In the world of martial arts, grind your skill level to become a saint.

As Su Hao arrived, Zhou Zhengtang noticed him and quickly got up to greet him.

The composed middle-aged man opposite Su Hao also cast a glance at him, his eyes filled with curiosity.

"Brother Zhou."

Su Hao went up and greeted him in return.

"You've come at the perfect time. Captain Shen and I were just discussing tomorrow's itinerary."

Zhou Zhengtang, holding Su Hao's shoulder, led him into the pavilion and introduced him: "Captain Shen Qing, this is Su Hao, one of our brothers from the boxing gym!"

Shen Qing also stood up, smiling, and said, "I've long heard that Young Master Zhou made a powerful friend at the boxing gym, who broke through to the Stone Skin level in just one month. Seeing him today, he truly is a young prodigy!"

"Captain Shen is joking. I also benefited from Brother Zhou's connections; I received quite a few favors from him..."

Su Hao shook his head modestly.

At the same time, his gaze couldn't help but fall on Shen Qing's large hands.

It was covered with a thick layer of calluses, especially around the base of the thumb.

After glancing at the sword leaning against the stone bench behind Shen Qing, Su Hao roughly guessed that the other party must be a martial artist skilled in using a sword.

After a brief introduction, Zhou Zhengtang invited them to sit down.

They then began discussing the itinerary for transporting the medicinal herbs the following day.

Su Hao sat to the side and listened, gaining a general understanding of tomorrow's delivery mission.

Qiufeng Mountain is located in Qiufeng Township, more than ten miles south of Yanshan City.

Because of its terrain, this place is rich in medicinal herbs, so Su Hao and his group's plan for tomorrow is to go to Qiufeng Township to escort the purchased medicinal herbs back to the city.

This mission requires the deployment of one Iron Skin Realm expert, namely Shen Qing, and three Stone Skin Realm warriors like Su Hao.

For the entire trip, because it was a high-risk task, each person received a commission of about three taels of silver, which was Su Hao's own reward.

As for Shen Qing or others, he didn't know. Zhou Zhengtang didn't explain in detail to him, only telling him not to reveal the amount of the reward casually.

As for why such a short distance of just over ten miles requires so many powerful individuals and so much money for the transport mission?

That's because from Yanshan City to Qiufeng Ridge, in addition to dealing with the poisonous insects and ferocious beasts that may appear in the mountains and forests, one also needs to pass through a dangerous place called Black Wind Valley, which is where the Black Wind Gang has been entrenched for many years.

Although the Zhou family had once sent people to deal with the Black Wind Gang and had even paid them tolls, these bandits sometimes didn't have much credibility.

A guard team once disappeared in Black Wind Valley. All four Stone Skin Realm warriors in the team perished, and the medicinal herbs they were transporting also vanished without a trace.

Although the Zhou family sent powerful individuals to investigate the Black Wind Gang afterward, the Black Wind Gang denied that they were responsible, so the matter was eventually dropped.

Having learned their lesson from that experience, the Zhou family now always assigns an Iron Skin Realm expert to accompany them whenever they have a mission to transport medicinal herbs through Black Wind Valley.

"Brother Zhou, Captain Shen has worked for my Zhou family for several years and rarely makes mistakes when carrying out missions, so you can rest assured and go with him this time."

Zhou Zhengtang picked up the teacup on the stone table, took a sip, and said with a smile.

Upon learning the mission route and the meeting place, Shen Qing immediately left to prepare.

Only Su Hao and Zhou Zhengtang remained in the courtyard.

"Thank you so much for your help, Brother Zhou!"

Upon hearing this, Su Hao also cupped his hands in thanks.

It must be said that Zhou Zhengtang was indeed very generous. Not only did he give him a much higher salary for his temporary post, but he also went out of his way to reduce the risks when assigning tasks to him.

Indeed, I owe them a favor.

"It's not a matter of taking care of them, it just so happens that they were assigned to Captain Shen..." Zhou Zhengtang waved his hand, then his expression became somewhat serious as he said, "However, this trip to Autumn Wind Mountain is indeed somewhat dangerous. The Black Wind Bandits are elusive, and each of them is a skilled martial artist. Although Captain Shen is here to oversee things, we must remain vigilant no matter what!"

Zhou Zhengtang's tone was somewhat solemn.

They clearly have some reservations about Black Wind Valley.

Su Hao nodded slightly, while at the same time becoming more wary of the so-called Black Wind Valley.

After chatting for a while, Su Hao bid farewell to Zhou Zhengtang and left Nanshan Town.

"Given how dangerous Black Wind Valley is, as they've described it, my current preparations might not be sufficient..."

Thinking about tomorrow's schedule, Su Hao felt a sense of urgency, as well as nervousness at the prospect of facing new challenges.

Although he has seen blood since he came into this world.

However, that was only for dealing with ordinary people.

He had no experience whatsoever with the Black Wind Bandits, those skilled thieves who had lived on the edge of death.

Su Hao felt increasingly uncertain as he thought about it, and before he knew it, he had wandered into a medicinal powder trading market in Hongqiao Town.

Hearing the shouts and calls from inside, Su Hao wandered around inside, and only after spending a long time choosing did he calmly walk out.

"This... should be sufficient to handle any emergencies..."

Su Hao patted the extra poison pouch on his waist, feeling much more at ease.

This poison sac, worth one tael of silver, is mainly made of cowhide and silk.

The opening contains multiple small pouches, each capable of holding a different poison. Each pouch has a woven line of ox sinew, dyed in various colors, extending to an iron ring outside the pouch. This design facilitates the precise use of the poison within the pouches.

Whenever you want to use a certain poison, you can simply pull down along the thread on the iron ring and accurately grab the poison from the pouch.

Before purchasing, Su Hao tried it out himself and found it to be very convenient.

That's why he spent money to buy it.

Including the pouch and the various poison powders and antidotes, Su Hao spent a total of nearly five taels of silver.

But he didn't feel that these expenses were expensive or painful.

After all, these things could very well save your life in a critical moment.

When you're out and about, sometimes having an extra layer of protection can give you an extra chance to survive.

I glanced at the sky; it was gradually getting dark.

Su Hao also prepared to go back to rest and recharge for tomorrow's mission.

However, just as Su Hao left the medicine street, he passed an alleyway not far from Fuquan Restaurant.

His pace slowed down at this moment.

At the same time, his gaze fell on a black carriage parked on the side of the road ahead.

Su Hao recognized the carriage; it was the same carriage that his senior sister Liu Jun had been seen riding in at the Fuquan Restaurant.

Meanwhile, several men and women were talking beside the carriage.

But Liu Jun, the senior sister, was not among these people.

Su Hao's eyes flickered, but he didn't pay too much attention to these things and continued walking forward.

Although these people know Senior Sister Liu Jun, I don't know them, so there's no need to avoid suspicion.

"If she still can't get this done, then I'm not patient enough to wait any longer. This time, I'm determined to make her do it!"

Just as Su Hao passed by the carriage, a somewhat gloomy voice came from among the group.