With a sword drawn, he laughs proudly, his martial prowess dominating the heavens!

Chapter 28 The Golden Knife King's Escort

The dart departs from Xianyang, crosses the Wei River eastward, passes through Tongguan, and enters the ancient Xiaohan Road.

The route is about 800 li in length and is the fastest route. If all goes well, it will take more than half a month to reach Luoyang.

Li Che looked back and saw a total of seven or eight carriages, each with only two large boxes stacked on it.

It's not that we can't arrange them, but the boxes are too heavy, and we're afraid they'll damage the horsepower.

The wheels creaked and groaned as they followed the axle tracks left by their predecessors. As the convoy passed, the tracks became even deeper.

Each vehicle had a flag on both sides, with the word "镖" (dart) written on the left and the word "威信" (prestige) on the right.

The escort consisted of more than forty men, led by Zhou Ang and Chen Wei, skilled guards from the Weixin Escort Agency, followed by four burly men sent by Qianjin Village to protect the goods.

Li Che rode his horse through the caravan, appearing almost invisible.

The people of Qianjin Village were quite polite to him because they knew his identity, but he was so young that most people assumed he was a young master from some family traveling with others to broaden his horizons.

Some people secretly wondered whether the sword in his hand was real or fake, and if things really got out of hand, it might just be a burden.

Li Che glanced at the large box beside him, never expecting it to be a shipment from the Golden Knife Wang family of Luoyang.

Inside were the profits from the previous year from shops such as the Guanzhong Wang Family Money Shop.

It turns out that although Fuwei Escort Agency was owned by Wang's son-in-law, its business was mainly located in Jiangnan, and it had no reach north of the Yellow River, or even in Guanzhong, Hanzhong, and Sichuan.

That's why Weixin Escort Agency got this piece of fat meat.

"Brothers, keep your eyes peeled! Once we've gotten through this hellish ordeal, this deal is more than half done. After this escort mission, I'll treat you to a meal at Yicui Tower in Luoyang!"

"Count me in too!"

The two镖头 (head镖师, escorts) at the front were burly and loud, and the other镖师 (镖师, escorts) flattered them loudly, though their effeminate manner was extremely pronounced.

The Ghost Gate Pass that Zhou Ang mentioned is the most dangerous section of the Southern Xiao Road near Yanling Pass.

The area is characterized by high mountains, dense forests, and steep, long valleys. Fortunately, it was late spring. In autumn and winter, the roads would be icy and slippery, making it impossible for people to walk, and even horses might freeze to death on the road.

Li Che did not respond, but was thinking about the matter of Fuwei Escort Agency.

A moment later, he was suddenly startled, wondering, "Yu Canghai's master, Changqingzi, was defeated by Lin Yuantu decades ago. Why didn't he take action against the Lin family then?"

Upon closer reflection, Yu Canghai seemed to have suddenly become interested in the Evil-Repelling Sword Manual. Could it be that this guy had been practicing in seclusion all along, or had he been stimulated by something?

Li Che was completely baffled.

Just as I was concentrating on my thoughts, I suddenly heard a whistling wind in my ears, mixed with a rustling sound.

"Who goes there!"

The henchman beside him shouted and drew his sword, only to be startled by a blinding flash of light that stung his eyes. He thought to himself, "This young master is in trouble!"

Li Che slightly raised his eyes and saw that the weapon that was coming was a steel whip, which was three zhang long when it was unfolded, and the other end was held in the hand of a masked woman.

He shook his head and chuckled to himself, sitting motionless on his horse as if he hadn't noticed anything.

"Young Master Li, be careful!"

However, the whip tip grazed past him, fell diagonally, and smashed a palm-sized rock directly beneath the stirrup with a bang.

Li Che tightened the reins to calm the horse, and in an instant, the crew members surrounded him.

"Zhou Ang of Weixin Escort Agency, who are you?!"

Zhou, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), clasped his hands in a fist and first introduced himself, then asked where he came from. Escorting goods was a dangerous business, and using intimidation, money to pave the way, and harmony as the most important thing were the usual methods used by镖局 (escort agencies).

To everyone's surprise, the masked woman ignored her completely, staring straight at Li Che and saying, "Why aren't you making a move? Are you looking down on me?!"

"Junior sister's whip technique is not yet up to par. Even if she had probed forward a little further just now, she wouldn't have been able to touch me. Why bother to make a move?"

"Hmph!" The woman ripped off her face mask, snorted angrily, and retorted, "I was afraid of hurting my own horse!"

"I see, I misunderstood, brother. But why did you end up going to Hanzhong via the Xiaoshan Mountains?"

Huo Shiyu blushed and glared at him angrily. "Can't I just go sightseeing in Luoyang and then travel through Sichuan to Hanzhong?!"

"Then it seems that the news from Hanzhong is not urgent."

"None of your business!"

"Miss Huo, what are you doing here?!"

......

With one more member added to the escort team, the four skilled men from Qianjin Village tried to persuade him several times to no avail, and had no choice but to send a messenger back to Chang'an to deliver the message.

"Hey, are you mute?"

"What did you say, junior sister?"

"I asked you why you had your eyes closed?"

"Practice your skills!"

Huo Shiyu looked at her with disbelief and scoffed, "Pretending to be something you're not. You don't have time to practice while riding a horse. You might as well say you're sleeping."

"That's why your father didn't let you travel far away alone."

"What?"

"Short-sighted and lacking in martial arts skills!"

"You! Draw your sword—!"

Li Che shook his head without speaking, then said calmly, "The Seven Commandments of Mount Hua: One must not bully the weak."

Huo Shiyu: "..."

After walking for another half day, the sun was setting and dusk was approaching.

This area is now part of the Nanxiao section of the road, where the road surface is potholed and narrow, and the slope is much steeper. The convoy is moving slowly, and two pushers are arranged behind each vehicle to push it with all their might.

Birds and beasts sang in the mountains, and all around were ankle-high weeds that rustled in the mountain breeze.

After traveling for another half hour, they finally found a flat place. They would have to make do in the woods for the night.

The two镖头 (bodyguards) arranged for the night watchmen and then had people start a fire to cook.

Li Che found a flat stone that wasn't too close or too far away and sat down, closing his eyes again.

The others had gotten used to his taciturn nature and didn't think much of it, but Huo Shiyu followed along.

She glanced at the dark, dense forest around her and shivered inexplicably. Then she nudged Li Che and said, "Hey, do you think there might be ghosts in these mountains? Why don't we go back to that inn?"

"Go if you want, but it's a twenty-mile mountain road. Who has the time to go with you? Didn't Miss Huo say so confidently at noon that 'it's common for people from all walks of life to live in the open'? Are you scared now?"

"Nonsense! Who's afraid!"

"Oh—!" Li Che drew out the sound, a mischievous smile rising in his eyes, then pretended to be serious and said softly, "Junior sister, I don't know if there are ghosts in these mountains."

But! Mount Hua definitely exists.

"Huh? Really...really?!"

"Not just ghosts, but also mountain demons and monsters. Tree spirits, tiger spirits, and oh yes, snake spirits!"

Upon hearing this, Huo Shiyu's face turned somewhat pale, but she feigned bravery and said in a trembling voice, "Liar! You've seen it?"

"Of course, I've not only seen them, but I've also spoken to them. They were two snake spirits, one green and one white. You don't know, when those snake spirits transformed into human form, they were truly born with a seductive charm, graceful and alluring."

"Let me tell you, they also told me a story."

"Wh...what story?"

"You really want to hear it?" Seeing her purse her lips in hesitation, yet unable to resist her curiosity, she nodded timidly. Li Che continued, "Alright, I'll tell you. The story is called... 'Midnight Ghost Stories: Don't Look Back After You Hear It!'"

"Wh...what do you mean?" She instinctively tried to turn her head to look, but her swan neck was stiff, and her eyes were slanted backward. She wanted to look but dared not.

Li Che slapped his forehead and said apologetically, "It's my fault for not explaining clearly, it's just that..."

He drew out the last syllable, then abruptly turned his head, his face stiff, his pupils rolling back to reveal only the whites of his eyes, and a low, hoarse voice came from his mouth: "You'll see me if you turn around!"

"ah--!"

"Hahaha—! You little brat, you dared to ambush me!"

Li Che laughed heartily, thinking to himself: This part should be called "Li's Nonsense Scares Lady Huo to Tears".

As soon as the laughter stopped, Li Che's brows furrowed, and he turned to look at the woods to the north.

"Stop howling, a real ghost is coming!"

......