After the system ran, I took off with my family

"Captain Wang, the journey to the north is difficult and dangerous. I hope you and your brothers will take good care of us. I, Yang, would like to offer you a toast."

A middle-aged man with a round face raised his glass, smiling like Maitreya Buddha.

"Yes, Wang Biaotou, I am sorry to trouble you this time. After we arrive in the North, my brother-in-law and I will hold a banquet to invite you to drink fine wine."

Another slightly younger man raised his glass and echoed.

Wang Biaotou raised his glass calmly, drank the wine slowly, and then raised his eyebrows and said, "Okay, okay, as long as you follow my instructions, don't mess around, and don't cause trouble, I, Wang Hu, will definitely bring you to the North safely."

"Yes, yes, don't worry, we will definitely follow the arrangements of Captain Wang." The two looked at each other and responded in unison.

Wang Biaotou nodded in satisfaction and stood up: "Okay, I still have to go check the condition of the carriages and horses, you guys drink slowly."

"Hey, thank you for your hard work, Chief Escort."

The two men stood up and watched Wang Biaotou leave with a smile, and sat down only after they could no longer see him.

"Brother-in-law, is Wang Hu reliable? Why am I so nervous?" The man in green clothes covered his chest with his hands, looking uneasy.

"Hongan, it's normal to be nervous since this is your first time going to the North."

The wealthy man patted his shoulder and consoled him, "Don't worry, the reputation of Yuanfeng Escort Agency is still good. Unlike other escort agencies, they run faster than rabbits when encountering bandits."

After he finished speaking, he looked around, covered his mouth with one hand and whispered: "After leaving Chizhou, there are many mountains to pass through, and relatively speaking, there are more bandits in the mountains. Among them, the bandits in Duanguiling are the most powerful.

However, the chief escort of Yuanfeng Escort Agency and the second in command of Duangui Village have a close relationship, so they will not have too much trouble with the escorts of Yuanfeng Escort Agency.

That’s why I, your brother-in-law, specially spent a lot of money to find Wang the escort leader and asked him to reserve a place for us in the escort team.”

Ma Hongan's eyes lit up when he heard this, "Are you serious?"

"How could I, your brother-in-law, lie to you? You can rest assured. If I dare to take you to the north, I will definitely protect you. Otherwise, your sister will tear me apart." Yang Jinbao raised his eyebrows and picked up the wine to sip it slowly.

To get from the capital to the north, one needs to pass through Yunzhou, Chizhou, Suzhou, Bingzhou, and finally reach Liangzhou in the north.

The people north of Chizhou are tough and there are many mountains, as well as many bandits who rob and plunder. Therefore, caravans traveling north usually ask for escort agencies to escort them.

Of course, there are also some merchants like them who are small in scale, with only one or two people traveling to the north for business. They usually spend money to buy a position in the escort team and travel with the escort team, which also ensures their safety on the road.

Lin Shuyue, who was sitting two tables away from them, put down her chopsticks and picked up the tea beside her, looking thoughtful.

Early the next morning, Lin Shuyue was awakened by the noise downstairs. She squinted her eyes and woke up, then walked to the window and looked down.

There were ten mule carts loaded with goods lined up in a row at the door of the inn downstairs. At the front of the team was a horse carriage. As for the two men seen last night, each of them was driving a mule cart at the end of the team.

In addition, there were nine burly men distributed in front, behind, left and right of the caravan, and they looked like they were from the escort agency.

The burly man seen last night rode his horse around the team, and after confirming that everything was OK, he waved his hand to signal them to set off. After the escort team had gone far away, peace returned to the downstairs.

At this time, Lin Shuyue was no longer sleepy, so she simply got up, washed, and planned to set off early. The weather in June was still a little hot, and it would be more comfortable to set off early.

While the master and his two servants were walking leisurely on the official road, Lin Shuyan, who was thousands of miles away, was writing furiously in the examination room in Wuzhou Prefecture.

Today was the last exam of the provincial examination, which was about essays from the Four Books and poetry. Many candidates were scratching their heads and looked a little listless, but Lin Shuyan, who was still energetic and calm, seemed a little out of place in the examination room.

As expected, Lin Shuyan passed the provincial examination smoothly and still ranked first.

The Lin family and Magistrate Tang's family had a simple meal to celebrate. After the excitement, Lin Shuyan quickly calmed down and continued to prepare for the college entrance examination in August.

The eldest brother Lin Shuyuan, who was far away in the Zhenhai Division of Wanhe County, also lived a very fulfilling life every day. He either patrolled along the coastline with his team, or went to the nearby islands to pick out pirate nests.

The days passed as usual, and in the blink of an eye it was July, the height of summer. After a month of stopping and traveling, Lin Shuyue and his two servants were still in Chizhou.

That day, the master and his two servants arrived at a city called Luochuan County before dark.

Because it was getting dark, there was no one queuing at the city gate and there was no entrance fee, so Qingzhi drove the carriage directly into the city.

They randomly found an inn to stay in. After the master and his servants had dinner and washed up, they went back to their rooms. Lin Shuyue went into the space to practice as usual.

As the night deepened, the bustling county town slowly quieted down, and the old night watchman staggered along the empty streets.

"Boom!—Boom! Boom!"

"It's midnight, everything is fine!"

After shouting, the old man couldn't help but yawn. Before he closed his mouth, he saw a figure flash past the entrance of the alley in front of him.

"Who? Who's there?"

The old man shouted, but all he got in response was silence.

The old man walked over hesitantly and looked into the alley, but there was no one in sight.

"That's weird, is it possible that I'm dazzled?"

He shook his head and muttered something, then turned around and prepared to keep walking.

As soon as he turned around, a leg under the eaves tripped him to the ground, and the gong and lantern also fell to the ground.

"Ouch! Who is it? Which drunkard is sleeping on the street again?"

The old man got up, rubbed his sore butt, and angrily kicked the leg that caused him to fall.

"Get up! Drunkard, don't sleep here!"

His kick was quite powerful, but the person on the ground didn't move at all.

"No way? Sleeping so soundly?" The old man frowned and picked up the lantern on the ground, shining it under the eaves. The old man was so scared that his soul almost flew away, and the lantern in his hand fell to the ground.

With the light of the lantern, one could clearly see a female corpse lying under the eaves. Her face was pale and her eyes were wide open, as if filled with unwillingness and anger.

"what!!!"

"Dead!"

After a moment of silence, the old man screamed in fear and ran towards the street, shouting in a trembling voice.

"Someone come! Someone's dead!"

"Dead!"

Soon, many houses nearby were ablaze with fire, and patrolling soldiers also rushed over upon hearing the noise.

The next day, just as Lin Shuyue finished washing up, Qingzhi walked in with breakfast and a dazed look on her face.

Qing He was combing Lin Shuyue's hair. She caught a glimpse of Qing Zhi's expression and jokingly asked, "What's wrong with you? Are you distracted so early in the morning?"

Qingzhi shook her head and set the breakfast in silence. Then she walked up to the two of them and said woodenly, "Miss, Sister Qinghe, someone died on Shuidong Street last night."