Chapter 8: Leaving the Frontier (8)

Inside the private room of the Xinke Express Agency, sitting across from Li Kuo was a handsome man with a sharp jaw and a fierce appearance.
This man was Ma Yanshuang, the head escort of the Shanggui branch of Xinke Express Agency.
“Are you Brother Xue’s friend?”
Ma Yanshuang examined the young man before him carefully, his gaze filled with confusion. This person must have served in the army—Brother Xue had made many friends there. But the boy was so young; how could Brother Xue have met him?
“I am Li.”
Li Kuo nodded slightly. “It’s a long story. Originally, Brother Nan sent me to visit Brother Xue Feng in Liangzhou. But some unexpected events came up along the way, so I had to ask Brother Ma for help.”
“Ah.”
Ma Yanshuang pushed his palms together. “Brother Xue’s friend is my friend. We all work in this line of work, and what matters most is loyalty. Is the Brother Nan you mentioned Nan Jiyun from Wei Zhou?”
Li Kuo smiled. “That’s him. Are you also familiar with Brother Nan?”
Ma Yanshuang quickly waved his hand. “I’m not very close to him. I’ve only heard of him from his fame in Wei Zhou when he was younger.”
After a brief pause, Ma Yanshuang said, “You must be here to arrange an escort mission. Tell me how many men you need. As long as it’s within my ability, I’ll definitely help!”
Li Kuo shook his head. “We have enough people. We don’t need many of your men. It would be best if you could send one or two men who are familiar with the terrain to act as guides.”
“Oh?”
Ma Yanshuang snapped his fingers while thinking. The young man’s proposal was quite unusual. Over the years of running his express agency, he had handled countless escort missions but had never seen anyone come to him for guidance.
Seeing Ma Yanshuang hesitating, Li Kuo smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Brother Ma. We’ll pay the full commission based on the full strength of the escort team. We won’t shortchange your men.”
Hearing this, Ma Yanshuang realized the young man had misunderstood his intention and quickly explained, “What are you saying? If I were to ask for a commission just for helping an old friend with an escort mission, how could I continue working in this line of work? All I ask is that you give my men a drink. Even the toughest missions, I’ll complete for you!”
“Brother Ma, you’re really generous!”
Li Kuo was overjoyed. With local escorts as guides, the group would face much less danger on their journey.
“Hmm, let’s do this. I’ll send the two most skilled escorts from our agency to guide you. I guarantee you’ll reach Liangzhou safely!”
Ma Yanshuang gave his word and quietly gave a few instructions to one of the escorts. The escort nodded and headed to the back yard.

In no time, two men followed the courier through the Moon Gate into the inner chamber. One was fat and the other thin, one dark-skinned and the other fair, one short and the other tall. The fat man had dark skin, was short in stature, and his arms were covered with wrinkles and calluses—likely from years of traveling as a courier, exposed to sun and rain. The thin man had smooth skin, was tall, with his hair tied up and casually wrapped with a bandage. Such features on a man were truly enviable to many young ladies.

“You Long, Ni Xin, you’ve arrived.”
Ma Yanshuang nodded upon seeing them arrive.
“We pay our respects to the head courier!”
The two bowed together, their faces full of respect.
“Mm.”
Ma Yanshuang looked pleased and cleared his throat before saying, “Let me introduce you. This is General Li Kuo from the Zhuque Regiment of the Divine Strategy Army in Chang’an. He’s a friend of Brother Xue. He was passing through Da Gui on his way to Liangzhou when he encountered some troubles. However, they don’t lack manpower; they just need someone familiar with the area to guide them. In our line of work, integrity is paramount. When a friend is in trouble, we must help. Among our couriers, you two have the most experience and are the most clever, so you’ll be in charge of this mission.”

As couriers, they placed great emphasis on loyalty. Even if a deal didn’t work out, they couldn’t offend their clients completely. Moreover, since the client was a friend of Brother Xue, the head courier, they had no choice but to help.

Ma Yanshuang then introduced the two to Li Kuo. Li Kuo nodded at the short, fat man with dark skin and said, “This is the best martial artist among our couriers. His real name is You Long, and he’s nicknamed ‘Cloud Climber.’ From here to Liangzhou, whether it’s big mountains, small mountains, or even steep cliffs, there’s nothing he doesn’t know. He can find a path even if he has to trace the base of the mountains. If you encounter any difficulties, just talk to him.”

You Long bowed to Li Kuo, grinned, and winked, saying, “At home, one relies on parents; outside, on friends. I, Old You, would like to be friends with General Li. Maybe I can visit the army camp when I have time!”
“You!”
Ma Yanshuang sighed helplessly at his frivolous attitude.

“And this is the most popular courier among our team, named Ni Xin. He’s clever and an excellent archer, hence his nickname ‘Arrow That Pierces the Clouds.’ With him around, you’ll have a great journey ahead.”
“Thank you,” Ni Xin replied with a slight nod and a cold tone.

But Li Kuo didn’t want the atmosphere to turn cold. He smiled and said, “It’s really interesting to have ‘Cloud Climber’ and ‘Arrow That Pierces the Clouds’ together!”

Ni Xin clearly wasn’t grateful. She glared at Li Kuo and asked, “When are we setting off?”
Li Kuo was taken aback and blurted out, “Early tomorrow morning.”
“Alright, I’ll wait for you at the escort agency’s entrance early tomorrow. I have matters to attend to now, so I’ll take my leave!”
With that, she turned and left.
“General Li, please don’t mind her. That’s just her personality.”
You Long quickly stepped forward to defuse the situation.
“It’s fine. We’ll be together on the road for a long time anyway. I’ll get used to it,” Li Kuo said with a faint smile.
Ni Xin… she’s really a strange person!
It was already completely dark, and the moonlight seeped in through the paper windows, casting a glow of springtime beauty.
In the inner room of the governor’s residence in Qinzhou, Fang Qingrong squinted his eyes, enjoying the massages from his concubine Ping’er.
Warm steam rose and spread along the roof beams, mixing with the scent of ambergris and filling the entire room with a dreamlike atmosphere.
“Mm, a bit further in, and use more force!”
Fang Qingrong exhaled a puff of breath, dipped a cloth in the hot water from the bucket, and absorbed the fragrance of chrysanthemums with great pleasure.
Discussing things with Mr. Yu today had left him extremely satisfied. This Li Kuo arrived at just the right time—perfectly timed!
These bandits weren’t just a nuisance or a source of worry; they might even be of great help to him. Weren’t they part of the Divine Strategy Army? Weren’t they heading to Hexi? Then he would provide them with ample supplies and escort them. If they wanted to keep a low profile, he would ensure everyone knew about them and welcome them with fanfare. As a governor, wasn’t it only natural to welcome border troops?
As for those bandits, they had their uses. The governor’s prison was filled with countless torture devices, enough to make these so-called “men” talk and reveal the information he needed. Hmph, if they were truly men, they wouldn’t survive, nor would they beg for mercy after a failed ambush.
Have you ever seen someone tied to an iron bed, scalded with hot water, scrubbed in a vulgar manner, yet still refusing to plead?
Have you ever seen someone wearing a 300-jin weighty collar and still refusing to beg for mercy after hours? (Note 1) Anyone who entered Qinzhou’s prison would end up telling the truth.
He was worried that the gift he gave the right chancellor wasn’t substantial enough. Would adding these confessions make it sufficient?
The more Fang Qingrong thought about it, the more excited he became. Feeling heat between his legs, he turned and pulled Ping’er, who was combing his hair, into the bucket.
“Ah!”
Ping’er suddenly fell into the water, screaming in shock.
“Sir, you’re so cruel!”
The young woman complained repeatedly, her soaked clothes clinging to her body, revealing her full, pale breasts and emphasizing her allure.
“Weren’t you always complaining that I didn’t spend enough time with you? Today, sir will spend plenty of time with you!”

Fang Qingrong’s evil thoughts surged as he quickly removed Ping’er’s troublesome thin shirt and began to touch her shoulders, launching his assault.
“Mm, hum, mm! Master, be gentle!”
Ripples spread in the red pool, and mandarin ducks played in the water—truly a scene of springtime beauty!……
Note 1: The two cruel punishments of scourging and being forced to stand under heavy shackles were both brutal tortures used by the Ming dynasty’s secret police; they are borrowed here.