Chapter 135: Entering the Escort Agency

Because of the prolonged delay caused by the battle on the hillside, it was already near midnight when the convoy arrived at Fuxu Town. However, with Fan Ying, the commander of the Fuxu garrison, accompanying them, entering the town was completely effortless.

After entering the city, Ding Li did not head straight to the Zhang residence. Instead, accompanied by Heizi and the others, he parted ways with Fan Ying and followed Li Shan to the Miao Escort Agency, bringing the accompanying convoy along with them. The cargo would be transported to Fuxu Port early the next morning.

Ding Li's sudden arrival at the Miao Escort Agency thrilled the escorts who had fought side by side with him previously. The news spread instantly throughout the entire agency. Even those escorts who had already fallen asleep hurriedly got up to welcome Ding Li, while those who had only heard of his legendary name but never met him in person rushed over out of admiration. In the end, it took repeated persuasion from the manager Miao Cuihua and head escort Li Shan to finally disperse the eager crowd.

Ding Li first had Li Shan settle in Qin Mo and the others whom he had recently subdued, providing them with a fresh set of clothes to prevent any misunderstandings or conflicts that might arise if they were mistaken for bandit troops. Afterward, he sat in the main hall for a while chatting with Miao Cuihua and the deputy escort Scarface Wei, the conversation largely consisting of Miao Cuihua expressing her heartfelt gratitude to Ding Li.

Thanks to Ding Li's intentional and unintentional maneuvering, the Miao Escort Agency had now become the undisputed leader in all of Fuxu Town. Not only had they secured a powerful partner like the Zhang Chamber of Commerce for their escort business, but they had also established ties with the military, with thirty escorts even preparing to join the newly formed Bandit Suppression Army. With all these developments, the status of the Miao Escort Agency in Fuxu Town was completely unshakable.

By the time the caravan was fully settled, it was already past midnight. Ding Li was subsequently assigned a separate guest room, and his traveling companion Heizi, who had quite a reputation of his own, received treatment at the escort agency that was not a whit inferior to Ding Li's.

Early the next morning, before dawn had fully broken, Ding Li was awakened by the commotion within the escort agency. The cargo of the Zhang Chamber of Commerce was being loaded to be transported to Fuxu Port for shipping out to sea. Since Ding Li never had the habit of sleeping in, after rousing himself slightly in bed, he resolutely got up, washed up simply in his room, and went out to inspect the caravan.

Heizi was also awake, though he did not look particularly energetic. After all, they had only been given two hours of rest. However, this batch of goods belonged to the Zhang Chamber of Commerce, and as someone raised by the Zhang family, Heizi naturally felt compelled to pay extra attention at a time like this, even if it was not strictly his duty.

To Ding Li's surprise, the moment he appeared, Qin Mo and his subordinates successively emerged from their rooms. Aside from Qin Mo, who looked reasonably well, most of the others wore dark circles under their eyes and let out huge, head-tilted yawns after taking just a couple of steps. Still, they forced themselves to perk up and bow in greeting to Ding Li and Heizi.

For Qin Mo and his men, they currently found themselves in a completely unfamiliar environment. Although they could sense that Ding Li treated them with genuine sincerity, subconsciously they were still unable to fully adapt within such a short span of time.

"Brother Li! You're up so early!" Having just offered a few words of comfort to Qin Mo and his group, Ding Li heard someone calling him from behind. Turning around, he saw Scarface Wei striding toward him. Ding Li quickly smiled and nodded, while Scarface Wei swept his gaze across the group with a grin before asking Ding Li, "Brother Li, are you and the brothers heading to the dock in a bit?"

"Since we're already up, we might as well go take a look!" Ding Li first glanced back at Qin Mo and his men, who displayed no initiative whatsoever—nor did they dare to voice any opinions at the moment—and then had no choice but to smile and nod in response. He continued with a smile, "Brother Wei, is there any breakfast?"

"Of course there is! You can't go out to work without breakfast!" Scarface Wei replied with a natural smile, at the same time quickly turning sideways to invite the others. "My brothers, don't stand on ceremony! Once you come here, you're all family! Come, let me take you to the back to eat!"

Hearing this, Qin Mo and the others hurriedly cupped their fists and bowed with smiles, but seeing that Ding Li showed no intention of moving, they did not dare to move on their own accord and cast inquiring glances toward Ding Li.

"Don't look at me; looking at me won't fill your stomachs!" Seeing this, Ding Li waved his hand dismissively at them with a smile and said to Scarface Wei, "Brother Wei, the brothers are here for the first time and aren't familiar with things. Please take care of them! I have some matters to discuss with Elder Sister Miao, so I won't go with you for now!"

"Don't you worry, Brother Li! Once you're here, this is your own home!" Scarface Wei gave a hearty, smiling nod, then hurriedly waved to beckon Qin Mo and the others.

Heizi neither followed Scarface Wei to eat nor left with Ding Li. Because several carriages had been damaged during yesterday's ambush, causing problems with the cargo crates as well, Heizi was currently discussing the details of yesterday's incident with the representatives sent by the Zhang Chamber of Commerce to receive the goods. Naturally, the most important task was to jointly inspect the cargo to check for any shortages.

Ding Li merely took a brief look around the caravan, then learned from an escort that Miao Cuihua should currently be having her meal in the front courtyard's main hall. Informing Heizi, Ding Li departed.

Upon reaching the main hall, Ding Li discovered that Miao Cuihua was not only eating breakfast, but more than half of a round table was covered with account books, leaving only a small plate of side dishes and a few stacked white flour flatbreads on the edge furthest from her.

Since no one announced his arrival, Miao Cuihua did not notice anyone until Ding Li walked right up to the table. Without even lifting her head, she spoke, mistaking Ding Li for Li Shan: "Elder Brother Li, has all the cargo been checked? I just re-verified the accounts brought by the Zhang Chamber of Commerce. From this batch of goods alone, we've really made quite a tidy profit!"

Hearing this, Ding Li couldn't help laughing out loud. He cupped his fists in a bow toward Miao Cuihua and said with a sincere smile, "Then I must congratulate Elder Sister Miao on your booming business!"

"Ah? It's you, Ah Li!" Startled by the voice, Miao Cuihua gave a slight start. Raising her head to look, she stood up with a slightly bashful smile, glanced at the breakfast on the table, and hurriedly shouted toward the doorway, "Tell the kitchen to whip up a few dishes and bring a pot of good wine!"

"No! Elder Sister Miao, don't put the people in the back to trouble; just eating this is fine!" Ding Li quickly raised a hand to stop her kind gesture. Glancing at the white flour flatbreads on the table, he didn't stand on ceremony with her, pulled up a chair with a smile, and casually picked up a flatbread.

"This, this just won't do..." Miao Cuihua knew Ding Li wasn't just being polite, but the thought of having Ding Li eat plain white flour flatbreads at her place made her feel uneasy no matter what. She stood there awkwardly, looking at Ding Li.

"Please don't stand on ceremony, Elder Sister Miao. Eating this is quite good!" Seeing this, Ding Li smiled in explanation, picked up the teapot on the table to pour himself a cup of tea, took a large gulp to wash down the flatbread, and then looked at Miao Cuihua, whose face still wore a troubled expression. "Elder Sister Miao, I didn't come here specially just to eat, so please don't be formal! I have a favor to ask of your help, as it wouldn't be appropriate for us folks from the Nanhai Alliance to step forward directly."

"Go ahead and speak, Ah Li! Don't talk about favors; your business is my business!" Hearing this, Miao Cuihua cast aside her formality and turned serious. Slowly seating herself, she looked earnestly at Ding Li, waiting for what he had to say.

Ding Li turned to look around the room, cast a quick glance toward the doorway, and then leaned forward, lowering his voice to a whisper: "In the next two or three days, a batch of cargo from the Cao Chamber of Commerce will be docking. I want to know which escort agency is taking on this shipment! Most importantly, I need to know the strength of this escort agency and how many men they plan to dispatch!"

"Huh? Ah Li, what are you planning to do?" Miao Cuihua's expression instantly changed. The true purpose behind Ding Li inquiring about such matters went without saying; apart from intercepting the cargo, Miao Cuihua could think of no other use for such information.

Since Ding Li had asked Miao Cuihua for help, he naturally had no intention of keeping things from her. Moreover, in the bottom of his heart, he considered her a trustworthy confidante. Without concealing his thoughts in the least, he explained straightforwardly, "When I returned to Guangzhou Prefecture a few days ago, assassins sent by the Cao family committed crimes in broad daylight, and several of my brothers died on the spot! Several others were severely wounded and crippled! Afterward, they even went so far as to seal off our Nanhai Alliance's territory at the Guangzhou Port. I must settle this score no matter what; otherwise, they'll think our Nanhai Alliance is just a soft persimmon to be kneaded at will!"

"Ah, the matter of the docks being sealed off has already become the talk of the town!" Miao Cuihua nodded, but doubt immediately surfaced on her face. Frowning slightly, she looked at Ding Li and pursued the question, "Ah Li, the Cao Chamber of Commerce's influence at Fuxu Port simply cannot compare to the Nanhai Alliance. Now that they've sealed off Guangzhou Port, aren't they just pushing business right into the arms of the Zhang Chamber of Commerce? At least on the surface, keeping Guangzhou Port sealed and refusing to reopen it brings no benefit whatsoever to the Cao Chamber of Commerce! After all, here at Fuxu Port, the Nanhai Alliance is the sole dominant force. When the Nanhai Alliance eats meat, they'll struggle to even get a share of the bone broth!"

Pausing slightly, Miao Cuihua thought of something else and hurriedly added, "Oh, and there's something else! With Guangzhou Port remaining unopened, things here at Fuxu Port are getting nearly too hectic to handle. Some merchant ships have to wait at sea for several extra days just to secure a berth to dock and unload cargo. What's more, all the escort agencies in Fuxu Town have suddenly found themselves short-handed! The Zhang Chamber of Commerce originally had its own transport teams, and now they've established a long-term partnership with our Miao Escort Agency, with prices not raised by a single cent and even offering certain discounts as originally agreed. But the Cao Chamber of Commerce is different. Escort agencies in Fuxu Port have raised their remuneration by over twenty percent now. Just looking at this aspect alone, it does them no good at all—it's utterly harmful with not a single redeeming quality!"

"Indeed! There is definitely something fishy about this!" Mentioning these points, Ding Li's brows slowly furrowed as he began to analyze in a suspicious and deep tone, "Actually, the initial closure of Guangzhou Port was brought about by the intervention of the Zhang Chamber of Commerce! At first, people from the Cao Chamber of Commerce were anxious, including those fellows from the Maritime Trade Supervisorate. But lately, their reactions are no longer as intense as before. Although they still hope to reopen Guangzhou Port as soon as possible, their reactions are far milder than before, as if they are completely able to accept the current situation!"

"Ah Li, this matter is extraordinary! You must be extra careful these days!" With her keen intuition, Miao Cuihua immediately made a firm judgment: "The Cao Chamber of Commerce is also in business to make money; how could they possibly be willing to run such a money-losing operation?"

"Alas! I understand. Coming to Fuxu Town in person this time, I just wanted to see for myself. After all, knowing oneself and the enemy ensures victory in every battle!" Ding Li nodded earnestly and let out a soft sigh. Recently, the Cao Chamber of Commerce had indeed been acting a bit too calm, and the same went for Third Master Liu of the Chaozhou Alliance—showing almost no tendency to retaliate.

Miao Cuihua pondered for a moment, knowing these intricate matters were beyond her full comprehension, and then looked resolutely at Ding Li to offer her guarantee: "Leave the task of inquiring about this to me. I still have absolutely reliable people for this kind of thing! Within two days, I guarantee I'll give you a satisfactory answer!"