Physical enlightenment begins with Xingyi Quan

The fire crackled, and the scene fell into a deathly silence.

Zhou Yong, leaning on his knife and panting heavily, limped over.

He glanced at the two corpses of men in black on the ground, then at Chen Jianghe, who was covered in blood, his face turning pale and then red.

After a long pause, he abruptly threw down the knife, walked up to Chen Jianghe, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed deeply, his voice hoarse: "Brother Chen! Just now... just now I, Zhou Yong, was blind! I spoke ill of you and wrongly accused you! I apologize! If you want to hit me or scold me, I, Zhou Yong, will not say a word!"

Wang Gui followed, his honest face full of guilt: "Brother Chen, I'm sorry... I thought you..."

Although Zhao Tieshan did not speak, he solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute, his eyes no longer showing any contempt, but only lingering fear and admiration.

If it weren't for Chen Jianghe's calm handling of the situation, the outcome tonight would have been unpredictable.

Chen Jianghe stepped aside and reached out to help Zhou Yong and Wang Gui up: "Brother Zhou, Brother Wang, you're too kind. The situation was critical at the time, and you two were fighting fiercely on the front lines. It's understandable that you would misunderstand me when you saw me lying in the shadows. If you were in my shoes, I'm afraid I would have cursed you even more fiercely."

His tone was sincere and genuine.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yong's eyes reddened slightly. He patted Chen Jianghe's shoulder heavily and said, "Good brother! I won't say anything more! From now on, my life is tied to yours in this escort business!"

Su Derong struggled to his feet: "We can talk about polite things later. Let's first assess the casualties, treat the wounded, and be wary of any further tricks!"

Everyone immediately sprang into action.

Chen Jianghe looked at the cargo container engulfed in flames, and his heart sank.

The crackling sound of flames devouring wood filled my ears, and a sense of powerlessness welled up inside me.

Chaos is like a furnace, and human lives are like firewood. Even if one fights to the death, can one ultimately not protect what one wants to protect?

If all twenty boxes of medicinal herbs are destroyed here, this entire shipment will be a complete failure. The escort agency's reputation will be damaged, and their future prospects will likely be...

"Don't panic," Su Derong's weak voice suddenly rang out.

Chen Jianghe turned his head and saw that his third senior brother had given him a slightly sly smile. Although he was pale from blood loss, his eyes were shining with a sense of relief.

"The goods on this shipment..." Su Derong lowered his voice, only allowing those around him to hear, "On the surface, there are twenty boxes of medicinal herbs. In reality, only ten boxes are genuine."

Zhou Yong looked up abruptly: "Young Master, what did you say?!"

Wang Gui's eyes widened as well.

Zhao Tieshan was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized, a look of understanding appearing on his blood-stained face: "So that's how it is... No wonder the young master dared to order the car burned!"

Su Derong took a breath and slowly said, "Having been a镖局 (bodyguard/escort) for many years, the Su family has long prepared this 'openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang pass' strategy. Of the twenty boxes, ten are genuine medicinal herbs, and ten are dry firewood soaked in kerosene. The real goods... are hidden in secret compartments and hidden layers in the floorboards of the three vehicles."

He looked at Zhao Tieshan: "Master Zhao, go and check it."

Zhao Tieshan's spirits lifted. Ignoring his serious injuries, he staggered to the three caravans that were not yet completely burned. He pried open the bottom of the caravans with his knife and groped around for a moment.

"Got it!"

Zhao Tieshan had quickly checked the hidden compartment and reported, "Young Master, the hidden compartment is intact. The inside of the compartment is not deformed, and the medicinal materials inside should be undamaged."

Upon seeing this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and their faces lit up with joy.

Chen Jianghe remained silent, staring at the several burned-out caravans and the corpses of the men in black and the porters scattered on the ground.

As the flames dwindled, the smell of burnt meat and blood mingled and filled our nostrils.

Su Derong walked to his side, followed his gaze, and whispered, "Jiang He, what are you thinking about?"

Chen Jianghe said in a deep voice, "I was just thinking that if we send a few more experts with internal strength tonight, or if those two experts with internal strength are more cautious... this method may not be safe, and we might even lose our lives here."

Upon hearing this, Su Derong gave Chen Jianghe a deep look and said softly, "That's why my grandfather once said that this method can only be considered 'minor wisdom'."

He gazed at the dark night sky beyond the mountains, his voice fading, "It's a pity... now, the Su family only has 'Xiao Zhi' left to rely on."

He patted Chen Jianghe on the shoulder, his tone regaining its composure: "But regardless, we've made it through tonight. Jianghe, you did an excellent job. Patience, decisiveness..."

Chen Jianghe cupped his hands in thanks: "It's all thanks to your guidance, senior brother."

Su Derong smiled, turned to face the crowd, and announced loudly, "Take a headcount of the wounded, bandage their injuries, and replenish our water and rations using whatever we have on hand. We'll break camp and depart in a quarter of an hour! This place is not safe to linger!"

"yes!"

Everyone agreed and went about their own business.

Chen Jianghe walked to the rock wall and washed the blood off his hands with the cool spring water, then wiped the blood off his knuckle dust.

Chen Jianghe clenched his fist, the sharp edge of his knuckles digging into his palm, bringing a distinct pain.

"In the end... I'm still too weak," he said silently to himself.

We still need to keep getting stronger. Only by constantly becoming stronger can we truly control our own destiny.

......

The convoy resumed its journey.

The seriously injured scout was placed on the cargo box of the second vehicle, with several layers of thick cloth underneath him, and remained unconscious.

Wang Gui stayed by his side, wiping his forehead with a damp cloth from time to time.

Su Derong sat on the head carriage shaft, his face still pale, but he had regained his lazy demeanor.

Chen Jianghe sat beside him, his gaze occasionally sweeping over both sides of the road.

"The Green Dragon Gang won't be coming again," Su Derong suddenly said in a soft voice. "The test is over. They know this shipment has tough targets, and they won't suffer any more unnecessary losses."

Chen Jianghe nodded: "But we still need to be careful on the way back."

"We should be careful," Su Derong said with a smile, "but you're in a higher position than me now!"

Chen Jianghe looked at him.

Su Derong's gaze fell on the winding mountain road ahead, and he slowly said, "You saved me last night, and Zhou Yong and Wang Gui both saw it. From now on, in this team, your words will carry more weight than mine."

Chen Jianghe frowned: "Senior brother, what makes you say that? I was just..."

"Just doing what I was supposed to do?" Su Derong interrupted him, shaking his head and smiling. "Jiang He, you don't understand. The escort business is fraught with danger; it values ​​strength above all else, but also loyalty above all else. You saved me last night, and you saved everyone else too. They'll remember that kindness. As for me…"

He paused, a hint of self-deprecation in his smile: "Although I am the young leader of the gang, I have spent most of my time in martial arts schools these past few years, and I have only done a handful of escort missions."

Chen Jianghe remained silent.

He knew Su Derong was telling the truth, but he didn't know how to respond.

"But this is a good thing." Su Derong suddenly patted his shoulder, his eyes turning serious. "Jiang He, I'm badly injured. You'll have to take my place for the rest of the journey. Make decisions and give orders—just consider it me slacking off, okay?"

Looking at the undeniable seriousness in Su Derong's eyes, Chen Jianghe slowly nodded: "I'll listen to my senior brother."

For the next few days, the convoy remained calm.

They passed through the treacherous Black Wind Ridge safely, but the bandit leader guarding the Wolf Fang Gorge paid a fine of thirty taels of "passage fee" and then waved them on.

When resupplying and resting along the way, everything was done according to the old rules of the escort agency, without any deviation.

But the atmosphere within the team subtly changed.

Everyone consults Chen Jianghe before doing anything.

Su Derong was happy to have some free time, spending most of his time leaning against the carriage shaft to recover from his injuries. Occasionally, he would open his eyes to take a look, and seeing that everything was in good order, he would close his eyes again to rest, with a faint smile on his lips.

Half a month later, the city wall of Yilin County came into view.

As the sun began to set, it cast a long shadow on the city gate tower.

As the convoy entered the outer city streets, it attracted considerable attention.

The flags were covered in dust, the carriage shafts were stained with blood, and although the people were dressed in rags, they all stood up straight.

One of the shop assistants, with sharp eyes, ran to the Su Family Escort Agency to report the incident.