CH 143

"Swordsmanship? We have it!" Zhao Qin replied firmly upon hearing this.

"Although the use of swords in the escort bureau is relatively rare, since the master has spoken, even if we don't have it, I can find a way to get it for you from other sources!"

Li Huowang lifted his wine glass and clinked it against the other person's glass, "Thank you, Boss Zhao."

After drinking too much wine, the atmosphere at the banquet became warmer, and the people at the table were toasting and chatting.

In fact, Li Huowang didn't like this kind of occasion. When he saw that everyone else had almost finished eating, he planned to get up and leave.

At this moment, he saw Gouwa walking towards him with a cup of hot tea, placing it in front of him.

He first glanced at Zhao Qin, who was accompanying him, and then leaned over to Li Huowang and whispered, "Brother Li, didn't Bai Sister always say that we should find a stable way to make money by becoming escorts?"

"Hmm, what's up?" Bai Lingmiao had indeed complained to him more than once about this matter, and his ears were almost calloused.

Gouwa suddenly became excited, "Look, this is a chance for us to make money! We can ask them to teach us how to become escorts! Since we are heading to Liang country anyway, we can take the opportunity to escort some goods and make money on the way!"

"And look, these guys invited us to eat such expensive food, they must have made a lot of money from escorting. We can make that kind of money too!"

Li Huowang was a little surprised to look at Gouwa. Although he was quick-witted in matters of making money, he wasn't wrong. He could really do this kind of thing.

The money he earned from escorting could be used as travel expenses, or sent to Mrs. Master Jingxin.

Although the 30,000 taels of gold that Master Jingxin mentioned was just a casual remark, the fact that the other party gave him such a large gift and he didn't repay anything made him feel uneasy.

He didn't want to owe anyone, especially not the only person who had helped him.

After Li Huowang raised this issue with Zhao Qin, he also agreed without hesitation.

"Okay! Brother Li wants to enter the business, I'll be your guarantor! As long as you have my guarantee letter, you can take any escort order from any escort bureau, and it will be very reliable!"

However, after making the promise, he began to persuade him again.

"But, Brother Li, escorting is not that easy. The escorts in the escort bureau have a saying, 'three parts to ensure safety.'"

"The so-called 'three parts to ensure safety' means: always smile three parts, reason with three parts, and drink three parts of wine.""Outsiders think that escorts rely on their strong martial arts to transport goods, but in reality, that's only half the story. The other half is all about connections and relationships, and it's a real hassle."

Zhao Qin, his face red, lifted his cup and drank before waving his hand.

"Li, my friend, if you need any money, just say the word and I'll give you as much as you need!"

Although Zhao Qin spoke resolutely, Li Huowang knew he couldn't take him up on the offer.

Everything had a price, and while he had saved Zhao Qin's wife, he hadn't completely cured her. He had only improved her condition.

Li could ask Zhao to bring his sword manual into the escort business, but he couldn't ask him to sacrifice everything he had.

"No need, Zhao, I prefer to be self-sufficient."

After several refusals, Zhao Qin sighed. "Alright then. Since you insist, come to the escort office tomorrow and I'll personally teach you the cut language."

Find the original at "pawread dot com".

"Cut language? What's that?"

"It's the secret language of the jianghu. You'll need it when you encounter bandits and robbers on the road."

"I see." Li Huowang lifted his cup and remembered something. "Zhao, what does 'bing jianzi' and 'shuai ge man' mean?"

These were the words the river bandits had said to him before. Now he realized they must have been using the cut language.

"'Bing jianzi' means 'brothers', and 'shuai ge man' means 'give your name'." Zhao Qin explained.

"What if I get it wrong?"

"If you get it wrong, you're basically an outsider. Most of the anti-black flag people will attack you without hesitation."

"I see..." Li Huowang thought for a moment while holding his chopsticks.

At this point, Gouwa interjected. "Boss, isn't the cut language not that important? We can just kill all those little bandits and get it over with, right?"

"Little bandits?" Zhao Qin sneered. "Do you really think all the mountain bandits are just a bunch of evil people who gather together to rob? The waters run deep in this world."

Li Huowang became interested. "Please, Zhao, tell me more."

Since arriving at Qingfeng Temple a few months ago, he had already encountered two groups of bandits on the road. If things went as expected, he would encounter even more in the future. It was important to learn as much as he could about this aspect of the world.

As a seasoned escort, Zhao Qin undoubtedly knew a lot about it.

"I admit that some of the bandits are weak, but there are also big and small players in the green forest who are anti-black flag.""Not to mention the rats on Dongyi Mountain and the Southern Tyrant of the Western Wasteland, anyone who can shout out a name has some ability."

"Being the king of the mountain is not just a saying. There are thousands of brothers under his command."

Zhao Qin took a sip of wine and continued, "The key is that there is also a saying called 'bandits should restrain themselves'. Behind them, there may be official relationships."

"And don't think that just because they are bandits now, they won't turn from black to white if they are granted amnesty one day."

"Do you understand all these relationships? Don't you follow the rules of the Cut Language according to their bearings? Do you still want to run the escort? Everything must follow the rules, and the rules of the Green Forest are also rules."

In the world of clouds and mist, with Zhao Qin's explanation, Li Huowang finally saw a corner of it.

Li Huowang recalled the scene of the water bandits' sacrifice and spoke again after careful consideration.

"Are there any experts among these bandits who can use evil or immortal techniques?"

As a simple bandit, he was not afraid now, but this world has never been simple.

Even a small group of water bandits in the reed marsh can use the "Dacheng Record" they don't know where to get to harm one side.

Among these larger bandits, there may be even stronger ones.

As soon as these words came out, the atmosphere at the table suddenly became a bit chilly.

Seeing the nervousness of the escorts, Li Huowang already knew the answer.

After hesitating for a few moments, Zhao Qin sighed lightly, "So, everything must follow the rules. No one knows who is behind these mountain and water bandits."

"Although there is the Monitoring Heaven Bureau in the Imperial Guards, the current emperor can't even sit still on his own dragon chair. How can he manage these things?"

"Some things are not for us mortals to meddle in."