Among the missing forces, many skilled escorts were involved. How could they have disappeared without even a trace of a struggle? The enemy must have used poison. Moreover, although our hiding spots were not the most secret, outsiders definitely couldn't get in. Whoever knew the locations of our hiding places must have easily poisoned us. Father, our escort agency…" Liu Zheng carefully analyzed the situation.
In his prime, Liu Zheng not only had the maturity and composure of a grown man but had also inherited his father's meticulousness. When the men from the various branches arrived, in order to be cautious, Liu Yiqing had kept most of the top fighters and senior elders at the main branch of the Liu family's escort agency.
That was why Liu Zheng had this confidence.
"Poison!?" Liu Yiqing had never considered the use of poison because all their men, inside and out, were their own people. Plus, with the enemy's strength and their motives toward the Wang family, Liu Yiqing hadn't thought of poison as a possibility. Only after his son pointed it out did it suddenly occur to him.
"Immediately investigate who has visited these six places in the past few days and who was responsible for the food and drink?" After hearing his son's analysis, Liu Yiqing regained his composure. He shook off the frailty he had earlier displayed, and his eyes once again sharpened with the sharpness and depth of his usual self.
Names flashed quickly through his mind.
"Except for myself and my sons, who else knows the locations of these eight hiding places?" His gaze sharpened, and anger surged from within him, a fierce killing intent radiating from his body. "Could it be him!?"
"Summon the elders and executives to the secret chamber immediately. You go bring the remaining two forces here. Let De'er take people to protect your mother and Yan'er." Liu Yiqing gave his orders with firm resolve. Even if he had to negotiate with the enemy, he needed to have some leverage of his own.
"As for our food and water, you must personally check everything. We cannot give the enemy any further chances."
"Understood! I'll take care of it immediately, Father," Liu Zheng replied confidently. He trusted his own abilities and believed that the Liu family would never fall.
"Zheng'er, be careful with everything," Liu Yiqing said, his eyes filled with fatherly love.
"Rest assured, Father. I understand," Liu Zheng responded, and quickly left.
"Liu Yan Huo, Liu Yan Huo! How long are you going to make us wait?" Liu Yiqing sighed deeply, looking up at the sky. He had never felt such a strong desire to see his fourth son, whom he had previously disliked, and only saw once a year.
Liu Yiqing had considered the possibility that Yan Huo might run into trouble, but he believed in his son's strength. Even if he couldn't drive the enemy back, Yan Huo could certainly escape danger on his own.
The eight elders of the Liu family and the twenty-six escort captains had gathered in the secret chamber. The remaining thirty-five escort captains and elders stayed at the main branch of the Liu family's escort agency. One escort captain, however, had not arrived. When Liu Yiqing inquired, no one knew where this escort captain had gone. They only knew he had been in the agency two days ago.
"It really is him!" Liu Yiqing thought in despair.
Zhang Wufeng, the escort captain who had served him for over a decade, whom Yan Ran had always referred to as "Uncle Zhang"—could he have been the traitor?
Everyone's expression grew grave. Every person in the secret chamber had shared honor and disgrace with the Liu family. Some were collateral relatives of the Liu family, while others had been loyal subordinates of the escort agency for twenty years, sharing life and death together. They were all aware of the severity of the situation, but no one had expected it to reach such an extreme.
Liu Yiqing and the others continued their discussions until the sun had set. In the end, the outcome was exactly as Liu Yiqing had feared—there was nowhere to run.
Even if they won, there wouldn't be many survivors left in the Liu family or the escort agency. There was only one way out: surrender. However, to surrender, they would need some leverage. No matter what, Liu Yiqing had to figure out the enemy's intentions and hold out until Yan Huo and the others returned. If they, too, were captured or defeated, then the only option would be to flee. But even then, who could escape? Liu Yiqing had made up his mind. After that, he and the others finally sat down for dinner. None of them had eaten lunch, so they devoured their food as soon as it was brought to the table, eating ravenously. Given the grave situation, no one dared to drink wine.
Liu Zheng had gathered all the men at the agency. Now, apart from Liu Yiqing and the group of skilled experts, there were more than a thousand men inside the Liu family escort agency. The place was heavily guarded, with patrols doubled both inside and outside. Liu Yiqing had also learned that the governor, Liu Junsheng, and the military commander, Lu Fei, had been secretly transferred out of Yan City. He couldn't help but smile at the thought—these two "friends" were in for a rough time in the future.
Liu De, now more cautious than ever, stayed by his mother's side, offering protection. Liu Yanran, who had practiced martial arts since she was young and was skilled in the Liu family's sword techniques, had intended to fight alongside Liu Yiqing, but he had scolded her back into staying behind.
Liu Zheng was meticulous. He personally checked the food and water supplies, even going so far as to inspect the food again once it was placed on the table. The atmosphere at the dinner table was heavy, so Liu Yiqing set down his bowl and picked up a teacup, raising it to the group.
"Brothers, I, Liu Yiqing, offer this cup of tea in place of wine, hoping we can survive this calamity together."
Upon hearing the Liu family head's words, everyone raised their cups. But at that moment, "Lao... Lao Ye, there... there's someone here to... to deliver an escort order!" The family's steward, Old Zhang, rushed in, stumbling over his words.
"Lao Zhang, how could there still be someone sending an escort order? Didn't we say we were temporarily rejecting orders due to the family's upcoming celebration?" Liu Yiqing asked.
"Old... Old Ye, it's... it's a very heavy order... very heavy," Old Zhang stammered, clearly shaken, as if his very soul had been lost.
Liu Yiqing was astonished. After so many years in the escort business, what kind of "heavy" order could shake Old Zhang so? He immediately asked, "Who is it? What kind of order do they want to place?"
"It's... it's a middle-aged man in golden robes, wearing brocade," Old Zhang said, wiping his sweat away. "He... he wants to pay ten thousand taels of gold as a deposit..."
The room was silent for a moment. Ten thousand taels of gold. The commission for an escort was typically three percent of the value of the items being transported, so this meant the item he wanted to transport was worth at least three to four million taels of gold. To put this in perspective, the imperial treasury only had seventy million taels of silver in a year.
"Ten thousand taels of gold?!!" Everyone in the room gasped, their mouths hanging open in disbelief. The only one who remained calm was Liu Yiqing. If this had happened at any other time, he might not have been so composed, but the situation was critical, and he had learned to stay focused under pressure.
"What kind of cargo does he want to send?" Liu Yiqing asked coldly.
"Old Ye... he wants to send... he wants to send... two thousand seven hundred and fifty... heads!" Old Zhang said, his voice trembling.
"Boom!" The wooden, intricately carved round table shattered into pieces under Liu Yiqing's palm. His face was filled with fury. "Where is he?!"
"Right... right outside the main gate," Old Zhang stammered.
"Everyone, follow me!" Liu Yiqing shouted, his voice cold and murderous. He stormed toward the main gate, with everyone following close behind. The group's faces were filled with a murderous aura.
Everyone understood what the two thousand seven hundred and fifty heads meant—it was the total number of the missing forces from the six places.