Set a goal, and the system takes over the body.

Qi Xiuyuan dismounted, parted the waist-high reeds, reached out and picked up the fish bag he had hidden beforehand.

He only opened it after he was far away from the river.

The two precious fish, their golden scales shimmering in the moonlight and carrying a faint aura of the blazing sun, leaped up, opening their mouths and wagging their tails, trying to escape, but Qi Xiuyuan blocked the opening of the bag and they fell back into the fish bag.

He gathered up the fish bag, mounted his horse, and slowly headed toward a nearby dilapidated temple.

"Just as I expected."

Qi Xiuyuan thought to himself.

During the day, someone had just seen the treasure fish appear, and as a result, countless martial artists fought and struggled for it, but in the end, everyone returned empty-handed.

No one would be willing to give up so easily.

and so.

Although the city gates are closed at night, there will definitely be some unwilling warriors secretly keeping watch near the city gates to prevent anyone from taking the treasure fish back to the city under cover of darkness.

If he were to return to the vicinity of the city gate with the fish bag and wait until the city gates opened the next morning before entering the city, although he would be much safer and less likely to encounter monsters, he would also be more likely to be targeted.

The system, having taken over the body, would obviously act from the best self-interest perspective, choosing to spend the night in a dilapidated temple outside the city, and then return to the city with the flow of people at dawn.

That way it won't stand out.

This dilapidated temple has been abandoned for many years. Most of the courtyard wall has collapsed, the temple gate is crooked, and the Buddha statues inside have faded and are covered with dust.

Qi Xiuyuan placed the fish bag aside, gathered some dry firewood, and started a fire. The flames leaped up, illuminating the surroundings.

Not long after, a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder, a gale carrying moisture swept into the temple, causing the bonfire to flicker. Then, large raindrops began to fall, pattering against the broken roof tiles, quickly turning into a torrential downpour.

"Luckily there was a dilapidated temple, otherwise I would have been soaked to the bone."

Qi Xiuyuan thought to himself, but his body did not react at all. He just sat quietly next to the fish bag, his eyes fixed on the flickering flames.

"Taking over this body feels like a waste of time."

Qi Xiuyuan murmured to himself.

Under normal circumstances, he could make full use of this free time to practice martial arts and improve his proficiency.

But right now, he has no control over his body at all.

"In the future, we need to be more rigorous in setting goals. At least we should add one more: use our free time to improve our martial arts proficiency."

"Quick, there's a dilapidated temple up ahead, let's go there to take shelter from the rain!"

A loud voice rang out amidst the torrential rain, clearly audible even through the rain curtain.

Qi Xiuyuan's heart skipped a beat.

Two golden sun treasure fish were in the fish bag beside him. Although they could not be seen from the outside, if the person who came had also participated in the fish-catching during the day, he would definitely be very sensitive to things like fish bags and fish baskets.

Moreover, it is already midnight; if one were a traveler, one should have already found a place to rest.

The sudden appearance of these people here is probably suspicious.

But he remained perfectly calm, sitting there without even lifting his head.

Soon, the sound of hurried footsteps approached, followed by a knock on the door.

"Greetings, my friend inside. I am Yuan Fengchen, the head of the Weiyuan Escort Agency. I intended to travel through the night to reach Tianfu City, but unfortunately I was caught in a heavy rain. I am asking my friend for help to take shelter in the temple."

The other person's voice was deep and resonant; they were a skilled person.

However, this explanation did allow Qi Xiuyuan to breathe a sigh of relief.

He naturally knew about the Weiyuan Escort Agency.

"please."

Thank you!

Soon, the dilapidated temple door was pushed open, and a gust of wind and rain flew in, making the campfire flicker.

Weiyuan Escort Agency is not a local escort agency in Tianfu City, but it has branches in Tianfu City, has extensive connections, and its escorts are quite skilled.

These dozen or so people were all full of energy and had sharp eyes.

They filed in, each wearing a straw raincoat and carrying a goose-feather knife at their waist.

Upon entering, Yuan Fengchen's gaze swept over Qi Xiuyuan, and he immediately noticed the waist tag on Qi Xiuyuan's waist.

"So you're the young man from Qingshan Martial Arts School. I once drank with your master, Qi Qingshan. I wonder how he's been lately?"

Yuan Fengchen was a burly man with thick eyebrows and big eyes. He took off his raincoat and smiled at Qi Xiuyuan.

"My father is well." Qi Xiuyuan nodded slightly.

Yuan Fengchen was slightly surprised: "So it's Young Master Qi, my apologies for not recognizing you."

Qi Xiuyuan simply nodded again and said nothing more, appearing indifferent and taciturn.

Yuan Fengchen wanted to exchange more pleasantries, but after realizing that Qi Xiuyuan didn't seem inclined to talk, he simply smiled and said nothing more. He then arranged for the escort agency to prepare a place for them to rest.

Several bodyguards quickly gathered dry firewood and started a bonfire at the other end of the dilapidated temple.

Qi Xiuyuan simply watched calmly.

The people from the escort agency never paid any special attention to the fish bag next to him from beginning to end.

"It seems they came to Tianfu City from somewhere else and had no idea that the treasure fish had appeared."

Qi Xiuyuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Huh? Among this group of bodyguards, there's one who's actually that handsome?!"

Qi Xiuyuan was slightly surprised.

That bodyguard was almost too handsome, practically a born pretty boy, but his vitality was in no way inferior to other bodyguards.

Early the next morning.

The rain stopped, and the east began to lighten with the first light of dawn.

Yuan Fengchen and his group packed up their caravan and prepared to set off. They were not surprised to find that Qi Xiuyuan was taking the same route as them. Instead, they invited him to join them.

Along the way, they encountered some of the same people who had been to Jiang'an River the day before.

These people searched along the riverbank. Although they noticed the Weiyuan Escort Agency's team, they were wary of the agency's reputation and the nature of their escort missions, and no one dared to approach and question them rashly.

Qi Xiuyuan couldn't help but chuckle to himself.

If it weren't for the Weiyuan Escort Agency acting as a shield, he would have had to go through a lot more trouble to bring Jin Yangbaoyu back to Qingshan Martial Arts School.

This saved us a lot of trouble.

I guess I hitched a ride with them, right?

Upon entering Tianfu City, the air was filled with the warmth of breakfast stalls, and the shouts of steamed bun vendors mingled with the sounds of carriages and horses, creating a noisy atmosphere.

After saying goodbye to Yuan Fengchen and the others, Qi Xiuyuan leisurely headed towards Qingshan Martial Arts School.

"Head镖师 (镖师 is a term used to describe a镖师 who is very polite to a镖师), hasn't this Green Mountain Martial Arts School declined? I heard they haven't even taught a single disciple at the Inner Strength Realm. Why are you being so polite to him?"

The young bodyguard next to him scratched his head, looking puzzled.

Yuan Fengchen frowned and glanced at him sideways.

"How have I been teaching you all this time?"

"When we're escorting goods, we should make more good relationships and fewer enemies. We shouldn't be too short-sighted or too arrogant. The Qingshan Martial Arts School may have declined now, but it has been rooted in Tianfu City for decades, and Master Qi is a master who can make bones resonate eight times."

"If our caravan ever runs into trouble or gets stuck at a checkpoint in this area, a word from them might be more effective than us running ourselves ragged."

"Furthermore, in the world of martial arts, fortunes can change in an instant. Who can be certain that someone will never rise again? Remember, making a living as a镖行 (bodyguard/escort) is never about having a fierce reputation, but about always leaving room for maneuver and maintaining good relationships."

"Being polite today might give you more options in the future."

The young bodyguard being reprimanded had his head down, his ears slightly red.

"Captain, I understand."