Chapter 212 - 155: Grand
Hearing this, Wei He stepped forward and asked, "General, since when has Daliang had a rule restricting its people from leaving the country?"
The Daliang general sneered. "There is no such rule. What are you going to do about it?"
Wei He took a deep breath, forcing his anger down.
"What do we do now?" Li Xiao asked anxiously, leaning closer.
They were so close to reaching Qin City and starting a life of luxury, only to be blocked like this. Li Xiao couldn’t bear it.
So, Li Xiao suggested, "Why don’t we pick ten people to go to Qin City, and have the rest turn back?"
Hearing this, the members of the Thunder Shock Escort Agency looked dejected and disappointed, but there was nothing they could do.
Just then, Zhao Lei, the Chief of the Thunder Shock Escort Agency, dropped to one knee before Li Xiao.
"Li Xiao, you were once part of the Escort Agency. These are our brothers from the agency and their families."
"We’ve already sold our stronghold. If they return to Wang City, under Daliang’s crushing taxes, won’t they just end up as slaves?"
"Li Xiao, I’m begging you. Please, think of something."
After pleading with Li Xiao on behalf of the Escort Agency, Zhao Lei turned to the Daliang general. "General, please, be reasonable!"
Unsurprisingly, the Daliang general didn’t even bother to glance at Zhao Lei.
Li Xiao, for his part, hesitated, but he lacked the courage to negotiate with the Daliang general.
Seeing Li Xiao’s hesitation, Lu Changfeng had his clone, Lu Jun, speak up. "How about this: you all wait here while we go back and ask Magistrate Hua to send someone to the border to negotiate."
"Wait? How long would that take?" Li Xiao was clearly against the idea.
He even started to resent the members of the Thunder Shock Escort Agency for holding him back. ’If I’d known this would happen,’ he thought, ’I never would have brought them to Qin City.’
Lu Changfeng estimated the time and replied, "About three days for a round trip."
"No!" Li Xiao snapped. "That’s too long!" Hearing this, the five members of the Changle Martial Arts Hall could no longer stand to watch.
The members of the Thunder Shock Escort Agency fell into utter despair. This boy, Li Xiao, truly had no feelings for the agency at all.
Just then, the general at the border checkpoint frowned and walked over. "You know the County Magistrate of Qin City in Yunyang Prefecture?"
The Daliang general had initially assumed this was just another common case of locals from Jiangnan Prefecture attempting to leave Daliang.
This had become a common sight lately. After all, Daliang’s policies toward the local people of Jiangnan were truly inhumane, reducing them to nothing more than beasts of burden for the dynasty.
’If all the beasts of burden run away, who’s going to do the most demeaning jobs?’
Thus, the higher-ups had recently issued an order restricting the ordinary people of Jiangnan Prefecture from leaving the country.
However, there was an even higher-priority order: do not, under any circumstances, get into a conflict with the powers of Yunyang Prefecture!
That was why, after overhearing that this group seemed to have ties to the Qin City County Magistrate, the Daliang general had proactively approached to inquire further.
Wei He met the general’s approach and nodded. "That’s right. This Young Master Li Xiao is none other than the Qin City County Magistrate’s brother-in-law!"
"These people from the Thunder Shock Escort Agency took great care of Young Master Li Xiao in the past. They are traveling with us back to Qin City to receive a reward."
The Daliang general’s brow furrowed. "Do you have any proof?"
Wei He produced the mission letter from the Martial Arts Hall, which contained the details of their task, along with the County Magistrate’s official seal and signature.
Of course, the Daliang general couldn’t tell if the seal from Yunyang Prefecture was authentic, but all the paperwork seemed to be in order and didn’t look like a forgery.
’Fine,’ he thought. ’I’ll just turn a blind eye. Antagonizing Yunyang Prefecture would likely earn me a much worse punishment from my superiors.’
The Daliang general handed the letter back to Wei He.
"Very well. Go on, then."
"Remember to keep this quiet. We have recent orders from above that ordinary people generally aren’t allowed to leave," the Daliang general added.
"Thank you," Wei He said, cupping his fists in a salute.
Joy appeared on everyone’s faces, except for Li Xiao, whose expression was sour. He had just rejected the proposal to wait, and immediately after, the Daliang general had decided to let them go.
It made him look like a fool to both sides.
Li Xiao stormed into his carriage in a huff.
At the Daliang general’s command, the border checkpoint opened, and the procession of several hundred people slowly made its way toward Jia City on the other side.
As soon as they left the checkpoint, a weight was lifted from Li Xiao’s shoulders.
As they drew closer to the territory of Yunyang Prefecture, Li Xiao’s desires began to swell.
A gust of wind lifted the carriage curtain, and through the opening, Li Xiao caught sight of Lu Jun’s graceful figure up ahead, causing his heart to stir.
But Lu Jun was, after all, hired by his sister, so Li Xiao didn’t dare to act presumptuously.
Instead, he stuck his head out and shouted to the members of the Thunder Shock Escort Agency behind him, "This long journey has made my back and shoulders ache! Send a couple of girls over to rub my shoulders and back!"
Such words would have been outrageous coming from him before, but now, he was the brother-in-law of the Qin City County Magistrate. Once they reached Qin City, they would all have to rely on Li Xiao’s favor.
Besides, there were plenty of people eager to curry favor. Soon enough, two young women boarded the carriage and began massaging Li Xiao.
Seeing this, the members of the Changle Martial Arts Hall all shook their heads inwardly.
Over the course of the journey, they had personally witnessed Li Xiao transform from a timid, cowering youth into a bossy, pompous man.
As a Breaker, Wei He had seen too much to be surprised. He simply chuckled to himself at the boy’s transformation.
He had seen it countless times: a weak person’s nature changing drastically after they gained power.
If their power came from their own strength, that would be one thing; others would at least be wary of them.
But if it was just borrowed power, like official authority, then the same people who gave it to you could also strip it away at any moment!
’If this kid doesn’t wake up to reality soon,’ Wei He mused, ’he’s bound for a rude awakening.’
They crossed the long, man-made border.
By early the next morning, they had arrived at the Jia City border checkpoint.
This time, however, their passage was extremely smooth. After a normal but thorough inspection, the border guards quickly allowed the group of over five hundred people to pass.
One of the soldiers even said, "Welcome home, to the land of the Song People."
Jia City and Qin City had both previously been part of Jiangnan Prefecture, so it was only natural that their people felt a stronger sense of kinship with other folk from Jiangnan.
"Haha! We’re finally in Yunyang Prefecture!" Li Xiao exclaimed, excitedly stepping out of his sedan chair as soon as they entered Jia City.
"Wei He, how much longer until we reach Qin City?"
"We should reach Qin City around noon," Wei He replied.
"Good! Let’s pick up the pace! The sooner we get to Qin City, the better! I’ll treat everyone to a meal!" As he spoke, Li Xiao’s gaze discreetly swept over Lu Jun’s body.
The faces of the Thunder Shock Escort Agency members were also filled with joy.
Previously, Chief Zhao Lei had been worried that they would be exploited by the Saint Demon Sect in Yunyang Prefecture.
But from the looks of it now, the people of Yunyang Prefecture were living well. Life here was much better than he had imagined.
The Thunder Shock Escort Agency had made the right move!
After a brief stop for supplies in Jia City, the group set off again.
Finally, at noon, they arrived at Qin City!
A disciple from the Changle Martial Arts Hall had galloped ahead on the county road to announce their impending arrival.
Now, at the gates of Qin City, a large contingent of soldiers was waiting for Li Xiao’s return!
Seated in a sedan chair were none other than the Qin City County Magistrate and his beloved concubine, Li Rongrong!
The party welcoming Li Xiao back to the city was a grand and magnificent affair!