The weak scholar in the end of ancient times

Chapter 42 Escort Agency?

One carriage, four riders, six guards, a group of about ten people, left the city gate with a clear purpose and headed straight for the cemetery.

Compared with those tombs that were hastily buried or simply had a small stone tablet erected, the one the group visited was obviously well-maintained. The stone tablets that were erected, although not very large, were carved by craftsmen, and a small stone road was paved beside the tomb.

The best-built tomb has the largest stone tablet, on which scriptures are engraved.

Bailu County and many surrounding counties have the custom of "doing seven days", where memorial services are held every seven days until the seventh day.

Two young women got off the carriage, one of them was holding a baby of three or four years old, and the other was carrying a bamboo basket.

The bamboo basket was filled with incense paper. The stacks of paper money were particularly noticeable.

Under such difficult conditions today, when firewood is in short supply, ordinary people cannot afford to burn paper money. Even if they do, they can only burn a few pieces.

Those who can burn so much paper money are considered wealthy. In troubled times, wealthy people are not just ordinary wealthy people. They may not have been of noble status in the past, but they must have people and things in their hands now.

They identified the wind direction and first lit a fire in the open space to create some smoke, which could cover up the smell of living people and prevent evil spirits from coming.

Then, just as they were about to begin the memorial service, the alert guard suddenly said, "Someone's here!"

They quickly drew their weapons and protected the two women and children behind them.

A tall and burly young man holding a knife stood at the front, staring warily at the figures approaching.

As the people over there got closer, they could see who was coming.

There were six people over there, and they didn't all look like warriors. There was also a Taoist priest among them.

They had the advantage in numbers, but they did not let their guard down.

Wen Gu, who was walking over, saw that there was a child over there, so he raised his hand to ask Tietou, who was holding a wooden shield, to move aside. Seeing that the distance between the two sides was almost the same, he also asked the others to stop.

Wen Gu observed the people over there. Although the equipment on the other side was very luxurious, he could also tell that these people probably didn't come from high backgrounds.

Then you can't speak too elegantly or in a flowery way, because they won't understand.

While thinking, Wen Gu took a step forward. Compared with County Lieutenant Zhou and Tietou, he looked particularly weak and frail. He started with a set of standard scholarly etiquette.

The voice is gentle and soft, but can be heard by the other party:
"Excuse me, we're passing through here on our way north to visit relatives, and we'd like to inquire about the local customs. We saw from afar that you all have quite a martial spirit, so we came to ask."

The people in front of the tomb looked at the scholar.

Although he was dressed simply, his demeanor and temperament showed that he was not an ordinary person.

What's more, the people around him don't seem like ordinary people.

The young woman holding the child whispered something, and the guards beside her restrained their weapons slightly. The originally tense atmosphere suddenly relaxed.

Only the burly young man standing in front was still staring at them vigilantly, especially County Lieutenant Zhou who was standing beside Wen Gu.

Wen Gu's eyes moved slightly, and then he resumed his polite and refined manner and continued to ask:

"I wonder what your name is?"

The scene fell silent.

All I could hear was the crackling sound of burning branches in the fire next to me.

Although they didn't say anything, their confused faces showed that they had no idea how to answer.

It’s right not to know!

Wen Gu maintained a polite inquiring expression, thinking to himself:

At present, a mature civil organization system has not yet developed. There are businesses, and wealthy families will hire private armed forces when they go out.

However, escort agencies, gangs, and other forces spontaneously organized by the people have not yet developed and matured, and therefore have no names to roam the world.

There may be institutions and organizations with similar functions, but there is no institutionalized business community. That requires a sufficiently developed business network and sufficient time for grassroots practice to cultivate an industry system.

These people before us are neither official nor commercial, and their personnel composition is not uniform. They are likely a group of civilian forces that have taken advantage of the situation and gained benefits. There are probably no rules within them.

What a bullshit underworld name!

After the silence of everyone in front of the tomb.

Someone lowered his voice and said, "Sister-in-law, Second Brother, what is a pen name? What is our pen name?"

"..."

There was another brief silence, and then the young woman holding the child said, "Second brother, just ask them why they're here."

The burly young man standing in front of him looked blankly for a moment, then regained his sharp gaze and asked, "What is your purpose?"

The scholar opposite looked up in surprise, frowning slightly, as if he didn't understand why they didn't announce their names. Then, as if he understood, he quickly regained his polite demeanor and gave a rather chivalrous salute:
"I thought you were all from the escort agency. Excuse me." After a pause, he said, "I'd like to ask, is there an escort agency in Bailu County?"

The scene fell silent again.

Someone at the cemetery whispered, "Sister-in-law, Second Brother, what is an escort agency?"

“…” I always feel an indescribable sense of suffocation and embarrassment.

"Well, there's no escort agency here that you want." said the burly young man.

The scholar opposite was surprised that there was no escort agency in such a big county like Bailu.

He asked, "I wonder if there's an organization similar to the escort agency in the county? We can pay anyone who can help."

The burly young man's expression changed slightly, and he said, "Tell me what you want to do. If it's possible, we can do it for you."

The scholar's face lit up with joy as he asked, "Is your chief here? He's the most important person in charge."

Everyone in front of the tomb looked towards where the largest tombstone was.

The scholar opposite hurriedly said, "Excuse me! My condolences!"

After a moment of silence, the scholar said, "Uh...where's the second in command?"

The burly young man took a half step forward and said, "It's me! Just tell me what you want to say!"

Wen Gu said: "So you are the second in command!"

He stopped beating around the bush and stated his purpose directly.

He wanted to ask an organization similar to a escort agency in Bailu County to escort them across the bridge.

Of course, bridge tolls are bridge tolls and escort fees are escort fees.

In other words, if they escort the people over for a while, they can get the material rewards.

"So, is Second in Command interested in accepting this commission? Or, is there such an organization in the city that would accept such a commission?"

The second-in-command over there remained silent, obviously considering the pros and cons.

Wen Gu continued, "To show our sincerity, we can pay a deposit first. However, the world has changed now, and money is useless. We can pay in other ways."

He looked at the cemetery across from everyone else and pointed at Taoist Qingyi: "Everyone wants to pay tribute to their relatives and friends now. Do you need a ritual? Taoist Qingyi has profound Taoist skills and can help the souls of the dead to be reborn and calm the spirits. In the past, he would not be able to summon you."

The people in front of the cemetery were actually interested in moving and discussed in low voices for a while.

The burly young man, the second in command, said, "You guys pay the deposit first to see if you're sincere."

Taoist Qingyi glanced over there casually: "It's not time yet."

He had said the time would be in the evening. Originally, it should have been later, but considering they had to return to the city, it was moved up slightly.

The second in command looked wary: "Why?"

Taoist Qingyi looked at me with a hint of contempt: "Of course the Yin energy was stronger at that time!"

The second in command did not relax: "But I have seen Taoist priests perform rituals in the daytime before!"

Taoist Qingyi's contempt grew even stronger: "That's theirs, a yang affair! Yours is a yin affair! Of course, you can do yang things if you want..."

But that’s another price.

Taoist Qingyi gave them a meaningful look.

The people in front of the cemetery were calm about the Taoist priest's attitude, and even felt that it was justified.

People like Taoist priests were indeed out of their reach in the past. Although they have some power now, in today's chaotic world of evil and epidemics, Taoist priests and immortals are even more feared by people.

The people in front of the cemetery were discussing in low voices.

"This place is open, and if there's any unusual movement, it can be discovered at any time."

"They didn't bring any goods, so there must be accomplices nearby."

"Since they weren't discovered by the city guards, that means there aren't too many of us. It would be difficult to hide if there were too many of us."

"To be able to get here safely and not look embarrassed shows that he does have some strength."

"It's so hard to find a Taoist priest who can perform a ritual. Why don't you just agree and go back before the drawbridge is retracted?"

People in this era pay attention to what happens before and after death. The more important the person is, the more they consider it.

After discussing it, they agreed.

I feel satisfied when I review the past.

The main purpose of asking the Taoist priest to perform rituals is to delay time so that both parties can communicate more.

In order to encourage the Taoist priest to work harder, Wen Gu taught him some new "travel experiences".

As expected of a professional, he can perform a series of fancy tricks with just a little guidance.

There is no need to worry about the ritual. The next step is for both parties to increase communication. It should be done before evening.

(End of this chapter)