Chapter 130: The Scholar's Predicament

Once a human escort dies, there will be many subsequent troubles; not to mention the claims from their family, once a human escort meets with an accident, it will also have a great impact on the reputation of the Yuanshun Escort Agency.

Duan Rong's quick-wittedness in adapting to the situation was seen by everyone, and even the usually cold and arrogant Liu Ao could not help but glance at Duan Rong.

Sun Huang's expression was grave as he looked at everyone and said, "No resting tonight! Everyone eat quickly, and we will set off immediately after!"

As soon as Sun Huang finished speaking, the sound of slurping soup echoed inside the dilapidated temple; the escorts finished their meal without even washing their bowls, merely wiping them with a rag before piling them into the pot.

Lu Feng put the cooking utensils back into the mesh bag under the escort cart!

The escorts led the horses back from outside the temple gate, hitched them to the escort carts, and pulled them out!

Afterwards, the group held torches and galloped along the Official Road, rushing through the night!

Seeing that the sky was already beginning to brighten, after a night of rushing, the torches in their hands had all burned out; in the vast morning light, one could already see from afar the city walls of Sheqi County, dark and looming like a crouching beast.

Just as everyone felt a slight sense of relief, suddenly the sound of horse hooves behind them, swift as thunder, could be faintly heard; in the hazy morning light, a troop of light cavalry, like black dots, was rapidly pursuing!

The Escort Team was carrying escort carts, and the horses had been galloping all night and were already exhausted, so they clearly could not outrun the light cavalry behind them!

Sun Huang immediately reined in his horse to a stop and roared in a deep voice, "Stop! Form a formation!"

The Escort Team stopped upon hearing the command; the Escort Runners Tang Dejin and Ren Tiewa jumped off their horses, unhitched the horses from the escort carts, and tied them to the trees by the roadside; this was to prevent the horses from being startled and dragging the cargo into the wilderness!

Afterwards, the two pulled crossbows from the escort carts and, taking Li Yuliang with them, hid behind the carts, lowering their bodies with their fingers hooked onto the triggers of the crossbows!

As for the group of escorts, they reined in their horses and drew their blades, surrounding the escort carts and waiting in strict formation!

The troop of light cavalry behind them was rapidly closing in, the chaotic sound of hooves, dense like drumbeats, becoming clearer and clearer...

That troop of light cavalry, about ten or so men in sturdy attire on fine horses, kicked up a cloud of flying dust on the Official Road with the sound of thundering hooves!

A few breaths later, they had arrived!

The leader, a man in his early thirties with a gloomy expression and a gaunt face, reined in his horse and stopped a zhang away; his eyes, like those of a hawk, swept over the members of the Escort Team, then fixed firmly on the face of Li Yuliang, who was hiding behind the escort cart!

As soon as Li Yuliang saw the man, his originally fair face instantly turned as red as a monkey's backside.

The man suddenly reined in his horse and shouted, "Li Yuliang, you got someone else pregnant and now you want to just walk away? How can there be such a cheap thing in this world? And to think you are a scholar! If you still have any sense of shame, come out yourself!"

Li Yuliang was so embarrassed by the man's shouting that he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into, but seeing the other party's posture, how could he dare to go out?

Hong Yan did not truly expect that these few words would be enough to goad Li Yuliang into coming out; in fact, half of what he said was intended for the people of the Yuanshun Escort Agency to hear.

This Hong Yan was the head of the guards for the Wang Family of Qingchuan County!

This Qingchuan County was a neighboring county to Xiangu County, and the Wang Family of Qingchuan County could be considered one of the major powers in the county.

The head of the Wang Family, before the age of thirty, although he had married several wives and concubines, had never had any offspring; seeing that he was nearly forty, he finally had a son and had always treated him like a treasure.

When the boy turned eight, he hired a private tutor at home to teach him some literary knowledge.

The person hired was the Li Yuliang before them.

Yet unexpectedly, this Li Yuliang, often appearing within the manor, eventually hooked up with one of the Wang Family head's concubines.

And he even got that concubine pregnant.

The head of the Wang Family, being older, had often suffered from blurred vision and weakness over the past six months, and the physician had advised him to stop sexual activity and recuperate for a year.

He had not touched that concubine for more than half a year, yet she suddenly became pregnant; how could the head of the family not be furious?

He immediately had her hung up and whipped for interrogation!

But that woman actually had quite a bit of affection and refused to utter Li Yuliang's name even to the death!

It was Li Yuliang himself who heard some rumors and, in his fright, left without saying goodbye, fleeing in a panic, which was how he exposed himself!

Although Li Yuliang was fleeing in a panic, he still had some calculations; he did not directly look for an escort agency in Qingchuan County to protect him, as the Wang Family was very influential in Qingchuan County and often had connections with all the major powers!

He first rode a fast horse to flee to Xiangu County, where he hired the Yuanshun Escort Agency to escort him to Ruyang Prefecture to seek refuge with his aunt.

His aunt's family had quite a bit of influence in the Jianghu and had doted on him since he was young; as long as he could escape there, they would surely be able to protect him.

The head of the Wang Family had Hong Yan lead men to intercept and kill this Li Yuliang, and his order was that Li Yuliang must never be allowed to escape back to his aunt's place.

When Hong Yan led his men to Xiangu County, the Escort Team protecting Li Yuliang had already set off!

Although the Yuanshun Escort Agency was based in Xiangu County, it radiated out to the surrounding major prefectures and counties and had opened up several dangerous Escort Routes, so their business was indeed quite large.

Hong Yan did not want to openly make an enemy of the Yuanshun Escort Agency, so he hired an assassin to lie in wait inside the dilapidated temple that the Escort Team had to pass through, hoping to take the opportunity to assassinate Li Yuliang and thereby fulfill his mission.

But, unexpectedly, that assassin failed! Only then did he have to show himself and try to negotiate this matter with the people of the Yuanshun Escort Agency to see if there was any room for maneuver.

Hong Yan sat on his horse, looked at Sun Huang, and said with a grave expression, cupping his hands, "Are you the escort Sun Huang of the Yuanshun Escort Agency?"

Sun Huang did not answer him but asked coldly, "Who are you?"

Hong Yan said, "Head of the guards for the Wang Family of Qingchuan County, Hong Yan!"

Sun Huang said, "Head Hong, you have gone to such great lengths, I wonder what you want to do?"

Hong Yan pointed at Li Yuliang, who was hiding behind the escort cart behind the escorts, and said, "This boy committed a scandalous act in my Wang Family; I ask Escort Head Sun to show mercy and let me take him back!"

"Fine!" Sun Huang said in a deep voice.

That single word "fine" scared Li Yuliang, who was behind him, so much that his heart jumped wildly and he almost wet himself...

"Bring it here!" Sun Huang suddenly reached out his hand toward Hong Yan.

"What?" Hong Yan frowned, looking at Sun Huang in confusion.

Sun Huang said, "The Official Arrest Warrant!"

Upon hearing this, anger flared up in Hong Yan's heart; Sun Huang was playing with him, so he said coldly, "There isn't one!"

"Without an Official Arrest Warrant, you want to take a person from the hands of my Yuanshun Escort Agency! Head Hong, do you think my Sun is that easy to talk to?"

"I am treating you with courtesy, why must Escort Head Sun be so aggressive?"

"Treating me with courtesy? Was the person who tried to assassinate us in the dilapidated temple last night arranged by you?" As Sun Huang spoke, his anger surged, and his eyes turned red.

Hong Yan was stalled by Sun Huang's words; his eyes flickered, and he retorted, "This boy is so scandalous! You are protecting such a person? Does your Yuanshun Escort Agency not conduct background checks when taking on a human escort?"

"Whether our Yuanshun Escort Agency conducts background checks or not is none of your concern!"

"So that means there is nothing to talk about?"

"Talk about your mother!" Sun Huang cursed; you motherfucker already killed your way to our doorstep, yet you're still pretending to be polite!

Hong Yan was furious, his expression vicious; he drew his Long Spear from his back, and while still on horseback, his figure suddenly leapt up like a great eagle striking from the sky, descending through the air as he flicked the Long Spear in his hand and thrust it toward Sun Huang...

(End of chapter)