Chương 106: Shunfeng Escort Agency

The Song Manor. Sitting in his room, with the Thousand Hammer Art manual laid out before him, Song Que frowned in deep thought. This martial art had terrifying defensive capabilities; for someone who cherished his life as much as he did, it was truly a perfect match. But after studying it last night, cultivating it wasn't without its flaws. First, the muscles on his body would become bulky, and having thick skin and flesh would severely affect his speed.

Thinking back to Old Xu, he knew: beaten by Boss Song until he couldn't see straight, he couldn't escape even if he wanted to. For someone like him who had always relied on agility in combat, this was indeed a bit hard to accept. Second, the process of practicing this art was truly arduous. According to the method recorded in the book, one first needed to prepare a large cauldron heated over a raging fire, filled with iron sand.

After applying a special ointment, the practitioner had to immerse themselves in the cauldron, enduring the torment of being roasted alive. Once the ointment fully dissolved, one had to come out and have someone strike their entire body with iron rods to dissipate the iron energy newly absorbed into the skin. This is f cking self-mutilation and self-torture! * Having grown accustomed to a comfortable life of fine food and clothing, Boss Song didn't know if he could persevere.

Finally, and most importantly, practicing this art practically ruined one's appearance. Imagining himself becoming like Xu Shicai in the future—with bulging muscles, pitch-black like a black bear—Song Que felt goosebumps all over. Picking up and putting down the manual several times, Boss Song ultimately gritted his teeth fiercely. Practice it! I, Boss Song, even dared to practice the pseudo-Sunflower Manual! What does this little thing count for?!

After all, the book clearly stated that upon reaching perfection, the practitioner's muscles and bones would transform from iron to steel. At that time, the body would naturally revert back to its normal appearance. Furthermore, it provided passive attributes, multiplying his toughness and hardness several times over. For a harder and tougher future, Boss Song would endure it. Besides, temporary disfigurement wasn't a bad thing.

There were plenty of lustful women out there wanting to swallow this young master and his peerless appearance alive! Sailing carefully allows one to sail for ten thousand years; if they got desperate and drugged him, he would suffer a massive loss. As for the body becoming bulky and slow, there was no way around that. But since he was far more agile than ordinary people anyway, by then he should still be roughly on par with a normal person. It was acceptable.

Having made up his mind, Song Que focused on studying the core principles. He currently lacked the necessary tools to begin cultivation, but thoroughly understanding it first was definitely not a mistake.... Past noon, just as Song Que was about to rest, a slightly tipsy Zhong Hong brought Guan Yu over for a visit. Seeing Guan Yu's legs turning to jelly from being plied with alcohol by Old Zhong, Boss Song chuckled:"Brother Guan, you still need to train your alcohol tolerance."

His face already flushed red, Old Guan awkwardly scratched his head and smiled:"Hehehe, Young Master Song, you don't know, but at the County Office, I have a reputation for being a good drinker. It's just that you brothers... hic... are too formidable!" Hearing this, Song Que and Zhong Hong burst into laughter.

"A'Que, I told him to go home and rest, but he insisted on coming here to bring you some news," Zhong Hong stood to the side, pointing at Guan Yu and shrugging with a smile. Ignoring Zhong Hong's teasing, Guan Yu earnestly grabbed Song Que's hand and asked:"Young Master Song, I heard Brother Hong say you plan to recruit some manpower, is that true?"

"Mm, that's right. Does Brother Guan have any interest in joining?" Curious as to why Guan Yu was so agitated, Boss Song tentatively extended an invitation. This Guan Yu had decent abilities, and his cultivation aptitude was passable. If he agreed to join, Song Que would absolutely raise both hands in approval. One shouldn't use the perspective of his past life to judge the image of gangs in this era.

As long as one had strength, running with a gang was absolutely not inferior to being an official; moreover, the disparity in income was like night and day. Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Need proof? Despite both being martial artists, those martial world hustlers could feast and enjoy themselves day and night. Meanwhile, a promising youth like Guan Yu couldn't even afford a lavish banquet.

"No need, no need! This lowly one is doing alright at the County Office and hasn't thought about changing places." Hearing the invitation, Old Guan immediately shook his head like a rattle-drum in refusal.

"It's like this: didn't Brother Hong mention that Young Master Song is considering acquiring an escort agency? This lowly one actually has a very good candidate in mind, so I rushed over to recommend them."

"Oh? I wonder which establishment Brother Guan is referring to?" Song Que asked curiously.

"It's the Shunfeng Escort Agency. They might not be very famous, so the two of you may not have heard of them. But their foundation is absolutely solid. They have over thirty years of escort experience and know the territories around Qinghe County like the back of their hand. It would be extremely convenient for Young Master Song to organize a merchant caravan in the future." Hearing him say this, both Song Que and Zhong Hong felt moved. For him right now, the size of the faction wasn't very important.

With him, the top expert in the county, holding the fort, developing in the future wouldn't be a problem. The most crucial thing was having personnel experienced in running merchant caravans. Since this Shunfeng Escort Agency, as Old Guan said, had thirty years of profound experience, wasn't that just perfect? Furthermore, the name wasn't bad.

'Shunfeng Express Delivery'—catchy and easy to remember. Glancing at Zhong Hong and seeing that the other party was also moved, Song Que nodded decisively:"As long as it's truly as Brother Guan says, then I have my sights set on this Shunfeng Escort Agency! But I wonder if their head escort will agree to our acquisition?" Hearing this, Guan Yu was overjoyed and said loudly, "They'll agree! They will definitely agree!"

Seeing Old Guan acting as such an enthusiastic middleman, Boss Song grew curious:"I wonder what the relationship is between Brother Guan and this Shunfeng Escort Agency...?" Hearing Song Que's question, Guan Yu scratched his head, slightly embarrassed:"I won't hide it from Young Master Song. Their boss, Head Escort Guan Xing, is my uncle. But rest assured, not a single half-word I said was false! If you two don't believe me, you can follow me now to take a look." Neither of them were hesitant people.

Since they were interested, they immediately set off, following Guan Yu to check out the Shunfeng Escort Agency. Riding horses back towards the west side of the city, twisting and turning left and right, the group finally reached their destination. Looking at the small courtyard before them, the door, which hadn't been repaired in a long time, showed signs of collapsing. On the tattered wooden signboard above, where the paint had faded, the two words 'Shunfeng' could still be vaguely made out.

Boss Song's mouth twitched, and in his mind, he thought about turning around, going home, and continuing to study martial arts.

"Young Master Song, Brother Hong, please understand. My uncle's business has hit hard times recently, and the agency has no funds for renovations, so it looks a bit shabby. But rest assured, the most important thing is that the core framework of personnel is still complete, and it can operate normally right away." Seeing their expressions change, Guan Yu knew what they were thinking and quickly explained. Since they were already here, there was no harm in looking around. The two nodded, accepting Guan Yu's words.

At this moment, he stepped forward to knock on the door. Shortly after, an old man cracked the door open and peeked out. Seeing it was Guan Yu, he smiled kindly:"Is it Young Master Yu? Why did you still need to knock?"

"Oh, so there are guests. This old man's eyes are getting worse by the day. Please, come in."

"Young Master Song, Brother Hong, this is Grandpa Xun. Grandpa Xun has been the steward for our family since my grandfather's time; it's been over forty years now." Guan Yu stepped forward to support the old man and introduced him to the two. Not lacking in courtesy, Song Que and Zhong Hong bowed in greeting:"Greetings, Grandpa Xun."

"Haha, thank you, young masters. Please, hurry inside!" Entering the courtyard, Song Que secretly evaluated the surroundings. Although all the items looked old, it was actually very clean. From the architectural style, it could be seen that this place used to be quite a nice manor; it had just gone too long without restoration or renovation. At this moment, a middle-aged man led two young men out of the house.

"A'Yu, what brings you here at this hour?"

"Uncle, Brother Ping, Brother Suo! I've brought you great news today!" Seeing the three, Guan Yu quickly stepped forward, grabbed their hands, and pulled them over, saying excitedly:"Uncle, let me introduce you. These two are my good friends, Song Que and Zhong Hong. Young Master Song, Brother Hong, this is my uncle Guan Xing, my eldest cousin Guan Ping, and my second cousin Guan Suo."

"Greetings, Uncle, and two elder brothers." Seeing Song Que and Zhong Hong cup their hands in greeting, Guan Xing and his sons did not lack martial world courtesy and hurriedly returned the greeting.

"Greetings, Young Master Song, Young Master Zhong." They then shot a questioning glance at Guan Yu. The latter gave a reassuring smile and continued:"Uncle, hasn't our agency's business been poor recently? Didn't you even say you wanted to wash your hands of it? It just so happens that Young Master Song here wants to establish a merchant caravan, so I brought him here today. If the two sides can reach an agreement, wouldn't everyone be happy?" Hearing his words, Guan Xing's eyes lit up.

It wasn't that his agency's business was poor; they hadn't had any business at all for the past few months! They had been surviving on savings accumulated from the past, and were now nearing the end of the line. If not for that, he wouldn't have thought of selling the family business left behind by his ancestors. But unfortunately, even if he wanted to sell the agency now, he couldn't find a buyer. After finally getting visitors, how could he not be happy?

However, seeing the youthful faces of Song Que and Zhong Hong, he was still somewhat doubtful:"Are the two of you truly planning to establish a merchant caravan? It's not that this old man is being overly talkative, but the current times are truly difficult. Bandit lairs have sprung up all around the county city, and not a single road is safe. It is precisely because of this that I can no longer continue and must accept finding someone to take over." Guan Xing's words were from the bottom of his heart.

A few months ago, he went on two escort missions and was robbed both times. Less than half of the goods were brought back. Because of this, he had to compensate his clients until he was bankrupt, leading to his current dire straits. Since these two youngsters were his nephew's friends, Old Guan truly didn't want to scam them.