Chapter 85: The Huo Family Ridge Stronghold

Faced with the golden banner of Huo Family Ridge unfurling before their eyes, it was clear that the escorts of the Miao Escort Agency all recognized it. Immediately, their vigilance eased somewhat. After all, in the Guangzhou prefecture, aside from rumors that the authorities had once tried to suppress the Ridge’s stronghold, these traders and escorts had heard no other negative tales about Huo Family Ridge.

Yet with a sidelong glance, Ding Li caught the subtle change in the demeanor of the middle-aged steward and his men; their expressions had grown far more grave than before. Especially those who had been continually adjusting their bowstrings—now they gripped their bows tightly, arrows nocked, bowstrings drawn just enough to glint in the light. The cold gleam of arrowheads only intensified Ding Li’s sense of unease.

A hundred paces from the outermost carts of the merchant caravan, the Huo Family Ridge banner halted, and the two or three dozen riders behind it dispersed and came to a controlled stop. But what truly drew everyone’s attention was the cloud of dust rising from the opposite direction—a force twice their number, with no banner yet visible.

“That’s Huo Lang, the second-in-command of Huo Family Ridge! He’s signaling a greeting!” Scar-faced Wei, holding a spear behind one of the carts, shouted to Miao Cuihua after seeing a red flag wave among Huo’s men. He then turned gravely to his old partner, Li Shan. “Master Li, should we go out and parley?”

Li Shan met Miao Cuihua’s glance; years of partnership had bred instinctive understanding. After a brief pause, Li nodded and instructed, “We’ll talk. Since these are brothers from Huo Family Ridge, there shouldn’t be trouble.”

But, glancing toward the rear of the caravan, Li added with concern, “Still, we need to find out who those people behind us are. Ask Huo’s second-in-command to send two men over to talk. Huo Lang should trust the Miao Escort Agency’s reputation.”

“Understood!” Scar-faced Wei, an old hand in the martial world, read Li’s misgivings in his words and his flickering eyes. Immediately, Wei’s earlier relaxation vanished; he nodded, whispered instructions to his companions, and signaled back and forth with flags.

Within moments, two riders from the Huo side approached. Through the quiet exchange between Miao Cuihua and Li Shan, Ding Li learned that one was indeed Huo Lang, known as the second-in-command.

When the two parties were fifty paces apart, Huo Lang gave a signal and the riders halted. Huo Lang cupped his fist in greeting and called out in a genial, clear voice, “So Sister Miao of the Miao Escort Agency is here as well! Huo Lang of Huo Family Ridge greets you. And Master Li, Deputy Wei—my respects to you both!”

“You honor us, Second Master Huo.” Miao Cuihua, not to be outdone in courtesy, tossed her willow-leaf saber to Li Shan, leapt onto a cart, and returned the salute with a spirited, commanding gesture. She paused briefly before continuing, “Our Miao Escort Agency and your Huo Family Ridge have always respected each other’s boundaries. May I ask, what brings you here today, Second Master Huo?”

Though Huo Family Ridge lay within the same prefecture, it was almost in the opposite direction from Fuxu Town. If they’d come here, they must have received news and set out early.

“Sister Miao, you are forthright; I’ll be just as direct,” Huo Lang replied, his expression suddenly darkening, his tone turning cold. He pointed his saber toward the caravan and demanded, “Sister Miao, what sort of escort job is this? I’d wager that across the whole Guangzhou prefecture, not many escort agencies would dare take such a commission. Did you really risk your men’s lives just for a bit of profit? Since you say our paths do not cross, why act against Huo Family Ridge? Are you deliberately making an enemy of us?”

These words unsettled Miao Cuihua and her companions. But after her earlier exchange with Li Shan, Huo Lang’s accusations only deepened their suspicions about this employer. As the agency’s two leaders, they had personally vetted the commission, so there could be no mistake.

“What, Sister Miao, are you thinking up an excuse?” Huo Lang pressed, emboldened by their silence. Though he had only two or three dozen men, the name of Huo Family Ridge carried ten times their weight.

“Second Master Huo, if you have something to say, say it outright! You know our agency’s reputation,” Li Shan interjected, stepping onto the cart to stand beside Miao Cuihua. He raised his voice, “If the Miao Escort Agency has made any mistake, say so plainly! But if you’re merely using your name to pick a fight, let me warn you, our brothers are not to be trifled with!”

Huo Lang sneered. “Not to be trifled with? And what of it? Master Li, you certainly aren’t soft! I didn’t expect the Miao Escort Agency to be so ruthless as to rob even our Huo Family Ridge’s trade routes!”

This left Ding Li utterly confused—since when had the Miao Escort Agency become a band of thieves? But Huo Lang’s next words made everything clear: “This cargo you’re escorting belongs to Huo Family Ridge! Your employer in the caravan behind you had a deal with our chief. Now that the deal is done, he wants to cut us out and keep all the money for himself!”

Huo Lang’s gaze grew colder and more mocking. “I suppose, Sister Miao, this commission of yours must be worth at least a year’s revenue for your entire agency?”

At this, Miao Cuihua and Li Shan both stiffened. Huo Lang’s words were somewhat exaggerated, but the reward for this job was indeed enough to cover a month’s work for all their men. And because of special conditions set by their employer, they’d both compromised for the sake of the handsome reward.

“Sister Miao, I needn’t say who your employer is, need I?” Huo Lang’s face was grim as he pressed on. “You may fear him, but Huo Family Ridge does not. That eunuch, the superintendent of the Guangzhou Maritime Office—if he thinks he can swallow our goods, even the Emperor himself would have to spit them out!”

At those words, Miao Cuihua’s heart plummeted, and Li Shan’s grew cold. He hurriedly waved his hands, shouting, “Second Master Huo, this is a misunderstanding—a complete misunderstanding!”

Their agency, with no official backing, had worked hard to reach its current standing in Fuxu Town. They had no wish to be caught between two powers. There was an old saying in their trade: in the escort business, reputation and skill count for forty percent, connections for the rest.

Now, suddenly trapped between two great forces, even the usually composed Miao Cuihua was at a loss, relying on Li Shan to steady the scene. Their men below, seasoned as they were, were already growing anxious—they all understood the implications.

“Kill them all! Does the Tian family’s cargo move at anyone’s whim?” An icy voice rang out from the caravan. The steward’s face was livid, a trace of vicious satisfaction in his eyes as the dust cloud behind drew ever nearer, threatening to engulf the caravan.

This had all been foreseen by the steward—indeed, it was part of his meticulous plan. Seize the Huo Family Ridge’s cargo, knowing they had spies in Fuxu Town. He’d deliberately leaked the news, ensuring Huo’s men would come to intercept the goods. In the process, he’d drawn the Miao Escort Agency into the fray. Most importantly, the force trailing behind was his own master’s men, personally arranged.

The thought of his flawless scheme filled the steward with elation. This nine-cart load was nothing less than pure gold and silver, and the cart behind him even held foreign treasures from overseas. He had even secretly kept for himself a luminous pearl said to belong to the Dragon King of the East Sea—a single pearl that could light half a room at night.

The steward’s vision blurred with anticipation. The plan was watertight; his personal guards, picked by his master himself, were all hardened veterans with deadly skills—he had seen as much with his own eyes.

Yet, contrary to his expectations, there was no hiss of bowstrings, no clash of drawn blades. Instead, in the blink of an eye, figures flashed before him, blood sprayed, and it was as if he was trapped in a nightmare, doubting his own senses.

No one paid any attention to the unremarkable Ding Li. Everyone knew he had merely joined the caravan at the outset, a stray traveler along for the journey. The steward and his men had even pitied him, seeing him as another innocent life caught up in this affair—sometimes even casting him glances of sympathy.

But now, Ding Li returned all that pity to them, lives and all.

Even before the steward gave the command, Ding Li had noticed the strange behavior of those nearby, especially one man who, under the pretense of nocking an arrow, kept aiming at key members of the escort, particularly Miao Cuihua and Li Shan.

With the carts blocking the view ahead, anyone seeking to shoot at the Huo Family Ridge riders would naturally angle their arrows toward the sky. No one’s gaze would ever wander so furtively behind their own lines—any observer would know they harbored ill intent.

Ding Li moved with startling speed. At the very moment the steward issued his order, Ding Li acted. In the time it took to blink, he severed the arms of two archers, and with his left hand, already gripping a short dagger, he left clear and deadly marks in the chests of three others.