.

The temple in the mountains was faintly visible, blurred by the mist.

There were many pilgrims at the foot of the mountain, seemingly unaffected by the incident where he had killed someone.

"They say that within ten miles is one place, and beyond ten miles is another. This is actually not wrong." Cheng Kai, riding his horse, turned to Wei He and said.

"Little brother Wei, have you been beyond ten miles?"

"No." Wei He shook his head. "Uncle Cheng, why is it so dangerous beyond ten miles?"

"Because of bandits and robbers." Cheng Kai sighed. "Beyond ten miles is the boundary between Hong Family Fort and One-Ear. Within ten miles, there is the influence of Hong Family Fort, which is very safe. But beyond ten miles, it's One-Ear's territory. If you want to pass, you have to pay."

"Hong Family Fort, One-Ear?" Wei He heard these names for the first time.

"Isn't it strange that the responsibility should be the city guard's, but it's the Hong Family Fort that guards the border?" Cheng Kai continued.

"The Hong Family Fort was originally a local noble family, with generations of officials and a good reputation. But later, the city of Feiye changed its city guard, and for some reason, a conflict arose with the Hong family.

So both sides had a major conflict, and after some mediation, they compromised. The Hong family withdrew from the inner city and built a fort outside, called Hong Family Fort.

But because the Hong family had helped many people and had extensive connections, the city guard couldn't do much and could only tacitly accept it."

"Who is One-Ear?" Wei He asked.

"One-Ear is a famous bandit leader, very strong, with many men and horses. He is the one in the surrounding hundred miles." Cheng Kai raised his thumb.

"Because of conflicts with the Hong Family Fort during the construction of the fort, One-Ear was defeated and retreated. So both sides agreed on a boundary, within ten miles and outside ten miles."

He paused, as if remembering something.

"By the way, I should remind you. Beyond ten miles, it's not just One-Ear, but also the two sects of the Three Gangs and Two Sects. If you encounter them, don't offend them easily; you must be respectful."

"Understood." Wei He nodded.

Cheng Kai did not elaborate on the names of the Three Gangs and Two Sects, and Wei He was not in a hurry. Since he knew the general idea, he would eventually find out.