We're practicing all martial arts, so why did you switch to easy mode?

Chapter 104 Hong Ming's Wish, Map, Tan Family Caravan
The letter was quite long, and Hong Ming said a lot.

Hong Ming is a member of a collateral branch of the Hong family, the most prestigious family in Qinzhou. Although he is backed by the Hong family, his family background is only average, and he is at the bottom of the Hong family's many forces.

Hong's father's greatest wish was to cultivate Hong Ming into a talented individual and have him join the Xuan Shui Sect, the clan sect of the Hong family.

The Xuan Shui Sect recruits disciples every year, distinguishing between internal and external members. Family disciples are no more than sixteen years old, and there are various requirements for each age group, making the conditions for joining extremely strict.

Although Hong Ming's aptitude was not exceptional, under his father's guidance, he met the minimum requirements to join the Xuan Shui Sect at the age of fourteen.

Unexpectedly, due to the involvement of a direct disciple, Hong Ming was ultimately excluded from the selection process.

Helpless, Hong's father had no choice but to wait another year. During this year, Hong Ming practiced even more diligently.

However, Hong Ming's talent seems to have reached its limit. Even after a year of cultivation, he is still a little short of meeting the requirements of the Xuan Shui Sect.

Fortunately, Hong's father provided Hong Ming with the necessary resources, and he met the requirements in the last three days before the Xuan Shui Sect began recruiting disciples.

This time, they failed again. The reason was that too many geniuses emerged this year, and the Xuan Shui Sect temporarily changed the recruitment conditions, deciding to recruit according to ranking. Although Hong Ming met the requirements, his ranking was far beyond the quota.

In his final year, Hong Ming was sixteen years old. This was his last chance, but unfortunately, he failed to meet the requirements and was no longer destined for the Xuan Shui Sect.

The repeated hopes and disappointments not only crushed Hongming's spirit but also overwhelmed his father, who passed away not long afterward, followed by his mother's serious illness.

At the age of twenty, Hong Ming left Dafeng City to gain experience. At twenty-three, he settled in Baishi City. At thirty, he began to take on many disciples, hoping that one day he could cultivate a talented disciple, help him join the Xuanshui Sect, fulfill his parents' wishes, and resolve his own inner conflict.

Su Chen was the disciple he valued. He hoped that Su Chen could go to Dafeng City and join the Xuan Shui Sect. With his talent, he was the most promising candidate.

Moreover, Su Chen's cultivation technique originated from the Xuan Shui Sect. Joining the Xuan Shui Sect would not only allow him to obtain subsequent cultivation techniques but also provide him with abundant resources for cultivation, which would be of great benefit to Su Chen's future cultivation path.

As for Hong Ming himself, he did not plan to go to Dafeng City. Instead, he took Li Mo and the others to Qinghe City to visit his friends, and if nothing unexpected happened, they would settle down in Qinghe City.

After reading Hong Ming's letter, Su Chen sighed and then turned to the other two letters, one from Li Mo and one from Fang Rou.

Li Mo said he would accompany Hong Ming to Qinghe City and take good care of him, telling him not to worry and to go about his own business.

Fang Rou specifically thanked Su Chen. Knowing that Su Chen might go to Dafeng City, she left him a map to Dafeng City and an address, saying that Su Chen could contact them when he arrived in Dafeng City.

After reading the three letters, Su Chen indeed found a map tucked inside. The map meticulously marked the roads, buildings, and distances to Dafeng City.

In addition, there was a letter left by Hong Ming, which was addressed to Hong Ming's childhood sweetheart, Qin Xue. Su Chen wanted to participate in the Xuan Shui Sect's assessment and needed a letter of recommendation from a disciple of the sect.

After accepting the map and letter, Su Chen began to ponder his future path. Hong Ming's words made sense. With his current strength, even if he didn't join the Xuan Shui Sect, there was no need for him to stay in Baishi City. Going to Qinghe City or Dafeng City were both options.

However, according to Hong Ming, Su Chen's best choice is to go to Dafeng City. Dafeng City is the capital of Qinzhou, where martial arts are flourishing. Relatively speaking, it is a more suitable stage for him than Qinghe City, not to mention the requirement of subsequent cultivation techniques.

While pondering this, Su Chen quickly made a decision. Life should be about constantly climbing higher, and with his panel, he shouldn't stop there. If he was going to go, he should go to Dafeng City, to a broader stage, where he could not only enjoy better scenery but also improve himself more quickly.

“Then let’s go to Dafeng City!” Su Chen said firmly.

After resting for a night, Su Chen packed his luggage early in the morning and hurried on his way according to the map.

Noon.

The sound of horses' hooves rang out, and Hong Yue and his companions appeared outside the dilapidated temple.

"Sir, we haven't found any trace of anyone!"

The soldiers searched the dilapidated temple for a long time, but still could not find any trace of Su Chen.

Hong Yue remained silent, looking at the empty, dilapidated temple with a slightly grim expression.

Since he realized yesterday that Su Chen might leave the city, he sent troops to ambush outside the city from multiple directions. As a result, all the soldiers in one of the directions were killed.

Upon receiving the news, he led his men on horseback to the scene as fast as they could, but unfortunately, they were too late.

"Hmph, retreat!"

Left with no other option, Hong Yue had to order a retreat.

……

Five days later.

"Honglin Mountain is just ahead. Let's rest here for a while before continuing our journey."

On the rugged official road, a caravan moved slowly forward. At this moment, a middle-aged man with a sword at his side spoke loudly.

Upon hearing this, dozens of guards sat cross-legged, leaning on each other, and took out their dry rations and water, eating and resting at the same time.

"Second Uncle, it's getting dark soon. If we don't hurry on our way, what if we encounter bandits? Wouldn't that be a disaster?" a young man dressed in brocade robes asked with some doubt.

Upon hearing this, Tan Run looked at his nephew with a helpless expression: "Xiao Xu, it's good that you were so vigilant on your first escort mission, but it's only because it's getting dark that we're resting. It would be even more dangerous to continue the journey if we didn't get enough rest."

"Why is that?" Tan Xu asked.

“The Honglin Mountains stretch for dozens of miles and are plagued by bandits year-round. If you encounter bandits who take money and leave, it’s manageable; you can get through it by shedding some blood. But if you encounter those unreasonable bandits who kill without hesitation, how can you fight them without eating and drinking your fill and getting plenty of rest?” Tan Run explained.

“I see,” Tan Xu nodded thoughtfully, but then lowered his voice and said, “Wait a minute, Second Uncle, didn’t you say that Red Forest Mountain was very dangerous?”

"That's right, what's wrong?" Tan Run nodded and followed Tan Xu's gaze, only to be taken aback. Behind them, a young man carrying a knife was hurrying along. He was dressed in black with a stern expression. He seemed to have noticed Tan Run and the others' gazes and looked over.

"Xiao Xu, there's something I need to tell you beforehand." Tan Run turned to look at Tan Xu, his voice carrying a hint of seriousness.

"Second Uncle, please speak."

"Never mess with people like this in the future!"

Watching Su Chen leave, Tan Xu nodded solemnly, quickly guessing the reason.

Without exceptional skills, who would dare to roam the world alone? This man before him was already considered someone not to be trifled with.

Deep in the Honglin Mountains, amidst the bushes.

Several piercing eyes peered through the gaps in the forest, landing on the rugged mountain path.

"Brother, weren't you supposed to be welcoming the Tan family caravan? It's almost dark, and we still haven't seen them." A deep voice rang out.

"Don't worry, we'll be there soon. Just wait patiently," another voice said.

Suddenly, someone else said, "Shh, don't talk, someone's coming, get ready!"

"Why is there only one person?"

At the end of the road, a solitary figure gradually appeared, startling all the prostrate crowd.

As Su Chen drew closer, the scene behind him came into full view, and the confusion in everyone's eyes deepened.

"Brother, I suspect this person is from the Tan family's caravan. They deliberately sent someone to scout ahead and confuse us." As Su Chen approached their ambush, someone spoke up. They had been bandits for so long, and this was the first time they had encountered such a situation. In the past, the caravans that came and went were always in groups of three or five, or at least in pairs. Now, there was only one person, which was really suspicious.

The leader, as everyone called him, stared intently at Su Chen's figure. After observing him for a moment, he looked at the man who had just spoken and asked, "So what do you suggest we do?"

After a moment's thought, the man said, "Why not just kill him and end it all?"

Upon hearing this, someone immediately retorted, "No, what if he really is a member of the Tan family? Killing him would only alert them."

"So what do you think we should do?"

"I have a plan. Let him leave first, and send two skilled men to follow him. If he returns, it will indicate that he is a member of the Tan family's caravan. If he doesn't return, have him killed. What do you think?"

The leader nodded and said, "Alright! You two will go together to keep an eye on this person."

"Yes!"

The mountain road was rugged, and Su Chen's pace was slow. After several days of travel, he looked somewhat travel-worn.

Baishi City is over a hundred miles away from Dafeng City, with many mountain roads along the way, which are extremely dangerous. Without the map Fang Rou gave him, he would probably have gotten lost in these vast mountains.

"Ok?"

As he walked, Su Chen's expression shifted as he noticed a faint breathing sound coming from deep within the dense forest. Since his senses had been greatly enhanced, he could hear breathing sounds within a hundred meters.

The closer he got, the heavier the breathing sounds he heard became, with one breath sounding particularly long.

Su Chen continued walking without making a sound, and when he came to them, he could feel a subtle probing.

"Two people followed us."

These robbers didn't seem to intend to harm Su Chen; they simply watched him leave. But not long after, Su Chen noticed that two people were following him.

"That guy is gone."

Seeing Su Chen leave, the group's attention quickly shifted away from him.

Not long after, the sound of a carriage rolling came from not far away, which made everyone tremble: "The Tan family caravan has arrived."

After a while, a caravan slowly approached. Upon seeing this, the ambushing crowd's faces lit up with joy, and after exchanging glances, they all waited for their chance to strike.

"Oh no, they seem to have spotted us!"

Before the eldest brother could give the order, the Tan family caravan suddenly stopped, and the members drew their swords and looked around warily.

The middle-aged man at the head of the group loudly proclaimed, "May I ask which bandits have ambushed us here? We are from the Tan family's merchant caravan and are willing to pay the toll. Please let us pass!"

"rush out!"

Seeing that their scheme had been exposed, the bandits stopped hiding and charged out with shouts and cries, surrounding the Tan family caravan.

The leader, a burly man with a blue face, stared at Tan Run and chuckled, "You're quite sensible. But today we don't want tolls; we want money to save your life!"

Upon hearing this, Tan Run and the others' expressions changed slightly, but they still smiled and said, "No problem, why don't you name a number so we can raise the money?"

"One hundred taels per person!"

The burly man with the blue face was very satisfied with Tan Run's attitude. He held up one finger and said something, then looked at the expressions on Tan Run's and the others' faces.

Upon hearing the price, both Tan Run and the people behind him turned pale. This caravan, with its scattered members, numbered at least a hundred people, and at this price, it would cost at least ten thousand taels of silver.

Although this escort mission could bring the Tan family considerable profits, it was really asking too much of them to come up with more than 10,000 taels of silver at once.

"Sir, isn't this bribe a bit too high? I'm afraid we can't afford it." Tan Run narrowed his eyes, ignoring the menacing demeanor of the robbers.

The burly man with the blue face sneered, "If you can't produce it, then leave your dog lives. I finally managed to catch your Tan family caravan, do you think you can escape this time?"

After saying this, the bandits sharpened their knives, ready to attack at their leader's command.

"Second Uncle..." Tan Xu was about to speak when Tan Run stopped him.

Tan Run looked around, a smile suddenly appearing on his face. He sighed and said, "Why? Why do you have to force me? Why do you have to court death?"

"What?" The burly man with the blue face was stunned for a moment, then blurted out the question.

However, what awaited him was Tan Run's sword strike, swift as lightning. Upon seeing this, a ferocious look flashed across the face of the blue-faced man, and he roared, "Kill!"

While a major battle is about to erupt on one side, the fighting on the other side has already ended.

Su Chen quickly dealt with the two robbers following him, when he suddenly heard the sound of fighting behind him.

He knew it was a clash between the caravan and the bandits, but he didn't pay much attention to it. After pausing for a short while, he continued on his way.

As darkness falls, the mountain path will become increasingly difficult to traverse at night. According to the map, there is a temporary lodging for travelers at the foot of Honglin Mountain.

Su Chen's goal for tonight was to get there before dark so that he would have somewhere to rest during the night.

After walking for about half an hour, Su Chen saw a dilapidated inn standing not far away and quickened his pace.

They soon arrived at the inn. The inn was deserted and looked like it had been abandoned for a long time, but some of the tables and chairs were clean and dust-free, so it must have been frequently used by passersby. Although it looked dilapidated, it could still provide shelter from the wind and rain, so it wouldn't be a problem to stay there for one night.

Su Chen put down his luggage, made a makeshift bed for himself, and then lit a fire to roast the wild rabbit he had caught in the forest.

Tapping.

Just then, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside the door. Looking in the direction of the sound, a group of people rushed over.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

Su Chen wasn't planning to pay any attention to these people, but Tan Xu just walked in and saw Su Chen grilling meat, and suddenly asked a question.

"Xiao Xu, what nonsense are you talking about? This isn't our territory."

Tan Run, his body stained with blood, remained calm and composed. Upon hearing Tan Xu's words, he glared angrily, then apologized to Su Chen, "Please don't take offense, young friend."

Su Chen glanced at Tan Xu, said nothing, and started eating the barbecue by himself.

Tan Run and the others didn't mind. They took out dry rations and jerky from their packs and began to eat slowly while smelling the aroma of the roasted meat.

Gulu.

Seeing Su Chen eating with relish, Tan Xu's mouth watered. He couldn't resist any longer and stood up, saying, "Second Uncle, I'll go hunt some wild game to eat too."

Before Tan Run could reply, Tan Xu walked away and disappeared.

(End of this chapter)