The Smiling, Proud Wanderer: From the Moment He Picked Up Qu Feiyan

"Damn it, let the scum here investigate the apostasy, why did they have to call us here!" The big white guy slapped a mosquito that was biting his arm, leaving a pool of blood. He didn't even look at it and continued cursing, "The mosquitoes in this godforsaken place in autumn are so swarming they could carry a person away! May your filthy mosquito ancestors for eighteen generations come to curse you!"

The black-robed monk chuckled, "You can do whatever you want, anyway, no one's bothering me. Of course, we can't let the people here investigate if you've betrayed the sect. What if there's some collusion? We can just call in our people from other places and wipe them all out at once, wouldn't that save trouble?"

"Simple my foot!" The big white guy was even more furious at the black monk's gloating look. "Your blood stinks worse than a bird's; even mosquitoes wouldn't eat it."

"I'd rather smell blood than be bitten by mosquitoes."

The big white guy was annoyed by the mosquito bites and felt hungry, which made him even more irritable. He suddenly turned around and glared at the black monk:

"You damn black bear, all you do is laugh at me! I've been traveling like crazy these past few days, my mouth is practically boiling with stale food! Don't you even think about finding me something to eat? If you don't give me some meat soon, I'll gnaw your black arm off!"

Despite the threat, the black monk maintained his forced smile, even sticking out his tongue to lick his chapped lips, a glint of greed in his eyes.

"What's the rush? Hengyang City is just ahead, that's about it." He chuckled and lowered his voice, "Tomorrow, we'll find a few lackeys of the镖局 (bodyguards/escorts) and have a good meal."

Upon hearing "a treat," the big white guy's eyes lit up instantly, and all his impatience and anger transformed into a drooling desire.

"That's right! Bodyguard!" He clapped his hands excitedly, "I love this!"

The black-haired monk's smile deepened as he slowly added, "Exactly. These lackeys who guard the homes of the wealthy travel all year round, exposed to wind and sun, their muscles and skin becoming firm and toned, unlike those fat rich men who taste greasy and bland. The meat of these bodyguards is the most chewy, and their offal is clean too!"

He paused, as if connoisseurs of fine cuisine, and concluded, "The best part is, even if we eat a thousand of these people, the government won't bother, and no one in the martial arts world will stand up for them. This perfectly aligns with the headquarters' order to 'keep a low profile.' A win-win situation, isn't it wonderful?"

But this hope of getting a treat tomorrow only encouraged the big white guy to walk a few hundred steps. Before long, he was cursing "son of a bitch" and "damn bastard" incessantly, while the black bear ignored him.

"Hehe, something's not right up ahead..."

The black monk's eyes, almost invisible against his dark face, now gleamed green like a hungry wolf. He suddenly raised his hand and pressed down on the shoulder of the tall, white man in front of him who was still cursing.

"Huh?" The big white guy was cursing enthusiastically when he was interrupted. He turned around impatiently, "Go to hell, what's wrong now? Did you see a few more rabbits? Those things aren't even enough to fill a tooth gap!"

"Shh—" The black-haired monk made a shushing gesture, his withered finger pointing to the bend in the river ahead, and he lowered his voice, "A rabbit? Senior brother, our luck has come. Look what's that?"

The tall, white man squinted in the direction the finger was pointing. Several hundred paces away, a huge riverboat was quietly moored in a calm river bend, its silhouette appearing exceptionally massive against the hazy sky.

"It's just a boat, why all the fuss..." Big White stopped mid-sentence.

Even his not-so-bright mind realized—such a large ship moored in the middle of nowhere was definitely unusual.

"Let's go, let's feel around and see what it's made of." A greedy glint flashed in the black monk's eyes. He was the first to crouch down and disappear into the waist-high reeds.

Seeing this, the big white guy immediately suppressed his agitation, a sinister smile appearing on his face that was completely incongruous with his rugged appearance. He also imitated the black monk, his massive body hunching over, and silently followed.

The two men moved with surprising agility, their movements contrasting sharply with their massive size. They traversed the withered reeds, making only a faint rustling sound that was quickly drowned out by the wind and the sound of water.

They found a slightly elevated earthen slope, lay prone behind the dense reeds, and like two wild beasts that had spotted their prey, patiently peered at the large ship in the distance.

As they closed the distance, the view from the ship became clearly visible to the two of them.

"Good heavens!" The big white guy lowered his voice, but he couldn't hide the excitement in his tone. "Look at the depth of that boat's draft! The gunwale is only three or four feet above the water. That bastard must have loaded the boat full of cargo, almost burying the bottom in the river mud!"

The black monk ignored his clamor, his small eyes narrowed into slits as he carefully observed the movements on the boat.

On the bow deck, several burly men paced back and forth, seemingly leisurely, but actually positioned themselves in a subtly coordinated manner. Each carried gleaming swords at their waists, their eyes scanning the river and banks with sharp, alert gazes. On either side of the ship's gunwale, another man stood motionless, knife in hand, like nails planted in place.

"It's more than just cargo." The black-haired monk chuckled, his voice carrying a sinister chill. "White Bear, take a closer look at those men. Their positioning is impeccable, their eyes are alert, and their temples are bulging—they're clearly trained fighters. This…this is clearly a smuggling operation!"

"A security escort agency?" The big white guy's mouth was practically watering. He stuck out his tongue and licked his chapped lips, his pale eyes gleaming with a greenish light. "Secretaries? Damn it, isn't this just a free meal delivered to our doorstep?!"

He almost couldn't resist jumping up from the ground, but the black monk held him down firmly.

"Don't rush," the black monk clicked his tongue. "Even the fattest prey needs to be checked for traps. This is the first time our Northern Desert Twins have ever robbed a caravan in the south. Better safe than sorry. What if something tricky comes up?"

It turns out that the two people, one in black and one in white, are the Mobei Twin Bears who kidnapped Yue Lingshan and Lin Pingzhi in the original book and later participated in the siege of Shaolin Temple!

Bai Dage was being held down by him. Although he was anxious, he knew that this dark-skinned man was much more meticulous than himself. So he had no choice but to suppress his cravings and lie in wait with him.

"Heh heh, look how nervous they are, they must have bet some incredible treasure. I just wonder why they're stopped here." The big white guy muttered under his breath, drooling as he looked around. "When the fight starts, don't try to take it from me. Those strongest ones are all mine! I'm going to chew them up, skin and bones!"

The black-robed monk didn't answer, but coldly stared at the large ship with the gaze one would give a dead object. In his eyes, the cargo ship laden with goods, and the living镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) on board, were no different from a fat pig waiting to be slaughtered.

In the small village, Lin Zhennan had no intention of leaving because Chen Qi had not yet finished purchasing meat, eggs, fish and vegetables. He was having a pleasant chat with the old village chief.

Shen An also allowed the little girl who had previously handed Lin Zhennan water and later curiously gathered around to lead him to visit other people's homes.