Starting from Tianlong, Wudu Tianxia

Zhong Fei nodded in agreement, glanced back at the group, and said they would set off once Madam He and the others had finished resting.

The path was high and winding, and Zhong Fei reined in his horse: "Young man, are you also taking jobs?"

Zhong Fei had actually noticed Gao Yuan long ago.

At this moment, Gao Yuan arrived covered in dust and grime, dressed in rags, mingling among a group of rough men, yet he possessed handsome features and an extraordinary appearance.

Therefore, it's hard not to stand out.

"Yes, young man, you are courteous."

Gao Yuan stood up and clasped his hands in a fist salute to Zhong Fei.

Zhong Fei's thick eyebrows framed a pair of eyes that scanned him, glancing at the tender beard at the corner of his mouth, and he couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle.

"Young man, not just anyone can be a bodyguard. If you don't have martial arts skills, you'll lose your life sooner or later. There are many shops around Dangshan that are hiring helpers. The pay is low, but it's a stable job."

Gao Yuan thought to himself that he meant well, but said modestly, "Thank you for reminding me, brother."

At this moment, Miss Lan came up to the two of them from her horse: "Master Zhong, Madam says it's time to set off."

"Yes, Miss Lan, I'll go and tell people to prepare for our journey."

After Zhong Fei left, Miss Lan handed Gao Yuan a bundle:

"Young man, the lady is kind-hearted. Seeing your pitiful state, she gave you some clean old clothes, along with some coarse biscuits and dried food."

Miss Lan pointed to the rogue who had tried to sneak into the group but was exposed by Xiong San in a few moves, and then gave him another instruction:

"Don't follow their example. Go back and find a job to make a living."

Gao Yuan was both amused and exasperated.

Got it!

He was mistaken for a beggar again. He wondered if he was destined to join the Beggars' Sect. He had originally wanted to earn some travel expenses through his own abilities.

Let's be honest... is it really necessary for a little beggar to be a beggar?

Gao Yuan initially wanted to refuse the offer, but after touching his stomach, he decisively accepted the bundle: "Thank you, Madam, thank you, Miss. I will remember this."

That's it!

Poverty makes people lose their ambition, and a thin horse has a long mane; compared to a full belly, face doesn't seem to be that important...

After Lan and the others disappeared, Gao Yuan glanced at the bundle. He felt a hard object under the coarse cloth, which jingled when he shook it. It seemed to contain a dozen or so copper coins.

He chuckled and shook his head, tossing and tying the bundle over his shoulder, thinking, "The lady is kind, and the young lady is even better. How should I put it... uh... they're both quite good!"

The young lady's kindness was more straightforward than the lady's; she directly slipped the silver to the young lady.

……

Gao Yuan waited until dusk but still didn't find an employer willing to hire him.

He sighed, found a roadside inn, took the coins the girl had given him, ordered some vegetables and beans with rice, and planned to find a place to sleep after eating, and continue south the next morning.

Just then, horses suddenly came galloping along the road in the distance.

"Whoa!"

Two men came riding up, their postures agile; one had a large sword at his waist, and the other carried a spear on his back.

One of them, with a fierce look on his face, shouted at the shopkeeper, "Shopkeeper, have you seen a caravan of merchants led by women passing by?"

Upon hearing this, the shopkeeper looked up, recognized the two people, and quickly stood up with an apologetic smile.

"Please calm down, sir. My shop is located at a crossroads. There are at least eight or ten caravans passing through here every day, some led by women... I really can't remember them all."

"Can't remember?"

The man gripped the scabbard, his eyes icy: "You'd better tell the truth."

The shopkeeper broke out in a cold sweat. He had indeed seen Madam He's caravan, but this group of people looked like they had ill intentions. If he told the truth, it might cost him his life.

Just as he was hesitating, he suddenly heard a young man say:

"Sir, I know where they went. They just recruited four skilled martial artists in Dangshan and went south together."

"South? They've been gone for several hours, little beggar. What kind of people are they recruiting?"

Upon hearing someone report the caravan's whereabouts, the shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief, but then secretly began to despise Gao Yuan again.

"Sir, please dismount and listen. I will explain in detail. I only ask that you reward me with some copper coins to fill my stomach."

Gao Yuan stood up and slowly walked towards the two of them.

"A reward?"

The two men exchanged a glance, thinking that the boy was tired of living. They were the ones who always kidnapped people, not the ones who paid for them.

The man with a large sword at his waist agreed on the surface.

He dismounted and said, "Very good, very good, young man. As long as you explain clearly, the reward is a small matter. We are never stingy."

"Sir, the caravan you mentioned left about three hours ago. They recruited outer disciples from Guo Family Village and Fuhu Sect. One of them seemed to be from the Tong family of Pingjiang, I think his name was Gu Feng..."

Upon hearing the name Tong, the man's expression changed drastically, and he said to his companions, "Let's go."

The man on horseback nodded, then made a killing gesture with his right palm.

The man understood immediately and was about to turn around to deal with Gao Yuan when he felt a sharp pain on the back of his head and immediately lost consciousness, collapsing to the ground.

Then Gao Yuan took a step forward and strode towards the person who was turning around on horseback. His movements and leaps were unimpeded, showing a significant improvement over the previous few days.

The man on horseback felt a slight breeze around his neck and knew something was wrong. He immediately turned to the right to dodge, but he was still not as quick as Gao Yuan.

As Gao Yuan turned his body to the side, he delivered a horizontal slash to the carotid artery in Gao Yuan's neck.

A bone-chilling numbness instantly swept over the man's entire body. His vision went black, and he slammed onto the ground with a thud from his horse.

Having succeeded in his sneak attack, Gao Yuan pressed the acupoints of the two men with his thumbs, but under the influence of his true energy, there was no reaction whatsoever...

"Indeed, few people in the martial arts world can cultivate internal energy without a proper training method, and those who can even get started with external martial arts are not unknown figures."

His entire routine was so fluid and efficient that the shopkeeper was stunned.

He glanced at the man lying on the ground, then steeled himself, ransacked the two men, and then struck their Tianling acupoints with both palms, killing them instantly.

"Well, since the lady and the young lady are both doing well, it would be very wrong for you two gentlemen to cause them trouble. Please don't blame us, please don't blame us."

After all, it was his first time killing someone, so it would be a lie to say that his mindset hadn't changed at all.

Fortunately, he was easygoing and didn't want to think about it, so he quickly adjusted his mindset.

Anyway, they weren't exactly good people either. He had clearly seen the actions of the two men with the spears just now; they were obviously trying to kill him. Their viciousness was evident.

Gao Yuan is not a pushover; he understands the principles of preemptive strikes and eradicating evil more than anyone else.

Having done everything, he didn't linger. He kicked off his horse, spurred it on, and galloped away, quickly disappearing into the distance.

At this moment, the shop owner chased after them, shouting, "Someone...someone has died! This is terrible!"

Gao Yuan didn't turn around and said from his horse, "Shopkeeper, the other horse is their funeral expense. If you report it to the authorities, some accomplices might come to take revenge. You should consider this carefully."

At this time, a horse would cost between a few taels and several tens of taels. Although the two men were not riding any fine steeds, four or five taels of silver would certainly be worth it, which could be considered a huge sum of money.

The shopkeeper was terrified and only collapsed to the ground, muttering, "What a disaster...", after the sound of hooves subsided.

……

After traveling for an hour straight, Gao Yuan's backside was sore from the jolting, so he found a dead tree by the river and tied his horse to it.

He sat cross-legged under the tree, taking stock of the loot he had plundered.

A packet of lime powder, a small porcelain bottle containing pills, and a sum of three or four taels of silver.

"These are all low-quality items, and the pills in the bottle are probably a trap to swindle people."

Gao Yuan picked up the silver and weighed it in his hand. He was delighted. No wonder heroes like to do good deeds. It's better to do a good job than to beg for a few days. You can gain both fame and fortune!

With a horse and silver, the journey ahead couldn't be easier.

As darkness fell, Gao Yuan gathered dry branches on the riverbank, piled them up, lit a tinderbox, and as flames rose, he took off his clothes and plunged into the river.

The river water was slightly cool, and the sweat and mud that had accumulated on the road over the past few days were washed away as he splashed around.

As he was stretching, Gao Yuan felt a soft touch on the sole of his foot. He grabbed it and found a grass carp about a foot long, which was wriggling in his hand.

"Hey, Brother Fish, better late than never!"

When they came ashore, the fire was raging. Gao Yuan changed into the dry clothes the girl had given him, cleaned the grass carp's internal organs, and skewered them on a prepared bamboo skewer.

"The two men with broadswords and spears we encountered at the roadside inn must have been scouts; otherwise, the two of them alone wouldn't have been able to do anything to the caravan."

"What's worth considering is, if the caravan had no valuable goods, why did they relentlessly pursue them?"

He didn't seek employment during the day, partly because Zhong Fei looked down on him, but mainly because he didn't want to cause trouble.

The faint red bloodstains on the carriage axle went unnoticed by others, but Gao Yuan could see them clearly.

The area around Dangshan is not peaceful, but most of the workers are privately hired, protecting individual families and caravans. There are almost no caravans. If they had no other choice, why would a caravan hire someone of unknown origin?

Therefore, it can be inferred that Zhong Fei and his group were attacked and lost men before reaching Dangshan, and thus had to replenish their supplies in Dangshan.

"If they don't want money, they want people. This mobilization of such a large force doesn't make sense!"

Before long, the aroma of fish and herbs filled the night air.

"Forget it, if I can't figure it out, I won't think about it. Heaven is the greatest enemy, and I'll worry about it after I've eaten, hehe!"

He tore off a piece of fish and stuffed it into his mouth, panting as it was scalding hot. Having not eaten meat for days, he found the fish incredibly delicious...