The Smiling, Proud Wanderer: Yue Buqun of Mount Hua

"I, Lin, admire Master Yue for slaying the Japanese pirates and saving the people from suffering."

Lin Zhennan cupped his hands in greeting, his face full of admiration, deeply moved by Yue Buqun's actions. Incidentally, he was also waiting for his head镖师's report; he needed to know who was monitoring the Fuwei镖局 (Fuwei Escort Agency).

The Fuwei Escort Agency traverses ten provinces of the Ming Dynasty. With fortune in front and prestige behind, who would dare not give them some face? Yet someone dared to monitor the main escort agency's entrance. This is a disrespect to the Fuwei Escort Agency. If they cannot capture the other party, how will they have the face to escort goods in the future?

"This is what I should do. Japanese pirates have been rampant in the Ming Dynasty, slaughtering the people and killing countless people. I only regret that I cannot go to Japan to destroy their country and exterminate their people. How can I let a few mere samurai live when I have encountered them?"

"What Master Yue says is true. It's just a pity that my Fuwei Escort Agency is too weak to do anything about it, otherwise we would definitely wipe out the Japanese pirates."

Lin Zhennan shook his head as he spoke, looking as if he couldn't bear to recall those memories.

Yue Buqun glanced at him, picked up his tea and drank, without saying much. Lin Zhennan's words sounded nice, but if he were to actually take action, he would just be a businessman.

Lin Zhennan is no longer the carefree martial arts world he once was. He may appear to be a martial arts figure, but in reality, he considers himself a businessman. His abacus is constantly clicking and clattering in his hand. Where is the bloodthirstiness that used to draw a sword at the slightest disagreement? All he cares about is money and silver.

But he didn't say anything. He knew the truth in his heart and just drank his tea in silence.

This……

Lin Zhennan's smile was quite awkward. He wanted to explain but didn't know how, so he could only pick up his teacup, drink, and wait with a forced smile.

A moment later, a heavily bearded镖头 (bodyguard/escort) walked in, bent down, covered his ear with his hand, and whispered the whole story.

Lin Zhennan turned to him in shock and asked, "Really?"

The bearded man nodded in agreement.

Lin Zhennan stroked his beard, head bowed in thought, clearly not expecting this to happen.

"Sect Leader Yue, the other party is from the Sichuan region, and should be from the Qingcheng Sect. I have always sent gifts to the Qingcheng Sect every year and have never shortchanged them in the slightest. What does he mean by this?"

Yue Buqun remained silent, simply sipping his tea until Lin Zhennan grew increasingly anxious, his face showing urgency. Only then did he put down his teacup and say, "Find a few镖头 (bodyguards/escorts) to capture him first."

Lin Zhennan remained silent. Grabbing the other party was simple, but as the chief镖头 (head镖师, head镖师, chief镖局, a type of security escort agency) of the镖局, he needed to consider the impact of this matter, whether it would affect the business of the Fuwei镖局 in Sichuan, and how to resolve this matter in the future. He had to think it through carefully.

Otherwise, how could he have led the escort agency to prosperity?

After a while, he looked up at the bearded man and said, "Take Chief Escort Sun and Chief Escort Zhang and lead a team of escorts to invite him over."

"Don't worry, Chief Escort."

The bearded man clasped his hands in agreement, turned and left, beckoning two men to take their henchmen to fetch the person. The men, armed with swords, claimed to be fetching someone, but in reality, they were forcibly inviting them. They threatened to negotiate if the man refused, but if he did, swords would be at their throats as they were forced to come.

Lin Zhennan was very confident about this, and then looked at him and asked, "Sect Leader Yue, our Fuwei Escort Agency has 10 branches across the country and 84 escorts. We are quite powerful and believe in the business philosophy of making more friends and fewer enemies. Wherever we go, we first befriend the local heroes and offer them gifts. We have never made enemies. I wonder why Yu Canghai is causing trouble for our Fuwei Escort Agency?"

Yue Buqun put down his teacup, glanced at him, and seeing that his eyes were open and honest and he truly knew nothing about the matter, he then asked, "Do you know the origins of the Fuwei Escort Agency?"

"It was founded by Lin Yuantu. Our Fuwei Escort Agency is famous in the martial arts world for its Seventy-Two Styles of Evil-Repelling Sword Technique. At that time, we were known as the number one swordsman in the world. Who didn't know us?"

Lin Zhennan spoke loudly, displaying an air of pride. Thinking of his grandfather's abilities, he couldn't help but recall the Seventy-Two Styles of the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique that had once made him famous throughout the martial arts world. Although he himself was not talented enough to learn the true essence of the Evil-Repelling Sword Technique, he had still mastered it and brought great success to the Fuwei Escort Agency, making it a force to be reckoned with across ten provinces of the Ming Dynasty.

"Back then, he was renowned throughout the martial arts world for his Seventy-Two Styles of Evil-Repelling Sword Technique, defeated Changqingzi, the leader of the Qingcheng Sect, and became famous. He then founded the Fuwei Escort Agency, which means 'first fortune, then prestige'."

"It's just a martial arts competition in the martial arts world. No one dares to claim that they are the best in the world and invincible. How could Yu Canghai be so petty as to make a scene at the Fuwei Escort Agency over this matter?"

"Changqingzi was exceptionally skilled, known as the best swordsman west of the Three Gorges. He was proficient in the Pine Breeze Sword Technique and the Heart-Shattering Palm. He challenged Lin Yuantu's Evil-Repelling Sword Technique but was defeated. He regarded it as a lifelong disgrace and died in depression after returning to Qingcheng."

This……

Lin Zhennan remained silent, never expecting such a thing to happen. He had assumed Yu Canghai was being petty, but this was unexpected. "You claim to be the best swordsman west of the Three Gorges, yet you can't even accept a single defeat in a competition? How dare you!"

He lowered his head and sipped his tea, his mind filled with countless thoughts, pondering how to handle the situation and resolve this grudge in the future.

This matter stems from a grudge from the previous generation; how can we not let it go now? Let's all live in harmony and make money together.

A shout came from the inn in the distance. The bearded man was already fighting with the Qingcheng Sect disciples. Lin Zhennan looked up and saw a man wearing a grass skirt and a straw hat moving freely through the crowd. Although the three镖头 (bodyguards) tried their best to stop him, they were no match for him. It took them half a day to let him break through the crowd and then jump onto his horse and leave.

The three镖头 (bodyguards) led their men in pursuit, but they couldn't catch up and could only watch their pursuers escape before having no choice but to come and report back.

You can still faintly hear swearing and cursing.

Lin Zhennan remained silent. He knew that the people in the martial arts world were powerful and that the Fuwei Escort Agency could not compete with them, but he did not expect that a disciple of the Qingcheng Sect would have such strength, which even the three escort leaders and a team of porters could not capture.

The thought of making the Fuwei Escort Agency lose face in front of Yue Buqun made his face turn ugly. He wondered how you would handle the situation.

Yue Buqun smiled faintly, glanced at him, and then suddenly disappeared, leaving Lin Zhennan bewildered and wondering what he meant.

A short while later, Yue Buqun appeared at Fuwei Escort Agency, carrying a Qingcheng Sect disciple in his arms—the very one who had just escaped.

Yue Buqun tossed the Qingcheng Sect disciple into the living room, sat in the guest seat, picked up his teacup, blew on it to dissipate the heat, and then took a sip to savor it.

Lin Zhennan's face was extremely grim. He waved to the three镖头 (bodyguards) who had just returned from the inn, signaling them to be quiet and go to rest.

The team of three escort leaders and a group of escorts was quite strong. Usually, this was the standard setup for escorting goods. They could escort three to five cartloads of goods, but they couldn't even take down a Qingcheng Sect disciple.

Six of the escorts were killed on the spot, their bodies covered in blood. Even the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) Sun was slashed in the back by him, demonstrating the obvious difference in strength.

This scene alone made him realize the difference between the two, and he couldn't possibly feel embarrassed.