Chapter 392: Chapter 228: Free Bodyguard
Chief Wu is not foolish; he knows that Mr. Han and the others are favoring Mr. Gu and his companions.
He feels that the person wearing the bamboo hat makes a valid point, but he still needs to consult the brothers, as this is a matter of life and death.
Besides, everyone is injured; if another attack were to happen, they would have to rely on Mr. Gu and his companions, since they are benefiting from their association.
Mr. Han noticed Chief Wuâs hesitation and quickly pressed on, "How about this! I see Chief Wu has lost a dart master, so Iâll add another three hundred taels of Silver for you. How about that?"
Earning a thousand three hundred taels on a single trip is indeed not little.
Chief Wu was already hesitant, and now he looked towards the other dart masters.
The dart masters exchanged glances and then looked at Gu Chengyu and his servant without saying a word.
Chief Wu saw this and knew everyone was tempted.
Ma Er stepped forward and said, "Brother, weâre nearing the Capital. It wouldnât be right for our escort agency to leave behind the clientâs cargo midway; wouldnât it be better to continue escorting them to the Capital?"
Gu Chengyu was listening aside, and seeing everyone blatantly plotting about them made him displeased.
These boxes are a curse; he was already inadvertently swept into these troubles, feeling quite dissatisfied.
He hadnât expected these people to want them to act as free guards; were they treating them like dead men?
"Chief Wu, originally we wanted the escort agency for protection. Chief Wu mentioned there was a scheduled escort heading to the Capital. Since youâve taken on such a dangerous escort, you should inform us. If not for our skills, it would be difficult to leave this canyon today. Anyway, letâs part ways; weâll waive the escort fee for your agency since we technically broke the agreement first."
Gu Chengyu was not interested in being anyoneâs guard; they had so many women with them on the journey. What if something unexpected happened?
Chief Wu was anxious upon hearing Gu Chengyu say they would separate. Without Gu Chengyu, they dared not continue the escort.
The two people wearing bamboo hats were even more anxious; to ensure the task was flawlessly completed, Gu Chengyu and his servants were absolutely indispensable.
"Mr. Gu! We know your skills along with your followers are excellent, but itâs only three or four days to the Capital. Why donât we travel together? We can look out for each other along the way. Mr. Gu has many women in your party; with only three people, thereâs no guarantee you wonât encounter danger on the road. Having more martial people increases our chances!"
In truth, Chief Wu said this somewhat sheepishly. Their martial arts were nowhere near Gu Chengyu and his servants. By saying so, he was trying to save face for the escort agency and persuade Gu Chengyu to stay.
Gu Chengyu chuckled, "Chief Wu, even if we go alone, itâll be safer than staying with you all. Those people werenât targeting us; Iâm just a frail scholar, and mountain bandits might not even find me worthwhile!"
Another person wearing a bamboo hat nudged Liu Dong, exchanging a knowing glance. They then stepped aside to discuss. Mr. Han saw this and hurried to converse with the person wearing bamboo hats. If Gu Chengyu and company left the escort agency, they might as well abandon it!
"Sir, those three servants refuse to travel together. What do you think?"
The person wearing a bamboo hat looked at his superior, Liu Dong. This batch of Silver was entrusted by the master to be brought to the Capital. If they lost the Silver, not only would they be punished, but the master would be implicated.
Liu Dong pondered for a while. They couldnât defeat Gu Chengyu; the people had no ties with them, so they wouldnât follow their orders.
"Well, sir, I thought of a solution." Mr. Han also understood their dilemma and quickly offered a suggestion.
"Fat Han, whatâs your idea?" Liu Dong looked at Fat Han behind him, asking urgently.
"Sir! Think about it! We want Mr. Gu to protect us, but gave the Silver to the escort agency. Who wouldnât be unhappy, right? What if we paid Silver to hire Mr. Gu to escort us; maybe theyâd agree."
Both Liu Dong and his companions found this reasonable.
"Even if we left the escort agency, weâd still owe the remaining five hundred taels. But as for Mr. Gu, he seems not lacking in money; would he agree?"
Liu Dong thought about it again and felt the chances of Gu Chengyu agreeing were not high.
"The agencyâs agreement canât be violated, can it? But if we want them to agree, the Silver canât be less! At least it should be as much as we gave to the escort agency, right?"
Mr. Han felt deeply regrettable. If they met Gu Chengyu sooner, they wouldnât have needed to hire the escort agency.
"Sir, I feel Fat Hanâs suggestion is valid. Weâre transporting two hundred thousand taels of gold and silver, plus those jewels. Offering them a thousand taels is not excessive. Right now, the most important thing is delivering this batch of Silver and jewels to the master."
The person wearing a bamboo hat said this because they had no Silver on them. They could only use the registered gold and silver in the boxes. They should inform the master, and he shouldnât punish them.
Liu Dong hesitated for a moment before nodding. Pressing situations required flexibility; they had to secure their lives over some Silver.
"You go talk to them."
Mr. Han, being smooth and articulate, was the best choice to persuade them.
Mr. Han smiled slightly, "Iâll give it a try then."
He was confident; who wouldnât be tempted by over a thousand taels of Silver?
At this time, Gu Chengyu had already moved to the carriage where Gu Wan and others were, comforting his second sister.
"Second Sister! Everythingâs fine outside, we should depart now."
Gu Chengyu lifted the curtain, ready to tell Gu Wan and others to pack up and travel separately from the escort agency.
"Xiao Bao! Are you alright?" Gu Wan anxiously climbed out of the carriage, carefully scrutinizing Gu Chengyu, her eyes full of worry.
A few days ago, she realized that Xiao Baoâs martial arts were excellent, due to Sun Xianâs small scar, which was still fresh. After a series of questions, he accidentally revealed it.
Sun Xian had to tell Gu Wan about the encounter with the River Bandits on the ship, so Gu Wan knew about Gu Chengyuâs decent martial arts skills.
When the mountain bandits arrived, Gu Wan hid in the carriage, covering Second Sister Yeâs mouth to stifle her screams, fearing theyâd cause trouble for Gu Chengyu and drag him down.
But knowing was one thing; seeing Gu Chengyu safe and sound was what put her at ease.
Gu Chengyu looked at his second sister examining him, feeling warmth in his heart, "Second Sister, arenât you aware of my skills? Iâm fine! They arenât our match."
Gu Wan glared at Gu Chengyu and grumbled, "Youâre so smug! Donât you know how dangerous it was just moments ago? I think we should tell father and mother. Next time, donât rush to the front; itâs too risky! Arenât there others?"
Gu Chengyu chuckled wryly, "If we waited for others to solve it, weâd be long gone."
Gu Wan chided Gu Chengyu repeatedly for speaking nonsense, causing Gu Chengyu to be reprimanded.
Sun Xian breathed a sigh of relief seeing Gu Chengyu unharmed.
"Chengyu, when are we setting off?"
Gu Chengyu finally remembered about leaving the escort agency, intending to inform Gu Wan and the others.
At this moment, the dart masters were cleaning the corpses on the ground; they lay beneath the carriage, blocking the way.