Heaven rewards diligence; he fought his way through chaos to become a saint.

Not long ago, the Southern Barbarian army took advantage of the lax border defenses and broke through the border line in one fell swoop, burning, killing, and looting, and advancing straight into the heartland.

This news came more than a month ago.

The government now announces that the imperial army fought bravely and pressed forward relentlessly, finally defeating the southern barbarian army completely, and the remaining troops have returned to the south.

Jiang's eldest sister-in-law was worried about her younger brother's safety day and night, and only after hearing this news did she ask her senior brother Jiang to go and pick him up.

According to Senior Brother Jiang, he didn't quite believe the news from the imperial court, so he was reluctant to go and used the drinking party as an excuse to delay.

Ye Ci reassured him that the Southern Barbarians were no match for them; while the Southern Barbarian cavalry were indeed fierce, they were not adept at siege warfare.

With numerous county towns blocking the way, it would be extremely difficult to bypass them. Jiaozhou Prefecture was not so easy to take over; at most, only a few county towns could be captured.

Yizhou Prefecture borders Jiaozhou Prefecture. Since the situation in Songjiang County has been stable for more than a month, Ye Ci believes the news is credible.

The next day, before dawn, the sound of horses' hooves could be heard at the courtyard gate.

Ye Ci got up, changed into his close-fitting clothes, hung up his sword and bow, and went out the door.

When they went out, Jiang Ding'an was already standing there with two chestnut horses, each carrying a bulging bundle and two apricot flags of the Ping An Escort Agency.

"I've already asked my master for leave for you. You don't need to participate in the county's Mingjin Grand Competition. Come with me to pick up that woman's dog brother."

"Thank you, senior brother."

"Thank me? What are you thanking me for!"

Jiang Ding'an rolled his eyes, then his tone abruptly changed: "This job will cost you fifty taels of silver, not a penny less!"

A hint of a smile flashed across Ye Ci's eyes: "Then I thank you even more, Senior Brother."

Although Jiang Ding'an drank too much last night, he was still sober.

Seeing that Ye Ci had volunteered to go, given his personality, he naturally wouldn't let his junior brother go alone.

"Don't be so polite with me, brother. All this thanking and thanking is so annoying. Let me tell you, Jiaozhou is a very chaotic place right now. Even though the southern barbarians have retreated, there are still bandits roaming the roads. Even though you are Ming Jin, I'm worried about you going alone! It would be better if we went together, so we can look out for each other on the way."

Ye Ci smiled and said, "Although I'm only at the Ming Jin level, I can handle ordinary bandits. But my sister-in-law's worries are not unfounded. If the southern barbarians come back and her brother really gets into trouble... she'll probably have to deal with you even more. As for you, a Dark Jin martial artist, are you afraid of a few cavalry? They can't take you down..."

"I'm not afraid of the southern barbarian cavalry, but I don't like traveling alone. Otherwise, I won't even have anyone to talk to on the road. It would be great if you were willing to come along. This round trip will probably take almost twenty days. Let's ride as fast as we can and see if we can come back sooner."

Jiang Ding'an mounted his horse, pulled on the reins, and raised his chin: "Go! Hurry back, I still need to introduce you to some girls... On the way, I'll tell you about that girl from the Han family..."

Ye Ci: "..."

Throughout the day, all Ye Ci heard was the whistling wind and Jiang Ding'an's incessant chatter.

He's the kind of person who can chat even with thin air.

Once inside Jiaozhou, there were few pedestrians.

The people in the county stayed in the city, and the people in the countryside went into the mountains, leaving the villages almost empty.

They traveled at breakneck speed, not daring to linger during the day, only taking short breaks at the inns along the way to eat a few bites of dry rations and drink a few sips of hot tea before hurrying on their way again.

Tired at night, the two men, without any hesitation, rested in the wild.

On the way, they encountered several groups of robbers. Jiang Ding'an was impatient and rushed forward with his knife before they could finish speaking. With a gust of wind, he quickly cut down the leader of the robbers.

The two men ended up scrambling for a few taels of silver, which they considered an unexpected windfall.

They traveled for another two days.

The two arrived at a place called Qingniu Town.

Although this town is a rural market town and cannot compare to the prosperity of the county's inner city, it is still quite lively. Various small shops are scattered along both sides of the street, and there are occasional pedestrians coming and going, which gives it a bit of a human touch.

"Damn it, finally found a place to rest."

Jiang Ding'an reined in his horse, his voice full of sighs: "Eat something first, and catch your breath."

The two men led their horses around halfway through the streets and alleys before finding a restaurant that looked fairly clean. There weren't many customers in the restaurant; only a few tables were scattered around.

Ye Ci sized them up; most of them were dressed like traveling merchants, but some were willing to risk their lives for money.

The two found a seat by the window. Jiang Ding'an had a very loud voice, and as soon as he sat down, he shouted towards the counter:

"Shopkeeper, give me two catties of braised beef and seven or eight jugs of hot wine, the sooner the better! I'm starving!"

The waiter glanced at Jiang Ding'an:

"no."

"No?"

The shopkeeper, an elderly man, immediately stepped forward upon hearing this and apologized:

"Sir, I'm so sorry, so sorry. Recently, trade routes have been disrupted and supplies are scarce. We've already sold out of wine and meat. If you don't mind, we still have plain noodles. You can have a couple of bowls to tide you over."

Jiang Ding'an pursed his lips, looking helpless, but there was nothing he could do: "Alright, alright, whatever's served is better than eating dry rations the whole way. Two bowls of plain noodles, with extra scallions, hurry up and bring them out!"

The shopkeeper quickly agreed and turned to call the waiter to the kitchen.

Jiang Ding'an leaned back in his chair and muttered, "What bad luck! I can't even get a bite of meat."

Before the noodles were even served, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from outside the restaurant.

Ye Ci looked in the direction of the sound and saw a train of horses approaching on the main street. The riders were all dressed as martial arts practitioners.

Each of them was dressed in black, with long swords at their waists, their shoulders and backs straight as pines, and their mounts were all tall and magnificent black horses with glossy coats.

Wherever he went, pedestrians retreated to the side of the road, not daring to breathe.

In the center of the group sat a middle-aged man, about forty years old, wearing a dark blue brocade robe, with a long sword at his waist. He had a resolute face and a tall, straight posture.

The man's gaze swept across the street indifferently, and every gesture he made exuded the sharpness of a master.

"It's him!"

Jiang Ding'an's eyes were full of surprise, and his voice rose a few decibels:

"Chen Sanshou?!"

Ye Ci glanced sideways at Jiang Ding'an: "Does Senior Brother know him?"

"How could I not recognize you!"

Jiang Ding'an lowered his voice, his tone tinged with awe: "He is a top-tier martial arts master in our Songjiang County. He became a martial arts scholar at the age of eighteen, ranking first in the imperial examination. He then went on to take the national martial arts examination, but reportedly failed. He failed twice more... That's why he returned to Songjiang County and became a guest retainer of the Shen family. He usually lives a secluded life. I never expected to see him here!"

"This man is very eccentric. My father said that none of the martial arts masters in the county were his match. No one could withstand three moves from him. So, everyone called him Chen the Three-Handed."

As the two were talking, Chen San lifted the curtain of the carriage beside him, revealing the face of an old man with a face full of wrinkles but a dignified demeanor.

The old man was dressed in a brocade robe, wore a jade crown, and had a jade thumb ring on his hand. He exuded an air of nobility that came from someone who had long held a high position.

"That's...Master Shen Wanzhou?" Jiang Ding'an asked, both surprised and suspicious. "With things so chaotic outside, why is Master Shen here with Chen Sanshou?"

The Shen family?!

Among the five major families in the inner city of the county—Shen, Han, Zhao, Jin, and Zhang—the Shen family ranks first, and unexpectedly, their guard leader is a master of internal energy transformation.