Chapter 72 : Chapter 72

Chapter 72: The Reception Force of Secret Guards!

“Ugh...!”

Luo Li had only just sunk into self-reflection when his sudden remark nearly made her lose her composure from sheer frustration.

“Then why can’t you properly explain this ‘jianghu’ to me?”

she pressed unwillingly.

Chen Guan immediately slipped back into his usual loose, unserious manner.

“I already explained it very clearly.”

“It isn’t that you can’t understand it. It’s that you’ve never truly lived in the jianghu, so you can’t feel it.”

“But don’t worry. Before this journey is over, you’ll definitely get the chance to learn what it means for the jianghu to be truly dangerous.”

As he said that, a trace of ruthlessness flashed through Chen Guan’s eyes, along with a hint of madness that was hard to define.

Although Luo Li still did not fully understand what “jianghu” meant, she vaguely sensed that whatever Chen Guan was trying to tell her was intimately tied to the purpose of this journey—restoring the dynasty.

She was still lost in thought when Chen Guan suddenly let out a soft “Hm?”

His brows furrowed slightly as he pulled on the reins and swept his gaze across the surroundings.

At that moment, they were traveling along a broad official road. Verdant trees lined both sides, shielding them from the noonday sun. Insects chirped and birds called without pause. Everything looked peaceful and serene.

And yet Chen Guan’s brows drew even tighter.

He suddenly reined in his horse, turned his head, and simply stared at Luo Li in silence.

Caught completely off guard by his abrupt behavior, Luo Li pulled a straight face and said irritably,

“W-Why are you looking at me like that? Don’t tell me you want to raise the price again?”

The corner of Chen Guan’s mouth twitched. He shot her a glare before speaking in a low voice.

“Right now, you have two choices. The first is to keep clinging to your dream of becoming emperor. The second is to learn what the jianghu is first. Which one do you choose?”

“I...”

Luo Li was just about to blurt out, “Of course, the emperor’s road.”

But seeing the grave look on Chen Guan’s face, she immediately realized this probably was not a casual question.

Truth be told, before she had ever left Sanhe Town, everything she thought she knew about the jianghu had come from the storybooks she read in her spare time.

In her eyes, the so-called jianghu had been nothing more than legendary tales of wandering heroes taking vengeance where they pleased and roaming the world with swords in hand—a gathering place for rough men who refused royal law and lived beyond the rules.

Yet along this journey...

Luo Tong had taken the guilt of losing his brothers upon himself, continued onward carrying the unfinished task of the dead, and in the end had not hesitated to step into the Nine-Tenths-Certain-Death waters of the Ten Directions Marsh.

Captain Wang, unwilling to offend anyone, had been forced to act out that elaborate little play to satisfy both sides.

And then there was Chen Guan before her—so long as there was more money in it, he would dare accept any escort at all. Yet no matter what the mission was, he could protect it. He held those ancient rules of the Escort Masters more dearly than his own life.

These people had different identities, different positions, and different pursuits.

Yet the persistence each of them carried within themselves...

made Luo Li feel a kind of reality she had never before encountered.

And perhaps this “jianghu” that Chen Guan kept speaking of was the most unpredictable—and the most crucial—part of her great plan to restore the dynasty!

After hesitating for a long time, Luo Li finally drew a deep breath, lifted her head, met Chen Guan’s gaze, and spoke solemnly.

“Brother Chen, I think... I want to understand the jianghu first.”

Chen Guan’s eyes passed over her and settled on the shadowy forest ahead of the road. Then he asked again, “Are you sure?”

“I am.”

Luo Li nodded firmly.

“I want to understand the jianghu first, and only then speak of restoring the dynasty. That... shouldn’t conflict, should it?”

“It doesn’t conflict at all.”

Chen Guan nodded.

“Then keep up with me.”

With that, he pressed his legs lightly against the horse’s flanks. His mount began walking again at an unhurried pace, heading toward the forest ahead.

When the two of them reached the edge of that patch of woodland, Chen Guan’s right hand tightened slightly around the hilt of the Horse-Cleaving Saber. Then he spoke in a low, steady voice.

“How much longer do you intend to hide before coming out to welcome your master?”

Hearing that, Luo Li’s heart jumped. She quickly reined in her horse and nervously studied the silent forest ahead.

Rustle—rustle—rustle—!

A sudden disturbance rippled through the woods, and a great flock of birds, as though frightened, burst from the depths of the forest and flew off in panic.

Immediately afterward, ten powerful figures, each radiating the aura unique to the Profound Passage Realm, leaped down from the treetops deep within the forest and landed squarely in the middle of the road!

Every one of them wore green robes and a ferocious wolf-head mask.

The burly man at the front first swept a sharp gaze over Chen Guan before finally settling it on Luo Li.

From his robes, he pulled out a crumpled portrait and compared it carefully against her face. Then a look of irrepressible excitement burst from his eyes!

“It’s her! No mistake!”

He barked the words low, then hurried forward with the other nine behind him.

Once he reached them, he tore off the mask from his face, revealing a weathered but strikingly capable countenance. Without the slightest hesitation, he dropped to one knee, his voice trembling faintly with emotion.

“Qin Feng, Commander of the Dark Wolf Guard, welcomes the Young Mistress home!”

Joy surged through Luo Li’s heart. She quickly lifted a hand to motion him up.

“Please, all of you, rise at once!”

She had heard of the Dark Wolf Guard from her grandfather before. They were a protective force specially created for her, and their abilities in scouting and concealment were considered top-tier even within Great Zhou.

“With them scouting out dangers along the way, the road ahead would undoubtedly be much safer.”

The burly man slowly rose to his feet. His gaze fell once more on Chen Guan. Finding no obvious threat from this seemingly ordinary young man, he cupped his fists and said in a heavy voice,

“This must be the Escort Master who brought the Young Mistress safely this far, correct?”

“Many thanks for escorting Her Highness all the way back to Great Zhou. Here is some reward money. This escort may end here.”

As he spoke, he took a heavy money pouch from his robes and tossed it directly toward Chen Guan.

Chen Guan caught it with one hand, weighed it in his palm, and bared his teeth in a grin.

“Oh? Pretty generous. Another twenty taels.”

The moment he said that, Luo Li immediately spoke up.

“Commander Qin, this is Chen Guan, Escort Master Chen, who escorted me all the way into Great Zhou.”

“He will continue escorting me into Shangjing.”

“Young Mistress!”

The burly man called Qin Feng immediately shook his head.

“Our Director’s orders are clear. It would be unwise for us to expose our identities on this journey. A strange face traveling beside us makes the target too obvious. He cannot infiltrate Shangjing together with us.”

“This... this...”

Luo Li was momentarily at a loss for words.

“Heh.”

Chen Guan laughed on the spot.

“If you’re going to rebel, then rebel. Why are you making it look like you’re nothing but rats skittering through the street? Sneaking around like this?”

“Mm?!”

The moment those words fell, Qin Feng and the nine Dark Wolf Guards behind him all felt their hearts seize. Instinctively, they glanced left and right. Only when they confirmed there was nothing unusual around them did they relax.

Qin Feng’s expression sank as he turned toward Luo Li and demanded, “Your Highness! How does he know about our plans?!”