Chapter 142: Gold and Sky Lanterns

The night was pitch-black and silent; at the entrance of the Yuanshun Escort Agency, the sound of horse hooves scraping against the ground could be heard...

On an escort cart at the entrance sat two people: Duan Rong held a lantern, his expression gloomy; Lu Feng held the horse whip, his lips trembling, his eyes scanning the surroundings uncertainly...

The two had just settled onto the cart when two bare-chested burly men slowly moved a box cast from refined steel and placed it onto the cart.

The moment that box was placed on the cart, the cart's base sank suddenly by half an inch; a weight of one thousand catties was taxing even for an escort cart used to hauling goods year-round.

Duan Rong held the lantern and glanced at the box; it was not very large, only about one-third the size of the goods crate for the goods escort they were sending to Ruyang Prefecture this time.

However, Duan Rong knew that this box contained a full one thousand catties of gold.

The density of gold is more than twice that of iron; although this box was not large, the weight of one thousand catties was no joke. This could be seen just from the way those two burly men had moved their feet with such heavy effort just now.

In the lands of Jiuzhou, the exchange rate between gold and silver is one to twenty. Moreover, this is the official rate; the real market exchange rate is even higher than this.

Because gold has a very great advantage: it is accepted everywhere in this realm.

For example, silver notes, while convenient to carry, have a problem: they can only be used within the borders of Qingzhou. The Yunshui Bank is a bank under the governance of the Taiyi Sect; once outside the Taiyi Sect's territory, no one recognizes them. But gold is universally accepted.

And inside this box was a full one thousand catties of gold! This temptation was truly too great!

Lu Feng gave the horse whip a light flick, the clattering sound of hooves rang out on the bluestone slabs, and the wheels of the escort cart began to turn with a rumble...

The escort cart rumbled forward along the street, and it took more than the time it takes to burn an incense stick to reach the South City gate of the county town.

The lanterns at the city gate swayed in the night wind, emitting a dim yellow light that cast shadows over the nearby scenery...

Just as the escort cart arrived at the city gate, a yawning city guard walked over and shouted, "Who goes there? Why are you leaving the city at this hour?"

Duan Rong jumped off the cart and smiled, "From Yuanshun Escort Agency, going out of the city to deliver an urgent goods escort."

The guard raised his lantern, shone it on Duan Rong, then on the escort cart behind him, and on Lu Feng sitting on the cart. Seeing that the two were indeed dressed as Escorts, he asked, "Why deliver an escort at this hour?"

"It's an urgent goods escort! Just delivering it to Houpo Town, a distance of twenty li," Duan Rong explained with a nod and a bow.

"Escort Waist Token!" the guard said.

Duan Rong handed over the Escort Waist Token.

"Who is it?" Suddenly, a middle-aged guard wearing a felt hat walked out from the guardroom beside the city gate and asked in a deep voice.

This middle-aged guard was named He Guizhou; he was already over forty years old. Since taking over his father's post at eighteen, he had been a guard in the Ya Men the whole time and was the team leader of this shift of city guards.

Hearing this, the guard immediately walked over and said apologetically, "Boss, it's an escort cart from the Yuanshun Escort Agency!"

He Guizhou's expression shifted; he scanned the faces of Duan Rong and Lu Feng, then walked over with a lantern, glanced at the escort cart, turned his head, and barked, "Let them pass!"

Once He Guizhou gave the order, the guards immediately opened the city gate. Duan Rong jumped onto the escort cart and, accompanied by the clattering of horse hooves, left Xiangu County.

After the escort cart left the city, the South City gate closed again behind the two of them!

He Guizhou watched the escort cart leave the city, then slipped back into the guardroom, lit a Sky Lantern (Kongming lantern), and released it from the guardroom window!

On the Official Road outside the South City, a solitary lamp illuminated a lonely escort cart, moving slowly through the dark night...

The wind across the fields made the wheat waves rustle...

Lu Feng drove the escort cart, his gaze sweeping over the pitch-black fields. His eyes darted around, and looking at Duan Rong sitting to the side, he said, "Duan Rong, let's run! If we run now, we might still survive..."

Duan Rong glanced coldly at Lu Feng and asked, "Did you see the Sky Lantern that rose above the city wall behind us?"

"Sky Lantern?" Lu Feng's heart skipped a beat; he immediately turned his head to look behind him and sure enough, he saw a Sky Lantern that had already risen high above the city wall.

They were not far from the South City gate, and in the night, the character 'Mi' was reflected on that Sky Lantern!

Lu Feng's heart jumped; he realized that the 'Mi' character pasted on the Sky Lantern was some kind of secret signal, though he did not know exactly what it meant.

"What does that Sky Lantern mean?" Lu Feng turned his head back and asked Duan Rong.

"I don't know what it means. But I know that there are definitely eyes watching us in the dark right now," Duan Rong said expressionlessly.

Hearing this, the fear in Lu Feng's eyes grew even greater. He looked left and right, but in the pitch-black night, there was only the sound of undulating wheat waves; where was there a single shadow of a person?

Lu Feng suddenly felt that if he could just dash into the Wild Forest and find a place to hide, he might be able to escape this disaster.

Staying with Duan Rong like this to deliver the gold to the Chaos Burial Mound would surely make him cannon fodder!

Lu Feng weighed it repeatedly, but seeing Duan Rong's cold expression, it was clear he had no intention of escaping with him.

Lu Feng finally steeled his gaze; he suddenly jumped off the escort cart and bolted toward the wild fields.

Seeing Lu Feng's actions, Duan Rong didn't even blink; he directly took the horse whip Lu Feng had thrown down and continued to drive the cart along the Official Road...

Everyone has their own choices; many times, it has nothing to do with right or wrong.

Lu Feng had just dashed to the side of the Official Road, preparing to jump off the road and leap into the wheat field, when suddenly, two 'whoosh' sounds rang out in the pitch-black night!

Two Crossbow Arrows were shot from the dark, undulating wheat waves!

Hearing the 'whoosh' sounds in the night wind, Lu Feng's body tightened. Although the sound of the Crossbow Arrows breaking through the air was not loud, to Lu Feng, it sounded like a thunderclap right beside his ear, making his scalp tingle!

Lu Feng's muscle reaction was almost subconscious; he lowered his body, intending to roll backward, but he was clearly a step too late. Almost at the same time as the death-knell sound rang out, one Crossbow Arrow had already pierced his shoulder, while the other Crossbow Arrow pierced directly through his chest!

The wheat waves from which the Crossbow Arrows were shot were actually not far from his side!

Blood dripped from the corner of Lu Feng's mouth as he collapsed beside the Official Road. Blood flowed from his mouth, and he saw the escort cart getting further and further away in the night. He gave a miserable laugh, his eyes venomous, and muttered, "Duan Rong, I'll be waiting for you down below..."

Lu Feng was originally not a bad person, but fear and misery easily make people turn into ghosts...

Before Lu Feng could finish his words, the miserable laugh at the corner of his mouth froze forever on his face; a Crossbow Arrow suddenly pierced through his head, and the cold, blood-stained arrowhead shot out from his brow...

Following this, two figures darted out from the wheat waves and, in the dark of night, dragged Lu Feng's corpse into the wheat waves.

The wheat around the time of the Grain Buds solar term had already sprouted ears, and the height of the wheat could already cover a person's knees...

Xiangu County, inside the South City gate!

In the shadows of an alley not far from the city gate stood two masked men in black; they were Ruan Fengshan and Luan Jingfu from the Yuanshun Escort Agency.

Ruan Fengshan looked at the Sky Lantern rising above the city wall, his heart suddenly shocked, thinking to himself: Could it be that people in the Ya Men are also involved in this?

Ruan Fengshan suddenly felt that the waters of this matter were likely even deeper than he had imagined!

Ruan Fengshan clenched his fists in the darkness!

"Regardless of whether it's people from the Ya Men! Anyone who dares to set their sights on the Yuanshun Escort Agency, I will break their teeth!"

Otherwise, those guys lurking in the dark will really think that my Yuanshun Escort Agency is easy to bully!

However, the yamen runners on duty at the city gate actually had someone signaling, so him leaving the city with Luan Jingfu became a problem.

Once that gang was alerted, Jing'er would very likely lose his life immediately!

Even though Ruan Fengshan was resourceful, he found himself in a difficult position at this moment, his cold eyes flashing with a deep and uncertain light.

(End of chapter)