Chapter 102 - 91: Escort Mission

Chapter 102: Chapter 91: Escort Mission

’With my current strength, as long as I don’t run into an expert at Body Tempering Perfection who has also mastered momentum, I should be able to handle it.’

’As for anyone above the Blood Transformation Realm, it’s highly unlikely I’ll run into them in the outskirts of Daxing Mountain.’

"Is there a route map? When will the supplies be ready?"

Su Mu asked after a moment of thought.

"The higher-ups gave us a route map, but we don’t know if it’s the path the Xu Family usually takes."

The Master said, "The supplies are already being prepared and will be loaded onto the carts tomorrow.

There are five carts of supplies in total. Constable Xiao Su, you can pick some men to go with you."

"If it weren’t for Uncle Lai being called back home at the last minute, I would have had him go with you, Brother Mu,"

Wang Guan said regretfully. "Why don’t you take all the constables from the South City Bureau with you, Brother Mu?"

"Absolutely not!"

The Master quickly cut in. ’This second young master really loves to stir up trouble. If all the constables left, who would maintain order in South City?’

’Are we supposed to do it, just the two of us?’

’Are you the fighter here, or am I?’

"Sima, Constable Xiao Su, South City still needs some constables to maintain order,"

the Master said with a wry smile.

"I understand."

Su Mu nodded. "There’s no use in having too many people for transporting supplies. Twenty or thirty men will be enough."

’Outside the city, if we really run into trouble, there isn’t much difference between twenty or thirty ordinary constables and fifty or sixty.’

"That’s good."

The Master said, "Constable Xiao Su, you should go back and rest for now. Once the supplies are ready, I will have someone notify you."

With that, he handed the route map to Su Mu.

Su Mu nodded and left the main hall. However, instead of taking the Master’s advice to go home and rest, he took a few constables with him to patrol the streets.

...

Early the next morning, the Master had the required supplies prepared.

Five large carts were filled to the brim. In addition to military equipment and medicinal herbs, there was grain, meat, and vegetables.

"Constable Xiao Su, it is imperative that these supplies reach the supply point before the ninth day of the Winter Month,"

the Master stressed.

It was already the end of the tenth month, leaving just over ten days until the deadline.

The time seemed ample, but anything could happen on this journey, and the slightest delay could cause them to be late.

Su Mu had already studied the map the Master gave him in detail. The supply point was about thirty li from South City as the crow flies.

Thirty li on a flat, open road could be covered in a single day.

In reality, however, the route consisted mostly of mountain paths. The actual distance they would have to travel was well over a hundred li.

"If you are late, or if the supplies are lost, it will be considered a major offense. You, Constable Xiao Su, and our Sima will all be punished,"

the Master said.

"I understand."

Su Mu nodded. "Time is of the essence, so I will depart at once."

...

At the very moment Su Mu was preparing to set out with the supply escort, in the Inner City’s Hu Mansion.

Hu Gongxiu was listening expressionlessly to the report of a Household General.

"My lord, everything has been arranged."

The Household General said in a low voice, "Bao Tong will make his move personally. Su Mu only has a Second Realm of Body Tempering Cultivation. Even if he has mastered saber momentum, he is absolutely no match for Bao Tong.

Even if he gets lucky and escapes from Bao Tong, he will have lost the supplies. If he dares to return to Wuling City, it’s a death sentence either way."

The Household General’s face was filled with confidence.

Hu Gongxiu nodded slightly.

Bao Tong was a vicious criminal, ranked eighty-first on the wanted list. His cultivation was at the Fourth Stage of Body Tempering, and he had already perfected the bone-quenching stage. The Government Office had placed a bounty on his head as high as two thousand taels of silver.

Most importantly, Bao Tong was not some lone-wolf criminal. He came from the notorious Feiyun Thieves and was their second-in-command.

The Feiyun Thieves were a faction operating outside Wuling City, in a completely different league from the likes of the Black Dragon Stronghold. They were so powerful that traveling merchants had to pay them a toll for safe passage.

Wuling City had sent troops to eliminate them on several occasions, but each attempt had come to nothing.

This band of Feiyun Thieves was incredibly elusive. They didn’t even have a permanent stronghold; once they disappeared into the deep mountains and ancient forests, they were nearly impossible to find.

’Hiring them was a very safe bet.’

"Any movement from Wang Zang?"

Hu Gongxiu asked.

"No movement at all. He just recalled Wang Lai."

The Household General said, "As soon as Su Mu leaves the city, the Wang Family will recall Wang Guan, freeing up the position of Sima of the South City Bureau.

Everything has been arranged for the Eldest Young Master. He is ready to take control of the South City Bureau at a moment’s notice."

The Household General looked at Hu Gongxiu with admiration.

’This series of interlocking plots is simply breathtaking.’

’From the moment our lord made his move, Su Mu was trapped with no way out.’

’He’ll either die at the hands of Bao Tong or lose the supplies and be sentenced by Wuling City.’

’Even if he possesses heaven-defying luck, not only escaping from Bao Tong but also succeeding in delivering the supplies...’

’...when he returns to South City, he’ll still be facing a hopeless situation.’

’By then, the Sima of the South City Bureau will have been replaced by our Eldest Young Master, Hu Guangshao, who is also a Taiping Bureau White Clothes.’

’Then he’ll learn that even if he got lucky and became a Taiping Bureau White Clothes just like the Eldest Young Master, there is still a world of difference between members.’

’This Su Mu is so fortunate, to have our master personally scheme against him.’

The Household General mused to himself.

"Dealing with Su Mu is merely incidental," Hu Gongxiu said calmly. "Tell Guang Shao not to look down on the position of Sima of the South City Bureau.

He should have no problem breaking through to the Blood Transformation Realm within three years, but accumulating merits and experience is also crucial. The South City Bureau is a good place for that. Let him gain some solid experience there for a year or two. When he becomes a Taiping Captain, our Hu Family’s prosperity will be assured, even if the dynasty itself falls."

"Yes."

The Household General bowed, though he couldn’t help but feel a flicker of doubt.

’Isn’t the Taiping Bureau forbidden from meddling in local affairs? If the Eldest Young Master becomes a Taiping Captain, he won’t be able to interfere in Wuling City’s matters. How could he then ensure the Hu Family’s continued prosperity?’

’He pondered this but couldn’t make sense of it. Then again, his master’s schemes were always profound; there was probably some angle he was missing.’

’That’s normal, though. If I could figure everything out, I’d be the master, not him.’

...

「Outside South City.」

Twenty to thirty constables escorted five large carts, moving forward slowly.

The carts were full of goods, their ruts deeply imprinted on the ground. The mules pulling them seemed to be struggling, and the constables had to get hands-on, pulling from the front and pushing from the back.

Of course, Su Mu didn’t need to lift a finger for such tasks.

He walked at the head of the column, map in hand, adjusting their route whenever necessary.

For this trip out of the city, he had only chosen a few capable constables, not even bringing along squad leaders like Zheng Wang.

Although Zheng Wang and the others were stronger than ordinary constables, they were not young, their Body Tempering Realm wasn’t high, and their stamina might not match that of the younger men.

’For this mission, combat strength is secondary; stamina is what matters most. They have to be able to handle the mountain roads.’

’If we really encounter an enemy, there isn’t much of a difference between the Second Stage of Body Tempering and the First Stage of Body Tempering.’

’But we’re just on the outskirts of Daxing Mountain, and we’re following a previously used supply route. The chance of running into enemies shouldn’t be too high.’

’The bigger challenges will be the rugged mountain paths and the unpredictable weather.’

After leaving the city gate and following the official road, this was the easiest part of the journey. Once they entered the mountains, there would be no such easy roads.

Su Mu was enjoying this final moment of ease when a small, raggedly clothed beggar suddenly stumbled and fell right in front of him.

"Good sir, spare a coin for some bread, please."

The little beggar, who was no more than seven or eight, rashly tried to grab onto Su Mu’s leg.

"Insolent!"

A nearby constable shouted, about to kick the little beggar away.

"It’s alright."

Su Mu stopped the constable, then helped the little beggar to his feet and pressed a few coins into his hand.

"Go buy yourself some bread. And don’t be so reckless in the future. If you run into the wrong person, you’ll be in for a world of hurt,"

Su Mu said casually.

’Of course, I could have given the beggar a few taels of silver, but that wouldn’t necessarily have been a good thing for him.’

The little beggar thanked him profusely and ran happily toward the city.

"Constable Xiao Su has a good heart. If it were me, I’d have kicked him to the curb,"

the nearby constable said. "That little beggar is an idiot, too. Why beg out here at the gates instead of inside the city? What’s he going to get out here?"

The constables’ chatter soon drifted to other topics.

Su Mu’s expression grew odd. He glanced down at his palm and saw, to his surprise, a small ball of paper.