Changan Escort Agency, in the renowned sword city of Jianzhou where it’s said that no city exists without an escort agency, was neither large nor small in scale. Its strength lay in the balanced mix of veteran and young escorts. With a total of about fifty to sixty members, most of the veterans were former outlaws and seasoned soldiers, making the agency’s combat strength formidable. Those former outlaws, weary of their blood-soaked lives, had become escorts. Not only did they retain their martial prowess, growing stronger with age, but they also maintained their extensive networks. As the saying goes, “on the road, one relies on friends.” Since escorting often required passing through many local villages, raising the escort flag and declaring their Rivers and Lakes (jianghu) names, which were once infamous, might remind the locals of past camaraderie, such as the time they jointly abducted a young maiden, thus earning them some respect. As for those veterans who had served in the military, although they might not possess the clean and efficient techniques of martial artists when fighting alone, they were more intimidating when forming a battle array, skilled in swordsmanship, archery, and footwork.
The young escorts of Changan Escort Agency, under the personal tutelage of these veterans, were no less skilled than those from the top escort agencies. The only drawback was the lack of superior martial arts manuals to bolster the agency’s reputation, which was the most frustrating aspect. The size of an escort agency ultimately depended on how many top martial artists it employed. Changan Escort Agency could only boast of its chief escort, Shi Qingfeng, and the martial arts instructor Yu Hanliang, who was in charge of this particular mission. Not a single guest escort was employed. In contrast, several established escort agencies in Jianzhou had dozens or at least a dozen guest escorts, all renowned in the martial world.
Han Xiangma was an orphan. At the time, the Spring and Autumn Wars were nearing their end, and the infant Han Xiangma had been abandoned in the snow by his heartless parents, only to be found by Yu Instructor, who was passing by. Since then, Han Xiangma had grown up within Changan Escort Agency. From a young age, Han Xiangma had been clever and diligent in his martial arts training. Yu Hanliang, a once notorious bandit who had retired from his criminal past, regarded Han Xiangma as his own son. Among the young escorts, Han Xiangma and Shi Xiangyang, the son of the chief escort, each led their own group. There was a girl who had grown up alongside them in the escort agency, and Shi Xiangyang was deeply infatuated with her. However, the girl only showed affection towards Han Xiangma, who was known for his smooth tongue. This made Shi Xiangyang view Han Xiangma as a thorn in his side. In their childhood, the two often played together, using urine to mix mud, but as they grew older, their relationship deteriorated to a point of mutual hostility, which greatly troubled Han Xiangma.
Changan Escort Agency derived its name from the wish for longevity and peace, having been established for over thirty years without ever losing a single escort mission. Thus, it had managed to establish a foothold in Jianzhou, where escort agencies were as numerous as cow hairs. According to the usual rules, when escorting goods, veterans would lead the young escorts, with the ratio determined by the value of the goods being escorted. However, Han Xiangma sensed something peculiar about this particular mission, as he was the only young escort among a group of the agency’s most experienced veterans, with Yu Father personally overseeing the mission. Before leaving the borders of Jianzhou, the reputation of Changan Escort Agency still held some weight. However, during the past ten days since leaving Jianzhou, things had become increasingly difficult. Yu Father was a habitual drunkard, but even during regular escort missions, he would occasionally stop at familiar inns for a few sips of alcohol to satisfy his cravings. Yet, this time, he had not even brought his wine pot. Han Xiangma rode beside the escorted chest, sword in hand, guarding it closely. The chest was not large, and according to Yu Father’s private disclosure, the chief escort had accepted the mission as a family heirloom jade. Experts within the agency had appraised it, their hands trembling as they declared the jade to be worth at least half of Changan Escort Agency! Han Xiangma glanced at the chest, then turned his gaze to the heavily curtained carriage. Inside were two young women from Jianzhou disguised as men. Despite their thick veils, Han Xiangma, who had accompanied Yu Father to visit brothels since the age of eight, had an exceptionally sharp eye. Just from the occasional glimpses he caught of them when they stepped out for a stroll in the dead of night, he could discern the truth. Having grown up in brothels, Han Xiangma was convinced these two young women were absolute beauties. One brief encounter left him with a fragrant impression, and during his off-duty hours, Han Xiangma would occasionally lie on his bed, tossing and turning, thinking that seeing their faces during this mission would be worth it.
Instructor Yu Hanliang carried a large horn bow on his back and a ring-handled saber at his waist, riding around the escort team on horseback. Spotting Han Xiangma, who was staring blankly with a foolish grin, Yu Hanliang kicked him, scolding him. Han Xiangma patted his bottom and grinned, saying, “Father, when will you pass this bow to me? I’m itching to use it.”
Yu Father was an illiterate brute, and even the name Han Xiangma was given to him by Yu Father after consulting a scholar in the agency, which cost several pounds of alcohol. Although Han Xiangma was raised as his own son, Yu Hanliang naturally wished for him to become successful, but he had no idea how to guide him towards that success. Whenever Han Xiangma got into trouble, Yu Hanliang would simply whip him, and when he felt the boy had made progress, he would give him money to go out and have fun with his friends. Drinking and visiting brothels were considered manly pursuits, and Yu Hanliang despised the idea of pretending to be a scholar. He particularly disliked the young Shi, who, despite being a martial artist, spent his days composing poetry and indulging in literary pursuits. “Are you reciting poetry to the deaf?” he would grumble, which was why Liu girl didn’t like him. The older generation, no matter how ruthless they were in their youth, found their greatest joy in comparing the achievements of their descendants. Yu Father believed Han Xiangma was doing quite well and, after a few more years of polishing, would become a capable man who wouldn’t have to worry about food or finding a wife. In a good mood, Yu Hanliang pointed to the saber at Han Xiangma’s waist, smiling as he scolded, “Don’t be ungrateful. Including the two from the chief escort, there are only six Qijia sabers in the entire agency!”
Yu Father lovingly touched the horn bow on his back, his expression tender as if caressing the smooth skin of a lover. Seeing Han Xiangma’s disgusted and shivering reaction, he glared and said, “You won’t get it until I’m dead and buried. If you mess up this mission, I’ll take the bow with me to the grave, and you won’t get a whiff of it!”
Han Xiangma tightened the reins, bringing his horse alongside Yu Father’s, and hooked his arm around Yu Father’s shoulder, his face full of flattery. “Father, you’re talking like a stranger. We’re working hard to save money for your old age and funeral. Without some inheritance, how can I make my way in the martial world? You know my strength is second to none in the agency. Even the chief escort dares not challenge me in archery anymore. A good horse deserves a good saddle, Father. Disgracing this precious bow would bring divine retribution.”
Yu Father rolled his eyes and said, “Go on, go on. Keep an eye on the front. We’re taking a small path this time, and it’s not safe. Don’t ruin the reputation the agency has built up over decades.”
Han Xiangma laughed and said, “Understood,” then spurred his horse forward. Yu Father’s gaze was filled with affection, unable to imagine that this man, who had once been a notorious bandit, was now filled with pride as he watched his son’s back. It wasn’t because Han Xiangma was his adopted son that he was allowed to carry the Qijia saber; it was due to his genuine abilities. Every weapon in the agency had to be reported to the authorities in detail, with records kept for every addition or loss. Changan Escort Agency had only six Qijia sabers. These sabers were modeled after the standard Northern Liang sabers, forged through a hundredfold process, with narrow blades that were lightweight yet sharp for both slashing and cutting, making them excellent for both mounted and foot combat. There were several former Guangling Army soldiers in the agency, and Han Xiangma, who was naturally restless, was absolutely dedicated when learning swordsmanship from these old soldiers. As long as he held a sword, he could stand rooted to the ground, practicing all night without complaining of fatigue. In fact, this adopted son was even better at archery. Veteran escorts who had served in the military often said Han Xiangma had the arms of an ape and was a top-notch archer, but compared to swordsmanship, Han Xiangma never put his heart into archery, which frustrated Yu Father, who had spent countless hours trying to teach him. As a result, Yu Father stubbornly refused to hand over the horn bow to this little brat.
Yu Hanliang was very cautious when escorting the mission out of Jianzhou. Firstly, the goods were exceptionally valuable, and if they were lost, it would not only cause significant losses to Changan Escort Agency but also likely prevent the agency from continuing to operate in the fiercely competitive Jianzhou. Therefore, besides himself as the martial arts instructor, there was Han Xiangma, a young escort with a meticulous mind and decent martial skills. The rest were all experienced escorts, a total of more than thirty people, making it an elite force. Along with the attendants and miscellaneous workers, the total number was nearly fifty, a grand procession. Even without taking the main roads and opting for smaller paths, ordinary bandit gangs would not dare to show their faces to block the way. Escorting goods required stability and the character of harmony above all else, which was correct, but when there was no choice, it still relied on sharp swords and strong spears.
Thinking about the two people sitting inside the carriage, Yu Father furrowed his brows, feeling that this mission was not simple. On the surface, it was a routine goods escort mission to deliver a priceless jade pendant to Songzhou, but secretly, it seemed more like a people escort mission. The two in the carriage rarely came out. Yu Father had spent most of his life in perilous situations and only found stability after joining the escort agency. He had never seen any noble ladies in his life, not even any modestly refined women. However, even if he hadn’t eaten pork, he had seen pigs run. The two in the carriage were clearly not ordinary women. Using the guise of a goods escort to leave Jianzhou, it looked more like they were fleeing from trouble. The leaders of Changan Escort Agency had gathered to discuss this initially, and Yu Hanliang was reluctant to accept the mission. However, the agency’s business had been sluggish in recent years, heavily pressured by several large escort agencies. Additionally, the two individuals were generous, offering a deposit of six hundred taels of silver and promising an additional sixty taels of gold upon arrival in Songzhou. The chief escort, Shi Qingfeng, gritted his teeth and accepted the mission.
At the front of the escort team, Han Xiangma raised his hand and made a gesture. The veteran escorts immediately drew their weapons, ready for battle. However, the blades were only halfway out of their sheaths, following an unwritten rule of escorting. Since the opposing side had not launched a surprise attack but instead openly blocked their path, if the escort team were to fully draw their swords, it would be seen as provoking the bandits, a serious disrespect. When traveling outside, walking the martial world, the words “emotion,” “righteousness,” and “etiquette” must not be taken lightly.
From the dense forest on both sides of the small path, seventy to eighty bandits jumped out, their blades and spears gleaming. From the crossroads, twenty more riders charged forth, all strong men on sturdy horses. Yu Hanliang had been escorting for twenty years and could immediately tell this gang of highwaymen was no ordinary bunch. They were likely the kind of big gang that let small fish go to catch big ones. Yu Hanliang was puzzled, as he had never heard of such a formidable bandit lord on this mountain before. He had passed through here last year and remembered the mountain was occupied by Qin Yaozi and his gang, old acquaintances. Qin Yaozi was skilled in the Three Emperors’ Cannon Fist and the Sixteen Road Whip Kick. One-on-one, Yu Hanliang didn’t have a chance of winning, but the bandits under Qin Yaozi’s command were not very capable, mostly old and weak. Therefore, in the past, when passing through this area, they would just hand over some loose silver as “Taisui money,” and both sides could save face. Over time, Yu Hanliang had become somewhat familiar with Qin Yaozi. According to the chief escort Shi Qingfeng’s plan, this time they had hoped to take the opportunity to recruit Qin Yaozi as a guest escort for Changan Escort Agency. Who would have thought the mountain’s banner had changed, and the new gang was coming on strong. Twenty horsemen were not something ordinary bandits could afford. A single horse was expensive enough, not to mention the difficulty in obtaining one, and maintaining horses was even more challenging. This made the situation complicated!
Yu Father exhaled deeply, tightened his grip on the saber at his waist, and rode forward, first sending the fearless Han Xiangma back. Facing the well-equipped bandits, he raised his fist and shouted, “Yu Hanliang of Changan Escort Agency in Jianzhou is asking for your kind permission to pass!”
The opposing forces remained motionless. Yu Father, mustering his courage, took out two bags of silver coins and declared, “Twenty taels of Taisui money as a gift!”
The twenty horsemen remained still on the small path.
Han Xiangma, who had been ordered by Yu Father to guard the rear, was furious. Normally, ten taels of Taisui money was already quite generous for an average escort agency. This bunch, relying on their numbers, was being disrespectful. He turned his horse around, ready to completely draw his sword. Knowing the young man’s hot temper, Yu Father feared he would ruin the mission and turned to scold, “Xiangma, don’t act recklessly!”
Han Xiangma had to reluctantly sheath his sword. Suddenly, his eyes widened, and he shouted with red eyes, “Father, watch out!”
A figure in black leaped down from a tree by the roadside, drew a sword, and rushed forward. Yu Hanliang had just felt a chill when the attacker slashed his sword, splitting him and his horse in two with a single blow.
Everyone was horrified.
All that was seen of that strike was a semicircular flash of the blade. The cold, silent method of killing was truly terrifying.
On the small path, blood was splattered everywhere, the bodies of man and horse cut in two.
Han Xiangma, who had been with Yu Father for over twenty years, was furious beyond reason, losing his senses. He dug his heels into his horse’s sides, drew the Qijia saber, and rode furiously.
The young swordsman on the small path gently twisted his wrist, splattering blood from his blade onto the ground in a crimson line. He sidestepped to face Han Xiangma, who was charging forward on horseback, not retreating but advancing, rushing head-on.
The two opposing sides passed each other in an instant. Han Xiangma realized after his strike that he hadn’t even hit the cursed enemy. The next moment, he fell from his horse, rolling onto the road. It turned out the horse’s four hooves had been neatly severed by the swordsman. Looking down at himself, his lower legs were already gone. The blade was so sharp that Han Xiangma only felt the bone-deep pain now, despite his resilience, he cried out in agony. Instinctively, his fingers bent into hooks on the road, digging into the mud, unaware that his nails had peeled back. Since childhood, Han Xiangma had dreamed of the martial world, but now, as he slowly crawled towards where Yu Father lay nearby, all thoughts of becoming a legendary hero were gone from his young escort’s mind, replaced only by the desire to see his father one last time.
The swordsman who had committed the crime didn’t even glance at the insignificant Han Xiangma. Facing the hastily formed formation of the escort team, he strolled forward with ease, effortlessly deflecting several arrows shot his way. His blade was as bright and clear as snow, his sword style grand and mighty. The veteran Guangling soldiers at the forefront couldn’t withstand him. The expressionless young swordsman simply struck cleanly and decisively each time, cutting down these veteran escorts of Changan Escort Agency like melons and vegetables in a bloodbath. Except for Han Xiangma, who was not killed instantly, everyone else who faced him was slain immediately. Within just a short time, the caravan was left in disarray. The veteran escorts desperately protected the carriage, while the attendants and miscellaneous workers, lacking such courage, scattered in all directions. The swordsman didn’t pursue them, naturally leaving that to the twenty fierce horsemen, who rode after them, cutting them down with ease, creating deep, bone-exposing wounds on their backs. The muscular young man pulled his blade from the heart of the last veteran escort, wiped the blood off on the slowly collapsing corpse, then used the tip of his sword to lift the curtain of the carriage, coldly saying, “Chosen by the Old Ancestor Xuan Yuan, where can you escape to?”
The curtain was lifted, and a dagger was thrust out.
The young swordsman caught the dagger with two fingers, casually twisted it, broke it, and threw it on the road. Then he reached out and grabbed her slender, white neck, first pulling her out of the carriage and then suspending her in the air. Her veil had already fallen off, revealing a cold and peerless beauty. However, the cold-blooded swordsman was not captivated by her appearance. He merely lowered his gaze slightly, seeing her feet trembling violently, her hands uselessly pounding on his thick arm, her face changing from red to purple. The other person in the carriage, seeing this scene, crawled out, removed her veil, and her face was identical to the one hanging in the air. Her voice was cold and clear, “Let my sister go!”
He glanced at her with the corner of his eye, finding it amusing that there was someone unafraid of death?
Suddenly, she pulled out a hidden dagger from her sleeve, pressed it against her neck, pierced the delicate skin, and cut a blood groove, coldly saying, “If I die, let’s see how you can report to the old pervert Xuan Yuan!”
The young swordsman, who had killed countless people, frowned. In his view, today’s secret matter was nothing significant. Since he had apprenticed under the master on Mount Gu Niu Gang in Huishan, he naturally had to repay the favor by serving. The old master Xuan Yuan’s obsession with women, especially his preference for keeping male concubines and torturing young girls, was well known throughout Jianzhou. The old man was an expert in the secret techniques of the Tantric school’s joyous methods, having practiced the yin-yang cultivation for decades, his internal power was profound, and he was also a master of swordsmanship. The young swordsman had received orders half a month ago to intercept a pair of heavenly maidens chosen by the old master Xuan Yuan. He had scoured every escort agency in Jianzhou, and only now had he arrived, delaying his practice at the Six OverlapWaterfall, which greatly upset him, who was obsessed with martial arts. Facing the threat from the woman in the carriage, he held her by the neck with one hand and the sword with the other, pressing the tip of the sword to her heart, coldly saying, “Commit suicide? I won’t stop you. But I can guarantee that your sister will die before you. With one stab, as long as I hit the right spot, I can tear her heart apart, making her half-dead and half-alive, a hundred times more unfortunate than you just slitting your throat.”
She bit her lip hard with her snow-white teeth, blood seeping out, her eyes filled with deep hatred, slowly asking, “Who are you?”
The young swordsman said indifferently, “Remember this, Yuan Tingshan. If you want revenge, follow me back to Huishan, serve the old master Xuan Yuan well, and blow the pillow wind for a few more years. Only then might you have a chance to give me some trouble.”
She indeed dropped the dagger, smiled sweetly, and said, “You’ll see.”
Yuan Tingshan casually threw the older sister to the ground. The twenty horsemen had already slaughtered all the attendants and miscellaneous workers in the escort agency, not leaving a single one. The swordsman then gestured to the real bandits behind, and the horsemen, their blades still dripping blood, smirked and charged forward.
She coldly watched her sister, who was begging at the swordsman’s feet, showing no emotion.
The young swordsman quietly waited for the cavalry to finish their work, seeing that the heads were almost all harvested, and then looked down, “I heard you two are hard to tell apart. I’m very curious, which one of you is the male.”
As he spoke, a white horse rider in brocade robes appeared at the end of the road, wielding a pair of swords.
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