Chapter 26 Slapping Yourself in the Face

The two were Seventh Master Zeng and a middle-aged man.

"Seventh Master, why have you come?"

Having seen Zeng Jiang in action three days ago, Yan Chu knew this unassuming old man could not be underestimated.

"Did you go out for a drink?"

Seventh Master Zeng still wore a smiling expression.

Yan Chu replied, "Nothing to do, so I went out for a couple of drinks."

Seventh Master Zeng pointed to the big man beside him and said, "This is Zhao Hui, a head escort of the Xinglong Escort Agency. There is an escort mission; I wanted to ask if you are interested."

"An escort mission?"

Yan Chu frowned slightly, "Does the Xinglong Escort Agency still need to commission the Four Seas Pavilion to help with an escort mission?"

This Xinglong Escort Agency belonged to the same tier of power as the previous Iron Eagle Fortress, ranking just below the four major powers of Longhua Prefecture.

The Chief Escort, Liang Yuan, was at the Early Stage of the Fifth Realm and was known as "One Spear Settles Three Mountains."

When he first established the Xinglong Escort Agency, he had relied on a single silver spear to take down three long-established bandit strongholds, earning himself great renown.

Furthermore, besides Liang Yuan, the Xinglong Escort Agency had three deputy chief escorts, all of whom were at the Fourth Realm.

Zhao Hui smiled upon hearing this, "Brother Duan, you may not know this, but my Xinglong Escort Agency has always had a habit of cooperating with the Four Seas Pavilion."

"Moreover, the agency recently accepted a big job.

The Chief Escort and two deputy chief escorts have all gone on the escort mission, taking many brothers with them. The agency is currently short-handed.

I heard from Steward Zeng that Brother Duan has impressive strength and is at the Third Realm, so I wanted to ask Brother Duan to help out. It is also a form of insurance. It is a familiar route, so nothing is guaranteed to happen."

Yan Chu opened his mouth, wanting to refuse.

Not only did such escort missions take a long time, but they also didn't provide much experience, so he was unwilling to go.

Suddenly, the voice of Seventh Master Zeng reached his ears. Although he appeared not to be speaking, the voice echoed in his ears.

True Qi sound transmission?

Yan Chu remained calm, feigning deep thought, but was actually listening intently.

"Two days ago, Luo Hao from the Six Doors came to find me, intending to hold you responsible for letting the Second Elder of the Iron Eagle Fortress, Ge Rui, escape. I managed to brush him off."

"Take this opportunity to go out with the Xinglong Escort Agency to lie low. By the time you return, he might have forgotten about this matter."

Luo Hao!

Yan Chu's heart sank.

This person was the Green Uniform Head Constable from the Six Doors who had shown killing intent toward him that night at the Iron Eagle Fortress.

As for Ge Rui, he was the old man who had escaped.

Damn it!

They were incompetent and didn't catch the person, yet they blamed me?

A trace of killing intent emerged in Yan Chu's heart.

He had heard two pieces of bad news in one day.

He hadn't even gone looking for trouble with them, yet these bastards dared to target him.

Yan Chu suppressed the killing intent in his heart and nodded on the surface, "Fine! I accept this mission. When are we leaving?"

"There is no time to lose. We will set off early tomorrow morning and gather at the city gate."

"This escort mission is to Linshui Prefecture City. It will take about twenty-something days for the round trip."

As he spoke, Zhao Hui took out a one-hundred-tael silver note and stuffed it into Yan Chu's hand.

"This is the deposit. Another one hundred taels will be presented after we return from the escort mission!

Most bandits will give some Face when they see my Xinglong Escort Agency. If there is anything that truly requires Brother Duan to act, the price will be calculated separately!"

"Fine, I understand!"

Yan Chu nodded, internally acknowledging the favor from Seventh Master Zeng.

...

On the other side, inside Cangchun Tower.

In a luxurious private room.

Wei Bin and Lian Jiaze stood before a round table, on which two full-body portraits were displayed.

They were the original appearance of Yan Chu and his current disguised appearance.

"Brother Lian, please look. This is that Duan Zhengchun. This person appeared suddenly and has also used blade techniques; he can be listed as a suspect."

"Brother Wei, didn't you say their cultivation levels were different and they were not the same person?"

Lian Jiaze was somewhat confused.

This person had just denied the possibility of them being the same person not long ago, and their physiques and appearances were completely different. What was the meaning of slapping his own Face now?

Wei Bin said, "I also thought it was impossible at first."

"But after observing for these past few days, I discovered that this person's background cannot be traced at all. Moreover, he is always alone and rarely interacts with others. I fear he has some secret; he is highly suspicious!"

"And you said that Yan Chu is proficient in Disguise Art. In any case, we are only suspicious; if it is not the same person, we can just let him go."

"Haven't we tested enough people during this period?"

"Then what is Brother Wei's plan?"

Wei Bin had a plan early on, "I received news that Duan Zhengchun was hired by the Xinglong Escort Agency for an escort mission, so I had Xie Kun infiltrate the escort team."

"After they leave the city tomorrow, Brother Lian, you arrange for your family's guards to disguise themselves as bandits and pretend to rob the Xinglong Escort Agency, then take advantage of the chaos to kill this person.

If he really is the same person, once he dies, he will inevitably reveal his true Face."

"If it is not the same person, it doesn't matter. It will be a good chance to see what secrets he is hiding!"

Lian Jiaze was speechless after hearing this.

So you have no certainty at all, and you want him to go rob the Xinglong Escort Agency's escort?

Lian Jiaze rubbed his forehead and said, "Brother Wei, let me consider this matter!"

Wei Bin grew anxious and hurriedly said, "Brother Lian, what is there to consider?"

"I asked the guards who initially tested Duan Zhengchun's strength. When Duan Zhengchun first joined the Four Seas Pavilion, his cultivation level was not that high!"

"Moreover, according to what he said, he concealed his cultivation because he was cautious. This reason simply doesn't hold water!"

"If he were truly cautious, how could he take on so many obscure missions and unnecessarily attract attention?"

Wei Bin was stubborn.

After he set up the Hongmen Banquet and was exposed by Yan Chu, the more he thought about it upon returning, the more wrong it felt.

Duan Zhengchun, even if not Yan Chu, definitely possessed some secret.

A Third Realm Martial Artist who also held a secret—couldn't he just be manipulated?

If he obtained this secret, perhaps...

Wei Bin shook his head and temporarily stopped fantasizing.

This still required the cooperation of the Lian Young Master in front of him; after all, the resources the other party could mobilize were much greater than his own.

Lian Jiaze was also somewhat wavered after listening to Wei Bin's words.

Although he was not afraid of the Xinglong Escort Agency, rashly taking action against them was not a good thing.

This was a critical period in their confrontation with the Raging Flood Dragon Gang.

He could not casually invite enemies for the Lian Family.

Wei Bin saw the other party was indecisive and added, "Brother Lian, you don't need to tell your family Elders about this matter first. I haven't told my Master or my uncle either."

"If we can get the desired result, that is naturally for the best."

"If we don't, we can just silence everyone. Once the matter is settled, who would know that it was us?"

Lian Jiaze heard this, his eyes flickered for a moment, and finally, he made up his mind and nodded heavily, "Fine!"

"But it cannot be done by my Lian Family guards!"

"I keep a gang of bandits at Kutong Mountain, over a hundred miles outside the city. The leaders are all at the Third Realm. It is most appropriate to let them do it!"

"That is excellent!"

Wei Bin smiled, "If the matter is truly exposed, we will let this gang of bandits take the fall, and then wipe them out. No one will know it was us behind it."

Lian Jiaze couldn't help but look at Wei Bin a few more times.

This guy was truly black-hearted and ruthless; he should stay away from him in the future.

In fact, what Wei Bin coveted most was the secret that Yan Chu might possess.

He knew himself very well.

If he just Cultivated properly, reaching his uncle's position would be the limit, and he would likely just be an ordinary steward in the future.

He was an ambitious person.

He needed to seize every opportunity he could!

Even if the matter was exposed in the end, he did not think he would suffer any punishment.

At worst, he would push everything onto Lian Jiaze; after all, it was to avenge his younger brother!