Chapter 140
Chapter 140
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 140
>Chapter Title: Escort Agency
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In the inn's backyard, Gouwa bristled at Chun Xiaoman's words.
"What's wrong with just knowing one move? Ever heard of 'one trick fresh, eat all over the sky'? One move can still split someone in half."
Chun Xiaoman snorted coldly, her right foot stepping into a bow stance as her sword instantly cleared its sheath. She thrust straight at Gouwa with a flat stab.
Before Gouwa could react, the sword tip halted right before his nose.
With a "clang," the sword slid back into its sheath. Chun Xiaoman turned and walked away without a word.
Glancing at Yang Kid watching from the side, the embarrassed Gouwa flushed red. "That was a sneak attack. If it were real, she might not beat me."
Seeing Chun Xiaoman already leaving the inn courtyard, Yang Kid nodded vigorously at Gouwa. "Yeah, yeah, yeah, Senior Brother Cao Cao is right."
After buttering up Gouwa until he was grinning from ear to ear, Yang Kid slipped away to catch up.
By the time he found Chun Xiaoman on the street, she had already reached the entrance of a large compound flying an escort flag.
He hurried his steps and followed her inside.
Glancing at the Daoist boy beside her, Chun Xiaoman said, "Don't wander off. Times are chaotic now, and there are plenty of beggars snatching kids."
"Got it. I'll be careful next time, Senior Sister. Can you let me tag along this time? I'll just watch, no troublemaking, I swear."
Seeing the plea in Yang Kid's eyes, Chun Xiaoman said nothing more.
The escort agency was huge but crammed full, the courtyard packed with horse-drawn carts and ox carts.
"So many people here," Yang Kid said, dodging a pile of horse dung in front of him.
"That's normal. The more chaotic the world, the more money escort agencies make. If the whole realm were at peace, there'd be no need for them."
Just as Chun Xiaoman finished speaking, a sturdy man in short attire approached them. He was tall—two full heads taller than her—and strode with a fierce, tiger-like vigor.
Stopping before them, he quickly sized up the woman in the black veil, then cupped his hands heavily in salute, his face breaking into a three-parts smile. "Does the lady wish to commission an escort?"
"This humble girl practices martial arts too. I've heard that any escort agency worth its salt has escorts with formidable skills, so I've come to exchange pointers and spar a bit."
Hearing Chun Xiaoman's blunt words, the escort before her froze. He'd encountered such requests before, but a woman coming to exchange pointers? That was a first.
After a moment's thought, he cupped his hands again. "Lady, as the saying goes, 'no good comes from cursing mouths or punching fists.' I think we should skip this. As you can see, the agency's busy, and most escorts are out on runs."
Chun Xiaoman wasn't surprised. Why would a businessman brawl with her for free?
She rummaged in her bosom for a bit, pulled out a tael of silver, and offered it. "This girl is self-taught. Please give me some pointers."
"This..." Seeing her insistence on sparring, Wang Chengxing hesitated—not over the silver, but wondering at her motives.
He worried she was faking an exchange to feign weakness, then boast of victory.
The Jade Valor Escort Agency had so many branches because its escorts could fight. Losing to a young woman would ruin their reputation on the rivers and lakes.
"What's this girl's background? Some expert hired by Guangsheng Escort Agency to sabotage us? Business is booming these days—do those big-blade swingers still need to steal turf?"
Escorts weren't just fighters; they were sharp too. In no time, Wang Chengxing devised a plan to defuse the crisis.
He reached out and took Chun Xiaoman's silver, then said, "Since the lady insists, please follow me."
They passed the parked carts, crossed the bustling hall, and Wang Chengxing led them to the backyard.
The unfamiliar surroundings made Yang Kid instinctively edge closer to Chun Xiaoman. "Senior Sister, they won't try anything shady, right...?"
Surveying the area, Chun Xiaoman shook her head. "This is an escort agency, not a bandit den. They value reputation above all. A bad name means no more commissions."
Behind the lively agency lay a spacious backyard. A weapon rack nearby held all sorts of arms, while youths and young men in black short attire sparred or trained their strength—it was a proper training ground.
"You lot, come here!" At Wang Chengxing's shout, everyone in the yard dropped what they were doing and gathered.
"Good day, Uncle Wang!"
"Uncle-Master!"
"Master, eaten yet?"
Wang Chengxing scanned the crowd and pointed at a taciturn youth. "You, Tianci. Step out and spar with this lady. Remember, it's an exchange—stop at contact."
With that, he pulled another over to guard the entrance, keeping outsiders away.
This plan had two benefits. First, even a loss stayed private, no harm to the agency's name.
Second, if her backers challenged them, they could claim it was just an apprentice who lost—perfectly normal.
And he wasn't lying: Tianci was gifted and diligent, rivaling some veteran escorts, but officially, he was still just a junior.
Gazing at the youth curiously eyeing her, Chun Xiaoman didn't fuss. She just needed an opponent to test her progress these past days.
As she went to draw her sword, she noticed the boy was unarmed and felt using metal was inappropriate—too risky if they connected.
Luckily, the training ground had weapons aplenty. A polished bamboo sword was handed to her.
The youth didn't take a sword; he hefted a long rattan shield. It was odd-shaped—wide at the top, narrow below, with two protruding wooden spikes at the front like beast fangs.
Seeing him raise the bizarre shield into stance,
Chun Xiaoman frowned slightly, lifted her sword, and probed with a parallel-step straight thrust.
"Thud~!" The wooden sword struck the rattan shield with a muffled thud.
The youth swiftly unloaded the force downward, then shook it forward. Chun Xiaoman's sword was instantly deflected.
Seizing her wide-open guard, he stepped forward with his right foot, shoved hard with both hands, and the shield's wooden spikes thrust straight for her throat.
Chun Xiaoman, unused to this, panicked briefly and hurried to parry with her sword.
But halfway back, the wooden spike had already stopped at her neck.
The rattan shield withdrew. The youth stood straight, cupped his hands, and said, "Yield."
(End of chapter)