It was still fairly early in the morning, and Long Ju was already making preparations to leave. She had packed up her supplies, said goodbye to Madam Zhang, and was now heading towards the gate.
Suddenly, she felt a light tap on her shoulder. Her head whipped around with lightning speed, her eyes scanning the area for any potential threat. She saw three familiar figures standing in front of her—the same three merchants from earlier.
Long Ju's expression filled with wariness as her hand gripped her sword tightly. What did they want from her now?
"Lady, we were wondering if you have a fixed route for your journey," said the youngest.
Long Ju shook her head. "I don't have a specific destination in mind," she answered honestly. "I just... I think it's best if I move on."
The merchants exchanged looks. Then the oldest one of them stepped forward, his expression gruff.
"You know we can't let you leave," he said in a rough tone. "If you don't have to go anywhere, you're just going to have to come with us."
Long Ju's eyes widened in shock. What was this about? She had already helped them yesterday, why did they think they could force her to do their bidding?
The third man shook his hands, flustered. "We don't want to force you, great warrior, we're also on a journey, and we wanted to ask you to come with us if you wanted." He hit the oldest one on the arm, "This one doesn't know how to speak well, he always says rude things, but I promise you he means well."
"Right," Long Ju said slowly, "I see."
Her grip on her sword loosened slightly as she studied the three fake merchants in front of her. It was clear that no one in their group was very good at interacting with people, so their approach was understandable to some degree.
Long Ju's expression was still unsure, despite the younger merchant's attempt to reassure her. What did this journey of theirs have to do with her? Why did they want her to come with them?
"What exactly are you planning on doing on this journey?" she asked, not wanting to agree to their request without first knowing what was expected from her.
The merchants' faces were suddenly filled with uncertainty. They shuffled their feet, exchanged glances, yet no one seemed to want to take the lead in this situation. Finally, the oldest one cleared his throat and looked her in the eyes.
"Well, I..." The merchant fell silent, looking hesitant to explain, trying to find the right words. Long Ju's expression was puzzled, yet she didn't want to force the merchant to talk if he wasn't comfortable doing so, but she was also not willing to accompany a group whose purpose and goals were unclear.
After a few more seconds of silence, the older merchant finally mustered up the courage to explain their intentions. "We are...we are merchants," he said, carefully.
"If you're merchants, I'm a beggar," she scoffed.
The trio glanced at her tattered clothes and mudded shoes, coughing.
Long Ju looked down at herself, noticing the rags she was wearing. The Red River sure hadn't been kind to her clothes. She was well aware that she didn't look like a typical young lady, and she certainly didn't deny it.
"No, we really are merchants..." the older merchant said with a frown. "...more accurately, we're carrying something extremely valuable, and we wanted to ask you to help us transport it."
Long Ju's eyes widened in surprise. This was the first time that they had mentioned any kind of "very valuable" cargo. What exactly was it that they were transporting, and why did they need her help to do so?
She decided to play along. "What exactly is this valuable cargo?" she inquired, her voice cool and steady.
The merchants exchanged a look. The younger one shrugged his shoulders and the older one sighed. They all seemed hesitant, as if they wanted to avoid disclosing any further details. After a long pause, the oldest merchant finally spoke again.
"I understand your curiosity, great warrior..." he began, "but we're not allowed to reveal everything at this point. This is a secret mission by the Martial Alliance that was entrusted to our escort agency"
Long Ju tilted her head in response. She knew that the Martial Alliance was the most powerful organization in the land, and that its members were known for their immense strength and skill in battle. Of course, not all of them were martial artists, but she would assume they'd have enough for a delivery mission. Especially if the object in question was somewhat valuable. She smirked and nodded understandingly.
"So, you guys wanted to join the ranks of the Martial Alliance, and have been assigned a trial mission. You've seen how powerful I am and decided to ask for my help, so you could easily get an identification token and become an affiliated escort agency."
The merchants looked surprised for a moment, but they eventually regained their composure. They looked tense, but also slightly amazed by her deduction.
"Well, I'll be..." the older merchant murmured. He then looked at his two companions and sighed. "Yes...that's true," he admitted after a long pause.
"It's true," the younger merchant agreed, while the third one remained silent for now.
Long Ju scratched her chin. So that's what was going on... She could see why the fake merchants, who finally revealed themselves as part of an escort company, wanted to join the Martial Alliance - it was a very prestigious organization, and being backed by them would surely be good for business, reputation, and protection.
Long Ju considered their request for a moment. "I'll help you transport your cargo," she said, "but not for free. I'll need compensation."
The three looked relieved at Long Ju's acceptance. The youngest one stepped forward with a sly smile.
"Of course, our company will generously compensate you for the service once the cargo gets safely delivered to its destination," he promised.
Long Ju raised an eyebrow. What kind of "compensation" could these three even offer her? She didn't need money for now, she had the funds in the silver box, although more silver wouldn't hurt, she wasn't really interested.
The merchants must have noticed Long Ju's expression, as the oldest one cleared his throat.
"We were considering offering you, aside from part of our payments, a spot in our company," he revealed.
"You mean you want to recruit me for your escort agency?" she asked for confirmation.
"Yes," the oldest one nodded. "We are always looking for strong individuals like yourself, who can protect our clients and provide them with the best service possible. And with your skills, you could easily work your way up in the ranks, all while gaining the support of the Martial Alliance."
Long Ju smiled cunningly. It's true that she had fake identities and travel permits in the silver box, but she didn't know where they came from, and neither if they were being monitored. Getting one from a reputable escort company with the backing of the Martial Alliance would certainly make things easier for herself. This opportunity could be better than she expected.
"My friends, I quite like that idea. You see, I've had an accident and almost drowned in the Red River. Unfortunately, I lost most of my belongings, so I'm currently in dire need of an identity token."
The merchants exchanged a few glances. "We can provide you with an identity token and all the other paperwork as long as you help us transport this cargo to our client," they confirmed.
"And as soon as you have the company token, you can immediately apply for missions at our branch in Rose Town," the youngest added. "You'll have to start at our lowest rank, unfortunately, but you can work your way up pretty easily."
Long Ju extended her hand out, and they enthusiastically shook hands. "That's a deal, then."
The third merchant reached into the bag, pulling out a company token for the newcomer. The token was a shiny metal disk with the engraved logo of a shield on it and the words "Rose Town Branch" written on it. The silent merchant was pulling out of the bag papers, pens, stamps, and a few books.
"Now you have to sign the paperwork, and you'll be officially a member of the Rose Company," the oldest one explained.
Long Ju couldn't believe her luck! Not only would they pay her for this one mission, but they would also provide her with a new identity, one with the mark of proof of the Martial Alliance no less. At the moment, she had no idea what they were transporting, but it almost didn't matter given how much she would benefit from this offer.
The youngest merchant stared at her. Of the three, he was the most curious and the least afraid of her. Only now, she realised, that they didn't even know each other's names.
"What is your name?" she asked politely.
"My...my name-" the merchant stuttered, too taken aback by Long Ju's interest, to respond properly. "It's...it's Jin. Jin Xiao. But everyone calls me Little Bear."
Long Ju bowed her head slightly, acknowledging him with a respectful expression. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Jin," she said, her voice gentle and calm.
"The pleasure is mine," Jin replied, his voice still shaken. "What is your name?"
"I am Long Ju," she told him with a friendly smile, "I guess you can call me Lady Ju."
Her tone became more confident as she introduced herself. This made the young merchant smile with relief, as he thought she might have been the cold and aloof type.
"So... Little Bear, what about the other two?" Long Ju asked.
"Oh, this is my older brother, Jin Chen," Jin introduced the other merchant, who had been keeping a low profile in the background so far. "We just call him Middle Bear." Then he pointed to the oldest, "And he's Jin Qiao, and as you already guessed, we call him Big Bear. Together we're known as the Golden Bear trio of the Rose Company."
Long Ju chuckled. "The Golden Bear trio? That's cute," she said, giving Little Bear a light pat on the head. Long Ju turned to the other two, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Middle Bear and Big Bear."
"Likewise," Jin Chen muttered, his face slightly red.
"And what should we call you?" Big Bear asked Long Ju with a curious expression. "Are you going to be a bear as well?"
Long Ju thought for a moment before she responded. "I feel like I'm more of a tiger." She laughed with amusement.
The escort agents were a bit shocked by Long Ju's response and looked at each other with confusion. "Isn't a tiger a rival to a bear in many different ways?" Big Bear asked with a frown.
Little Bear laughed nervously. "And doesn't a tiger hunt bears?" he joked.
Long Ju looked at them, smiling. She found their superstitions funny. "But there are many stories about bears befriending tigers. Maybe with a tiger on your side, you'll be able to fight anyone?"
Big Bear pondered Long Ju's words for a moment. "Well, I guess I can't disagree with that..." he muttered. "Haha, yes, I can see that. Well, since you're the youngest one, you'll be Little Tiger then."
The three siblings laughed, and the air relaxed around them. Long Ju's friendly presence was contagious. For the first time in a while, their journey wouldn't feel so tense.
After some last-minute paperwork, the group was ready to leave. Long Ju had managed to negotiate an additional set of clothes on top of the compensation that the escorts were already offering her for the cargo transport mission. After all, it was a bit embarrassing to keep walking around in her rags.
As they were all leaving aboard a cart driven by Big Bear, Long Ju thought about the "valuable cargo" they were escorting. They were very secretive about it, but the truth was they had no idea what it was. It looked like a simple wooden chest, closed by a complicated lock. If she knew the Martial Alliance well enough, there was no way the contents of that chest were actually valuable. It was common for these trial missions to have a non-vital purpose. They were just a test, after all. It was probably just a bunch of documents. Long Ju lowered her new bamboo hat on her eyes. The weather was perfect for a nap.