Nine-layer armor-breaking

Chapter 312 Finalizing the Selection

Liu, the guard, believed that she had been hiding things all the way since leaving Yingzhou. With Jiang Xian's resourcefulness and thoroughness, it would not be difficult for her to continue hiding them for a while. There would be no mistakes and no one would find out.

So the only reason she would take the items out now, besides showing that she trusted the two guards of the Jiang family, was that Guard Liu couldn't think of any other possibility.

Although Guard Liu was cautious in his actions, he was not the type to doubt everything.

Because of Jiang Xian's openness and the concern revealed in that openness, he did not suspect the father and daughter of the Jiang family. On the contrary, he felt a warmth in his heart.

This warmth came from the trust that the Jiang family father and daughter placed in him.

Even if the items in his hands weren't brought from the Jiang family, others might not know, but he, Guard Liu, knew that every item traded in the Jiang family's trading house had undergone rigorous screening before it could enter the customers' field of vision and circulate.

Not to mention the situation where the Jiang family could directly use it for themselves.

In this case, it means that the concealed weapon must have more robust protective measures for the user and be of better quality.

If it were just a hidden weapon, Guard Liu might have some doubts, but what he was holding now was not only a hidden weapon, but also a deadly poison.

The use of highly toxic substances does not require a foundation in medicine or martial arts. Anyone who has the opportunity to get close to the source can quickly learn to use them.

Therefore, this way, he wouldn't have any unnecessary suspicions about Jiang Xian, or that Jiang Xian might be a martial artist.

Jiang Xian had anticipated this, which is why he made such a design and improvement to dispel the suspicions of the two Jiang family guards.

Therefore, in Liu Huwei's view, even if the hidden weapon in his hand was a gift from Jiang Yuan, it was just a father's concern for his daughter, and it was hard to associate it with the possibility that Jiang Xian was a martial artist.

However, to Liu Huwei's surprise, after a period of contact, he found it hard to believe that Jiang Xian, who was usually so meticulous in his work, would simply put such a dangerous item in a plain white handkerchief and casually wrap it up. This was not in line with Jiang Xian's usual style.

Jiang Xian naturally saw through his little scheme. Jiang Xian did this for no other reason than that the hidden weapon she had modified had been used for many days and was no longer dangerous or prone to any mishaps. However, Guard Liu was unaware of this.

She had tried putting it in a box before, but she found it inconvenient to use and that it might cause problems due to collisions, so she simply wrapped it in a handkerchief and hid it on her person.

She had taken it with her several times when she went hunting, and it had never caused any accidental injuries. It was also more portable, so this time she wrapped it in a pure white handkerchief before going out.

However, seeing the guard's puzzled expression, she had no choice but to make up a reason to deal with it.

Her expression was calm, as if she were just saying a few words casually. She said to Guard Liu, "Putting this thing in a hard box is easy to cause collisions, which may release poisonous gas or even leak venom. So it is best to use soft material to hold it. And a soft bag is not much different from wrapping it in a handkerchief."

Upon hearing this, Guard Liu understood Jiang Xian's meaning and nodded seriously.

Jiang Xian continued, "I was in a bit of a rush when I left, and I couldn't find anything suitable to put it in, so I just grabbed a handkerchief."

After saying that, Jiang Xian resumed his previous indifferent expression, no longer paying attention to whether Guard Liu believed him or not, and remained silent.

She only offered a few casual explanations; whether Liu believed her or not was entirely up to him. Even if Liu didn't believe her or still had doubts, she couldn't offer any further explanation unless he asked.

She knew the saying that the more you say, the more mistakes you make, and the more you try to explain, the worse it gets.

However, these words were quite convincing to Guard Liu. Perhaps it was due to his preconceived notions, but because he had a very good impression of Jiang Xian, he easily believed Jiang Xian's words.

At this point, the puzzled look on Guard Liu's face disappeared.

The guard Li, sitting in the carriage, could roughly observe the actions between Jiang Xian and guard Liu, but he couldn't make out the specific content of their conversation or the object wrapped in a white handkerchief in guard Liu's hand.

From the perspective of the core members, it's completely impossible to tell what these two are whispering or tinkering with.

Guard Liu rode his horse very close to Jiang Xian, with almost no gap between their robes.

He used his rather loose robe to effectively conceal the movements between the two men, as well as his large hand holding a small concealed weapon.

From the perspective of the main figure, if he doesn't change his position, he won't be able to see their movements and lip movements at all; he can only roughly guess that they are talking.

The leader, of course, understood that the two people present were his master and the person speaking on his behalf, and they were definitely discussing what he had said earlier. However, he was not particularly nervous at the moment.

He knew that as long as the two of them discussed it, the result would often be more rational than an impulsive action.

Therefore, since it is a relatively rational outcome, he himself is naturally not under much threat.

The leader couldn't see what the two people opposite him were talking about. So he straightened up and adopted the demeanor of a gentleman who disdained eavesdropping. He looked very dignified and composed, and his posture was not at all like that of someone who wanted to eavesdrop on other people's conversation.

However, his inner thoughts were completely different from his outward appearance. He was eager to know the content of the conversation between the two people. If he could know what the other person was thinking, he could prepare a countermeasure in advance.

Jiang Xian had nothing more to say, and after giving a few more instructions, her conversation with Guard Liu came to an end.

Guard Liu understood that since Jiang Xian had directly entrusted him with the matter of the powder and hidden weapons, he had decided to have him stay in place and guard the place.

Moreover, Jiang Xian's decision was completely different from what he had previously expected.

He originally thought Jiang Xian would stay here, so following his leader to find out what was going on was a relatively safe option for Jiang Xian.

However, since Jiang Xian has chosen to investigate personally, leaving the guard Li, who is currently sitting in the carriage and does not yet know enough about the matter, to stay in place alone would only increase the risk to the whole affair and all three of them.

Such an arrangement would not only increase the risk of Li Huwei encountering danger, but if Li Huwei were to encounter danger, the two of them would likely not escape unscathed and would also be severely implicated.

Therefore, after understanding the matter, Guard Liu stopped trying to persuade Jiang Xian to change his mind. He knew the matter was already settled, and further discussion would be pointless.

The two quickly ended their conversation.

Guard Liu turned his horse around and circled behind Jiang Xian's horse to Guard Li's side.

He also gave a few instructions to Guard Li. Guard Li seemed to have heard something that shocked him greatly. He looked embarrassed and his expression was extremely shocked. But he quickly realized what was going on, nodded, and agreed.

After giving Li the instructions, Guard Liu returned to his original spot. He had already told Jiang Xian the same things as "Be careful on the road" before going to tell Li, so there was no need to repeat them now.

Guard Li picked up the short knife beside him, jumped down from the carriage, landed steadily, nodded as he passed Jiang Xian, and walked to Guard Liu's side.

Guard Liu naturally knew the purpose of Guard Li's actions. The two were in perfect sync. Guard Liu leaped off his horse with a nimble stride and brushed past Guard Li.

The two exchanged seats tacitly and swiftly, with Guard Liu taking the seat in the carriage that Guard Li had previously occupied.

Li, the guard, rode onto the same horse that Liu had ridden before, standing shoulder to shoulder with Jiang, looking at the backbone of the group opposite them.

Judging from this, the leader understood the intentions behind the three people's actions and made a decision.

Actually, he really wanted to ask if they had made a decision, but after thinking about it for a moment and considering the current situation, he chose to keep quiet and did not ask the three people opposite him any questions.

These were trivial matters, so he could naturally keep quiet. If the other three misunderstood that he was urging them, things would take a turn for the worse, and could potentially develop in a negative direction. Therefore, he chose to keep quiet whenever there was a risk involved.

Therefore, the core member simply waited quietly for the three people opposite him to give him a reply.

After exchanging positions, Guard Liu turned to the leader opposite him, his tone turning cold, and said, "Lead the way."

Hearing the deep, somewhat low voice, the leader felt a sense of unease. He didn't know why the person speaking had such a drastic change in attitude after talking to his young master.

He felt that the three people opposite him, especially the young master and the guard who had spoken to him earlier, seemed to be taking this matter more seriously.

As for the three people opposite him, he was going to be on guard against them, because he had already figured out that they were not easy to deal with and that he had to be careful at all times.

"Yes." The leader stepped forward and nodded to Guard Liu. He seemed to be in a much better mood than before. He was no longer sitting with his back completely straight, and he looked much more approachable than when he was waiting.

He replied to Guard Liu, but Guard Liu ignored him. He then looked at Jiang Xian and a troubled expression appeared on his face.

He said to Guard Liu, "That place isn't very close, but I don't have a horse. May I ask which of you I would like to ride with?"

Having said that, he waited respectfully for the reply from the person opposite him.

Upon hearing this, Guard Liu frowned. He seemed to have not thought about having a pillar of support, forgetting that he also needed someone to accompany him on his journey.

Hearing his mentor's words, he was now somewhat hesitant.

If he were to ride with Guard Li, although Guard Li is a Heaven-rank martial artist while the core member is only an Earth-rank martial artist, if the core member has bad intentions, then dealing with the core member would be an easy matter.

However, in Liu's judgment, the leader standing opposite him was cunning and treacherous, and it was hard to guarantee that he wouldn't have some bad intentions. If he found the right opportunity to strike at Liu, then, putting aside everything else, it would be something that Liu himself couldn't bear.

Moreover, since Guard Li must be the one riding the horse, the mastermind would have more time to ambush Guard Li while he was on horseback.

As for the core leader riding alongside Jiang Xian, that was absolutely impossible; he didn't even need to consider it.

Therefore, there are several possible scenarios now.

First, having the core leader ride the same horse as Li Huwei could potentially put Li Huwei in a dangerous situation.

Secondly, having Jiang Xian and Li Huwei ride the same horse, while letting the core leader ride alone, would not necessarily pose a direct danger to Jiang Xian or Li Huwei, but it would also create more uncontrollable situations and potentially bring more danger.

Furthermore, Jiang Xian is, after all, a woman, and the daughter of the Jiang family. It would be improper for her to ride on the same horse as Li Huwei, a man she had only known for a short time.

Third, he ordered the leader to follow Jiang Xian and Li Huwei's horses and walk alone.

This choice, much like letting the leader ride alone, is unlikely to pose a direct danger to Jiang Xian and Li Huwei. However, because it gives them more freedom, it could indirectly lead them into a trap he is aware of.

The leader was naturally familiar with the road to that unknown place. He could easily avoid the traps that the villains had set up along the way. Similarly, he could indeed pull Jiang Xian and Guard Li into dangerous situations.

Horseback riding and walking are two completely different modes of travel. Horse riders can avoid traps and obstacles that are sometimes difficult for pedestrians to avoid.

Obstacles and potential traps that pedestrians could easily avoid could be caused by the horses' hooves, resulting in errors and making it impossible to completely avoid them.

Therefore, there are significant differences between these two methods.

Liu, the bodyguard, was somewhat undecided about whether to have the leader travel in the same way as Jiang Xian and Li, the bodyguard.

He knew perfectly well that if he let the leader choose the same way to travel as them, he might be ambushed by the leader. However, if he let the leader travel alone, there would be even greater uncertainty.

Therefore, Guard Liu was somewhat hesitant about how to make his choice.

(End of this chapter)