The large ship sped forward on the river.
The herbalists of the Hundred Herbs Sect all stayed obediently in the cabin, not daring to move around freely.
The scene that had just occurred was still vivid in their minds.
The chief镖头 (head镖师) of four镖局 (镖局, escort agencies) in Sanjiang County joined forces to come to their door, only to be easily defeated.
Although they held the people of the Four Seas Escort Agency in awe, the medicine apprentices also felt a deep sense of security.
With such a powerful escort agency protecting them, even venturing into the unknown depths of the Black Mountain to gather herbs would surely be very safe.
No wonder the sect leader had to bypass Sanjiang County and seek out a different escort agency from afar; there was a reason for it.
Throughout the journey, Lin Ce remained highly vigilant, constantly monitoring his surroundings.
There was also Yu Jiu, a half-merman who was skilled in swimming, and he was secretly sent to patrol the river at the bottom of the boat several times.
However, the trip went smoothly without any danger.
There are plenty of water fortresses in Sanjiang County, but at this moment they seem to be collectively blind, with no one coming to cause trouble.
Lin Ce thought about it and agreed.
This escort mission involves human convoys, a group of herbalists who, apart from gathering herbs, have no other outstanding skills.
The bandits of the water village robbed these drug addicts, but they were of no use to them at all.
Looking at Yu Jiu beside him, who was soaking wet and dripping with water, a thought flashed through Lin Ce's mind.
If the escort had consisted entirely of half-mermaids like Yu Jiu, things would definitely not have been so peaceful.
For many, merfolk are treasures among the half-demon race, with immeasurable value.
Only the former head镖师 (chief镖师) of the镖局 (escort agencies) would cause trouble over the ownership of the镖权 (escort rights).
"Could I sneak back and kill all those people?"
Since Lin Ce discovered her half-demon identity, Yu Jiu has become much more casual when the two spend time together in private.
"What, are you worried that they'll find out you used 'Sea Mirage' earlier?"
Not really.
Yu Jiu shook his head, "Very few people have actually seen my clan, and almost no human knows about the martial art 'Sea Mirage Sound'. They would never think of that."
She looked at Lin Ce cautiously, then spoke again:
"Those four are being aggressive, trying to encroach on the space your escort agency relies on for survival. Do you really intend to allow them to continue living?"
After giving Yu Jiu a serious look, Lin Ce knew she had misunderstood.
"Let me tell you again, the human world is very different from your half-demon world. There are many rules here, and when one person cannot suppress all of them, the risk of wantonly breaking the rules is very high."
“If others try to rob our goods, we should kill them if necessary. That’s in accordance with the rules, and no one will bother us for such a thing. But if we take lives just because of a dispute over the right to escort goods, or even kill the chief镖头 (head镖师) of several镖局 (镖局, a type of镖局, a type of镖局, a type of镖局, a type of镖局, a type of镖局), that’s against the rules.”
Regardless of whether Yu Jiu understood or not, Lin Ce continued speaking.
"At the very least, we can't let others know that we were the ones who did the killings, otherwise, a lot of people will come looking for trouble with the escort agency."
"Why?"
Yu Jiu's eyes widened. "Are you worried that they'll be killed too, so you're the first one to be killed?"
"...If you want it to be easy to understand, then so be it."
Lin Ce shook his head and ended the conversation.
He naturally let the four chief镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) go without lifting a finger.
Of course, not a single penny of the ransom will be less.
The bulk of the ransom was originally intended for the two bodyguards who went into battle, but Yu Jiu refused, saying he didn't need the money.
Lin Ce then used the money to improve the welfare of the escort agency.
Seeing Yu Jiu's reaction, Li Qingshan withdrew his hand, which was halfway outstretched, indicating that he also wanted to donate.
"How much money haven't I, Li Qingshan, seen? This little bit of money is nothing to me..."
Lin Ce still remembers that Li Qingshan's face almost contorted when he said those words.
This is a minor flaw in Li Qingshan's personality, and Lin Ce said it's not a big problem.
Yu Jiu, on the other hand, has much bigger problems.
After Lin Ce used the "Sea Mirage Sound" to influence Yu Jiu once, he discovered that some strange things were happening.
Besides complete trust, Yu Jiu also seemed to gradually develop a kind of inexplicable dependence on herself.
Is the martial art "Sea Mirage Sound" really that strange?
Lin Ce silently sounded an alarm in his heart.
Those affected by Yu Jiu's "Sea Mirage Sound" would not experience this, but after her own "Sea Mirage Sound" was broken, she was instead affected by her own "Sea Mirage Sound," and thus developed these symptoms.
What if I encounter someone with even more profound "sea mirage" sounds in the future? Wouldn't that be extremely dangerous?
With this in mind, the large ship braved the wind and waves, and soon entered Erhe County from Sanjiang County, sailing downstream all the way to the foot of Heishan Mountain.
Compared to the arduous task of escorting the caravan on the road, this was incredibly comfortable.
Of course, the less-than-comfortable journey is only just beginning.
Returning to this familiar place, Lin Ce's gaze was fixed on the dark, black mountain before him, and his mind was filled with a turbulent mix of thoughts.
There is a demon on this mountain.
Just thinking about this makes it hard for him to feel relaxed.
Although this world is a world where humans and demons coexist, in fact, his last trip to Black Mountain was the first time he came into contact with the demon community.
Now, he has a half-demon by his side.
Last time, he had just become a ninth-rank martial artist, and apart from Li Qingshan, there wasn't a second combatant in the escort team who could be of any use.
But this time, he believed his strength far exceeded the eighth rank, and there were also two eighth-rank martial artists and several ninth-rank martial artists in the escort team.
In addition, many of the teenagers have trained well and are full of fighting spirit.
This time, the overall strength is far superior to the last time.
Even if there are demons on this Black Mountain, it doesn't necessarily mean we can't take a trip there.
The memory of that black wind flashed through Lin Ce's mind. After a moment of careful consideration, he gritted his teeth and shouted:
"Let's go up the mountain!"
The mountain road was rugged, but it was nothing to martial artists.
Not to mention the few bodyguards, even the young men who had just joined the escort agency, after training for a period of time, were already quite agile and could walk on flat ground in these mountains and forests.
As for the bodyguards who needed protection, the dozens of medicine apprentices from the Hundred Herbs Sect were equally worry-free.
Perhaps due to their long-term experience of gathering herbs in the mountains, they had long since developed the skill to traverse mountains and valleys, and were in no way a hindrance to the escort agency.
Before it even got dark, they had already climbed to a very high place.
"There's a village ahead. Let's rest there and continue our journey tomorrow."
"Chief镖头 Lin, there's a stronghold in the mountains, but we can't be sure if it's a stronghold of mountain people. We'd better be careful."
One of them spoke to Lin Ce.
He was the manager sent by the Hundred Herbs Sect to oversee the herb-gathering activities of the apprentices.
"Don't worry, I have a long-term vision and I saw it clearly a long time ago. I'm sure of it."
Lin Ce smiled and continued forward.
"It turns out that Chief Escort Lin had already seen through the fact that it was a mountain village. I was just worrying unnecessarily. I will follow Chief Escort Lin's arrangements."
"No, what I mean is, I see clearly, that's definitely not a mountain village."
"I'll go first, you can follow later."
Before he could finish speaking, Li Qingshan's body had already floated up and fallen forward like dust.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com