Chapter 2: Unknown Bandit
Shangguan Yunyao sat cross-legged in the car, the pipe in his hand trembling slightly. In the smoke, his face looked more solemn.
Beside the carriage, the sturdy man had already dismounted and was standing with his hands hanging down, his eyes revealing a silent vigilance.
Shangguan Xiaoyun got off the horse, approached the carriage, bowed and said, "Returning to the master, the disciple has met them. By the way, their legion commander has a letter, which states that the master must open it personally!"
Shangguan Yunyao snorted coldly, his voice carrying unquestionable majesty: "Open the letter and read it to me. I never thought that someone on Duanyun Mountain would dare to plot against the Yunyi Chamber of Commerce, and even specifically asked me to open the letter myself!"
Shangguan Xiaoyun stood up solemnly, opened the sealed scroll, and read: "This is addressed to Shangguan Yunyao!"
Suddenly shut up!
Shangguan Yunyao said, "Xiaoyun, read on. It's not like you wrote the letter, so what are you afraid of?"
Shangguan Xiaoyun responded with a few "yes" and continued, "I am writing to Shangguan Yunyao for your appreciation. I have heard for a long time that your business is booming, with more than ten members in total, and it is feared in the southern region. Wherever the caravan passes, friends from all the legions will give way to it. This has been going on for more than ten years!"
Shangguan Yunyao touched his long white beard and said, "Well! That's very polite!"
Shangguan Xiaoyun shook off the snow on his body and continued, "We are so incompetent that we dare to offend the might of the tiger. You have only one meal's time to wait. Brother Shangguan, lead the people in your guild, leave your weapons behind and evacuate unarmed. If anyone dares to bring any weapons, they will be punished. Your guild has accumulated millions of dollars in wealth over the past ten years. If you lose this business, it won't be ruined!"
Shangguan Yunyao's expression changed drastically as he listened, but he forced himself to listen quietly until the end, then he heaved a long sigh and said, "What a big tone, look at the name he signed."
Shangguan Xiaoyun shook his head and said, "There is no signature on the letter, only a drawing number."
Shangguan Yunyao exclaimed, "Let me see..."
Shangguan Xiaoyun responded, held the letter in both hands, and handed it into the car respectfully!
Shangguan Yunyao took the letter and looked at it, he couldn't help but show a hint of surprise!
The sturdy man standing on the right side of the carriage walked to Shangguan Xiaoyun's side and asked in a low voice: "Brother Shangguan, what is the number of the painting at the bottom of the letter?"
Shangguan Xiaoyun whispered: "A nine-ring broad-backed broadsword, a dragon gallbladder silver spear, and a pair of male and female swords!"
The sturdy man frowned and said, "That seems to represent the bandit's name and the weapons they use. There are not many bandits in the Southern Region who use the Nine-ring Broadsword, and there is no bandit leader who uses the Dragon Gallbladder Silver Spear. As for the male and female swords, I have never heard of them. These people may not be bandits from the Southern Region!"
Shangguan Xiaoyun shook his head and said, "Junior Brother Feng! I'm afraid the matter is not that simple. The master of the family is such a person. How could he take such a small-time thief who is unknown to the public seriously?"
It turned out that at this moment Shangguan Yunyao had gone from being angry to being dazed!
Shangguan Xiaoyun's voice was particularly clear in the cold wind, and his words pierced into everyone's heart like ice cones.
Shangguan Yunyao's face became increasingly gloomy, and the pipe in his hand was almost crushed by him.
He took a deep puff of cigarette, and in the smoke, his eyes became deep and unfathomable.
"Xiao Yun, are you sure you didn't see it wrong?" Shangguan Yunyao's voice was low and powerful, revealing an unquestionable majesty.
"Yes, Patriarch, I saw it clearly. I have carefully observed the nine-ring broad-backed broadsword, the dragon-blooded silver spear, and the pair of male and female swords in the picture."
There was a firmness in Shangguan Xiaoyun's voice.
Shangguan Yunyao was silent for a moment, then slowly said: "I seem to have seen this number somewhere before, but I can't remember clearly. The person behind this is definitely not an ordinary person."
The sturdy young man, Junior Brother Feng, interrupted, "Master, do you want me to take some people to check out their true strength?"
Shangguan Yunyao waved his hand and said, "No hurry, let's keep quiet for now and see what else they do."
Junior Brother Feng nodded and retreated back to the carriage, his eyes always vigilantly scanning the surroundings.
Shangguan Xiaoyun added: "Master, their request is unreasonable, but if they are really well prepared, we have to be on guard."
Shangguan Yunyao took a deep breath of smoke and exhaled slowly. In the smoke, his eyes became firm: "Xiaoyun, go and prepare. Let the people in the Chamber of Commerce prepare to evacuate, but don't act rashly. You still have to bring your weapons."
Shangguan Xiaoyun took the order and left, his heart full of doubts and uneasiness. He knew that this opponent was no ordinary one, and the attitude of the patriarch also showed the seriousness of the matter.
Shangguan Yunyao sat alone in the car, his heart in turmoil.
At this time, the second carriage stopped steadily by the roadside, and a servant boy about twelve or thirteen years old jumped down nimbly.
He walked quickly to the front of the first carriage and asked respectfully, "Master Shangguan, my master has sent me here to ask you why the carriage stopped moving forward."
Shangguan Yunyao gently put away the letter in his hand, gracefully jumped off the carriage, and replied: "Please tell Lord Chen that we have encountered some obstacles here. There are bandits blocking the road."
The servant boy was slightly startled, then nodded and turned around to go back and report.
Shangguan Yunyao continued, "Please tell Lord Chen to rest assured. The Yunyi Chamber of Commerce's golden signboard has withstood twenty years of wind and rain, and it will never be easily damaged. Please tell Lord Chen that it is best not to get off the carriage and walk easily before this matter is resolved. I will send people to protect the safety of the carriage, but the manpower is limited and I cannot guarantee the safety of other people outside the carriage."
After hearing this, the servant boy responded, "Okay, I understand. I will report this to my master right away."
After saying this, he turned around quickly and walked briskly back to the second carriage.
Shangguan Yunyao stared into the distance with a stern look. He said to the sturdy man beside him, Tan Xiong, in a deep voice: "Tan Xiong, go forward and invite the two martial artists, Wang and Li, to come."
At this moment, the five drivers had already gotten off the carriage, put away their long whips, and revealed their thin-bladed and thick-backed steel knives, each guarding the front of the carriage. These drivers were actually the trusted warriors of the Azure Dragon Guard of the Yunyi Chamber of Commerce. They escorted goods all year round, and when encountering emergencies, they would immediately arm themselves and be ready for battle without any instructions.
Shangguan Xiaoyun looked around and asked in a low voice: "Master, how strong is the person coming? Do we need to be so vigilant?"
Shangguan Yunyao nodded slightly and said solemnly: "The other party is not trivial. We must deal with it carefully."
Shangguan Xiaoyun knew that the head of the family, Shangguan Yunyao, was arrogant and proud. The Chamber of Commerce had been in the Jianghu for more than 20 years, and countless bandits and fierce gangsters had died under his "Returning to Dust Knife". Now that it was so solemn, Shangguan Xiaoyun couldn't help but feel solemn.
At this time, Tan Xiong had already led a tall and mighty man with a dark face, Li Mocheng, and a skinny and small man, Wang Chengshan, over.