768 Returning The Money (1/2)

Almost two years had passed now, and Lü Qiying still had not fully adapted to his new career.

He used to be the owner of the most famous tavern in Jade City. In order to taste the exquisite wine he had collected, many people in high positions notified him or even visited him in person, earning him lots of face and silver. Tavernkeeper Lü could have lived a respectful and decent life simply by sitting at home.

Now, as the owner of a camel caravan, not only did he earn very little money, but he also lived in constant fear. He was always on edge, fearful that the camel caravan would run into bandits and suffer a great loss. This, however, happened all the time in the chaotic Western Regions.

He had bought this camel caravan for a low price before the war based on his judgment that peace would be soon be restored in the Western Regions. Unfortunately, although the war was lessening in intensity, the scale of the war had escalated. In order to maintain the safety and survival of the camel caravan, Lü Qiying, who had always been cautious, only took secured orders.

After several runs, Lü Qiying had learned that the most troublesome roadblock was not just bandits, but also the the cunning camel teammembers who were always in cahoots with each other, stealing goods and then blatantly laying all the blame on robbers.

Ever since he had left Jade City and moved to the Shule Kingdom, Lü Qiying had had few trustworthy people around him. He always maintained a close eye over his team, personally traveling with the team, dealing with bandits and soldiers, and paying for safe paths.

”Better a bad life than a good death.” This was his recent famous quote. He was a businessman. Although he hired many sabermen, he always tried to avoid using force to solve his problems.

Every time he lay in a shackled tent by the side of the road and listened to the cold wind howling outside to the ringing of the camel bells, Lü Qiying would think of a man, and then ask himself what he had been thinking at that time. How could he have trusted a young killer and sell his tavern which had a promising future and run off to the strange Shule Kingdom? And the result was that not only that he had not seen the supposed big business worth a million taels of silver, but he had also lost contact with the source of all his misfortunes.

This batch of goods would be sent to Jade City. If he had a choice, Lü Qiying really wouldn't want to return. With his now weather-beaten face, he was too embarrassed to meet his former acquaintances.

'This is life.' Lü Qiying comforted himself with this thought. Then he raised his right hand and looked at his broken little finger as if a little man were standing on top of it, whispering to himself, ”Dragon King, it's all your fault.”

”Master, master, there are…”

”What?” Lü Qiying asked impatiently. Everything had changed and it was difficult to even find a good servant now.

”There are robbers ahead.”

Lü Qiying frowned but wasn't too afraid. The Heaven's Pass was just down the road and most of the large groups of bandits and soldiers had already taken silver from him and would not change their faces so fast. As for those wandering bandits, he believed that the sabermen he had hired would be good enough to handle them.

The whole caravan stopped. Feeling uneasy, Lü Qiying hurried to the front on horseback. What he saw shocked him.

At least a hundred people were lined up, blocking the way. In front of them stood three men side by side.Find authorized novels in Webnovel，faster updates, better experience，Please click visiting.

They were the Mighty King, the Golden Saber, and the Skyscraping Beast, the three most famous bandit chiefs in the Shule Kingdom. Not only did Lü Qiying know them, but he had also already handed over a large sum of money. In return, he had received a big bowl of sour wine and a promise that his camel caravan would travel free of harassment.

The three had their own territories and seldom joined forces to block the road. Lü Qiying's heart sank. He cast a glance at the long line of camels and really couldn't recall any particularly valuable goods in it.

The sabermen he hired, who were always first to eat and drink, all looked obedient and cowardly in the face of strong enemies. With their heads lowered, they behaved like ignorant teenagers who had picked up a saber for the first time in their life.

”Haha, it's a great blessing to meet my bosom friends on the road. What brought my three elder brothers here? Come, are my brothers missing the good wine I've collected again?” Lü Qiying pretended to be overjoyed. He jumped off the horse and strode forth to meet the three bandits chiefs, knowing that it was clearly impossible to cross this roadblock through the use of saber and sword this time.

The three 'elder brothers' were all younger than Lü Qiying, and they stood motionless without a word. The minions behind them also looked expressionless, like a group of statues.

As he walked closer, Lü Qiying's heart thumped as he realized that something wasn't quite right.

The Mighty King was tall and strong and could subdue a bull with bare hands. But now his right arm was hanging in front of his body with a bandage, obviously broken.

The Golden Saber was thin, but his sabersmanship was the best among the three of them and he always carried his saber with him. But today, he was empty-handed like a shop assistant who had just been fired.

The Skyscraping Beast was said to have the best lightness skills, and was skilled at leaping onto roofs and vaulting over walls. Although he had the least number of underlings, he often got the best loot. But now his body was tilted, his right leg almost dangling in the air.

'Were they double-crossed and decided to raid me to make up for their losses?' Lü Qiying immediately thought of this possibility and quickly calculated a figure, knowing that he would suffer a great loss yet again. He couldn't help but feel an overwhelming pain bite at his heart.

Lü Qiying could not pretend that he had not seen the injuries of the three, so he could only put on a broad smile and say, ”Hey, brothers, what's going on? Fighting over girls again? How did you guys all get injured?”

The Mighty King rattled his left fist, clenched his teeth, and spat out, ”Lü Qiying, you are really capable.”

Lü Qiying immediately shrank back a bit and asked blankly, ”What… What's that supposed to mean? You know that I can't even hold a candle to you guys.”