Chapter 1: Escort

The oxcart was old. It was so old that it looked as if it would fall apart at any moment. However, Lin Yan knew very well that it wouldn't. This cart was the only valuable thing left behind by the original owner's parents, and it was his only means of survival in this city.

It had been three days since Lin Yan transmigrated into this world. Three days was enough time for him to assimilate the original owner's memories, and it was also enough for him to understand one thing: this world was not peaceful. "Not peaceful" meant that the lives of the weak were rarely in their own hands. There was such a scene in the original owner's memories. A man in gray drew his saber at the end of a long street. After a flash of the blade, the three people facing him fell down simultaneously. Before their blood even had a chance to flow, they were already dead.

Lin Yan had once felt the urge to act. Who wouldn't want to be the man drawing the saber? Who wouldn't want their life to be in their own hands? But ultimately, he made no move. He knew better than anyone that if a poor boy who could barely afford to eat rashly rushed into that Jianghu of flashing swords and bloody shadows, his fate would likely be no better than those three who had fallen.

Therefore, what he did every day was hitch the oxcart and wait for work at the market near the city gates. Transporting people, delivering goods—he delivered anything. As long as they paid.

At dusk that day, someone knocked on his broken wooden door. The woman outside wore a plain cloth skirt, looking panicked and still bearing the exhaustion of manual labor on her face. She led a three or four-year-old girl by the hand, who was so thin it made one's heart ache. Lin Yan recognized this woman. She was the wife of Wang Dayou, a local gambling addict. That bastard had run off with a mountain of debt, leaving this woman and her daughter behind. Not only was she frequently harassed by creditors, but she also had to work odd jobs to feed herself and her child. They lived a very difficult life.

"Lin." The woman lowered her head and whispered, "I want to ask a favor of you."

Lin Yan did not answer immediately. He had already guessed what it was. Gossip spread fast among the neighbors. Some said the Wang Family's wife could no longer stay in the city and was going back to her maiden home. Others said the creditors had come knocking and wanted to take her to pay off the debt. Regardless of which version was true, the outcome was the same. She was leaving.

Seeing his silence, the woman's expression gradually dimmed. She said nothing more; she simply lowered her eyes and gently tugged on her daughter's hand.

"Let's go, Niu Niu."

The little girl looked up and cast a timid glance at Lin Yan. That gaze was very clean. It was so clean that it suddenly left a sour taste in Lin Yan's mouth.

Right at that moment, something suddenly appeared in his mind.

[Guard System activated.]

[Triggerable quest detected—]

[Quest Objective: Safely escort the target person (Li Xiuniang, 1-Star) to the designated location (Li Family Village, Bluestone Town).]

[Quest Reward: Level 10 Golden Bell Shield.]

Lin Yan froze for a moment. Then, he raised his head and looked at Li Xiu Niang, who had already turned around to leave.

"Wait."

Li Xiu Niang stopped and looked back.

"I'll take you."

...

The oxcart traveled along the road. The sky was not yet completely dark, and the fiery clouds filling the sky looked magnificent. This road was very long. According to Li Xiu Niang, her maiden home was in Bluestone Town, which was about a day's journey south of the city. If they moved faster, they would arrive by noon tomorrow.

Lin Yan sat at the front of the cart, holding the reins. Old Niu walked very slowly, but he didn't rush it. Rushing it was useless anyway, as this ox had a more stubborn temper than he did. Li Xiu Niang sat in the back beneath the canopy, holding her daughter. She had very little luggage—only a bulging, old cloth bundle filled with who knew what. Niu Niu had fallen asleep in her arms, her brows slightly furrowed as if she was dreaming about something upsetting.

Neither of them spoke. Lin Yan was just a driver; his job was done once he dropped the passenger off at their destination. As for why the passenger was leaving or what would happen to them afterward, that was not his place to ask. Besides, he wasn't a talkative person to begin with. Li Xiu Niang probably didn't know what to say, either. She just kept her head down, hugging her daughter, her expression a little dazed. It was Lin Yan who eventually broke the silence.

"It's cold at night. There's an old blanket in the cart, cover Niu Niu with it."

Li Xiu Niang froze for a moment, muttered a quiet thanks, and then reached into the corner of the canopy to find the blanket, gently draping it over her daughter. The blanket was old, but it had been washed very clean.

"Lin," Li Xiu Niang suddenly said.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you!"

Lin Yan didn't look back. He merely replied indifferently, "Transporting people and collecting money is standard practice. It has nothing to do with being good or not."

Li Xiu Niang fell silent for a moment. "Others... wouldn't dare take me."

Lin Yan naturally knew what she meant. Her creditors kept a gang of idlers who usually walked around the streets like they owned the place. Anyone who dared to help her would be crossing them. The other drivers would rather not make a single coin all day than take her job. They were afraid of trouble. But Lin Yan was different. As long as he completed this escort mission, the Level 10 Golden Bell Shield would be enough for him to deal with any trouble in this small city.

"Your maiden family..." Lin Yan thought for a moment before asking softly, "Are they prepared?"

Li Xiu Niang shook her head gently. "It's not about being prepared or not. They just said they understood."

Hearing this, Lin Yan immediately lost the desire to ask further.

However, Li Xiu Niang suddenly smiled. "Actually, I haven't thought too much about it. As long as we have a place to stay, it's fine." She looked down at her daughter. "We'll deal with the future when it comes. I can still work. I can wash clothes, mend things—I won't let Niu Niu starve to death. When Niu Niu gets a little older..."

She trailed off.

Lin Yan wanted to offer some words of comfort, but he swallowed them back down. The power of words was as pale as a joke in the face of life's hardships.

The oxcart continued forward. The night gradually deepened, and the moonlight draped a layer of silver over the earth. Li Xiu Niang fell asleep leaning against the wooden frame of the canopy.

Lin Yan looked back. Li Xiu Niang's features were not exceptionally exquisite, but they were clean, like an unpolished piece of plain jade. Although her plain cloth skirt was baggy, it could not hide the curves underneath. However, Lin Yan quickly looked away. He was a normal man, so naturally, he liked women—especially women with good figures and decent looks. But taking advantage of someone's misfortune was something he disdained.

When dawn was about to break, the oxcart stopped by a stream to rest. Lin Yan led Old Niu to the stream to drink and rest. Li Xiu Niang carried her daughter out of the cart and washed her face by the stream. The morning light spilled over the hills to the east, spreading thinly across the surface of the water. Niu Niu woke up, her spirits better than yesterday. Li Xiu Niang looked at her daughter, a faint smile appearing on her face. As she bent down to help her daughter wash her hands, the lapels of her dress fell open slightly. Lin Yan happened to turn his head; his gaze touched upon it for a split second before he immediately turned away to arrange the ropes on the cart.

"Lin."

"Hmm?"

"Who else... is in your family?"

"No one."

Li Xiu Niang let out a soft gasp, her voice filled with apology. "I'm sorry, I didn't know..."

"There's nothing to be sorry about," Lin Yan interrupted, his tone calm. "Birth, old age, sickness, and death are all ordinary things."

Li Xiu Niang was silent for a while before asking, "Is it hard for you, living alone?"

"I'm used to it."

Lin Yan was not lying. In his past life, he was someone used to being a loner. Coming here, he didn't feel unaccustomed to it. To him, the death of his parents felt more like it had saved him a lot of trouble. Of course, he couldn't say these things out loud.

"What about you?" he asked in return. "Who is in your maiden family?"

"My father passed away the year before last. My mother is still around, but she's in poor health. My older brother opened a grocery store in town. My sister-in-law..." She paused and sighed softly. "My sister-in-law actually isn't a bad person."

Not bad also meant not good. Lin Yan said nothing more.

The ox drank its fill and snorted. Lin Yan patted its head and hitched it back to the cart.

"Let's go. There's still half a day's journey left."

When the sun rose directly overhead, they finally arrived at Bluestone Town. The town wasn't large; a single main street paved with bluestone slabs ran from the east end to the west. Shops lined both sides, and they were gradually opening their doors. Right at that moment, the system notification chimed.

[Quest completed.]

[Distributing reward—]

[Level 10 Golden Bell Shield.]

Lin Yan felt a surge of heat rise within his body. This warm current emanated from his Dantian and spread through his meridians, feeling like red-hot molten iron being poured into every joint and every bone. In just a few breaths, the heat dissipated, but it brought about an earth-shattering change in him. His skin was still the same skin, yet it was a hundred times tougher than before. His muscles also harbored a power he had never possessed. He clenched his fists, feeling an unprecedented sense of security, as if he truly owned this body for the very first time. Various forms of knowledge regarding the Golden Bell Shield flooded his mind; in the blink of an eye, he transformed from a novice into a master of the art.

"We're here." Li Xiu Niang got off the cart, carrying Niu Niu in her arms, and looked back at Lin Yan. She fished out a small string of Copper Coins from her bundle and handed it over. "Lin, this is the agreed-upon fare."

Lin Yan took the money and weighed it in his hand. "Thanks."

"I should be the one thanking you." Li Xiu Niang smiled, looking much more relaxed.

Lin Yan looked away and tucked the money into his clothes. "Take care."

"You too."

Li Xiu Niang turned and walked toward the ajar courtyard gate with her daughter in her arms. Lin Yan watched her back, wondering about the so-called quest trigger mechanism. He had transported quite a few people during the few days since his transmigration, but none of them had prompted a system notification like this. What was so special about this Li Xiu Niang?

Just then, the chaotic sound of footsteps echoed from the entrance of the alley. Seven or eight robust men flooded in. The leader was a dark-faced, burly man whose shirt hung open, exposing a patch of black chest hair and a short knife tucked into his waistband. Some of the men behind him carried clubs, while others were empty-handed, but without exception, they all wore fearless, arrogant expressions. They blocked Li Xiu Niang's path directly. Li Xiu Niang stopped dead in her tracks, her face instantly draining of color. Terrified, Niu Niu buried her face in her mother's chest, her tiny body trembling.

The dark-faced man grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "Little lady, you sure kept us waiting."

Li Xiu Niang's voice trembled. "What... what do you want?"

"What do we want?" The dark-faced man acted as if he had just heard the funniest joke in the world. After a fit of raucous laughter, he slowly turned back to her. "Your man owes our gambling house thirty-two taels of silver. With compounded interest, it's now eighty-five taels. He ran off without a word. Someone has to pay this debt, right?"

"I... I will definitely pay it back. Give me some time."

"Heh, time?" The dark-faced man looked her up and down, his gaze lingering on her for a remarkably long time. "If everyone was like you, would we just starve on the streets? But don't you worry. Our boss said that if you're willing to work for him for three to five years, your man's debt will be cleared."

Everyone present understood exactly what kind of "work" he meant.

Li Xiu Niang took a step back, her voice tinged with tears. "No, I will definitely repay the money. I beg you gentlemen to show some leniency."

"Leniency?" A scrawny, rat-faced man darted out from the side and leaned in close to her with a cheeky grin. "If we weren't lenient, we would've grabbed you the moment your man ran away!"

Li Xiu Niang clutched her daughter tightly, lowering her head without a word.

The dark-faced man laughed. "Well? Have you thought it through?"

A moment later, Li Xiu Niang slowly placed her daughter on the ground and made her stand to the side.

"I'll go with you." Despair filled her eyes. "These matters have nothing to do with my daughter. Let her go!"

The dark-faced man raised an eyebrow. He was about to speak when a hand suddenly rested on his shoulder.