The Path to Immortality: Starting with an Analysis of Basic Concepts

"Wasn't it supposed to be bestowing the seed of divinity? Why are they robbing us?... "

Zhu Yu weighed the rusty iron knife in his hand, somewhat doubting that if he swung it a few more times, it might break.

Standing to the side was Mi Ya'er, who was also carrying a rusty iron sword. Perhaps because she had stayed up all night, she looked tired and kept yawning.

Earth Road.

Bai Doufu raised the flag, clapped his hands, nodded in satisfaction, turned and walked up to the two men, solemnly saying:

"If you want to join our Yunshan Village, you need to pay a pledge of allegiance."

"A caravan will be passing through soon. Whether you and your sister cheat, rob, or kill, as long as you do this job, you will become members of Yunshan Village."

"Once this is over, I will bestow divine seeds upon you both."

Zhu Yu looked at the broken knife in his hand again, "..."

No... you want me to use this to rob a caravan?

Are you sure it wasn't a suicide attempt?

Lu Wanrong's gaze toward Bai Doufu held a hint of danger.

"Ha ha…"

As if only now discerning their thoughts, Bai Doufu's solemn expression vanished instantly. He laughed twice, and seeing no response, coughed twice, pointed to the indigo flag standing in the center of the road, and said proudly:

"With this flag in hand, no caravan will dare to attack you. Feel free to plunder!..."

"So it was protection money..."

Zhu Yu understood immediately upon hearing this.

Indeed, Yunshan Village is full of bandits who do not engage in production. If they do not develop a few trade routes, how can they support hundreds of people in the village?

"Yes, Brother Bai."

Zhu Yu and Lu Wanrong nodded seriously, exchanged a glance, picked up their swords and knives, walked to the flag, and looked at the road ahead.

Although the two tried to remain solemn, their tattered clothes and thin, dark appearance made them look more like beggars than bandits.

"Let's just watch the show..."

A smile appeared in Bai Doufu's eyes. He stomped his feet slightly, and a pale blue whirlwind appeared out of nowhere, carrying him towards a nearby mountain.

at this time.

Several miles away from the flag.

Amidst billowing dust, dozens of ox-drawn and horse-drawn wagons stretched for a hundred meters, laden with a dazzling array of goods, while a flag embroidered with the character "白" (white) fluttered high.

The convoy was on the side.

A dozen or so burly men, riding fine horses, wearing leather armor, and with swords and axes at their waists, patrolled the area around the caravan.

The scorching summer sun beat down on the earth, and many coachmen were sweating profusely, their clothes soaked through. But these mounted warriors, wearing thick leather armor, were completely oblivious, and not a single drop of sweat dripped down their backs.

Just then.

A swift horse appeared on the road ahead, quickly reaching a steady middle-aged man with a kind face and a sword at his waist. He pulled on the reins, stopped the horse, clasped his hands in greeting, and said:

"Master Liu, there are bandits blocking the road three miles ahead."

Liu Sheng was not surprised at all. He waved for the other horse to leave, then urged his horse to the center of the caravan. It was a more luxurious carriage than the others. Hearing the bursts of laughter coming from inside, he coughed twice.

The sound paused, the curtain was lifted, and a gust of cold air rushed out, revealing a young man with a fleshy face and a belly as large as an eight-month pregnant woman.

"Manager Qian."

Liu Sheng hurriedly bowed and greeted him.

The young man grunted in response, glanced around, frowned slightly, and asked casually, "What happened?"

Liu Sheng told the young man the information gathered by the镖局's spies, and seeing his dismissive expression, he quickly explained in a low voice:

"Manager Qian, the flag bearer on this trade route is 'Yunshan Village' from the Yunshan Mountains. Their leader, Lu Changming, a man of great loyalty and integrity, is a renowned hero in the martial arts world!..."

"A hero? Hmph..."

Qian Gui curled his lip in disdain, but didn't say anything more. He had heard of Lu Changming's name before. He waved his hand and said, "Captain Liu has traversed the route before and knows what to do. I'll trouble you to help deal with these bandits."

"Of course."

Liu Sheng makes his living this way, so there's no reason for him not to agree.

Qian Gui nodded in satisfaction, but as he turned to return to the carriage, his eyes suddenly darted around, and he added, "If they ask for little, that's fine, but if they ask for too much, I won't be able to explain it to my cousin..."

"Hmm... one... two hundred taels, two hundred taels at most...!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Sheng subconsciously glanced at the caravan of dozens of vehicles, and his brows furrowed.

He had dealt with the bandits of "Yunshan Village".

They knew they were still quite law-abiding, only caring about the toll and not caring whether the caravan was transporting gold or silver.

And this fee is clearly stated.

A heavy cart costs five taels of silver, and a light cart costs ten taels of silver.

The Bai family was transporting tea and silk on this trip, which was considered a light haul. However, two hundred taels of silver was clearly not enough for these dozens of carts.

A thought flashed through Liu Sheng's mind, and he shook his head, saying, "Manager Qian, this amount is too small, I'm afraid..."

Before he could finish speaking, Qian Gui impatiently waved his hand to interrupt, "Then it's three hundred taels, not a single copper coin more."

His large, bulky body squeezed into the carriage, and his voice rang out.

"You only know Lu Changming, the 'loyal and righteous' one? Don't you know my cousin, Bai Yutang, the 'handsome young man'?"

"Hmph... Others may fear Yunshan Village, but the Bai family is not..."

boom…

Looking at the tightly closed carriage doors.

"hiss…"

Liu Sheng felt helpless. He took a deep breath to suppress his irritation. As the saying goes, this is what he does for a living.

The counterfeiters need to be taken care of, and the owners also need to be taken care of.

"Let's see which leader has arrived first..."

Liu Sheng thought for a moment, then spurred his horse toward the front of the caravan.

Not long.

The convoy slowly approached the narrow passage between the two mountains.

Looking from afar, Liu Sheng saw, as expected, an indigo flag was planted in the middle of the road, fluttering in the wind, with the three large characters "Yunshan Village" coming into view.

But when he saw the two men under the banner, one carrying a knife and the other leaning on a sword, he paused for a moment, then fell silent.

"Are they really from 'Yunshan Village'? When did 'Yunshan Village' start hiring beggars? I haven't heard of them fighting with anyone and suffering heavy losses..."

A multitude of thoughts flashed through Liu Sheng's mind in an instant. He looked around again to confirm that there was indeed no one else lying in ambush. Thinking of what Qian Gui had said, he breathed a sigh of relief, and a smile appeared on his face. He was secretly amazed.

"Sending two novice bandits to collect tolls, 'Yunshan Village' truly lives up to its name; it's extraordinary indeed..."

"drive…"

Liu Sheng spurred his horse forward, and upon reaching them, he couldn't help but sized up Zhu and Yu. Though their figures resembled those of beggars, their eyes were exceptionally bright and piercing. He nodded in approval, made a martial arts gesture with his hands, and called out:

"Liu Sheng, the fourth head of the 'Tiger Might Escort Agency' in Dangyang County, greets the two heroes."

"They're here..."

Zhu Yu and Lu Wanrong, eager to receive the divine seed and not wanting to cause any trouble, returned the greeting upon seeing this:

"Mi Gousheng and Mi Ya'er from Yunshan Village have met Wang Biaotou."

"They really are newcomers to the village..."

Upon hearing Gou Sheng's name, Liu Sheng became even more certain of his thoughts, but he dared not underestimate him. He returned the greeting earnestly and spurred his horse back to the caravan.

Before long, he returned carrying a cloth bag.

Just as Liu Sheng was about to throw the cloth bag containing two hundred taels of silver to Zhu Yu and the other man, he heard a loud shout from behind him.

"Wait..."