Chapter 246: Oiling the Soles of Their Feet

Oh~ Oh~ Oh!

As the rooster crowed to announce the dawn, the horizon began to lighten. Unlike usual mornings, every village in Four Corners Town remained eerily silent, with hardly any fishermen or merchants out early to begin their work.

Perhaps due to the “exhaustion” of the previous night, most people were still deep in sleep, showing no signs of waking.

Inside the luxurious inn where the Golden Guard resided, the External Agents and Golden Guard members had all gathered.

On the bed today lay another person—not Yang Yong, the External Agent who had lost his soul the previous day, but rather the leader of the Golden Guard, Guard Yang.

After a thorough examination, the Golden Guard members found that, aside from some scratches, Golden Guard Yang’s symptoms were identical to when Yang Yong lost his soul.

Now, the second-in-command of this Golden Guard squad—Guard Lu—turned his attention to Gu Ning’an.

“Agent Gu, I must trouble you to bring back Golden Guard Yang’s soul,” Golden Guard Lu said politely, though his tone carried an unmistakable air of command.

Gu Ning’an waved a hand dismissively. “Can’t do it. I already reached my limit using the soul-retrieving technique for Brother Yang Yong.”

Hearing this, Golden Guard Lu’s eyes turned cold. “I don’t care if you can or can’t—you must bring back Golden Guard Yang’s soul! Otherwise… hmph!”

Gu Ning’an chuckled. “I’m just an External Agent assigned to this mission. What exactly does Golden Guard Lu intend to threaten me with? Three taels of silver?”

This man knew how to summon souls—who knew what other sinister tricks he had up his sleeve?

Since Gu Ning’an refused, it was best not to provoke him further.

As long as Golden Guard Yang was still alive, they could just bring him back and leave it to his elder brother to handle.

After a moment of contemplation, Golden Guard Lu sneered. “Agent Gu, you’ve misunderstood. Since you can’t help, we’ll take Golden Guard Yang back and find another way to save him.”

“As for the rest of you, stay here and continue guarding the town.”

At these words, the expressions of the External Agents immediately changed.

If the most capable fighters, armed with the best weapons, were leaving—how were they supposed to defend this place?

At that moment, Agent Yang interjected, “I lost my soul just days ago, and my body is still weak. If we have to face seven demonic spirits, I’d be completely useless… Why don’t I take on the task of escorting Golden Guard Yang back instead?”

“Honorable Golden Guards, you should stay and protect the people of Four Corners Town!”

Golden Guard Lu sneered. “Heh, Gu Ning’an may not know, but you do, don’t you? Do you understand who Golden Guard Yang’s elder brother is and what kind of temper he has?”

“We must ensure Golden Guard Yang’s safety all the way back—so we all have to go together.”

“But don’t worry. Once we return and settle Golden Guard Yang, we’ll bring reinforcements back.”

“You just focus on holding down the fort here.”

With that, Golden Guard Lu didn’t give the External Agents any more chances to argue. He hoisted Golden Guard Yang onto his shoulder and led his men straight out.

In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, through the open window, the External Agents watched four fine horses galloping down the long street, disappearing into the distance.

“These Golden Guards aren’t particularly skilled at much—but when it comes to running away, they’re fast,” Gu Ning’an remarked.

Zhou Zhongtian snorted. “Yang Wang, that damn coward, had his soul stolen without a sound. The rest of them were already scared out of their wits!”

“Not to mention, we just told them that there’s a highly cultivated chang ghost lurking in each of the four villages.”

“Even if you had just helped retrieve Yang Wang’s soul, they still would’ve found an excuse to run.”

“Brothers of Team A…”

Suddenly, after a long silence, Agent Ma spoke up.

When Zhou Zhongtian turned to look at him, Agent Ma gave a self-deprecating smile. “Sorry, everyone… We from Team B are going to ‘oil the soles of our feet’ too.”

Hearing this, Zhou Zhongtian was momentarily stunned before laughing. “Good! Brother Ma, if you weren’t planning to leave, I was actually going to convince you to.”

“Huh?” Agent Ma blinked in surprise, momentarily at a loss for words.

Zhou Zhongtian walked over, patted Officer Ma on the shoulder, and said, “Brother, you all have families to take care of. Besides, most of you are only a year or two away from retirement. Staying here and risking your lives just isn’t worth it.”

“And besides, even those Golden Guards ran off. If you guys leave too, it’s perfectly reasonable. Worst case, we just don’t take their money for this job.”

“Haha, kid, you really know how to talk to your big brother’s heart!”

Agent Ma patted Zhou Zhongtian on the chest and said seriously, “I’m not just saying this for the sake of it. Over the years, a few of us old guys from Team B have saved up some silver, planning to open a martial arts school together and live a stable life.”

“If you’re interested, come with us. Just quit this job and switch to being a martial arts instructor.”

“Don’t worry, the pay might not be as high as working as an External Agent, but at least you can still make about half of what you’re earning now.”

“Even if you earn less, life will definitely be more stable. Do it for two years, save up some money, and I’ll even introduce you to a wife. That kind of life is way better than constantly worrying about life and death while being ordered around.”

The offer Agent Ma presented was undeniably tempting.

Only those who had worked as External Agents truly understood that surviving this long was, at best, 20% due to skill, and the remaining 80% was pure luck. That’s why they had long planned for their future—investing their savings together to start a business, trusting their brothers-in-arms to have each other’s backs, and ensuring a peaceful retirement.

In Great Wu’s turbulent times, the fewer people who knew about such plans, the better. But Agent Ma trusted Zhou Zhongtian and his group, so he laid it all out.

Seeing Zhou Zhongtian remain silent, Agent Ma, who understood his hesitation, turned to invite Gu Ning’an and the others instead.

Gu Ning’an was the first to respond, politely declining with a smile.

The remaining three glanced at Zhou Zhongtian before also shaking their heads with a smile.

Seeing this, Agent Ma didn’t press further. He simply left a way for them to find him if they ever changed their minds, then quickly took his men and left.

A full incense stick’s time after Agent Ma and his group had departed, Zhou Zhongtian finally let out a sigh of relief.

“Phew—thank goodness I have strong willpower! Otherwise, I might’ve let Brother Ma trick me into leaving!”

Gu Ning’an chuckled. “If you were tempted, why hold yourself back?”

“If I leave, what happens to the people of Four Corners Village?” Zhou Zhongtian replied sincerely. He exhaled deeply, then folded the note Agent Ma had left and handed it to Feng Wei. “Sister Wei, keep this for me. I’m afraid if I look at it too much, I won’t be able to resist.”

Feng Wei rolled her eyes. “Oh? And if I keep it, you’re not worried that I might not be able to resist and run off myself?”

“Run where? If you want to leave, I’ll even send you off with an extra twenty taels of silver. You want to go now or not?” Zhou Zhongtian asked with a completely serious expression.