After Li Nian's analysis, Flying Knife, who had just begun to feel slightly reassured, once again revealed a somewhat uneasy expression.

"My current supply of items has been consumed and damaged too much. My combat strength probably can't even be considered proper Second-Tier anymore..."

"Relax, brother," Li Nian waved her hand dismissively. "You paid, so just lie back and enjoy the ride. Zhu Ming and I will carry you through—to be honest, the guys we carried in the last dungeon were even more useless—and we brought two of them."

Lin Yu thought of those two guys, Chen Zhuo and Fu Luo, and gave a slight nod.

"Indeed."

Although he didn't know what level Flying Knife truly was, as long as he was even a slightly normal player—and a player who had already reached the Second Tier—he should absolutely be stronger than those two.

Even though clearing that dungeon back then relied mainly on Designer and his wife, Lin Yu understood...

By now, he himself was no longer the person he used to be.

"Fellow colleagues and siblings from Willow Town, if there are no further issues, we should set off," Yue Zhenqiao spoke up. "Time is tight. It's best we reach the resting village before the arrival of the three suns at their zenith, the peak of noon."

Hearing this, Flying Knife looked surprised. "This... this isn't even the hottest time yet?"

After all, the current temperature was already almost enough to roast a person alive.

Hearing Flying Knife's words, Lin Yu chuckled and spoke. "It shows you really aren't a native of the Fire Hell and haven't been here long. This temperature is certainly hot, but it's still far from noon!"

"After all, we can still walk around outside."

Yue Zhenqiao, standing nearby, heard Lin Yu's words and didn't become suspicious of Flying Knife's statement.

"So this brother isn't from the Fire Hell," he said with understanding. "Recently, the Fire Hell is at its most scorching. Right now is merely the morning. In another two shichen, the temperature will reach its peak—at that time, it can be said 'water hits the ground and steams, eggs hit the ground and cook.' Ordinary people staying outdoors would collapse from exhaustion and faint within the time it takes an incense stick to burn."

"Even martial artists with a foundation of skill, or Daoist masters with talismans for protection, cannot act recklessly."

Yue Zhenqiao explained to Flying Knife.

Li Nian also clasped her hands with a playful smile. "This guy arrived in a hurry. We didn't have time to explain the Fire Hell's conditions to him clearly. We've troubled Head Escort Yue."

"No trouble, no trouble," Yue Zhenqiao waved his hand. "Anyway, there's still some distance to the next resting village. We should depart as soon as possible!"

As he spoke, Yue Zhenqiao picked up the reins, turned his horse around, and continued forward.

Lin Yu, Li Nian, and Flying Knife quickly urged their horses to follow.

The three of them seamlessly blended into the escort convoy. However, the dart masters around them still maintained a subtle distance, effectively surrounding them in the very center of the group.

Although they now believed the trio weren't demons or monsters and were indeed colleagues from the Golden Fortune Escort Agency's Willow Town branch, that didn't mean these dart masters "trusted" them yet.

Up to this point, Yue Zhenqiao hadn't told them the purpose of this trip from the Gu Town branch of the Golden Fortune Escort Agency, nor what they were escorting. This was a side reflection that the Golden Fortune Escort Agency still held reservations about them.

After all, from the perspective of Yue Zhenqiao and his group, being colleagues didn't guarantee a lack of ill intent. What if these three were determined to pull off this one job and then turn to banditry?

Moreover, even if these three truly harbored no ill will, the dart masters couldn't possibly start cooperating seamlessly with these three strangers all at once.

After all, they didn't know the skill level of Lin Yu's group.

On Yue Zhenqiao's side, the deputy head of the convoy urged his horse forward and spoke in a lowered voice, "Head Escort, I've already had Wu San and a few skilled hands surround them. What should we do next?"

"Let's continue observing for now. After all, they might genuinely be skilled personnel under Zhang Langzhi," Yue Zhenqiao mused thoughtfully. "Also, that man's expression is timid and flustered. I estimate he might not be an escorting dart master, but rather the 'escorted goods' being transported!"

The deputy head's expression turned grave. "You mean... these two women are escorting this single piece of 'goods' by themselves?"

"Correct. Therefore, their strength should not be low. Those daring to escort goods with just two people must have skill worth at least six or seven strings of cash," Yue Zhenqiao said quietly. "If they truly harbored malicious intent, operating with such a liability in tow would also be quite inconvenient."

Based on intuitive judgment, Yue Zhenqiao found it hard to believe these three were either evil or foolish.

"Then why still expend so much manpower to watch them?"

The deputy head asked, puzzled.

Yue Zhenqiao shook his head. "Acting cautiously never hurts... Don't forget the 'goods' we are escorting this time are of great importance."

The deputy head nodded silently, then urged his horse back into the formation.

For Yue Zhenqiao, the reasons he just stated were, of course, not the whole story.

Although his experiential, intuitive judgment told him these three were fine.

Another instinct warned Yue Zhenqiao that these three were not simple.

Especially the younger of the two women... her lively, mischievous nature, showing more curiosity than caution towards everything, truly didn't seem like a dart master from an escort agency out on a job.

In the Prison Mountain Realm, someone with such a temperament still wandering outside was more likely to be a direct disciple from a proper martial arts school or Daoist temple.

Without some formidable master behind them, it was hard to cultivate someone with such a behavioral style.

In the Prison Mountain Realm, the three conditions of being alive, having a flamboyant personality, and lacking strong strength/background could, at most, be satisfied simultaneously by only two.

As for the slightly more mature woman, she did seem like a smooth, experienced dart master. Yue Zhenqiao felt that even their brief exchanges had left him feeling quite comfortable.

"Perhaps Zhang Langzhi's subordinates brought along two young masters from wealthy families—one a pure wastrel and the other with some cultivation background."

Yue Zhenqiao analyzed in his heart, then shook his head.

Regardless, their true capabilities would be revealed when they encountered trouble on the road and had to act!

Personality and speech could be faked, but skill in movement and combat could not!

The carriage and horse team traveled through the crimson valleys. The temperature gradually rose. Within the long, narrow mountain path, waves of heat surged. From overhead came the occasional piercing cries of birds and beasts.

The horse team moved slowly, soon passing two withered, blackened trees. The mountain path transitioned from flat ground to a gentle upward slope.

Yue Zhenqiao glanced at the three individuals in the group whose expressions remained unchanged and spoke in a clear voice, "Attention, we've entered the territory of Fuyuan Mountain—be careful."

"The demonic creatures and bandits here are numerous. Furthermore, it's now the peak of the hot season, so be extremely vigilant!"

And just as Yue Zhenqiao's voice fell, a sharp whistle sound tore through the air.

"Whoosh—"

It sounded like someone had issued some kind of signal. Following this, successive "whistle" sounds rang out one after another, encircling them from all directions as if echoing each other.

"Whoosh— Whoosh—!"