Chapter 84: Escorting the Caravan

It seemed that the exhaustion from last night, coupled with too little rest, had left Ding Li utterly spent. After a hearty meal, the moment his head touched his makeshift pillow and the pleasant sensation of sunbathing enveloped him as he lay on the soft grass, sleep swiftly claimed him. Though faint sounds continued to filter through his ears, the fatigue dulled his senses, making him feel all the more comfortable. Before he knew it, he had drifted off into a hazy dream.

“Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud…”

The sound grew clearer, eventually disrupting its original rhythm, and Ding Li, who was lying on his back gazing at the sky, suddenly opened his eyes. His bright gaze did not falter under the sunlight; instead, it gleamed fiercely, as if challenging the blazing sun overhead.

He paused for a moment, alertness flickering deep within his eyes. Instantly, Ding Li sprang upright, wasting no time, and looked toward the northeast, where the team had stopped to rest. His eyes quickly scanned the crowd and locked onto Miao Cuihua’s figure. He shouted loudly, “Big Sister Miao! There are hoofbeats coming from the northeast—not our men who just left. At least thirty riders! They’re approaching fast!”

Everyone present turned their eyes toward Ding Li, especially the middle-aged steward, whose expression shifted at once. The escorts from the Miao Escort Agency abruptly stood and looked toward the northeast. Several of them dropped their food, pressed their hands to the ground, and leaned their ears close, brows furrowed, faces solemn.

The most indifferent were the caravan drivers, who looked baffled and didn’t understand the urgency of Ding Li’s warning. Some continued to glare at each other and took care of their own meals, paying little heed to the commotion.

“Big Sister Miao, there are riders behind us too—about forty or fifty!” A middle-aged man with a knife scar on his face, still prone on the ground, turned his head to shout a warning to Miao Cuihua. Ding Li knew this was Wei, nicknamed Scar Wei, who got the mark during a fierce fight with bandits on the Wuyi Mountain trade route years ago. Despite his intimidating appearance, he was warm-hearted and served as the deputy chief escort in the team.

Scar Wei’s alert prompted Li Dashan, the original chief escort, to rise from the ground. He looked heavily at Miao Cuihua, his brows deeply knit, and walked straight to his mount. Seeing both escort leaders so tense, the others no longer doubted Ding Li’s information. They hurried to their mounts and drew their weapons.

“Perhaps there are even more. The numbers from these two groups likely exceed a hundred!” Li Shan, wielding a finely crafted ring-hilted saber over three feet long, walked up to Miao Cuihua and whispered gravely, “Boss, it seems today’s affair won’t be settled easily. If anything happens to me, I hope you’ll personally deliver my wages to my wife.”

“Brother Li, don’t say that. It’ll be fine!” Miao Cuihua, usually brash and bold, now took a lightweight yet high-quality willow-leaf saber from an escort, and looked deeply at Li Shan. Seeing the hopeful look in his eyes, she nodded solemnly, “Don’t worry, Brother Li—if anything happens, your family will be taken care of by the Miao Escort Agency.”

“With your word, I’m at ease!” Li Shan nodded heavily, saluted respectfully, then glanced at Scar Wei, who was commanding the escorts with a long spear. As he lifted his foot to go over, a large hand suddenly pressed on his shoulder. Startled, he turned to see Ding Li, who looked puzzled but quickly understood. Li Shan whispered, “Brother, I’m afraid you’ll get caught up in this. If fighting breaks out, run when you can—don’t worry about whose horse, just run!”

“Ah Li, I didn’t expect this journey together would come to this…” Miao Cuihua, awkward and unable to meet Ding Li’s gaze, hesitated before continuing, “Ah Li, this isn’t some street brawl—it’s life and death. You’re not part of the Escort Agency. Listen to Brother Li: run when you can, staying alive is what matters!”

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“Yes, you’re not one of us. Even if you run, no one will blame you!” Li Shan nodded urgently. To him, Ding Li was still a young man, though sturdily built and with a weathered, chiseled face uncommon among his peers. Yet Li Shan couldn’t associate him with life-and-death struggles.

“Is there a handy weapon? Lend me one!” Ding Li did not accept their earnest advice, but shrugged lightly and looked around. He’d left Fuxu Town with only a short dagger, nothing else.

“Ah Li! You…” Miao Cuihua was shocked. She had truly treated Ding Li as her own younger brother along the journey, but now he faced the situation without fear. She dared not let anyone hand him a weapon.

“It’s alright—the situation isn’t as complicated as you think.” Ding Li shook his head with a wry smile and explained, “Have you heard of the tactic where a small force blocks the front, while the main force ambushes from the rear?”

Both Miao Cuihua and Li Shan froze, quickly understanding Ding Li’s meaning: the northeast, where the caravan was heading, had only thirty riders, but behind them were at least fifty. As Ding Li said, it made little sense. They might not know of such cases, but his point was clear—the two groups attacking from front and rear might not be allies!

“What we need to do now is wait and see.” Before either could reply, Ding Li gestured to a nearby escort to hand him a weapon, then explained to Miao Cuihua and Li Shan, “Of course, we can’t let our guard down—these two groups likely mean trouble.”

“Brother Ding Li’s analysis is spot on!” Li Shan nodded firmly, his gaze toward Ding Li filled with appreciation. He turned to the hesitant Miao Cuihua, “Boss, I’ll instruct the men to hold steady and assess the situation before acting!”

Soon, Ding Li noticed that the escort team was well-equipped. Facing imminent danger, two men even produced short crossbows. Though somewhat crudely made and aged, the arrowheads gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

The middle-aged steward gathered the caravan’s armed guards. They were fewer in number, but each carried a short bow, which, in craftsmanship and decoration, surpassed the Escort Agency’s crossbows by far.

Under the arrangements of Li Shan, Scar Wei, and the steward, the escorts guarded the front line—the eight wagons formed a semicircle. The two crossbows were positioned between wagons, ready to fire; several men with eight-foot spears stood behind the wagons, thrusting their weapons through the gaps. The polished blades shone brightly in the sunlight.

Inside the wagon barricade, the steward’s men stood by, plucking their bowstrings, producing sharp twangs that stirred everyone’s nerves. Because in the northeast, through the dust kicked up by galloping horses, the blurry forms of cavalry could be seen.

“Stop messing with those damn bowstrings! It’s driving me crazy!” As the cavalry became more visible, a sweating escort behind the wagons cursed, glaring at the bowstring-plucking guards, wishing he could break their bows one by one.

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Those guards, hearing the rebuke, glared back in defiance, ready to retort, but the steward shot them a fierce look. They reluctantly fell silent, though one muttered under his breath, “Scared to death, huh? Just some horse bandits. With your nerves, how dare you escort cargo? When the bandits show up, you’ll piss your pants!”

The escorts couldn’t hear this, but the muttering man’s companions snickered quietly. Even the steward smiled, though he quickly masked it with a stern look and shifted his gaze northeast, fixed on the golden banner amidst the dust.

“Huo”—just a single character.

But that word froze everyone, including Miao Cuihua. Only Ding Li, unaware of its meaning, watched with interest, idly playing with a short knife, as if the approaching riders were of no concern.

“Boss! That’s the banner of Huo Family Ridge!” Li Shan, a seasoned chief escort, recognized it at once. He hurried to Miao Cuihua’s side, brows furrowed, glancing at the steward, and whispered anxiously, “Boss! How can this be? Though the authorities call Huo Family Ridge a bandit stronghold, we know they’re not ordinary bandits who rob and kill for a living!”

Indeed! Miao Cuihua felt lost inside. She had long worked in the escort business and knew exactly what kind of people lived in Huo Family Ridge—they were not the sort to commit petty crimes.

She glanced at the steward, her unease growing. She didn’t know what cargo she was escorting, only that the reward was too tempting. Now, regret gnawed at her—regret for her shortsightedness and carelessness.

Li Shan and Miao Cuihua’s conversation was clear to Ding Li. Though he didn’t know what the Huo Family Ridge banner signified, he could tell they were no ordinary group—certainly not ones the Miao Escort Agency could afford to offend.

More importantly, Ding Li keenly noticed a subtle vigilance, even suspicion, in their eyes. He quietly shifted back a step; to outsiders, it might look like cowardice or an attempt to give Miao Cuihua and Li Shan space to talk, but only Ding Li knew his true purpose.

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