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

A heated conflict was steadily suppressed because of Shi Potian's appearance and Chu Hong's challenge to Zhou Mingrui.

The news sent shockwaves through the martial arts community of the county once again.

A newly promoted Dark Force expert has surprisingly challenged a strong competitor in this year's martial arts competition.

This grand event stirred the hearts of all martial artists preparing for the martial arts examination.

Everyone was eager to see what their future opponents would be like.

No one doubted Chu Hong's abilities; they believed that Chu Hong's ability to propose such a condition was definitely not an exaggeration.

After all, Chu Hong had only been practicing the Dark Force technique for a month when he defeated Zhang Yang.

In another month, he might actually be able to defeat Zhou Mingrui.

-----------------

The matter with Dawei Escort Agency has come to a temporary end, and Chu Hong did not return home after saying goodbye.

Instead, they disguised themselves, discreetly passed through the alleys, and arrived at a secluded courtyard outside the city.

This is Huang Cheng's residence.

Through the simple wooden fence, Chu Hong saw the doctor at the clinic with a cold face:

"Master Huang, I run a medical clinic, not a charity."

"If you don't pay the consultation fee soon, my clinic will soon have to close down."

In the end, he could only sigh helplessly: "I heard that Dawei Escort Agency wants to recruit you, you should go quickly."

"Fifty taels of silver. If you buy the Hundred Herbs Pill, your daughter's illness can be cured."

"Dawei Escort Agency offers good benefits, and you can pay back our money quickly."

Huang Cheng paused for a moment, without giving a direct answer.

He simply stated that he would pay off the debt as soon as possible so as not to make things difficult for the clinic.

After the doctor left the clinic, Huang Cheng stood at the entrance of the courtyard, thinking of his bedridden daughter, his fists clenching and unclenching.

How could he not want to go to Dawei Escort Agency immediately?

But Zhang Yang had made it clear to him that as long as he was still under contract, he could not go anywhere.

Even if I die, I want to die at the Tianshui Escort Agency.

Huang Cheng had no choice but to stay at the Tianshui Escort Agency for another month.

But thinking about the drastic changes in the conflict between the two sides today, he felt uneasy.

"Sigh, I wonder if Dawei Escort Agency will still want me a month from now."

"Why should Master Huang worry? Our Great Power Escort Agency keeps its word."

"Don't say a month, even a year, I'll wait for you."

A familiar voice rang in my ears.

Huang Cheng was startled, only to find a stranger standing in front of him.

"Chu...Chu Hong?" Huang Cheng was somewhat uncertain.

"It's me! Won't Master Huang invite me in for a seat?"

"Please come in, please come in!" Huang Cheng stepped aside and invited Chu Hong inside.

The interior layout was simple.

Two cracked chairs, a wardrobe, a wooden table, and a bed were all that was there.

A seven or eight-year-old girl lay on the bed, her face pale and extremely weak.

The bedding was clean and fluffy, without the musty smell Chu Hong had imagined.

It's hard to imagine that, as a master of hidden strength, his family was so poor.

Huang Cheng brought a chair for Chu Hong to sit down, and awkwardly rubbed his hands together.

"Brother Chu... Brother Chu, you've come to see me... Is there anything I can do for you?"

One doesn't visit the temple without a reason.

Today, Chu Honggang offered him a large sum of money to join the Dawei Escort Agency, so he's here to find him now.

And this was under the circumstances that the two major escort agencies had made a one-month agreement.

No one would believe that Chu Hong came without a reason.

Instead of stating his purpose directly, Chu Hong curiously pointed to the little girl on the bed:

"Master Huang, what exactly is the situation with your daughter?"

Upon hearing this question, Huang Cheng fell silent.

He stared intently at the sleeping girl, shaking his head and sighing.

"Master Huang, please tell us, the child's illness cannot be delayed."

Huang Cheng hesitated for a moment before speaking in a hoarse voice, "Ning'er's illness is actually caused by a kind of poison..."

It turns out that Huang Cheng's daughter, Huang Ning, was bitten by a fish-tailed snake when she was four years old.

This poison is usually not fatal, and can be cured quickly if the symptoms are treated correctly.

But his daughter's poison seemed to be different; many kinds of medicine were ineffective.

He consulted many doctors and tried many medications, but now his daughter can only stay awake for two or three hours each day, and the rest of the time she can only lie in a coma in bed, completely unconscious.

"Master Huang, I just heard the doctor say that the Hundred Herbs Pill can cure your daughter's illness. Is that true?"

Huang Cheng nodded and said, "Several doctors have said the same thing."

"The Hundred Herbs Pill is a divine detoxifying pill produced by the Hundred Medicines Pavilion. It can eliminate toxins that are not left by demonic beasts or exotic species."

"I also went to the Hundred Medicines Pavilion to ask, and they said that this condition can indeed be treated."

"Then why..." Chu Hong pointed at the little girl, "why hasn't Master Huang gone to buy it in all these years?"

According to Chu Hong's thinking, Huang Cheng's Tianshui Escort Agency has been escorting goods for many years. Even if the monthly salary here is low, he should be able to scrape together enough silver to buy the Hundred Herbs Pill.

How come we're still in such a predicament?

Upon hearing this, Huang Cheng's face showed a bitter expression, and he paused for a long while before speaking:

"The Tianshui Escort Agency is not doing well, and in addition, the agency often bullies and deducts from monthly wages, so the amount of silver that can be taken in each month is very small."

"But in the early stages, I found many doctors for Ning'er, which cost a lot of money, and I also had to pay a large portion of the bills on credit. They often came to collect the debts."

"So... Brother Chu, you saw it too."

Huang Cheng spread his hands, looking helpless.

Chu Hong understood Huang Cheng's situation, but he still had questions.

"Master Huang said the escort agency is bullying you. You are rare and valuable escorts from the Tianshui Escort Agency. How dare they bully you?"

"Aren't you afraid you'll all run away?"

"They're not afraid," Huang Cheng nodded. "It's all my fault for not reading carefully back then. The escort agency's contract is very strict. If we dare to run away, they'll report us to the authorities, and the county government will send troops to arrest us."

This was completely unexpected for Chu Hong.

Just how deadly must the contract be to warrant the county government's intervention in the arrests?

"So what are your plans now?" Chu Hong asked, still shocked.

Since Tianshui treated Huang Cheng this way, Chu Hong felt he could steer the conversation toward the main topic.

Huang Cheng replied firmly, "Don't worry, Brother Chu, I will definitely report to Dawei Escort Agency in a month!"

Living in Yunxi County, how could he not know that Dawei Escort Agency was famously generous?

After each escort mission, when rewards were distributed based on merit, sometimes the amount of silver he received was more than he could earn in several months of hard work.

How could he not be envious?

However, in order to repay Zhang Dawei's kindness, he was tricked into joining the Tianshui Escort Agency.

They wanted to leave but found they couldn't escape; they could only wait until the contract ended.

Otherwise, he would have switched to Dawei Escort Agency long ago, and there wouldn't be so many problems.

"Don't worry, Master Huang, you can come anytime you want."

"Alright! Thank you very much, Brother Chu!" Huang Cheng bowed and thanked him.

Seeing that the time was right, Chu Hong finally got to the point and quietly asked:

"Master Huang, may I ask, having worked at the Tianshui Escort Agency for many years, have you ever transported any special goods?"

"What makes you say that, Brother Chu?" Huang Cheng's spirits lifted, and he sat up straight.

"During his escort missions, did Master Huang transport any special goods or come into contact with any unusual people?"

"Or rather, the destinations of some of the goods being transported are unusual, and so on."

Huang Cheng glanced at Chu Hong subtly, frowned and pondered for a moment, but then spoke:

"Brother Chu, your question is too direct. I am now a bodyguard at the Tianshui Escort Agency, and I must keep it a secret."

"But don't worry, Brother Chu, I'll keep it a secret for you. Just pretend you didn't ask this question."

Chu Hong frowned.

He thought he could quickly break through Huang Cheng's defenses, but he never expected Huang Cheng to have such character, which made him misjudge the development of the event.

It seemed the timing wasn't right, so Chu Hong thought for a moment and didn't press the matter further.

He took out a silver note with fifty taels written on it and handed it to Huang Cheng:

"Master Huang, the child's condition cannot be delayed. Take this silver note and use it to save the child."

"I'll be waiting for you at Dawei Escort Agency."