Martial Arrogance Dragon Soul-Chapter 259 - 247: Escorting the Convoy_2

Along the way, Qin Qing appreciated different landscapes and shared laughter and conversations with Old Yang and Zhang Ding, the three of them making their journey together.

Zhou Wanfu would occasionally join the chat as well.

When the chatter subsided from time to time, everyone would fall silent and simply continue on their way. It was during these moments that Qin Qing would quietly practice his cultivation, perceiving the Heavenly Soul Power and absorbing the Spiritual Energy of the world around him.

The others spoke very little.

Especially the pair of youngsters, who seemed to intentionally keep their distance from everyone else.

Every time they rested, the two of them would maintain a certain distance from the rest of the group.

On the third day,

they reached a mountainous area.

According to the map, this should be the last pass before leaving Tianjue County City.

There was a large pass in this mountain range called Wanshan Pass.

Beyond Wanshan Pass lay the true Northern Borderlands.

However, just as the team left Wanshan Pass, a series of whistling noises suddenly surrounded them.

Dozens of horses charged from all directions, encircling the entire caravan within moments.

"Not good! Bandits!" Zheng Baohe whispered.

"It’s the bandits from Heifeng Stockade!" Lu Ping spoke up.

"Esteemed escorts, what should we do? My mother is waiting for me to bring these medicinal herbs back home, sell them, and get married. If these Heifeng Stockade bandits take everything, what will I use to get married?" Zhang Ding said anxiously.

"Don’t panic!"

Old Yang, on the other hand, remained very calm.

It was apparent that Old Yang had traversed this path many times before and had encountered bandits and desert raiders on several occasions.

"Bandits are after money. As long as we pay them a toll, they won’t cause us trouble," Old Yang said.

By this time, the bandits from Heifeng Stockade had completely surrounded the merchant convoy.

"Escort Zheng, long time no see!"

The leader of the bandits was a rugged-looking young man, seemingly no more than thirty years of age.

"Third Boss! It has been a long time!" greeted Zheng Baohe, cupping his hands in salute, "Since we’re old acquaintances, how about we forget this encounter?"

"Forget it?" The bandit leader laughed upon hearing Zheng Baohe’s words, "What are you talking about, Escort Zheng? I don’t understand. As you can see, I’ve got so many brothers to feed. How can I afford an empty trip?"

"So, Third Boss, the usual rate? One hundred taels?" asked Zheng Baohe.

Old Yang and Zhang Ding listened quietly to the conversation between Zheng Baohe and the bandit leader.

If it was only one hundred taels, it could be seen as paying for safe passage, and that they could accept.

"One hundred taels is the going rate. Since Escort Zheng and this Third Boss know each other, there shouldn’t be any trouble," Old Yang said.

For these merchants risking the Border Pass, safety was of the utmost importance. Preserving one’s life was crucial, and if that meant making less profit, so be it.

Typically, the bandits understood this principle as well.

They usually wouldn’t start trouble unnecessarily, as hurting or killing their own men did no good either.

If they could earn money by simply shouting and intimidating, why not do it?

And it was also a matter of fishing with a long line...

There were regular encounters, and even if they earned less from time to time, business could continue as the people passing the Border Pass came in a steady stream, which was a long-term plan.

But this time...

The Third Boss from Heifeng Stockade didn’t seem to think the same.

"Escort Zheng, based on the past rates, one hundred taels should suffice. But recently, Heifeng Stockade needs to undertake a major venture and urgently requires money. So one hundred taels is indeed too little. Add some more!" the Third Boss said.

"How much more?" asked Zheng Baohe.

"This much! I only want this much!" said the Third Boss, extending a finger and waving it, "One thousand taels!"

"What?"

Upon hearing the Third Boss’s demand, everybody’s faces changed.

One thousand taels was no small sum.

"I see your merchant convoy is not small in size, so gathering a thousand silver taels shouldn’t be a problem, right?" the third-in-command of Heifeng Stockade chuckled.

Hearing that these bandits from Heifeng Stockade were demanding a thousand silver taels, many furrowed their brows tightly.

"This...they’re actually demanding a thousand taels!" Zhou Wanfu complained, his brow furrowed and face pained, as he coaxed Old Yang, "Old Yang, go talk to them, let them cut it down a bit!"

Old Yang’s salt-and-pepper eyebrows were also furrowed, and upon hearing Zhang Wanfu’s words, he clasped his hands towards the bandits and said, "Gentlemen? A thousand taels is really a bit much, can you take less?"

"Take less?" Another bandit heard Old Yang’s words and immediately raised an eyebrow, "Taking less isn’t impossible, but it involves stabbing you a couple more times and letting some more blood. How about that?"

Old Yang instantly fell silent.

The third-in-command shouted again, "A thousand taels, stop wasting words. Any more nonsense won’t be as simple as a thousand taels. If we have to make a move, we’ll take all the goods of your convoy, and killing a couple more of you will just be an incidental matter."

"Fine! A thousand taels it is, gather it up. Everyone pitch in a little silver, a thousand taels will do!" At this time, Lu Ping spoke to Old Yang and the others.

"But... Escort Leader Lu, it’s not like that... When we hired the escort, it was agreed that if any trouble arose on the way, you were to take responsibility. If we encountered bandits, you were to protect all of our goods."

"Now that the bandits are demanding a passage fee, it shouldn’t just fall on us, should it?" Old Yang said.

"Yes!" Zhang Ding nodded and said, "Even if we are to pay a thousand taels, your escort agency should contribute a portion."

At the words of Old Yang and Zhang Ding, Lu Ping’s face instantly turned dark.

"For us to pay a portion?" Lu Ping sneered, "Or how about we just go back to Tianjue now, and you deliver your goods to Northern Pass by yourselves?"

"Brothers, shall we go?" Lu Ping called out to the others.

The other escorts turned to leave.

Zheng Baohe stared at Old Yang with a mocking sneer and was about to leave directly.

"Hey, hey!" At this moment, Zhou Wanfu hastily called out, "Escort Leader Zheng, don’t rush. Let’s talk this over nicely."

Zhou Wanfu quickly grabbed hold of Zheng Baohe while scolding Old Yang and the others, "Old Yang, what are you saying? The gentlemen of Heifeng Stockade are only asking for a thousand taels because of Escort Leader Zheng’s face!"

"If it weren’t for Escort Leader Zheng, all our goods would have been looted. It’s even possible we’d be left with neither goods nor lives. You don’t appreciate Escort Leader Zheng’s help and still expect him to pay, how is that possible?"

Zhou Wanfu stood beside Zheng Baohe, his face full of obsequiousness, as he coldly scolded Old Yang and the others.

Old Yang was at a loss for words, his gaze turning to Qin Qing for advice.

"A thousand taels it is then, let’s gather it up!"

Qin Qing didn’t really mind; the money was of little consequence to him.

His identity as a merchant from the borderlands was nothing more than a disguise, and once they were a few days away from reaching Wu City, he wouldn’t need to hide anymore.

"Feng Yu!" At this point, Escort Leader Zheng addressed Qin Qing, "A thousand silver taels, you, Old Yang, and Zhang Ding, three people, pay six hundred!"

"What?"

Old Yang and Zhang Ding were both taken aback.

The three of them were to pay six hundred taels?

"Why’s that?"

"Zhou Wanfu’s goods are the most, and if we go by the quantity of this escort mission, Zhou Wanfu should pay the most. There’s no way it should be the three of us paying six hundred taels!" Old Yang argued.

"If you don’t want to pay, you can leave my escort team now!" Zheng Baohe sneered.

They had Old Yang and the others in their clutches now.

Old Yang and his group were like pawns suspended in midair, unsure whether to advance or retreat.

The moment he voiced his exit from the escort, the bandits of Heifeng Stockade would immediately plunder his tobacco clean.

"This time, I’ve truly encountered a nefarious escort..." Anger bubbled within Old Yang, but he dared not express it openly.

"Forget it!" Qin Qing interjected at that moment, "Old Yang, Zhang Ding, I’ll pay the six hundred taels of silver."

"How can this be?" Old Yang disagreed.

"Old Yang, you only have so many goods; you won’t make much. Zhang Ding needs to save up for a wife. For me, it’s just a bit less profit. Stop arguing with me!" Qin Qing said, taking out a silver note of six hundred taels.

Seeing Qin Qing willingly produce the whole six hundred taels, Zheng Baohe and the few other escorts just smiled and didn’t say a word, but the mockery was clear.

Perhaps in their eyes, Qin Qing’s action was incredibly foolish.

With the six hundred taels provided by Qin Qing, Zhou Wanfu and the others managed to collect the remaining four hundred.

The bandits of Heifeng Stockade quickly left with the thousand silver taels in their possession, howling with laughter.

As for the merchant convoy, it passed through Wanshan Pass and continued to tread towards Northern Pass...