Chapter 142: Prestige Escort Agency

A seemingly ordinary breakfast unexpectedly led Old Gao and Wang Si to discover a major event. Supported by Wang Si, Old Gao returned to the residence carrying the jade token that Ding Li had ‘accidentally’ dropped. Coincidentally, one of their companions recognized the token. It was an item possessed only by key figures of the former Xunzhou Gang, with no more than ten such tokens existing within the gang back then, making it essentially a symbol of high-ranking identity.

This news was nothing short of a heavy bomb, and one on the verge of detonation at that. Although the men present did not hold particularly high positions within the Chaozhou Gang, they were by no means ordinary foot soldiers; otherwise, they would not have been assigned to Fuxu Town.

They were all well aware of the ultimate fate of the Xunzhou Gang, but the final whereabouts of Lai Wu remained unknown to them, and perhaps even Third Master Liu, the supreme leader of their Chaozhou Gang, was in the dark. Now, a Xunzhou Gang token had suddenly surfaced. While they were quite puzzled as to the motive behind Ding Li’s earlier ambush, the token before their eyes was undeniably real. They had to snap to attention and immediately decided to dispatch two men carrying the token back to Guangzhou Prefecture to report the matter in person to Third Master Liu.

This might well be a massive merit laid out before them. Even though Old Gao had been injured just moments ago, he immediately assured the others that it was only a minor wound and would not affect his mobility in the least. Naturally, the heavy responsibility of rushing back to Guangzhou Prefecture to report fell upon Old Gao and Wang Si, seeing as the two of them had found the token. Though the remaining companions felt a lingering grievance, they could raise no objections. Before departing, Old Gao and Wang Si assured their comrades that if they struck it rich, they would certainly not forget everyone, and even promised to treat them to meat and wine the next time they met.

Thus, amidst the repeated expressions of care, advice, and smiling farewells from their companions, Old Gao and Wang Si left the residence. At a window seat in a teahouse beside the main street, Ding Li, disguised as a middle-aged man, had been sitting for half an hour. Finally, he spotted Old Gao and Wang Si—looking as delighted as if they had struck gold—leading their mounts as they appeared. Ding Li immediately dropped his teahouse fare, stepped out, and followed the pair.

The strides of Old Gao and Wang Si were exceptionally hurried, as if they were rushing to unearth a buried treasure. Old Gao, in particular, let the pain in his arm be overshadowed by the sheer excitement on his face. Had riding horses at a gallop not been forbidden within the city walls, the two of them likely would have vaulted onto their mounts and charged straight out.

Ding Li tailed them casually all the way until he watched them exit through the North City Gate. Seeing them mount their steeds the very moment they cleared the tunnel, a faint smile played on Ding Li’s lips as he turned and walked away.

Having left the Zhang residence last night and spent the entire night searching for the antique shop owner, Ding Li had not slept a wink. Now that this phase of the matter had come to a close, he found himself somewhat at a loss as to where to go. He had no inclination to return to the Zhang residence to rest. After wandering the streets for a while and feeling increasingly dizzy, he decided to head toward the Miao Escort Agency.

Within the Miao Escort Agency, Ding Li was practically a star figure, and no one stopped or questioned him along the way. According to the escort who received him, Miao Cuihua had gone out early in the morning for unknown reasons, while Chief Escort Li Shan and Deputy Escort Scarface Wei had gone down to the docks at dawn to pick up a shipment—reportedly a batch of cargo left stranded at the docks by the Zhang Mercantile Association yesterday.

Knowing that Miao Cuihua had most likely gone out to gather intelligence for him, Ding Li stood on ceremony. He asked the escort to fetch him some food from the kitchen and arrange a guest room for him to rest.

After a hearty meal, an overwhelming wave of drowsiness finally overtook Ding Li. He collapsed onto the bed and fell into a deep sleep, only waking up leisurely when faint, bustling noises drifted in from outside the window. He glanced at the hourglass on the table near the window, then cast a quick look outside. Suddenly startled, he realized with a shock that the Hour of Shen had already passed.

The guest room was located on the second floor of the agency’s back courtyard. Stepping out of the room and standing before the railing, he saw Scarface Wei chatting animatedly with a group of visibly excited escorts down below. Ding Li hurried down the stairs, cupped his fists with a smile toward Scarface Wei, and greeted him, "Brother Wei! You're back!"

"Ah! Speak of the Cao Cao, and Cao Cao arrives! Hahaha!" Scarface Wei, sitting on the stone steps, hastily stood up, returned the salute, and laughed heartily.

"Brother Li! Brother Li!"

Among the escorts surrounding Scarface Wei were quite a few who had fought side by side with Ding Li. They immediately cupped their fists in respectful salutes to Ding Li, who was forced to return the gestures to each of them one by one, a warm and amiable smile lingering on his face.

"Alright, alright, we'll talk later. Brother Li is here on other business!" Scarface Wei hastily waved a hand at the escorts, then gestured toward Ding Li, saying, "Brother Li, this way please. Our chief gave orders—as soon as you woke up, I was to bring you to see her!"

"Very well, sorry to trouble you with the lead, Brother Wei!" Ding Li nodded politely, then cupped his fists with a smile to the other escorts. "Brothers, until we meet again!"

The escorts hurriedly returned the salute, smiling as they watched Ding Li and Scarface Wei leave the back courtyard. Once Ding Li’s figure had completely vanished, one of the escorts puffed out his chest, proudly patted a companion beside him, and exclaimed with his head held high, "That’s the Brother Li Chief Escort Wei just mentioned! I’ve actually been into battle alongside Brother Li! Just like Brother Wei said, during that last escort run when we ran into hundreds of bandit cavalry, it was entirely thanks to Brother Li’s command that we overcame superior numbers with fewer men, and triumphed while weak! If it weren't for... Hey, where are you guys going? I haven't finished yet!"

Before the escort could finish, his companions rolled their eyes in utter disdain and turned to leave one after another, abandoning him standing in place with an expression of furious frustration, glaring daggers at their retreating backs.

Scarface Wei led Ding Li straight to Miao Cuihua’s room. Not entering himself, Scarface Wei ushered Ding Li inside, pulled the heavy door firmly shut behind him, and rather than leaving immediately, took up a post as a temporary guard just a short distance from the doorway. Miao Cuihua had previously instructed him that this matter was of utmost importance and must not be leaked to anyone—including Scarface Wei himself.

"Ah-li, you're here! Sit down!" Miao Cuihua was flipping through an account book inside the room. Seeing Ding Li enter, she quickly closed it, set it aside, motioned for Ding Li to take a seat, and poured two cups of tea. Pushing one cup toward Ding Li, she spoke in a lowered voice before he could even open his mouth, "I went out to gather the intelligence myself. Tonight, around the Hour of Chou, the Cao Mercantile Association’s fleet will make port. The unloading will be done through the night. Escorting this cargo is the Yangwei Escort Agency, run by the Ji brothers, and there’s also the Cao Mercantile Association’s own caravan traveling along for protection!"

"I see. Then they should be heading out of the city and onto the road by tomorrow morning!" Ding Li nodded, furrowing his brow slightly in thought before continuing, "Sister Miao, tell me about this Yangwei Escort Agency—the Ji brothers you mentioned. What is their standing like? And how many men does the Cao Mercantile Association have of its own?"

"The exact number of men from the Cao Mercantile Association hasn't been found out; there’s no precise news on that," Miao Cuihua said, her brows knitting together slightly, though she quickly explained her analysis in detail. "However, their guards will number at least a hundred. When I was gathering information, the Cao Mercantile Association was already hiring dock laborers for this shipment. Word has it they've hired no fewer than two hundred laborers alone. That shows this cargo is definitely substantial. Based on our own escort agency's experiences with shipments of this scale, the armed personnel accompanying it must number at least over two hundred!"

Pausing briefly to let Ding Li digest the information, Miao Cuihua continued by introducing the Yangwei Escort Agency. "The Yangwei Escort Agency holds a rather prominent reputation within the escort business here in Fuxu Town. Their core number of escorts isn't very large—just a little over a hundred men. That’s why I deduce that the Cao Mercantile Association's private guards must number at least a hundred."

Ding Li nodded with a clear understanding, his finger tracing back and forth along the rim of the teacup as he analyzed thoughtfully, "Sister Miao, since the Yangwei Escort Agency lacks sufficient manpower, yet the Cao Mercantile Association still chose them for the job, those Ji brothers must hold considerable weight!"

"Mm, you guessed right!" Miao Cuihua replied with a frown, then lowered her voice to explain, "The Ji brothers—Ji Chuan and Ji Zhan—are natives of Nanhai. In truth, the two of them established their escort agency only a few years ago, and prior to that, they were merely street-level toughs! At the time, they saw that the escort business was quite profitable and figured running an agency was simple: you just needed a venue, a few weapons, and a handful of daring, fierce men. None of those things posed a major problem for the brothers, since street ruffians never lack for drinking buddies and shady companions. But the moment their Yangwei Escort Agency opened, it was almost squeezed out of existence by their competitors."

With that, Miao Cuihua smiled with a hint of helplessness, sighed softly, and went on. "Ah-li, in our line of work, the cargo passing through Fuxu Port each day is limited. An extra escort agency appearing is like adding another wolf to a pack while the prey before them remains unchanged. Rivals in the same trade are natural enemies—that saying is entirely true."

"What happened next, then? How did the Ji brothers make their fortune?" Ding Li had no interest in the mutual suppression between trade rivals, but he was quite curious about how the Ji brothers rose to prominence, prompting him to press the question.

"It was sheer destiny, you could say! If a certain rival escort agency hadn't driven the Ji brothers to the brink of death back then, they probably wouldn't have achieved what they have today!" Recalling the past, Miao Cuihua wore a deeply reflective expression. Her thoughts drifting back several years, she spoke in a leisurely tone. "Back then, there was a family named Wang that held quite a strong position in the escort business, but their character left much to be desired. It was the head of the Wang family who led the coalition to suppress the Ji brothers. In the end, he reaped what he sowed. After pushing the Ji brothers to a point where survival was impossible, the entire Wang family—over forty souls—was slaughtered down to the last person one dark night!"

"Hiss..." Hearing this, even Ding Li, who had witnessed plenty of bloody scenes, could not help drawing a sharp breath. Ordinary gang conflicts, battles between armies, or even robberies by mountain bandits usually had specific targets. But the extermination of an entire clan was exceptionally rare, reserved only for grave crimes like treason and rebellion. Even government officials rarely resorted to such brutal methods.

At the same time, Ding Li could well imagine to what extremes the Wang family must have pushed the two Ji brothers to drive two low-level street toughs to commit such a bloody and merciless atrocity.

"That deed was committed by the Ji brothers, but there was not a shred of evidence, because the Wang manor was burned cleanly to the ground that very night. Regardless, through all these years, no one in the trade has dared to bring the matter up, as the fate of the Wang family serves as a bloody lesson!" Mentioning the annihilation of the Wang family, Miao Cuihua wore a lingering look of dread, yet she patiently finished recounting the whole process for Ding Li. "Fuxu Port was exceptionally chaotic in those years. Even the current Zhang Mercantile Association, which held absolute status in Fuxu Port back then, didn't dare to rashly muddy the waters. Coupled with the lack of evidence and no one stepping forward to seek justice, the officials couldn't be bothered to look into such matters. After all, the garrison troops in Fuxu Town weren't the elite force they are today back then. For a major case like this, no one was willing to meddle, knowing that the slightest misstep could lead them to follow in the footsteps of the wiped-out Wang family!"

"Ah!" Miao Cuihua shook her head slightly, letting out a sympathetic sigh, and after a brief pause, added, "Later on, the Ji brothers officially secured their footing, and having looted considerable wealth from the Wang family, they ran their escort agency in grand style. By some unknown means, the two brothers managed to forge ties with the Cao Mercantile Association. Ever since then, they've been rising on the wind. Moreover, owing to their connection with the Cao, most of the escorts under their command are desperate criminals recruited from all over; quite a few of them even had capital murder charges hanging over their heads when they joined the Yangwei Escort Agency! With a band of desperate men like that handling the escorts, backed by the support of the Cao Mercantile Association, the strength of the Yangwei Escort Agency is beyond question!"