In the thirteenth year of the Tianbao era: I became Yang Guozhong's eldest son.

The man groaned and knelt down in the ground.

Pei Zhao only showed up at this moment.

He emerged from the darkness, glanced at Chen Ye, who was still panting, and then at the thief kneeling on the ground.

That thief wasn't anyone important.

He was just a petty thief who stole horses along the way.

But even a petty theft can reveal a lot about a person.

Pei Zhao asked Chen Ye:

"What's your hurry?"

Chen Ye's face flushed.

"I'm afraid he'll sneak in first..."

"I'm sure I'm right."

Pei Zhao interrupted him.

"But you're afraid too soon."

"Keeping watch isn't about who rushes in first."

"It's a competition of who can hold back that moment longer."

Chen Ye lowered his head and remained silent.

Pei Zhao then looked at Dou Ping.

Why didn't you make the first move?

Dou Ping scratched his face.

"He hasn't actually made a move yet."

"There are many such people on the mountain road. If you just take a few steps outside and rush over, you might startle other people's eyes as well."

"Wait until he actually reaches out before putting it on; it'll save you the trouble."

Pei Zhao did not praise him.

He simply nodded.

Finally, he looked at Lu Cheng.

Lu Cheng's answer was even simpler.

"I'm watching which way people are running."

"As long as the person doesn't run into the main vehicle, breaking their leg is fine."

Ah Fu, who was standing nearby, gasped in shock.

With these three sentences presented, it's quite clear who is superior and who is inferior.

[Remember the fastest online novel website: 1 ...

Chen Ye is fast.

The sinus is smooth.

Lu Cheng is the most reliable.

The second gate is for escorting vehicles.

The next day, when they set off, Pei Zhao deliberately assigned the heaviest secondary carriage to the three men to take turns escorting.

That car didn't contain money.

It contained medicinal herbs, a writing bag, and a few small items that could not be wetted or lost.

Logically speaking, it shouldn't attract attention.

But when you encounter potholes, slopes, or rough roads, this kind of vehicle really puts you to the test.

Too close to the main vehicle, and it's easy to get into trouble.

Too far away, and it's easy for people to sneak in.

Ahead, we passed a section of dirt road with a collapsed edge; to the right was a slope, and to the left was a pit of gravel.

Dou Ping glanced at the ground first.

"The car is tilted to one side."

Chen Ye disagreed.

"Going off course would be even more dangerous."

"Only those who are impartial can be translated."

Dou Ping squatted down, grabbed a handful of soil, and scattered it around the edge of the pit.

The soil slid down the edge a bit.

"The bottom here is hollow."

"It collapsed under the weight of a heavy vehicle."

Without uttering a single unnecessary word, Lu Cheng directly picked up the heavy bar and lifted the front of the cart outward by half an inch.

It took the three of them quite a while to finally get the secondary car to Pingping.

After the car passed, a small section of the car behind it indeed collapsed.

Afu felt a chill run down his spine.

If Chen Ye had pressed down with that same force just now, the car would probably have gone crooked.

If the cart veers off course, the medicinal herbs and the document bag become secondary.

The main vehicle must stop.

Along the way, many troubles arise just when you stop for a moment.

Chen Ye realized what was happening and felt a little embarrassed.

Dou Ping, however, did not take the opportunity to show off his power; he simply grinned.

"Scouts are quick at spotting people."

"The mountain road needs to be even slower."

This wasn't a harsh remark, but it left Chen Ye with nowhere to vent his anger.

The third door is closed.

This one is even more sinister.

Before setting up camp at dusk, two groups of traveling merchants happened to come and ask for a place to rest next to their lodging.

This is not unusual.

Strangely enough, one of the men with a pockmarked face saw Lu Cheng and the others busy with the caravan and naturally went over to try and get information out of them.

First, ask where they come from.

Then they asked if the person sitting in the main car was the official on his way to take up his post.

Finally, he chuckled and lowered his voice:

"Brother, following an official car, you must make a lot of money, right?"

"I heard that the salt wells in Yaozhou in the south are fertile. When you go back, you'll probably get rich too."

Afu was feeding the horses not far away, and he rolled his eyes as he listened.

This line of dialogue practically screams, "I'm here to sound things out."

Chen Ye is young and quick-witted.

He immediately demanded a reply.

Lu Cheng put the bowl down first and looked up at the pockmarked man.

"If you're so good at calculations, why don't you go yourself?"

The pockmarked man laughed heartily.

"It's because we have no other way."

Lu Chengdao:

"Then we'll continue to have no way out."

After saying that, he got up and left without saying another word.

Dou Ping was even more decisive.

When the man offered him the words, he simply smiled.

After laughing, he pretended not to understand and lowered his head to adjust the reins.

On the contrary, Chen Ye, after being provoked by someone, almost blurted out the words "Master of the carriage is no ordinary person".

Fortunately, Pei Zhao had already stood behind him without him noticing, and only coughed once.

Chen Ye then swallowed the rest of his sentence.

That night, after the two groups of merchants left, Pei Zhao called the three of them outside.

"In the art of keeping quiet, Chen Ye is the worst."

He showed no mercy.

"You're not incapable of fighting."

"You're quick-witted and quick-tongued."

"If you're really taken to Yaozhou, and someone offers you wine, laughter, or a few flattering words, you might just blurt out things you shouldn't have said."

Chen Ye's face turned pale and then red.

But he also knew that the scolding was not unjustified.

He could manage both traveling during the day and guarding the camp at night.

But he gets easily angered when it comes to casual conversation.

If this were placed on the outskirts of the country, trouble would inevitably arise sooner or later.

The fourth gate is for fast travel.

This subject is the most difficult and the most unreasonable.

The next morning, before dawn, Pei Zhao ordered everyone to break camp.

The reason was not explained.

They didn't say how far they were going.

Just one sentence:

"Keep up."

Ahead was the official road, then suddenly it turned into an old military road.

The road is narrow, full of stones, and the slope is steep.

Ordinary caravans rarely travel this route.

But Pei Zhao chose this one.

The main vehicle naturally continued to take the detour via the official road.

The final test of these four gates is whether Lu Cheng, Chen Ye, and Dou Ping can travel lightly, bypass the old military road to reach the front pass, and then find out the route and any suspicious people.

"Two hours."

Pei Zhao looked at the three of them.

"Too late, it's a waste."

Upon hearing this, Chen Ye's eyes gleamed with renewed determination.

This kind of work, which involves navigating mountain roads and racing against the clock, is something he excels at.

The three of them set off immediately.

The first hour was fine.

Chen Yechong was at the very front.

Dou Ping knew the way, so he specifically chose slopes and cross paths that were less strenuous to walk on.

Lu Cheng stayed last, neither too fast nor too slow, but he never dropped out.

However, in the latter half of the race, Chen Ye's problems resurfaced.

He may be fast, but he loves to snatch things.

Upon seeing a scree slope ahead that could be climbed over, I thought I could just jump over it and save half a quarter of an hour.

Dou Ping grabbed him.

"We can't leave."

"Why not?"

"The gravel on this slope is too fresh."

"It was just rolled around in last night."

"This suggests that someone may have already passed through there, or there may still be a rockfall point."

Chen Ye said urgently:

"It'll be too late if we go around in circles any longer."

Lu Cheng stepped forward, glanced at him briefly, and said:

"Listen to him."

"Quickly, it has to be quick."

"But speed is not the same as death."

The three of them ended up circling halfway around.

After walking only a dozen or so steps, they heard a "whoosh" as another string of new stones rolled down the gravel slope.

If you had actually stepped on it, you might not have died, but you would certainly have been slowed down.

The noise was so startling that people all around could hear it.

By the time they reached the mountain pass, the sun had just risen halfway up the horizon.

Chen Ye was covered in sweat from running, his chest heaving violently.

But the resentment in his eyes had been largely suppressed.

There were indeed marks on the mountain pass.

Two new hoofprints.

A broken piece of vine.

There was also half a tobacco cake that someone had carelessly stepped into the mud.

Dou Ping took one look and said:

"He's no ordinary merchant."

"Caravans don't go this way."

Lu Cheng added:

"Smoke cakes are a cheap commodity from the north."

"Like the kind of cigarettes smoked by soldiers."

When they brought these back to their lodgings, Pei Zhao didn't praise anyone.

He held the half-smoked tobacco cake in his hand, looked at it for a long time, and then said:

"OK."

"Lu Cheng passed through the four gates."

"Dou Pingguo."

"Chen Ye, halfway through."

Chen Ye looked up.

"More than halfway through?"

"I have the legs and the courage."

Pei Zhao looked at him.

"His mouth wasn't steady enough, and his heart was still missing that final push."

"If you're willing, you can stay for another ten days."

"Ten days later it's still okay, stay."

"No, let's go."

Chen Ye opened his mouth, but the youthful arrogance that was on the tip of his tongue remained unspoken.

After a moment, he whispered:

"I agree."

Ah Fu watched from the side, clicking his tongue in amazement.

He originally thought that Pei Zhao would like someone like Chen Ye, who could run and charge, the most.

As a result, after passing through the four gates, it was Lu Cheng, who looked the least conspicuous, who was the first to regain his composure.

Even Dou Ping, a slippery mule caravan man, was kept on.

Chen Ye, who was most like a sharp knife, only received "wait and see in ten days".