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

What?!

Shi Potian stared wide-eyed at Chu Hong in disbelief.

He actually used such a valuable item on himself.

"Brother Chu, how can this be? That pill is so precious, it would be a real waste to use it on me."

Shi Potian felt a deep pain in his heart.

That's a life-saving pill! Wouldn't it be better for Chu Hong to keep it for himself?

Chu Hong sat down next to Shi Potian and said with a hearty laugh:

"Senior Shi, don't talk about waste or not."

"If it weren't for Brother Shi Yi, I wouldn't be where I am today. How could I ever forget such a life-saving grace?"

"Besides, it's just a pill, meant to save lives, so it's perfect for Senior Shi."

Shi Potian was impressed by Chu Hong's magnanimity.

Honestly, if it were him, even if he had been saved, it would be difficult for him to repay such a life-saving elixir.

But Chu Hong, on the other hand, not only took it out and used it, but also seemed completely unconcerned.

Such composure made him feel ashamed.

A short while later.

Shi Potian's expression finally calmed down.

Only then did Chu Hong ask about the situation outside.

Shi Lin sighed and said, "Tianshui Escort Agency and we have never gotten along, but because my father is there, they have always kept a low profile and avoided trouble, so our two families are relatively harmonious."

"They only showed their fangs when they saw my father fall seriously injured."

Chu Hong asked, puzzled, "Does someone with the Transformation Realm really exist behind them?"

Shi Lin nodded and told Chu Hong that the Tianshui Escort Agency did indeed have a powerful expert backing it.

Standing behind the Tianshui Escort Agency is the Hong Family Martial Arts School.

Zhou Mingrui, the senior disciple of Hong Family Martial Arts School, announced this morning that he has partnered with Tianshui Escort Agency, and that all disciples of Hong Family Martial Arts School can now enter Tianshui Escort Agency for "training" and temporary positions.

With their newfound backing, they desired more people and a larger share of the routes. Coincidentally, Dawei Escort Agency ran into trouble, which is why they set their sights on Dawei.

"But why didn't they announce it earlier or later, but of all times?"

Chu Hongxin was puzzled; the timing of the Hong Family Martial Arts School's visit was too clever.

If both companies had expressed interest beforehand, they should have announced it in advance and competed against each other.

Why wait until news of Shi Potian's injury spreads before announcing the collaboration?

Are they afraid of Shi Potian?

Shi Lin said, "I don't know either, but that's the situation right now."

"Brother Chu, as you can see, without my father to keep things under control at our Dawei Escort Agency, and with my uncles and elders out there making escorts, all those escorts have gone to the Tianshui Escort Agency."

"Even some of the older staff who have worked at the security escort agency for many years are like this."

The trees fell and the hozens scattered.

Without a powerful backer, the people below felt unsafe staying there and naturally went to find a safer place.

Their departure is understandable.

"If that's the case, just let those people leave. Why did the Tianshui Escort Agency have to set up a challenge and make a scene? Would they be so unwise?"

Shi Lin shook his head, indicating that he had been busy trying to retain the镖局 (bodyguard agency) guards and had not specifically inquired about the reason.

Shi Lin stood up and was about to walk out.

"We can't wait any longer. Let me announce my father's recovery first and stabilize the situation."

Just as he was about to leave, Chu Hong grabbed him and said, "Brother Shilin, don't rush to announce it."

"I have a feeling there might be some scheming behind this. Let's not reveal Senior Shi's recovery yet, let's wait and see."

Shi Lin was also shrewd; after hearing what Chu Hong said, he did not take any action.

He was so busy that he didn't think much about it and just wanted to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.

After hearing Chu Hong's explanation, Shi Lin clapped his hands loudly: "Brother Chu, what do you suggest we do?"

Chu Hong frowned and thought for a while, then said:

"Brother Shilin, besides setting up a fighting ring outside, what else have they said?"

Shi Lin pondered for a moment, then took out a letter from his pocket.

"They did send in a letter, but I've been too busy to read it."

Chu Hong opened the letter and examined it carefully.

The above only mentioned one thing: that the Dawei Escort Agency must hand over the core route leading to the Azure Dragon Mansion.

They then let Dawei Escort Agency go, leaving it to fend for itself.

Otherwise, Dawei Escort Agency can forget about escorting goods again.

The paper was full of threats.

You have to understand that escorting goods isn't something you can just do with a few horse-drawn carriages. You have to cultivate relationships in various places, obtain travel permits, and establish outposts.

Otherwise, if they do something wrong in any way, they will be detained and repatriated by the local county government or other official forces.

The Shi family's core route is the lifeline of the escort agency, and it is highly profitable.

If they hand it over, the escort agency can forget about operating anymore.

Chu Hong tapped on the letter and pondered, "Do they really have that kind of courage?"

"How dare they openly declare their intention to attack the escort team? Aren't they afraid we'll spread this message?"

Shi Potian snorted coldly and said, "They have the Hong Family Martial Arts School behind them, so of course we're not afraid."

"Moreover, with just this one letter, they could say it's merely a verbal threat to my Dawei Escort Agency, and they don't actually intend to do anything about it."

"And they could deny that these are their letters, or even accuse us of forgery and slander."

Shi Lin added, "They set up a fighting ring outside the door to provoke us and make us fight them."

"Then they'll take the opportunity to claim that we're really no good and suppress us again."

"But my uncles and elder brother haven't returned from their escort mission yet, and I'm really no match for them. Plus, I was busy dealing with things at the escort agency, so I didn't bother with them."

Chu Hong nodded and asked, "Who is that person on the stage?"

Shi Lin told Chu Hong that the person on the stage was Zhang Yang from the Tianshui Escort Agency.

He had been cultivating his internal strength for five years, constantly refining his qi and blood, preparing to win the title of Martial Arts Scholar in this martial arts examination.

Seeing that Chu Hong was somewhat tempted, Shi Lin quickly dissuaded him:

"Brother Chu, Zhang Yang isn't some half-baked amateur like Pang Hai. He's mastered two different martial arts styles. Don't be impulsive."

He told Chu Hong that Zhang Yang was a true veteran of the Dark Force, and had killed several Dark Force practitioners under his command.

In the previous martial arts examination, he ranked 26th, only 14 places away from achieving academic success.

His strength has increased again in this martial arts examination, and he has a great chance of succeeding.

"Mastered both martial arts styles?" Chu Hong nodded, stood up, and said, "Looks like a formidable opponent."

"Come on, Brother Shi, let's go out and take a look!"

Chu Hong did not act impulsively.

He wanted to spar with Zhang Yang to test his own abilities and estimate his position in the martial arts department.

After all, with such a grand event as the Martial Arts Competition approaching, if one does not accurately assess one's own strength beforehand, one may suffer losses due to arrogance.

Secondly, he wanted to investigate the Tianshui Escort Agency to see if there were any loopholes that he could exploit to gather information.

"Kid Chu, if you can fight, then fight. Don't be reckless."

Chu Hong nodded and walked out.

As soon as they stepped out of the gate, they saw Zhang Yang, who was on the arena, suddenly become energetic.

"Yo, Shi Lin, you finally dare to show your face?" He smiled disdainfully and pointed at the bodyguard standing by the arena.

"Look, these are all the new bodyguards from our Tianshui Escort Agency. Thank you so much, Dawei Escort Agency, for training so many experienced bodyguards for us, hahaha."

The bodyguards who had left earlier stood on the Tianshui side of the crowd, looking quite proud.

Zhang Yang's close-up sarcasm and mockery further fueled Shi Lin's anger.

Chu Hong quickly raised his hand to stop him and stepped forward, saying:

"Zhang Yang, isn't what your Tianshui Escort Agency has done a bit too far?"

"Competition among security escort agencies is common, but to so blatantly block the entrance like this seems a bit too much."

Zhang Yang glanced at Chu Hong indifferently and sneered:

"Chu Hong, do you really think that just because you've become that so-called nominal disciple, you can run rampant in Yunxi County?"

"Let me tell you, the power of a nominal disciple isn't as great as you think; otherwise, wouldn't the world be in chaos?"

"Go back to where you belong and don't interfere in our affairs! Otherwise, my fists won't care whether you're a disciple or not!"