Chapter 46: One Fish, Multiple Meals

The guards at the city gate only realized that the group was dragging some people behind them when those from Luhua Lane passed by.

They looked quite miserable.

Some were tied with hemp rope, and some were even wearing cangues!

Yes, the kind used in the prison!

Thinking of the infighting in Luhua Lane the day before, it was said they were to execute traitors. Were these the traitors who lost the fight?

Some didn't know if they were still breathing as they were dragged along the ground. To prevent leaving bloodstains that might attract evil entities, their bodies were wrapped in a layer of withered grass and... firewood?

Hiss—

Could it be they were going to drag them out to the graveyard to be burned?!

The guards only felt a chilling dread.

The burly men dragging the ropes in the procession had eyes full of ruthlessness and looked menacing, radiating a murderous aura. With this demeanor, even if the traitors weren't burned, they wouldn't meet a good end.

The guards standing nearby didn't dare to breathe loudly; they were too busy trying to avoid them, let alone trying to stop them to fish for benefits.

Outside the city.

He Da and his companions, who had been keeping an eye on the movement at the city gate, stared at the massive display over there, stunned for quite a while.

He finally understood why Wen Gu said that if Lin Erdangjia and the others stabilized their internal affairs, it wouldn't just be this many people coming out to pay their respects.

There really were quite a lot of people; no wonder they could protect so many good items!

The Luhua Lane procession exited the city and arrived at the graveyard in the barren fields.

Lin Erdangjia didn't bother to look at how many people were trailing behind the procession or how many were watching from afar.

Before the graves of Yan Laoda and the many relatives and friends resting underground, and in front of two or three hundred Luhua Lane residents, the traitors were dragged up.

During yesterday's fighting, some traitors were executed on the spot, while others were kept, kept until now.

"According to the rules, traitors should be blood-sacrificed! But the times have changed, so it is not appropriate to see blood."

Lin Erdangjia looked at these people coldly and raised a hand to have everyone prepare the firewood piles, then had the traitors placed on them one by one.

Led by Lin Erdangjia and Lady Liang, several important figures each took a burning wooden stick and ignited the firewood piles.

With the withered grass as kindling, the flames swallowed the people in the blink of an eye.

Miserable screams spread across the wilderness, carrying very far.

It chilled the hearts of some people.

It also made the blood of some people run hot.

Executing traitors, using fire as a sacrifice.

Lin Erdangjia and Lady Liang led the two or three hundred people from Luhua Lane to pay respects to the departed relatives and friends.

He Da and Yu Er pretended to be bystander county residents, watching the formation from afar. Although they couldn't see clearly across the distance, they could feel that terrifying cohesion!

Even he, an outsider, felt the urge to join them!

Was this Bai Lu County about to change?

Over at the graveyard, after the fire sacrifice, the group did not disperse immediately; some swept the graves of their own relatives and friends, while others went over to help.

And Lin Erdangjia, under the cover of some people, brought a few brothers to the location agreed upon with Wen Gu, blowing a whistle signal of three long and one short.

Before long, Wen Gu also arrived with his people.

Lin Erdangjia came to find him now, firstly to discuss the matter Wen Gu entrusted to them.

They had agreed, but they needed more time to prepare, as they were going to formally establish a security firm.

The other matter was to ask the Daoist Priest to perform rites again, to calm the resentment of the departed relatives and friends, and to ensure the traitors would never be reincarnated!

County Lieutenant Zhou, who was following along, felt particularly empathetic, feeling exactly the same way!

What sworn brothers? At critical moments, the ones most likely to stab you in the back are these sworn brothers!

Survival threats, profit temptations—what relatives and friends will turn into depends entirely on luck.

He highly approved of Lin Erdangjia's approach.

For those who betray you, you must not only kill their physical bodies but also destroy their souls!

Wen Gu agreed to the request to have Qingyi Daozhang take action again. The cost would be deducted from the remuneration for hiring the security firm.

Seeing Lin Erdangjia hesitate to speak, Wen Gu asked patiently, "Does Erdangjia have any other questions?"

Lin Erdangjia said, "After your firm protects us across the bridge, how much further must you protect us? To tell you the truth, we actually have thoughts of heading north as well..."

As Lin Erdangjia pondered how to phrase it reasonably, he heard Wen Gu ask, "Are you intending to head north to find a suitable place to open a branch?"

Lin Erdangjia, who was just wondering how to say it: "... Yes!"

Wen Gu looked worried: "Will you, Erdangjia, still be accepting orders from within Bai Lu County at the same time? Are your security firm's guards sufficient in number? The journey north is arduous; the most important thing is safety! You must not be negligent or careless!"

Clearly, the emphasis was on safety, but when taken together, to the ears of Lin Erdangjia and his group, the focus was on the first half.

Eh?

Eh???

It was actually possible to accept other jobs at the same time?

Killing one fish and eating it in multiple ways!

Lin Erdangjia's mind immediately opened up: since it was on the way, they could take more orders, earn more pay, and perhaps even cultivate more connections in the city.

Thinking again of the young and strong men who had joined in the last two days, after putting on such a display today, there would surely be even more people joining their security firm! There were enough guards!

Taking on more orders was not impossible.

Lin Erdangjia was secretly delighted, but maintained a serious expression on his face and replied earnestly, "We will, of course, consider everything thoroughly!"

Wen Gu still wore a look of hesitation.

Lin Erdangjia worried that this scholar would be dissatisfied and cancel the commission, and as he waited, a bit of anxiety grew in his heart.

The reason they decided to head north relied entirely on this scholar who had relatives serving as officials in Beidi!

If this person truly spoke up and forbade them from taking other orders, they... would have no choice but to let them go.

Fortunately, the scholar opposite hesitated for a moment, and with that exceptionally refined face, he said:

"Logically speaking, you ought not to do this. But now that the state of the world has changed and the people's livelihood is difficult, we should show mutual understanding and give more people the chance to head north to seek survival."

Wen Gu revealed a kind smile: "If you have a sufficient number of escorts, it is fine for you to take other orders at the same time. However, I still hope that you, Lin Erdangjia, can clearly explain the pros and cons to other employers when you give your public announcements. The journey north is rugged, and any kind of accident could happen."

Lin Erdangjia and the others precisely grasped the first half: public announcements?

There was actually this step?

Although it was the first time they had heard of it, they could roughly understand the meaning of the term.

They would arrange it as soon as they went back!!

Wen Gu said: "Furthermore, since the escort agency is not only protecting us, then this remuneration will not be the full amount."

Lin Erdangjia said magnanimously: "Easy to say!"

What was cut here, they would take back more from other employers!

Moreover, protecting Wen Gu and his party was not primarily for that little bit of stuff anyway.

After a conversation that both sides were very satisfied with, they left one after another.

Wen Gu was very satisfied.

Eating one fish in many ways, it really is delicious.

Plus the remuneration for hiring the escort agency, once deducted and trimmed, it could be considered negligible.

On the other side.

The great commotion caused by the people of Luhua Lane made the originally lifeless Bai Lu County suddenly seem like a pot that had boiled over, with people discussing it in every corner.

The person with real power in the city, County Lieutenant Zhang, was sleeping contentedly with his thirteenth concubine when a subordinate suddenly shouted in panic, disturbing his mood.

County Lieutenant Zhang was very dissatisfied, but once he heard the subordinate's words, all his selfish desires were scared away.

He only felt his scalp go numb and his whole body turn cold.

In his mind, he instantly associated this with the civil unrest he had suppressed in the past.

"What do they want to do?! What exactly do they want to do?!"

County Lieutenant Zhang immediately summoned his confidants to discuss.

They gathered information probed from all sides to understand the actions of the people of Luhua Lane over the past two days more comprehensively.

When Luhua Lane executed internal traitors, they also moved against some outsiders who were involved, and relevant personnel took the opportunity to file complaints.

However, County Lieutenant Zhang had no patience to deal with these minor details now; he was worried that Luhua Lane would take advantage of the momentum to rise up and shake his authority!

If he had received news in advance, he could have suppressed them early.

But the momentum of Luhua Lane rose too quickly; no one would have expected that they could cause such a big commotion!

"Did they not report to you, County Lieutenant Zhang, beforehand?" someone asked.

County Lieutenant Zhang did not speak.

Previously, Lin Laoer of Luhua Lane had indeed said that they needed to handle some internal matters and that the commotion might be a bit large. Also, they would leave the city one more time to hold a memorial ceremony.

When Lin Laoer mentioned these things, he even gave some benefits.

They had just agreed casually; no one took such a small matter seriously. They didn't even take it to heart when they borrowed the shackles from the jail.

How could they have imagined it would turn out to be this big!

Sitting at the head, County Lieutenant Zhang had a dark look in his eyes, not knowing what he was thinking, but his mood was certainly not good.

The others below the seats exchanged glances, communicating silently.

They really couldn't understand what exactly Luhua Lane wanted to do.

At the same time, there was an inexplicable fear in their hearts.

"Are they crazy?" someone couldn't help but curse.

"Do Lin Laoer and the others not want to hang around in Bailu County anymore?!"

There could only be one person in charge in Bai Lu County; did they actually want to usurp the position?

With this link after link, when exactly was it planned?!

In a mere two days, they gave no time for people to react.

Perhaps from the time Yan Laoda had his accident, they were already plotting...

Truly sinister!

Many leaders of factions were cursing at home, but for a moment they dared not make a move immediately, and could only continue to watch and probe.

They watched the people of Luhua Lane return from the cemetery and go back into the lane, and everything seemed to have returned to normal.

Yet after one night, they caused trouble again!

Lin Laoer and the others announced the official establishment of the Huwei Escort Agency.

Taken from the names of Yan Laoda and Lin Laoer—Yan Hu, Lin Wei.

They raised the Escort Flag—

The triangular Escort Flag was about three feet long and wide, and on the flag was painted a majestic, roaring tiger head. It was the same pattern as the plain cloth they had tied on their arms the day before.

They even hired people to give public announcements at every street corner in the city.

Hmm, they also changed their titles.

The late Yan Laoda was now to be called Chief Yan. Lin Laoer was officially changed to Lin Erdangjia; from now on, please address him as such when outside!

The newly established escort agency had no grand ceremony. In extraordinary times, everything was kept simple; as long as the news got out, that was enough.

Official registration?

County Town Magistrate had already run away, and the County Lieutenant...

For some reason, Lin Erdangjia and the others now felt that this "County Lieutenant" was not of high enough status.

Are they qualified to audit me?

Anyway, the situation has changed now, and there are no imperial officials coming to investigate; if I say we are legitimate, then we are legitimate!

The various leaders watching from within the city only felt their temples throbbing, stunned again and again, their heads aching terribly.

What is wrong with you people in Luhua Lane?

The first day, a gang fight to suppress a rebellion!

The second day, a fire sacrifice before the grave!

The third day, you say you are raising a flag and opening for business?!

Raising what flag?

Opening what business?

What escort agency?

What are all these things?

Where on earth did you learn so many tricks?!

(End of chapter)