Chapter 42: Escort Agency?

One carriage, four riders, plus six guards—a party of about ten people—left the city gate with a clear purpose, heading straight for the graveyard.

Compared to those graves that were hastily buried or marked with simple, small stone tablets, the area the group was heading toward had clearly been tended to; the stone tablets erected there, while not large, had been carved by a craftsman, and a small gravel path had even been laid beside the graves.

The best-maintained grave had the largest stone tablet, with scriptures carved upon it.

Bailu County and several surrounding counties had the custom of "observing the sevens," making offerings every seven days until the seventh seven-day period.

Two young women stepped down from the carriage; one of them was holding a small child of three or four, and the other was carrying a bamboo basket.

The bamboo basket was filled with incense and paper. Those stacks of spirit money were particularly conspicuous.

In such difficult conditions, when firewood was in short supply, ordinary folk could not afford to burn spirit money; even if they did, they would only burn a pitiful few sheets.

Those who could burn this much spirit money were considered wealthy households. The wealthy in these chaotic times were not ordinary; their status might not have been noble before, but they certainly possessed people and resources now.

They identified the wind direction and first lit a fire in an open space to create some smoke. This could mask the scent of the living and prevent evil things from seeking them out.

Just as they were about to begin the memorial, a guard on watch suddenly said, "Someone is here!"

They quickly drew their weapons, shielding the two women and the child behind them.

A tall, burly young man holding a blade stood at the very front, watching the approaching figures with caution.

As the people over there drew closer, they could see who they were.

There were six people on that side, and it appeared they were not all warriors; there was even a Daoist among them.

They had the advantage in numbers, but they did not lower their guard.

Wen Gu, who was walking over, saw that the other side had a small child with them; he raised a hand to signal Tietou, who was holding a wooden Shield, to step aside, and once the distance between the two sides was about right, he signaled for the others to stop.

Wen Gu observed the people on the other side; although their equipment was quite luxurious, it was evident that their origins were likely not high.

In that case, one could not speak too elegantly or pedantically, as they would not understand.

While pondering, Wen Gu took a step forward; set against the backdrop of County Lieutenant Zhou and Tietou, he appeared to be a standard, frail scholar, and he first performed a perfectly standard scholarly salute.

His voice was gentle and calm, yet loud enough for the other side to hear:

"Pardon the intrusion. We are heading north to join relatives and are passing through this area; we wish to inquire about some local customs. Seeing from afar that you all possess a martial air, we have come to ask."

The people before the graves looked at this scholar.

Although he was dressed plainly, his temperament and bearing showed at a glance that he was no ordinary commoner.

Furthermore, the people beside him did not look like ordinary characters either.

The young woman holding the child whispered something, and the guards beside her slightly lowered their weapons; the previously tense atmosphere suddenly relaxed.

Only the burly young man standing at the front remained vigilantly watching them, especially County Lieutenant Zhou at Wen Gu's side.

Wen Gu's eyes flickered slightly, then he returned to his refined and polite demeanor and continued to ask:

"May I ask what your Jianghu Zixiaohao is?"

The scene went quiet.

One could only hear the crackling sound of branches burning in the nearby fire.

Although no one spoke, those blank faces made it clear that they had no idea how to answer.

Not knowing was exactly right!

Wen Gu maintained a polite, inquiring expression on the surface while thinking to himself:

A mature system of folk organizations has not yet developed; merchant firms exist, and wealthy households will hire private armed forces when traveling.

But forces spontaneously organized by the people, such as escort agencies or gangs, have not yet matured, and thus there are no Jianghu Zixiaohao for traveling the world.

Perhaps there are institutions and organizations with similar functions, but no institutionalized commercial groups have formed. That requires a sufficiently developed trade network and enough time for folk practice to cultivate such an industry system.

These people before me are neither official nor a merchant firm, and their composition is not uniform; they are likely just a folk force that seized an opportunity to gather and gain benefits. Internally, they probably have no rules at all.

They don't have a damn Jianghu Zixiaohao!

After the people before the graves fell silent.

Someone lowered their voice: "Sister-in-law, Second Brother, what is a Zixiaohao? What is our Zixiaohao?"

"..."

After another brief silence, the young woman holding the child said, "Second Brother, ask them their intent directly."

The burly young man standing at the front withdrew his blank expression and regained his sharpness: "What is your purpose?"

The scholar opposite looked up in surprise, his brows slightly furrowed as if he did not understand why they did not report a Zixiaohao, then, as if he had figured it out, he quickly returned to his refined and polite appearance and performed a cupped-fist salute with a touch of Jianghu flair:

"I previously assumed you were brothers from an escort agency; my apologies." He paused and said, "I would like to ask, is there an escort agency in this Bai Lu County?"

The scene went quiet again.

Someone by the graveside asked in a low voice: "Sister-in-law, Second Brother, what is an escort agency?"

"..."

One couldn't help but feel an indescribable sense of stifling awkwardness.

"Cough, there is no escort agency here as you requested," the burly young man said.

The scholar opposite wore a look of surprise, as if to say, "How can such a large Bai Lu County not have an escort agency?"

He asked, "Then, may I ask if there is any organization in the county town similar to an escort agency? One that can help handle matters? We can pay for the service."

The burly young man's expression shifted slightly, and he said, "Tell me what kind of matter you need handled? If it's doable, we can handle it on your behalf."

The scholar's face lit up with joy, and he asked, "May I ask if your head leader is present? The one in charge."

The people before the graves looked toward the location of the largest tombstone.

The scholar opposite hurriedly said, "My apologies, my apologies! My condolences!"

After a moment of silence, the scholar said again, "Uh... what about the second-in-command?"

The burly young man took half a step forward: "I am! If you have something to say, say it!"

Wen Gu said, "So you are the second-in-command!"

He stopped beating around the bush and stated his purpose directly.

He wanted to hire an organization similar to a security firm in Bai Lu County to escort them across the bridge.

Of course, the bridge toll is the bridge toll, and the escort fee is the escort fee.

In other words, by escorting people across and traveling a stretch of the road, they could secure this material compensation.

"So, is the Second-in-Command interested in accepting this commission? Or, is there such an organization in the town that accepts commissions?"

The Second-in-Command over there remained silent, evidently weighing the pros and cons.

Wen Gu continued: "To show our sincerity, we can pay a deposit first, but the world has changed now, and money is useless; we can pay in other ways."

He looked at the graveyard where the people opposite were located and pointed at Qingyi Daozhang: "Do you all need a Dharma Assembly to pay respects to your relatives and friends? Qingyi Immortal has profound Daoist Technique and can deliver wandering souls, soothe spirits, and suppress evil. In the past, you wouldn't have been able to hire him."

The people in front of the graveyard were indeed tempted and discussed it in low voices for a moment.

The burly young man, who was the Second-in-Command, said: "You pay the deposit first, let's see your sincerity."

Qingyi Daozhang swept a light glance over there: "The time has not yet come."

He stated that the time would be chosen at dusk. Originally, the time should have been later, but considering they still had to return to the town, it was slightly moved up.

The Second-in-Command's expression was guarded: "Why?"

The look Qingyi Daozhang gave him carried a hint of contempt: "Of course, it's because the Yin energy is heavier at that time!"

The Second-in-Command did not relax: "But I have seen it before, other Daoist priests perform Dharma Assemblies during the day!"

Qingyi Daozhang's look of contempt grew heavier: "Those are pure offerings, they are Yang affairs! Yours is a nether offering, it is a Yin affair! Of course, if you want to do a Yang affair, that's fine too..."

But that is a different price.

Qingyi Daozhang gave them a meaningful look.

Regarding the Daoist Priest's attitude, the people in front of the graveyard were actually calm, even feeling it was only right and proper.

They truly could not have reached such a figure as the Daoist Priest in the past; although they had some power now, in this chaotic world of the Evil Plague, Daoist priests and immortals made people feel even more awe.

The people in front of the graveyard discussed in low voices.

"This place is open; if there is any unusual movement, we can detect it at any time."

"They didn't bring goods; there must be accomplices nearby."

"They weren't discovered by the town guards, which means the number of people cannot be too large. It's not convenient to hide if there are too many people."

"To be able to arrive here safely and not look disheveled, it's clear they do have some strength."

"It's not easy to find a Daoist priest who can perform a Dharma Assembly, so why not just agree? We can just go back before the drawbridge is pulled up."

People in this era pay attention to matters of life and death; the more important the person, the more they consider for them.

After they discussed it, they agreed.

Wen Gu was satisfied in his heart.

Having the Daoist Priest perform the Dharma Assembly was mainly to delay time so that both sides could have more interaction.

And in order to make the Daoist Priest put in more effort, Wen Gu taught the Daoist Priest some new "observations from his Study Tour."

He is truly a professional; with just a little guidance, he can come up with a whole series of fancy tricks.

There is no need to worry about the Dharma Assembly; next is for both sides to increase interaction, and it should be settled before dusk.

(End of chapter)