Daily Intelligence System: Don't Kill Me, Honey! Chapter 1540 - 350: You Don’t Even Know Grandpa Chen? How Can You Be an Escort? (Part 4)

He resolved to depart from Huangzhou Prefecture temporarily. The caravan hailed from elsewhere, and so did the surrounding lands. Should robbers strike it later on, Chen Jiusi would face no involvement.

Chen Jiusi lacked any cause to chase him down.

"Fine, time to head back. We'll tough it out for these next couple of days, and as soon as we exit Hubei lands and draw near Shanxi's Ankang, we'll launch our attack. At that point, Big Brother can lend a hand, ensuring no troubles arise."

"Understood, we'll heed the Second Master. Incidentally, Second Master, how should we handle the folks in this caravan?"

"Slaughter every last one, spare none."

A petty heart lacks grandeur, and a true man must show no mercy. Not a soul from this lot could be left breathing. Should even one slip away and make it back to Huangzhou Prefecture, word might reach Chen Jiusi's ears one day.

What if he then dispatches forces to wipe them all out?

Though his elder brother commanded a band of a thousand now, to that formidable Chen Jiusi of Huangzhou Prefecture, it amounted to mere child's play.

To seal off any chance of betrayal, everyone traveling with them this time had to meet their end, slain without exception.

"Second Master, that Miss Xu possesses real beauty; it'd be a shame to end her, haha, could we perhaps...?"

"What nonsense is that? A prize like her belongs to the Second Master for first dibs, naturally. When would a chance ever come your way?"

Hearing this, Vice Leader Ma declared, "Fine, I never stint on you lot. With one woman, I intend to make good use of her myself. If other brothers fancy a go, simply line up after."

"Count me in."

"Me too."

At those words, the men chimed in right away, then heard Vice Leader Ma add, "Enough dawdling here, or we risk exposure. Back we go, back now."

With that command given, the men swiftly withdrew.

The group caught the instructions and wheeled around as one. Chen Jie overheard their entire exchange.

He mused inwardly that trading in these times proved no simple task, with officials bleeding merchants dry inside the walls and outlaws prowling the wilds beyond.

With such thoughts swirling, Chen Jie feigned slumber once more.

Right then, several Escort Masters who had circled back approached, one hovering above Chen Jie's spot and whispering: "Your fortune's rotten; yielding earlier might've saved your skin. As things stand, alas..."

"Quit your muttering and move along, quick now..."

With those words, the others retreated, and Chen Jie, noting their return, stayed mum, merely shutting his eyes to relax.

For someone of his caliber, a brief eye closure brought rest nearly as deep as true sleep.

In this manner, a full day elapsed, trailing the caravan onward without pause. The path remained uneventful, and Chen Jie stuck to his role among the staff.

By the fourth day, upon entering Shanxi domain, they came upon a woman collapsed roadside, her face marred by blisters and a blade cut.

Escort agency protocols barred them from aiding unknown wanderers like her, but Xu Caijin surprisingly stirred with pity and demanded they take her aboard.

Once they roused the young woman, Xu Caijin inquired about her plight. She claimed bandits had slain her family and hunted her down relentlessly.

Chen Jie eyed her gashes briefly, certain she spun tales, for the marks screamed sword strikes. The precision pointed to a skilled handiwork.

Thus, the odds of crude bandits pursuing her stood at virtually zero; deception marked her story.

Yet this affair concerned Chen Jie not at all, so he held his tongue. While a few others grumbled in dissent, Xu Caijin stood firm in shielding her. They yielded to the leader's will.

Hence, the party pressed on without halt, day and night, until Ankang loomed at last. That day, they traversed a rugged, untamed stretch of peaks.

A massive ridge rose before them, its heights forbidding and treacherous. There, Xu Caijin parted the flap and queried, "Where exactly are we?"

The reply came: "Iron Neck Mountain."