RPAGF Chapter 17 Take the job!
Chapter 17 Take the job!
"I have wronged you all this time. If there are any good bounties offered by the Zhenwu Hall in the future, I will inform you two as soon as possible." Zhu Shou cupped his hands towards Xiao Bieli and the other swordsman and said.
“This is not Brother Zhu’s fault. No one expected that Tianlang Village would collude with the Sanjiang Alliance,” the man holding the knife said.
Xiao Bieli nodded as well.
The Twelve Linked Forts of Dongjiang County are the most powerful. Once the news of Tianlang Village's collusion with the Three Rivers Alliance spreads, Hu Xiong will not dare to stay in Dongjiang County.
They dared not come to Dongjiang County to cause them trouble.
……
Back in the city,
Xiao Bieli then parted ways with Zhu Shou, who was seriously injured and needed to go back to heal.
Moreover, there is no safer place in the entire Dongjiang County than Zhenwu Hall.
Zhu Shou was originally a member of the Zhenwu Hall. Even the Twelve Linked Forts didn't dare to storm into the Zhenwu Hall and cause trouble. Although the Zhenwu Hall in Dongjiang County wasn't very strong, it was backed by the imperial court. Storming into the Zhenwu Hall and causing trouble would be a slap in the face to the imperial court.
Xiao Bieli wasn't seriously injured, but he still rested for two days.
Over the past two days, Xiao Bieli rented a small, secluded courtyard. Although it wasn't large, the environment was nice, and the annual rent was only twenty taels of silver.
On the third day,
Xiao Bieli walked out of the small courtyard and went up to Baixiang Tower.
Xiao Bieli went to Baixianglou quite often, and a waiter would greet him as soon as he entered.
"Young Master Shen?"
"Still the same as before?"
Xiao Bieli nodded and went upstairs to the second floor.
It was lunchtime, and the second floor was already full of guests, with only two or three empty tables left. Xiao Bieli found an empty seat and sat down.
Despite the cacophony of the surroundings, Xiao Bieli paid no heed. After the waiter brought over a pot of fine Shaoxing wine, he poured himself a cup and drank it all in one gulp.
Although the liquor from Baixianglou is not as strong as the distilled liquor from my previous life, it still has a spicy and grainy flavor. Combined with the noisy chatter of the martial arts enthusiasts around us, it has a unique taste.
Restaurants are naturally places where information is easily disseminated.
Although most of the Jianghu guests eating on the second floor talked about trivial matters that had happened in Dongjiang County recently, you could sometimes hear some useful information from them.
"Have you heard? The people from the Twelve Linked Forts went to the Heavenly Wolf Stronghold, but now the Heavenly Wolf Stronghold is completely deserted!"
"The Heavenly Wolf Stronghold has betrayed its own people and actually colluded with the Three Rivers Alliance. It is a disgrace to the martial arts world of Dongjiang County!"
"Hehe, as long as there are benefits, those bandits won't care about Dongjiang County or Linshui County."
"Alas, these days are getting harder and harder. A few days ago, several young experts from other counties were invited to Baiyun Manor, but they haven't shown up yet. They've probably met with some kind of terrible fate..."
"...Are you out of your mind? How dare you mention Baiyun Manor?"
"Hey, what do you think Baiyun Manor is doing taking them there?"
"What else could they be doing? They just suspect those people are Xiao Bieli from Linshui County in disguise..."
"..."
As the words "Baiyun Manor" and "Xiao Bieli" reached Xiao Bieli's ears, he became somewhat interested.
Although they could inquire about information from Jiangshan Pavilion or Zhenwu Hall, the more they did, the more flaws they would reveal. Now that 'Shen Lang' had demonstrated seventh-grade strength in the battle at Tianlang Village, Baiyun Manor wouldn't suspect him for the time being.
Given enough time, the people of the Cangyuan Sword Sect will probably give up.
A young martial arts enthusiast with a strong sense of justice angrily said:
"Even so, you can't just kill innocent people, can you?"
The old man sitting next to the young swordsman stuffed a piece of meat into the young swordsman's mouth and smiled obsequiously at those around him:
“My grandson is young and doesn’t know any better. He drank too much. Baiyun Manor must have its reasons for doing this!”
The restaurant was crowded and noisy.
Does anyone know if there are any people from Baiyun Villa on this second floor?
"What's there to be afraid of?" someone else asked.
"Baiyun Manor was indeed in the wrong in this matter. They only wanted to find Xiao Bieli, but now they've caused seven or eight deaths. Such behavior... Hmph..."
No one on the second floor dared to speak.
Baiyun Manor has been passed down for three generations and enjoys a prestigious reputation in the martial arts world of Dongjiang County. They dare not offend it.
at this time,
The conversations on the second floor of Baixianglou became much quieter.
'I don't quite understand Baiyun Manor's actions!'
Xiao Bieli sighed softly in his heart.
If you really want to find him, you should investigate quietly. Why make such a big fuss? Are you afraid he won't hide?
If he is afraid and leaves Dongjiang County, finding him again will be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
After thinking it over, Xiao Bieli swept the food off the table in a whirlwind.
"The waiter pays the bill!"
……
After leaving Baixianglou, Xiao Bieli hadn't gone far when he noticed someone following him.
His expression remained unchanged as he slowly walked towards the rented courtyard.
Along the way, he noticed at least three or four pairs of eyes fixed on him.
"Is it Baiyun Manor?"
"Do they already suspect me?"
“But it shouldn’t be like that. Xiao Bieli is only seventeen years old. He shouldn’t be associated with me.”
Xiao Bieli thought to himself, but didn't show it on his face. However, he felt a sense of crisis.
Baiyun Manor is a powerful family with a fifth-rank expert in charge. If someone were to attack him, he would probably have a hard time escaping now.
When Xiao Bieli arrived at the rented courtyard,
Two figures stood at the entrance of the courtyard.
One of them was Wang Yuan, the swordsmith who had returned with Zhu Shou earlier. At this moment, his face had regained some color, and he was in much better condition than before, but his injuries were clearly not yet fully healed.
Upon seeing Xiao Bieli, Wang Yuan's eyes lit up, and he rushed towards Xiao Bieli.
"Young Master Shen!"
Seeing that Xiao Bieli had stopped, Wang Yuan cupped his hands in greeting and said:
"This is Liu Dali, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) of Weixin镖局 (Weixin Escort Agency). He's here specifically to see Young Master Shen."
Liu Dali also cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Xiao Bieli and said:
"I originally wanted to ask Brother Wang to help me with a shipment, but I didn't expect Brother Wang to be injured a few days ago, so I would like to ask Young Hero Shen for help instead."
"Escort services?" Xiao Bieli's face showed suspicion:
"Weixin Escort Agency is a major escort agency in Dongjiang County, why would they need my escort?"
Weixin Escort Agency is quite famous in Dongjiang County. Its two chief escorts, Cheng Huai and Cheng Hai, known as the "Two Righteous Men of Dongjiang," are both top-level sixth-rank experts. He had heard of their names.
In Dongjiang County, Weixin Escort Agency was the second most powerful force after Baiyun Manor and Cangyu Sect's Twelve Linked Forts.
Liu Dali smiled and said:
"Things are different now. In the past, we mainly traveled by water when we were escorting goods, and we could carry a lot of things each time. But now that the Twelve Linked Forts and the Three Rivers Alliance are really at war, the waterways are no longer passable, and we can only go by land!"
"Moreover, Dongjiang County is too unsettled right now. Even the Ma family has suffered such a misfortune. When some merchant guilds want to purchase a batch of goods, they will basically hire a security escort agency to transport them. Now, not only my Weixin Security Escort Agency, but other security escort agencies in Dongjiang County are also extremely busy..."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Bieli understood what was going on.
Traveling by land is time-consuming and laborious. What would normally take only two or three days by water takes six or seven days by land, essentially doubling the time.
Over time, the chances of something going wrong naturally increase.