"You're awake!" Zhou Mei exclaimed with relief in her eyes when she saw Guard Bai's eyes opening. She had been waiting by his side ever since she had woken up from her sleep.

"M-Miss Zhou" There was confusion apparent in Guard Bai's voice as he blinked his eyes several times to steady his hazy gaze.

"Yes, it's me!" She said with happiness laced in her voice.

"Y-You're fine…I can finally rest in peace…" he said as a wave of relief appeared on his scrunched brows when Guard Bai said those words.

Just when he was about to close his eyes, he was smacked hard by a petite hand on his arms.

"What rubbish are you spouting, Guard Bai? You're not dying! We got saved, and all your wounds have been treated," Zhou Mei said with a trace of anger, irritation, and worry apparent in her eyes.

"S-Saved?" Hearing these words, Guard Bai couldn't help but look surprised. The next moment, he noticed a figure who was standing behind Zhou Mei and was smiling lightly while watching their interaction.

"Who…" Guard Bai asked in confusion.

Zhou Mei traced his gaze and, seeing who it was being pointed at, immediately explained.

"He's Brother Chen, he's the one who single-handedly fought all the bandits and saved us all. If not for him, all of us would be dead."

The moment Guard Bai heard those words, his eyes widened in shock, and he immediately tried to stand up, only to groan from intense pain.

"Don't!" Zhou Mei exclaimed in shock when she saw this, "Your legs are broken!"

It was only now that Guard Bai noticed the wooden sticks tied to his knees as splints.

'This…' the bandit leader's sword attack immediately flashed in his mind and answered his questions.

Turning towards Yi Chen, he soon said, "I apologise, Master Chen. I wanted to thank you properly, but because of my current state, I'm unable to do so."

When he finished his words, Guard Bai clasped his hands towards Yi Chen and said, "I, Bai Lu, will forever be grateful to you for saving Miss Zhou's life. If anything had happened to her, then Zhou Clan would have really faced a huge crisis."

"Guard Bai…" When Zhou Mei heard his words, she couldn't help but tear up. Even at this stage, he was still more concerned about her life than his own.

"There's really no nee-" Yi Chen was about to wave it off when he was cut off mid-way.

"Also!" The next moment, Guard Bai deeply bowed his head as low as possible while groaning in pain and said, "I beg the benefactor to help in escorting the Young Miss back to Jade City."

'This…I didn't even need to suggest it to them.' Yi Chen couldn't help but have a wry expression on his face when he heard this request.

Not noticing this change, Guard Bai continued, "With my current injured state, I'm ashamed that I no longer meet the requirements to protect her. That's why, Master Chen, please accompany us in this journey so that Miss Zhou can return to her family without any harm."

Hearing Guard Bai's words, a trace of concern also appeared on Zhou Mei's countenance. She had never expected that she would get attacked like this on the way, but now even she wasn't sure whether it would happen again or not.

Just thinking about something like that happening again to her and her guards made a shiver run through her spine. With her trembling gaze, she couldn't help but look towards Yi Chen the next moment.

With someone as powerful as Yi Chen by their side, she was sure that no harm would fall upon them.

"Brother Chen, please consider it!" Zhou Mei, too, bowed the very next moment.

"Young Miss!" Guard Bai couldn't help but exclaim when he saw this situation and tried to stop her, but she only waved her hands at his words.

"It doesn't matter, Guard Bai. What if I'm a member of a noble clan? I'm still weak and can't protect myself, so there's no shame in bowing my head." With that said, Zhou Mei clasped her hands tightly while bowing and continued, "Brother Chen, please help us this time. My family would be sure to gift you heavily when we arrive at the Jade City."

There was not a trace of the frivolous-natured girl from yesterday morning around her. Instead, a noble temperament could be felt in her gaze.

Seeing the scene unfolding in front of his eyes, Yi Chen didn't delay his response any longer and directly said, "Alright, I'll be accompanying you to the Jade City. It just so happens that I'm going there as well."

"This servant will forever be grateful to you, Master Chen," Guard Bai said zealously while tightly clasping his hands. If not for his legs, Yi Chen feared that he would perform several kowtows to thank him.

"Thank you, Brother Chen, I'll make sure to tell my father about your help and to reward you generously," Zhou Mei said while bowing gratefully.

"I'll keep your words in mind then," Yi Chen nodded to their words and continued, "Then I'll go and pack my belongings."

With that said, he left for his tent. In his mind, he was feeling satisfied by what he had heard from Zhou Mei just now.

Since he was already risking his life by not only helping her out but also making new enemies along the way, then being compensated for his efforts a little was the least the other party could do.

A while later, with the mercenary's help, Guard Bai was laid inside the golden black carriage.

Zhou Mei followed after her, and when it was only Yi Chen who was left outside, the mercenary head bowed towards him.

"I've learnt a lot from you from yesterday's encounter, Young Master. I'll never underestimate any young warrior from now on," he said while bowing.

"It's good to be wary, so I don't blame you. Anyway, take care of the others until the end of the journey. I'll be going then,"

With that said, Yi Chen boarded the carriage. They had only met momentarily, and he had no intention of taking their relationship any further.

As for the mercenary head, he only smiled wryly at this gesture and soon walked away towards the other three wagons.

He had been acting very politely in front of Yi Chen all this while, not only because he was scared of his strength but also because he wanted to build a connection with him.

However, seeing him board the carriage with just a few words made him realise that it wasn't happening, and he could only sigh in regret.

As for Yi Chen, it was his first time entering such a luxurious carriage, so he couldn't help but be in awe when he noticed the interior.

'Heck, it's even more spacious inside than I had thought,'

That was the first thought that came to Yi Chen's mind. His gaze then fell upon the exquisitely designed seats on the two sides of the carriage that were large enough for people to sleep!

'Yep…It shouldn't be any less for a noble clan,' Yi Chen nodded to himself and sat on a seat next to Zhou Mei.

On the seat in front of them, Guard Bai was lying as he was in no state to sit properly.

With everyone boarded, the sound of the whip soon came from the front of the carriage and with the neighing of the horses, the carriage began to move.

"Brother Chen, thank you for agreeing to our request. With you by my side, my heart really feels at ease," Zhou Mei said from the side the next moment.

"You're welcome," Yi Chen nodded with a smile and asked, "Earlier, I saw that your horses ran really fast. At their pace, how long would it take for us to reach the capital city?"

It was a question just out of curiosity as he glanced outside the window to see that their pace had started to gradually increase.

It wasn't Zhou Mei who answered his question, but Guard Bai.

"Young Master, these first-grade horses indeed run very fast and can keep this pace for three days and three nights without needing to rest at all!" Guard Bai said enthusiastically and continued, "At their pace, we can easily reach the capital city within the next 15 days."

"Fifteen days only?!" Yi Chen couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

'At this rate, won't I be able to reach the capital just in the promised time?' If it could be helped, then he would always choose to arrive earlier than later, so hearing Guard Bai's words pleased him greatly.

"Indeed, Young Master," Guard Bai smiled, seeing this reaction and continued, "These horses were raised on heavy Qi-infused fodder since birth, so it's natural for them to outperform regular horses."

Hearing Guard Bai's words, a trace of understanding formed on Yi Chen's face as he nodded thankfully towards him for the explanation.

'So that's how they are raised, huh?'

His gaze then went towards outside the glass windows, and he couldn't help but feel impressed by the speed at which they were going at the moment.

'It's like I'm sitting inside a train…' Yi Chen thought to himself.

It was that moment that Zhou Mei asked curiously, "Brother Chen, do you also live in the Jade City, or are you going there for some other purpose?"

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