Chapter 147: Chief Escort Ma Linlang

Qi Fei ate his fill, his eyes brimming with a smile as he mused inwardly, "Though these two burly men possess only the strength of the second stage of the Xiantian realm, they are truly wonderful people."

As for the matter of the food, given Qi Fei's immense wealth, he would certainly not let the two men suffer any loss. Having acquired the Danxia Mountain mineral vein, Qi Fei was ridiculously wealthy beyond the imagination of these people. Yet, mindful of Tong He's warning not to flash one's wealth, Qi Fei had been forced to pretend he was penniless. A single spiritual stone from that vein, meant for Daoist cultivation, would constitute a vast fortune in this mortal realm.

Ma Qingshan's carefree and bold disposition genuinely delighted Qi Fei. Qi Fei needed such people to assist him, which would prove even more helpful for the execution of his future plans. However, Qi Fei did not immediately respond to the two men's offer to pay. It was not because he wished to save the meager cost of the food—in fact, to him, that sum was less than a single hair—but rather because their magnanimity filled his heart with such profound warmth that he loomed reluctant to speak and shatter this long-lost feeling.

Some things were best understood in one's heart; voicing them constantly would only appear hypocritical. Furthermore, for Qi Fei, who looked to be around twenty years of age and out striving to make his way in the world, it did not seem appropriate to utter grand retorts at that moment. He would let the two men assume he was a novice just entering the pugilistic world with a meager purse, letting them do as they pleased. In the end, he would always find a way to repay them.

Only now did Qi Fei feel that his decision to follow the escort agency on foot was immensely correct; otherwise, he would truly have had no opportunity to experience this warmth originating from the very lowest strata of martial artists. Indeed, although the actions of Ma Qingshan and Zhang Lang a moment ago could hardly be considered a grand affair, they made Qi Fei realize that this continent was not entirely composed of mutual deceit and strife. Inadvertently, there remained a ray of warm sunlight nourishing human hearts.

After indulging in these pleasant reflections, Qi Fei temporarily lost the desire to speak. Squinting slightly at the sky and suppressing a burp, he secretly calculated that this pace of travel would likely continue for another month or so.

Qi Fei now felt that he was thoroughly enjoying this journey. Therefore, after finishing his meal and seeing the various wagon escorts calling everyone to prepare for departure, he was the first to return to his post. Yet, once the convoy had assembled, the order from the chief escort to set off failed to arrive for a long time.

Just as Qi Fei, feeling puzzled, prepared to ask Ma Qingshan what was happening, he saw Chief Li, wearing a displeased expression, accompanied by two other men dressed as escort leaders, walking towards the sixth wagon where he stood alongside a refined-looking middle-aged man. Although he had not yet carefully inspected the faces of the others besides Chief Li, from the martial aura emanating from them, Qi Fei easily deduced who had arrived.

One warrior of the third Xiantian stage and two of the first stage—aside from Chief Escort Ma Linlang, Zhang Long, and Zhou Hu, there could be no other candidates in this convoy. Yet, what was their purpose in coming over here?

Qi Fei blinked in mild surprise, intending to stand by and observe developments for a moment. To his astonishment, the tall and thin Zhang Long pointed directly at him and said, "Chief Escort, this is the fellow. Everyone says he eats more than a pig, consuming a three-man daily ration in a single meal. The dry rations we prepared were already scarce; if we let him carry on eating like this, our convoy will suffer a massive deficit in silver and coin by the end of the journey, and we won't be able to account for it when we return."

Hearing Zhang Long's unprovoked remarks, Qi Fei instantly understood the real purpose behind their visit.

"So I just ate a bit more of your grain! Is it really worth making such a fuss and mobilizing so many people over such a minor matter? Simply preposterous," Qi Fei muttered gloomily in his mind. Although he understood what they were aiming at, he grew even more perplexed. Even if he ate a bit more, the cost for the entire journey would at most amount to a few dozen silver cakes. Whether he paid out of his own pocket or someone else covered it, it was a matter no larger than a sesame seed. Why would these individuals make a special trip over this?

Qi Fei raised his head in bewilderment. Seeing the chief escort looking him up and down, the tall and thin Zhou Hu chimed in from the side, "Indeed, when I heard this morning that the lad had eaten a four-person breakfast, I didn't think much of it, but at noon people were saying he consumed over ten catties of grain and cured meat. We cannot go on like this. Chief Escort, you know that when we set out, our expenses are fixed. If we exceed the standard when reporting our accounts upon return, it might not be a major issue, but I fear being laughed at by the brothers of the other convoys."

***

While Qi Fei was still pondering the underlying motives, Chief Li couldn't help but roar angrily, "Laugh my ass! I already said that any excess silver would be paid out of my own pocket upon our return, ensuring the escort agency doesn't suffer the slightest loss. Old Zhou, Old Zhao, I reckon you two are deliberately looking for trouble. I'll handle my own people. Bringing Chief Escort here—aren't you afraid of delaying the journey and missing the delivery deadline for this consignment?"

Chief Li's shout did not anger Zhang Long in the least. Zhang Long merely retorted with a barbed remark, then continued with a calm and indifferent demeanor, "The delivery date is still far off; we departed three days ahead of schedule anyway, so delaying a moment won't hurt, will it? I believe this matter must be dealt with properly first, lest someone holding a bit of authority uses it to feather their own nest and arbitrarily insert outsiders into the escort agency to siphon off silver."

Chief Li naturally caught the hidden meaning behind Zhang Long's words. Unable to restrain himself, he cursed aloud and shouted, "What are you blabbering about, you murderous brute? Are you itching for a beating? Zhang Long, I've usually tolerated you quite enough; don't force me to get rough. If it really comes to blows, though my martial realm isn't as high as yours, with the brothers I have at my back, I can make you bitterly regret it!"

"You—" Zhang Long's face flushed crimson, as if he were about to hurl curses right back. At that moment, however, Chief Escort Ma raised a hand slightly to halt his actions, then spoke unhurriedly, "Stop, stop. I say, you two, we are brothers of the same convoy; don't make a laughingstock of yourselves in front of the subordinates. The three of you return to your respective men and prepare to set out. Let me look into this matter; I shall make a decision shortly."

With Chief Escort Ma issuing this instruction, though the three men still appeared somewhat angry, they had no choice but to bow to his authority and retreat to attend to their respective duties. The whole affair was baffling; even though Qi Fei could tell they had come because he ate too much, he still could not fathom the underlying cause. Thus, watching Chief Li cast an anxious glance toward him as he left, Qi Fei remained clueless as to what great matter could possibly be at stake here. At the very least, he failed to see how Chief Li, a seasoned escort leader, could allow himself to be cornered by Zhang Long and Zhou Hu over a matter of a few dozen silver cakes.

With Chief Escort Ma still observing him, Qi Fei had no choice but to direct a perplexed gaze toward the man. Ma Linlang had clearly been examining Qi Fei for quite some time. Seeing Qi Fei look over, he merely smiled faintly and said with a composed expression, "Little brother, come walk with me for a moment; I have a few things I'd like to ask you."

Qi Fei had no alternative but to obey. Since he was nominally a guard, he naturally had to submit to the escort chief's constraints on the surface. Hearing this, he simply shook his head indifferently, exchanged a reassuring glance with Ma Qingshan and Zhang Lang, and then followed Ma Linlang's moving footsteps toward a secluded spot some dozens of paces away.

When the two of them had walked far enough from the convoy, Ma Linlang finally stopped, turned around, and asked Qi Fei, "Brother Qi, are you a formal martial artist?"

"Huh?" This ambiguous question, suddenly posed, genuinely stunned Qi Fei for a moment. Recovering quickly, he used the excuse he had prepared beforehand. "Hehe, Chief Escort flatters me. I can hardly be considered a true martial artist; as you can see, I don't possess the slightest shred of martial aura. However, I am a practitioner of external qigong. While my strength may not quite reach tens of thousands of horsepowers, under ordinary circumstances, dealing with a second-stage Xiantian warrior is well within my grasp."

This was the identity Qi Fei had fabricated before joining Chief Li's convoy, so he spoke without the slightest hesitation.

Hearing this, a fleeting smile touched the corners of Chief Escort Ma's mouth. "Try striking me with your full strength."

Not understanding the intent behind this request, Qi Fei had no choice but to comply. Fortunately, drawing upon his abundant pre-Xiantian combat experience, even though he needed to rely purely on brute physical force, he could completely control his output. Otherwise, given his physique, let alone a third-stage Xiantian warrior standing before him, even an average Xiantian expert would likely be blasted to smithereens by a single punch.

Letting out a shout, Qi Fei drew upon the memory of a low-tier martial artist's standards and threw a punch at the chief escort with all his might—relying solely on mortal physical strength, devoid of true martial energy.

"Hah!" Qi Fei's punch, delivered without any deliberate martial technique, was easily intercepted by Chief Escort Ma's raised palm. Feeling the kinetic force contained within the man's palm, Qi Fei immediately feigned an inability to withstand the rebound force, staggering backward by five paces.

Those very five paces caused Chief Escort Ma's expression to shift slightly. Unable to hide his astonishment, he blurted out, "An exceptionally rare practitioner of external martial arts indeed! This single punch easily equals the level of a mid-tier second-rate martial artist."

Ma Linlang laughed heartily, then cast another searching, solemn look at Qi Fei. Telling him it was nothing, he instructed Qi Fei to return directly to his post.

Although this series of events was temporarily resolved, because he lacked any clues, Qi Fei still felt somewhat baffled. Though he vaguely sensed that Zhang Long and Zhou Hu had used his hearty appetite as an excuse to make things difficult for Chief Li and even draw in Chief Escort Ma, no matter how he pondered it, the logic did not hold up, nor could he deduce the slightest connection behind the entire affair.

Qi Fei strode quickly back to the wagon he was guarding. After reassuring Ma Qingshan and Zhang Lang—who wore worried expressions—that everything was fine, he spent the entire afternoon burdened with questions, losing all desire to chat idly. By the time the convoy arrived at a town named Yindian Town at dusk and accommodations were arranged, figuring he had nothing better to do that evening, Qi Fei located Chief Li's lodging and, after everyone else had settled down to rest, quietly knocked on the door.

Upon entering the room, Chief Li poured him a cup of hot tea before asking, "Brother Qi, coming to my quarters this late—is something the matter?"

Qi Fei dispensed with formalities and cut straight to the chase, asking in a low voice, "What on earth was going on with today's incident? It had neither head nor tail, and I couldn't figure out the reason, so I thought I'd come to you for some enlightenment."

"Ah, so it's about that. To be honest, Brother, you committed no wrong at all. It was just that bunch of murderous brutes stirring up trouble and making things difficult for you." Chief Li chuckled wryly. Knowing that Qi Fei was a secret plant entrusted to him by Wang Xi, he figured Qi Fei would naturally care about such matters, which was why he had come to inquire. Fortunately, owing to his connection with Wang Xi, Chief Li saw no harm in recounting the whole affair from beginning to end to Qi Fei.

So that was how it was! In the end, the incident stemmed from Qi Fei drawing too much attention to himself. As it turned out, during this escort mission, although Chief Escort Ma maintained order from above, Zhang Long and Zhou Hu—who had always been at odds with Chief Li—were constantly scheming to undermine him.

It happened that during every escort agency journey, the transport of silver and currency was sometimes involved. Therefore, apart from hired mercenaries, regular members of the escort agency were not permitted to carry any funds other than their fixed travel allowance. That rule made sense: since food provisions were uniform and expenses fixed, any logistical crisis arising from restricted, unreplenishable funds suddenly became a massive vulnerability due to Qi Fei's enormous appetite.

Of course, someone might ask: since they couldn't carry money, couldn't they borrow from someone? Given Chief Li's popularity, raising a few dozen silver cakes shouldn't have posed a problem. But precisely such an action violated one of the escort agency's strict prohibitions.

Not long ago during a previous escort run, a guard had borrowed twenty taels from a merchant. Consequently, when the convoy was ambushed by bandits and the guard was killed, no one stepped forward to settle the debt. In fury, the merchant rallied a crowd and made a tremendous public spectacle, deeply humiliating the agency. As a result, the higher-ups issued a sweeping directive: from then on, all personnel belonging to the escort agency were strictly forbidden from privately borrowing money from clients.

Put simply, Qi Fei's identity as a "meat-gorging glutton" provided Zhang Long and Zhou Hu with the perfect pretext to launch their first attack against Chief Li. And why was it only one of their motives? Naturally, because Qi Fei had been introduced by Wang Xi; Zhang Long and Zhou Hu had long detested the Wang family's domineering behavior in Yunshan City, and they seized this opportunity to deal a blow to the Wang family as well.