Starting from the pharmacy, he grew into a martial saint among men.

Chu Hong moved with lightning speed, dodging the attack in an instant.

He grabbed two homeless people next to him and threw them at the newcomer.

He concealed himself behind it, and with a flick of his wrist, a small crossbow appeared in his palm.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The newcomer sneered, thinking that Chu Hong was overestimating himself.

He threw out both fists, sending the two refugees flying.

But in the next instant, three small crossbow bolts, gleaming with a dark green light, came hurtling towards them in a triangular formation.

He was startled, but his reaction was swift.

With a simple roll of the gray cloth, three crossbow bolts were thrown to the ground, making a clinking sound.

The newcomer grinned maliciously, about to pounce, when suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his throat.

He hurriedly raised his hand to touch it, but instead touched a cold crossbow bolt.

Poison is lethal upon contact with blood.

"You...you...you have no sportsmanship!"

The man's eyes widened, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud.

Chu Hong remained calm as he stepped forward and put away the crossbow bolts.

"You've gone mad from practicing martial arts. On a battlefield of life and death, who cares about martial ethics?"

Meanwhile, the great battle was also drawing to a close.

Shi Yi truly deserves to be called a top expert among martial artists with internal strength.

Even when facing two opponents alone, he still managed to overwhelm the two leaders, forcing them into a series of defeats.

The bodyguards accompanying the shipment were all seasoned veterans with formidable strength.

Although initially disrupted by a powerful attack, causing slight disarray in their formation, they quickly stabilized the situation and even turned the tide of the battle.

Seeing that things were hopeless, the third leader shouted, "The wind's blowing hard, let's get out of here!"

Before he finished speaking, he quickly abandoned the leader of the Worry-Free Sect and left without looking back.

Upon seeing this, the altar master's expression changed drastically.

Just as he was about to escape, Shi Yi seized the opportunity and twisted his head off.

With the battle decided, the remaining refugees and bandits scattered and fled.

The bodyguards did not rush to pursue, but instead began to clear the battlefield.

"Junior Brother Chu, thank you so much!"

Senior Brother Xiao clutched his injured right arm, filled with gratitude.

He had just confronted a veteran Ming Jin expert, but his methods were not as superb as Chu Hong's.

Therefore, he still suffered a serious injury.

If it weren't for Chu Hong's timely help, he might have lost his life.

"Senior Brother Xiao is too kind. We are fellow disciples, and it is only right that we help each other."

When Chen Long was killed, Senior Brother Xiao came to help without saying a word.

How could he stand idly by when Senior Brother Xiao was in danger?

At this moment, Shi Yi strode over.

He patted Chu Hong on the shoulder heavily: "Chu Hong, you're very good!"

He had already heard about Chu Hong's feat: fighting two Ming Jin experts single-handedly and killing them both.

Not only that, he also stepped in to save his own bodyguards.

Although it was a bit of a trick, the response was extremely appropriate.

He was very satisfied with Chu Hong.

"I heard from Xiao Yi last time that you haven't found a temporary post yet."

"Our Dawei Escort Agency happens to have a vacancy. It's a half-job position with a monthly salary of three taels of silver. There are additional rewards for each escort mission depending on the contribution."

What do you think?

How could Chu Hong refuse? He immediately cupped his hands in agreement:

"Thank you, Team Leader Shi, I'm willing!"

"Hahahaha!" Shi Yi burst into laughter. "Then it's settled."

"Since you participated in the entire round trip, I'll treat you like a security escort agency. Don't run away when we get back; there's a reward for you."

The surrounding bodyguards all looked at Chu Hong with complicated expressions.

His monthly salary was three taels of silver, which was half as much as theirs.

This clearly shows how much Team Leader Shi values ​​Chu Hong.

But when they thought about Chu Hong's methods, some people couldn't help but feel dissatisfied.

Does someone who succeeds through underhanded sneak attacks deserve a few months' salary?

But even with all my might, my iron fists only yielded a mere two ounces.

You look down on me, don't you?

Hmph, wait until tomorrow's martial arts competition, I'll definitely show you what real skill is!

Xiao Yi was genuinely happy for Chu Hong and praised Shi Yi for his good judgment.

Chu Hong took the opportunity to clean up the battlefield.

Of course, his main purpose was to loot corpses.

However, the result left Chu Hong helpless.

He didn't even manage to collect a single tael of silver from the three Ming Jin martial artists he killed.

As for the martial arts techniques he had imagined, he hadn't even seen a trace of them.

"Junior Brother Chu, they're not stupid."

"Who would carry valuables on their person while committing murder and robbery?"

Chu Hong was slightly taken aback, and asked in disbelief:

Shouldn't valuables be kept close to the body?

Xiao Yi laughed and said, "Junior Brother Chu, you've misunderstood."

"Carrying valuables on your person may seem safe, but it's not actually that way."

"Think about it, if they launch a surprise attack on us and win, that's fine, but if they lose, wouldn't we be aiding the enemy?"

He went on to explain.

This murder and robbery naturally created enmity between the two sides.

By aiding the enemy, the enemy will become even stronger.

If he were to come back and seek revenge against their organization later, wouldn't he have made a grave mistake?

Moreover, it's always inconvenient to carry valuables with you, and if you lose them, it would be a huge loss.

Therefore, many people will hide them in secret places and retrieve them only when needed.

After listening to Xiao Yi's explanation, Chu Hong suddenly realized what was going on.

He touched the "Swift Steps" booklet he was carrying, looking a little embarrassed.

"Junior brother, you don't really carry it with you, do you? Aren't you tired?"

Xiao Yi burst into laughter.

Chu Hong was "annoyed" and pulled Xiao Yi up for a sparring match.

Xiao Yi quickly begged for mercy.

Before long, the carriage set off again.

After that, the journey was smooth, and they never encountered any more foolish bandits.

However, because of the light drizzle, the muddy road became difficult to travel on.

This caused the travel speed to slow down considerably.

It was already evening of the second day when we entered Yunxi County.

"Brother Chu, we're going to reward those who have contributed to the cause tonight, so you'd better hurry back."

Upon entering the city, Chu Hong proposed leaving the group.

He dared not delay too much over the task assigned by that important figure.

In particular, the gray-clad man from the Wuyou Sect demanded that he hand over what he possessed.

Clearly, this thing is extraordinary.

Chu Hong repeatedly assured him that he would definitely come back.

He turned and headed towards the inner city.

After showing his temporary pass to enter the inner city, Chu Hong saw the scene of the inner city for the first time.

The inner city was completely different from the chaotic and filthy outer city.

Clean and tidy was Chu Hong's first impression.

There was also a faint fragrance in the air, which made people feel refreshed.

There weren't many pedestrians on the street, but they were all well-dressed and walked with ease.

In the corners of the streets and alleys, you can't see any thugs or beggars at all.

Everything was in perfect order and the rules were strict.

Chu Hong took a deep breath and quickly walked to the front of a restaurant.

The small porcelain bottle was handed to the contact person according to a specific code.

Without lingering for a moment, they returned to the outer city.

The Chu family would certainly benefit from working for that important figure.

However, his father had never mentioned it, so Chu Hong had no idea what he could get.

When they returned to Dawei Escort Agency, everyone had been waiting for a long time.

Shi Yi gathered all the bodyguards together and announced:

"First, let us observe a moment of silence for the five bodyguard brothers who tragically lost their lives while protecting the goods!"

Everyone was solemn and respectful, without the slightest perfunctory attitude.

Those who work as镖师 (bodyguards/escorts) live by the constant threat of death.

Therefore, respecting others is also respecting oneself.

Two of the bodyguards who died this time were Ming Jin martial artists, and Shi Yi will compensate their families as promised.

After it was all over.

Shi Yi then made a significant announcement: rewards would be given for those who had contributed.

The originally dejected and heavy atmosphere instantly became lively again.

"Wang Wenyuan, you have killed a total of five bandits. You will be rewarded with one tael of silver."

"Li Desheng, you have killed three bandits and wounded Ming Jin. You are hereby rewarded with two taels of silver."

"Xiao Yi, you have killed a total of five bandits and assisted in killing Ming Jin. You are hereby rewarded with four taels of silver."

Xiao Yi smiled as he accepted the silver, then turned to look at Chu Hong with gratitude.

Without Chu Hong's help, he wouldn't have survived to receive the reward.

All of this was brought to him by Chu Hong.

Shi Yi read out more than twenty names one after another, but Chu Hong was not mentioned yet.

Everyone knows that Chu Hong is the greatest contributor.

Therefore, everyone held their breath, eager to know how much reward he would receive.

"Chu Hong, plan to eliminate the bandits..."