CHAPTER 468: CHAPTER 308: FROZEN LAND_2

Looking at these escort missions, Yan Xiaobao quickly decided to accept such missions, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t find a mission that led all the way to the final cave.

Ultimately, Yan Xiaobao selected four escort missions. All of these were missions to escort a young master to the academy. They collectively hired at least ten mercenaries, which seemed to be the standard number required for escort missions, and they would leave in a few days, providing everyone the time they needed. Because he knew nothing about the caves they were about to enter, nor which mission would bring them closest to their final destination, he let Xu Biao make the final call.

Once again, Yan Xiaobao escaped through the window, leaving the remaining tasks to Xu Biao as he rushed back to the room where his friends were still sleeping. The reason they were so exhausted was that they had been sitting vigilantly by his side until they could no longer stay awake and fell into a deep sleep. Their bodies were exhausted, and they needed rest.

Back in the office, Guild Master Xu Biao looked at the paper in his hand, nodded finally, and walked towards the door, opening it to face the sea of people outside.

"I need to speak with the envoy from the Zhang Family." he shouted, causing a burst of noise to immediately erupt in the room. This was the first time the Guild Master had summoned anyone. What was more exciting was that earlier today, Yan Xiaobao had already walked through everyone. Was this the time the family finally met the elusive young genius?

The envoy from the Zhong Family immediately stepped out from where he stood in line, slightly bowed to the rest of the line, and proceeded towards the office.

Upon entering the office, the door closed behind him. The envoy was shocked to see that Yan Xiaobao was not in the room; the only other exit was a window, the thought of the genius leaving through the window somehow made the envoy boy smile a bit.

"I’ve called you because of the task your family requested." Xu Biao began, the man nodded. Even though he knew the escort mission, to guide the young heir towards his academy.

"Yan Xiaobao and his six-person team have already proposed to occupy six positions in this mission," Xu Biao continued as a matter of fact, which left the young man stunned. He had only one thought in his mind; is this for real?

Once the news spread that Yan Xiaobao decided to take on the mission to escort a young master from the city, a huge commotion occurred in the capital. The largest commotion was that there were still four spaces for mercenaries in the mission. These four positions were highly sought after by both mercenaries and family guards.

The family guards did not participate because they were already tired of their jobs as guards and did not apply, because their families were willing to pay huge funds if they managed to perform the mission near Yan Xiaobao.

A simple escort mission turned into a prestigious and highly sought-after mission that everyone applied for.

Applicants had various reasons for wanting to join the team. Some wanted to get close to Yan Xiaobao, while others just wanted to see and meet this unparalleled genius. Some hoped to challenge the young genius to test their own abilities, and there were even some who simply wanted to assassinate the young white-haired boy.

This was a mission that soon occupied all the conversations in the city, and the Yang Family benefited greatly from the fame. Families from all over the city came to visit them; everyone brought gifts, and some even tried to buy the last four spots on the mission.

In the days while the Yang Family enjoyed their newfound fame, Yan Xiaobao and his friends spent all their time preparing again at the Mercenary Guild.

"Do you think we’ll encounter more assassins?" Deng Wu raised the question that most people were thinking. Though he asked the question, he already guessed the answer, and his face darkened.

Yan Xiaobao nodded and then replied, "I think we need to expect assassins to appear anywhere in these underground cities."

Everyone nodded, displaying a solemn expression on their faces as they recalled the days wasted in the endless forest fantasy and how Yan Xiaobao pushed himself to the limits, forcing himself to endure the fantasy.

Everyone in the room vowed they would increase their strength so as not to drag their friend down.

....

Looking at the men in front of him, Yan Xiaobao frowned slightly, as it was clear the Yang Family had ultimately given up on buying these mission spots. The last four members of this group were clearly not mercenaries who once lived dirty lives in the tunnels; instead, they were neatly dressed, standing there.

After glancing at them once, Yan Xiaobao no longer paid them any attention before looking at the most important person in their group. The young master enrolling at the renowned academy.

His name was Yang Bai, a young man of about twelve. On one hand, he looked like your ordinary teenager looking at Yan Xiaobao with immense respect and awe, but on the other hand, when dealing with others in the group, he was a bit arrogant. The only person he seemed to show respect and admiration for was the white-haired genius.

The mercenaries in the mission were not the only ones; it seemed the entire city showed up at the headquarters of the Mercenary Guild to see the entourage on their journey to the next cave.

The wage involved in this effort was three hundred Demon Coins, and the mercenaries had to handle their own food. Initially, not many people would take such a long time to earn such fleeting money, but now the situation was different with Yan Xiaobao celebrating the fact: they were paid to travel as planned anyway.

Everyone gathered, the mercenaries received half the fee, and without any ceremony, the entourage began their journey to the west tunnel of the Demon Residence Cave.

Unlike before, this caravan was far more sophisticated than anything seen before. Three black iron-made carts were used to transport everyone helping the young master. The young master, his personal servant, and the Yang Family’s steward took the first cart.

The second was filled with the Yang Family’s guards, and the final transport was left for the mercenaries to use on a shift schedule.

The duty of the mercenaries was to ensure the caravan passed through the caves and tunnels without a scratch, which was much harder than one might imagine.

The group left at dawn. On one hand were Yan Xiaobao and his friends walking together, and on the other, the guards being watched over. While the guards walked with straight backs, watching them precisely, Yan Xiaobao’s team was more vigilant, their eyes constantly darting from side to side, observing any slight movement around them.

This was one of the most obvious differences between the mercenaries and the guards. Another was that while the mercenaries all wore robes, the guards were clad in armor made of shiny reflective material; although their armor looked very good, it was not very beneficial in battle.

The weapons they chose were different too. Each mercenary in the group had their own weapon and specialization, but each guard used a halberd. While a weapon with good targeting, it required substantial practice, which the guards lacked.

All in all, Yan Xiaobao didn’t put much confidence in the guards, having determined they would encounter bandit attacks and assassins along the way, not to mention powerful tribes and Demon Beasts he doubted these guards could handle.

While the mercenaries felt slight disdain towards the guards walking beside the carts, they felt even more disdain for the guards inside the second cart. Being a cultivator was akin to being a warrior; though sometimes relaxing inside a cart was nice, if attacked, it would turn into a death trap. When they’re all inside, how do they expect to exit the cart and save their master, let alone know what was happening around them?

Sighing, Yan Xiaobao no longer wondered about the guards, instead focusing his attention on the road ahead.

Leaving the city was more nerve-wracking than he anticipated. He was very aware they were targets for all sorts of assassins and bandits, and he was sure they wouldn’t hold back even inside a city. Thus, the journey took only about an hour, but for Yan Xiaobao and his friends, it felt like an eternity as they were constantly on high alert. They tried to observe everything happening around them.

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