Hengshan Sect's Strongest Sword Cultivator

Within the time it took for two sticks of incense to burn, Jin Qisheng and the others returned in defeat.

The fake Wang had ultimately escaped.

"When we arrived at Wang's house, we found his body on the bed and traces of Facial Disguise Skill at the dressing table, which looked about a day old."

"This person took advantage of Wang's sore throat in recent days to act. He made us overlook the change in his voice. It was a well-conceived plan."

Jin felt a chill run through him:

"Thankfully, we discovered it in time. In a few days, the escort agency is hosting a banquet for some friends from the martial world. If he had poisoned us then... The consequences would have been unimaginable!"

Lu Gui interrupted:

"Given that, wouldn't starting a fire tonight have tipped him off?"

"That's precisely what makes this person so terrifying."

Lu Shilai felt a rush of fear and glanced in the direction of Zhao Rong.

"By setting the fire now, if we fail to catch the culprit, it will only cause the entire escort agency to be even more on edge. With Long's cautious nature, it's inevitable that he'll gather more allies from the martial community to consult."

"What then, if the culprit poisons us at that time?"

"I'm afraid even the Hengshan Sect could be affected due to their association with the Changrui Escort Agency."

Recognizing Lu Shilai's wisdom, everyone pondered over his logic, feeling disturbed by the culprit's madness.

Setting fire tonight is also a provocation.

Had it not been for Zhao Rong, he would have truly deceived us all.

Now that the situation had slightly stabilized, Pu Kui asked the question that most people were curious about.

"Rong, you had Lu ask them about the moonlight. What mystery was hidden in that question?"

"Why did that man react violently upon hearing Wang's words?"

Seeing everyone's attention on him, Zhao Rong explained concisely.

"When I heard the sound of water, I happened to be eating dumplings by the street. The clouds obscured the moon, and the sky was pitch black. I could barely make out the dumpling fillings by the light of the dumpling vendor's lamp."

"But the darkness was brief. By the time the fires were extinguished, the night wind had scattered the clouds, and with the full moon tonight, everything was bright."

"If Wang had truly been plucking pig hairs during the water incident, he would have definitely noticed the darkness in the courtyard. If someone ran near the warehouse to set a fire and entered the corridor, regardless of darkness or light, they would need to light a lamp and would thus find it hard to remember the exact lighting."

"Long has been inside the house all along, she could give a vague answer. But Wang couldn't, for he had been outside in the open courtyard all the time."

"So when Lu asked that Wang about the moonlight, which was bright at that moment, he unhesitatingly guessed an answer."

"Once Zhou recalled that it was dark at the time, the impostor realized he had exposed himself."

"Had he not lashed out to create chaos, once we stood firm and surrounded him, he would have had no chance of escape."

After Zhao Rong's explanation, everyone around him suddenly understood.

Pu Kui and Lu Gui praised him repeatedly, saying "Brilliant!"

Jin approached and said, "Rong, you've played a leading role in guarding the escort agency tonight. When Long returns from Yongzhou Prefecture, he must repay your kindness."

"Since I'm a part of the escort agency, it's only right that I contribute."

Zhao Rong quickly waved his hand, "You're too kind, Jin."

Jin acknowledged him with a "good" and praised Lu Shilai for his discernment.

People's gazes towards Zhao Rong had changed.

After this night, the young man would no longer be an invisible newcomer in the escort agency.

Zhao Rong gladly accepted the good intentions conveyed by everyone at the Changrui Escort Agency, and today, having heard the conversation between Lu Shilai and Long Ping, he was almost certain that this Hengshan Sect outer sect disciple would introduce him to his own benefactor, currently the most influential person in Hengshan Sect.

Though it's true that Liu would suffer misfortune in his later years, that was almost five or six years away.

He should have been happy.

But firstly, the fake Wang was affiliated with bandits, dragging him into the incident at the Changrui Escort Agency, and most likely he would have to deal with these dangerous fellows again in the future.

Secondly, he was being watched by an unknown master, with inscrutable intentions.

Thirdly, he had reached a plateau in his training and feared he wouldn't make significant progress in a short time.

As the saying goes, life in the martial world is as fragile as paper.

Zhao Rong felt a deep sense of crisis.

He couldn't help but look towards Lu Shilai, truly hoping the latter would soon facilitate an introduction, allowing him to receive pointers on martial arts from Liu, and learn a few moves of the Returning Wind Wild Goose Sword.

That way, when facing these skilled adversaries, he would at least have the strength to fight.

...

The clear scenery flew by in the night, and the early morning was stacked with pale light. The constellation of horses was just beginning to shine, and the reed mace turned more and more profound in the darkness.

Deep into the night, Zhao Rong returned to the Zhao Family Fort in the west of the city. Before leaving, Lu Shilai was still concerned about his injuries, arranging several escorts to accompany him, with the very familiar Pu Kui naturally among them.

Several unfamiliar escorts took the opportunity to get acquainted with Zhao Rong, and they chatted idly along the way.

They talked about Old Wang's knife skills from that night and then about the green forest robbers from previous heists.

"The escorts from Hengzhou Prefecture to Yingtian Prefecture have run dozens of times without incident. The lands of Lin Zhou, Jiujiang, and Huizhou house many powerful figures, but since the head of the Changrui Escort Agency is well-acquainted and well-connected, plus Changrui is looked after by the Hengshan Sect, friends from both the underworld and the righteous paths mostly give face."

"Yet who knew that a bunch of ruthless people would emerge from nowhere, slaughtering over a dozen members of our agency near Poyang Lake, and now they've even come knocking to provoke us—it's really going too far!"

"Is that all?"

"Even several disciples from the Hengshan Sect were found decapitated."

"..."

Even Hengshan Sect disciples had died?

The details of the incident were kept vague by the escort agency, and this was the first time Zhao Rong learned the inside story.

"The Five Peaks Sword Sects are branches of the same tree and hold considerable prestige in the jianghu. Now that the enemy acts so brazenly, killing our people at our doorstep, this matter is extremely troublesome."

He pondered over the situation, and also took the chance to inquire about what the escort's cargo had been.

Seeing Zhao Rong as one of their own, several of the escorts candidly shared, "The client who commissioned the escort is a major pharmacist from Yingtian Prefecture, with valuable medicinal materials such as ginseng, fu ling, lingzhi, and deer antler as the cargo."

"The head of the escort agency will soon be returning, and this time there will surely be friends from the jianghu coming from Yongzhou Prefecture to lend a hand."

"Exactly!"

"We must make those bandits suffer for their acts of robbery."

...

After bringing Zhao Rong back to the Zhao Family Fort, Pu Kui also left behind several packets of medicine for external and internal use. With injuries still fresh, Zhao Rong was advised by the escorts to take proper rest and refrain from resuming his duties for the next few days.

That night, he tossed and turned in bed, reflecting on what had happened, before finally falling into a fitful sleep.

The stars continued their course as the fourth watch of the night approached, and the sparse curtains began to let in a cool breeze. The deep autumn streams were clear and babbling. The moon hung dimly in the sky, slowly descending behind the western mountains.

A hundred miles away, Yancheng held a distant chill, and deep in the Tanshui, a solitary boat was moored.

The cool lake breeze dispelled the remnants of sleep as the boatman, donning a conical hat and wearing a straw raincoat, stood at the bow, ceaselessly maneuvering the oar.

The boat glided over the water's surface, creating soft ripples and the melodious sound of the oars.

Outside the boat's cabin sat two people, eyeing with a strange intensity the disheveled young man meditating in front of the stove.

This person was in his twenties, with a face as pale as paper and ragged breathing, occasionally erupting into bouts of coughing.

"Senior brother Shi, how did you end up in such a state?"

"The Changrui Escort Agency is mostly composed of brutes. When it comes to martial arts, who could have injured you to this extent?"

"Even Master has praised your Facial Disguise Skill. We've silenced that cook by poisoning him mute, could we have left any flaws?"

The pale youth let out a cold snort, first pouring himself a bowl of medicinal soup and drinking it, then said:

"There's an expert hidden within the escort agency. I was caught off guard and took a surprise hit from a palm strike."

"That person's Palm Strength was remarkable, and his Inner Strength was vast and fierce. Had we fought face-to-face, he would likely have been a tough opponent."

Senior brother Shi furrowed his brow in recollection:

"When I exchanged palms with him, his expressions changed frequently; he might have recognized my identity."

"He carried a sword at his side, and with his level of Inner Strength, he must have some decent Swordsmanship. But he didn't draw his sword, probably cautious not to let me identify the origins of his sword moves, which could only bring trouble. Thus, he was willing to take the injury, clashing with me directly in a contest of Inner Strength."

"Hmph, he does know how to protect himself."

"That being the case, he doesn't seem like a high-level expert from the Hengshan Sect itself, but more likely someone who came to assist the escort agency."

The young man with the angular eyes finished speaking and turned to another, slightly shorter youth:

"Junior brother Ma Yuyang, what do you think?"

"Senior brother Dai, not long ago when I was in Hengyang City, I encountered a demon from the Demon Cult and unfortunately got injured. Junior brother Guo Qichang was even killed by someone using lime to blind him, and we still don't know who's responsible."

"With Master having sent Senior brother Shi to take charge, it was unexpected to encounter such a skilled opponent; relying solely on the Hai Sha Gang will hardly suffice."

"At this critical juncture, it would be best if Master sends some more capable hands to avoid jeopardizing the situation."

The angular-eyed youth nodded and then turned to the eldest, Shi Xianying.

"Let's do just that."

Shi Xianying expressed his frustration: "I've been injured by that fierce energy, and it will take at least two months to return to my peak condition. We'll have to postpone the plan for now."

"Send someone to Yingtian Prefecture to make arrangements, and have Changrui Escort Agency take one more job."

"I want to see..."

"If they have the courage to accept it."

...