Chapter 138: Escort Bureau

Chapter 138: The Escort Agency

In the rear courtyard of the inn, Gouwa heard Chun Xiaoman's words and immediately felt a surge of defiance.

"What's wrong with only knowing one move? Haven't you heard that one brilliant trick can feed you everywhere? One strike is enough to cleave a man in two."

Xiaoman snorted coldly, stepping into a bow stance with her right foot as her long sword flashed from its scabbard, launching a level thrust straight at Gouwa.

Before Gouwa could even react, the blade had already halted just a breath away from his nose.

With a sharp ring of steel, the sword slid back into its sheath, and Xiaoman turned on her heel, departing without a single word.

Glancing at Yang Xiaohai, who had been watching from the sidelines, Gouwa flushed with embarrassment. "She caught me off guard; if we fought for real, she wouldn't necessarily stand a chance."

Seeing Xiaoman already stride out of the inn's courtyard, Yang Xiaohai immediately nodded vigorously at Gouwa. "Yes, yes, yes, Senior Brother Cao Cao is absolutely right."

After laying on the flattery until Gouwa was beaming with delight, Yang Xiaohai slipped away and hurried after her.

By the time he found Xiaoman on the street, she had already arrived at the gates of a sprawling compound flying the banners of an escort agency.

Quickening his pace, he followed her through the entrance.

Glancing at the young Daoist boy beside her, Chun Xiaoman said, "Don't go wandering off; the world is in turmoil these days, and there are plenty of child snatchers about."

"I know, I'll be more careful next time, Senior Sister. But could you let me tag along this time? I'll just watch and promise not to cause any trouble."

Seeing the earnest pleading in Yang Xiaohai's eyes, Chun Xiaoman said nothing more.

The escort agency was vast yet cramped, its courtyard packed to the brim with horse-drawn and ox-drawn carts.

"There are so many people in here," Yang Xiaohai muttered, sidestepping a fresh pile of horse dung.

"That's only natural; the more chaotic the world, the more profitable the escort business. If the whole realm were at peace, there'd be no need for agencies like this."

No sooner had Xiaoman finished speaking than a burly man in short work clothes strode toward them. He was exceptionally tall, towering a full two heads above Xiaoman, and walked with a tiger's commanding swagger.

Stepping up close, he swiftly appraised the woman before him, her face concealed by a black veil, and clasped his calloused hands together in a heavy salute, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Is the young lady looking to commission an escort?"

"I am a practitioner of the martial arts myself, and having heard that every escort agency survives on the formidable skills of its guards, I wished to come and test my mettle against yours, to make friends through martial exchange."

Hearing Xiaoman's words so bluntly spoken, the escort guard was momentarily taken aback; he had encountered such requests before, but a woman coming to the door seeking a martial spar was truly a first.

After a moment's thought, he bowed his clasped hands slightly. "Young lady, as the saying goes, 'In a quarrel, no good words are spoken; in a fight, no gentle blows are struck.' I think we should let this matter drop. As you can see, the agency is swamped, and the guards are all out on escort duty."

Hearing this, Xiaoman was not in the least surprised; they were men of business, after all, why would they fight her for no reason?

Fumbling in her robes for a moment, she pulled out a tael of silver and held it out. "I am self-taught and have no master; I humbly ask for your guidance."

"This..." Seeing her determination to spar, Wang Chengxing hesitated; it wasn't the silver that gave him pause, but his suspicion of her true motives.

He feared that her claim of making friends through martial arts was a ruse, that she was feigning weakness to steal glory for herself.

The Yuyong Escort Agency had expanded to so many branches solely because its guards could fight; if a young woman were to easily defeat them, their reputation in the jianghu would be ruined.

"Where does this young lady come from? Could she be an expert hired by the Guangsheng Escort Agency, sent specifically to sabotage our business? Business is booming these days; are those broadsword-wielding thugs still trying to muscle in on our territory?"

An escort guard needed not only brawn but also a sharp mind, and it didn't take long for Wang Chengxing to devise a plan to defuse the crisis.

He first reached out to take the silver from Chun Xiaoman, then said, "Since the young lady is so insistent, please follow me."

Weaving past the parked carts and through the bustling main hall, Wang Chengxing led them toward the rear courtyard.

The unfamiliar surroundings made Yang Xiaohai instinctively edge closer to Xiaoman. "Senior Sister, they aren't plotting something foul, are they...?"

Observing the surroundings, Chun Xiaoman shook her head. "This is an escort agency, not a bandit's lair. Those who run such agencies value their reputation above all; if their name were ruined, no one would hire them."

Behind the bustling agency lay a spacious rear courtyard, its weapon racks laden with arms of all kinds, while youths and young men in black work clothes sparred and lifted weights, transforming the space into a veritable training ground.

"You lot, come over here!" At Wang Chengxing's loud call, the men in the courtyard dropped their tasks and gathered around.

"Greetings, Martial Uncle Wang!"

"Greetings, Martial Granduncle!"

"Have you eaten yet, Master?"

Scanning the crowd before him for a moment, he pointed a finger at a taciturn young man. "You, Tianci, step forward and exchange a few moves with this young lady. Remember, it's a friendly spar, so stop before you cause harm."

Having given these instructions, Wang Chengxing pulled aside another man, ordering him to guard the gate and keep outsiders from entering.

This strategy had two advantages: first, even if they lost, no one would know, leaving the agency's reputation intact.

Second, even if the people behind this young lady stepped forward to confront them, they could simply claim that the one who fought was merely an ungraduated junior, and losing was to be expected.

Moreover, he wasn't lying; although Tianci was exceptionally gifted and trained diligently, his strength rivaling that of some seasoned escort masters, his current status was indeed that of a junior.

Looking at the young man curiously studying her, Xiaoman didn't mind; she merely needed an opponent to test the fruits of her recent training.

Just as she was about to draw her long sword, she looked at the empty-handed youth and felt that fighting with steel was inappropriate; if she accidentally struck him, it would end poorly.

Fortunately, the training ground lacked nothing more than weapons, and a bamboo sword polished to a gleaming shine was soon placed in Xiaoman's hands.

The young man didn't take a sword; instead, he wielded a long shield of withered rattan, strangely shaped, wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, with two wooden spikes protruding from the front like the fangs of a beast.

Xiaoman watched the boy raise this shield and assume a peculiar, awkward stance.

Xiaoman's brows furrowed slightly as she raised her sword, launching a tentative, step-together thrust at him.

"Thwack!" The wooden sword struck the rattan shield, emitting a dull thud.

The youth swiftly redirected the force downward before surging forward with a sudden jolt, instantly knocking Xiaoman's long sword aside.

Seizing the moment her guard was wide open, he stepped forward with his right foot and thrust both hands forward with a fierce push, the wooden spikes at the front of the rattan shield aiming straight for Xiaoman's throat.

Unaccustomed to such a fierce encounter, Chun Xiaoman was momentarily flustered and hastily tried to bring her sword up to block.

But before her blade could return even halfway, the wooden spike had already halted against Chun Xiaoman's neck.

Retracting the rattan shield, the young man stood firm and clasped his hands in a salute. "Thank you for your courtesy."

(End of Chapter)