So Dan ended up staying at Hyeong Pio's house, being hosted there, learning the basic rules of society. Hyeong Pio found it very strange when he saw Dan sleeping while standing. It was Hyeong Pio who taught Dan the skills he had lost after being trapped in that cave for several years. How to write, how to read, where to take off his clothes and where not to. As a result, Dan became a porter under Hyeong Pio, and little by little began to open his heart.
But Mirang was watching Dan very closely, because the Flying Dragon had been sent specifically to monitor the Jo clan. However, she realized that her real task was actually to keep an eye on that kid. Even so, there was nothing suspicious about him. He was just a weird showoff. But she noticed that Jo Seolyeon kept staring at Dan. She had peculiar tastes.
After some time, Dan truly became a real member of the Renan escort agency. And finally, the day of the extremely important mission arrived.
Sima Chal told Ma Yuki that it was a very important mission, and to return safely. Ma Yuki, one of the veteran warriors of the escort agency, said not to worry, and that in the name of the agency they would return safely. He went ahead as the vanguard. The carriages followed, accompanied by porters and other warriors, and only then did Dan's life in a civilized society truly begin.
But a few days before they left for that mission, in the office of the Jo clan leader, Jo Ilhan was receiving the people from the Flying Dragon Corps. Pang introduced himself, and the leader recognized him as the Sword Dragon. The others introduced themselves and he was quite pleased. Jo Ilhan thought that woman was very polite and beautiful, and that she was perfect for his son. He said that while they stayed in his house, he hoped they could teach his children through an exchange of martial arts, since he knew that when young men and women interacted daily, they naturally grew closer. It was a good opportunity for his son.
Mirang, however, had her eyes on something else. She told her brother they had that mission to complete, and asked why he spent so much time watching the young lady even while she trained. She herself had been observing for days, but Seolyeon had not even looked at Pang, and kept looking at that other random worker. Pang said there was no need to worry about him, and that they had requested an audience with the clan leader himself. It was obvious they were more important.
Meanwhile, the escort agency members were having their last meal before leaving for the mission. Dan thought cooked food was amazing, delicious, since he had only eaten raw monsters. Hyeong Pio said he had never seen anyone eat like him, as if he were performing a ritual. Even so, he told him to eat well, because the mission would be very difficult, and the destination was Sichuan, homeland of the Tang clan. This time the request had come from one of the greatest clans in Jianghu.
At that moment, the clients were passing by. Tang Hogwan, an elder of the Tang clan of Sichuan, and Tang Ilhyeon. Hyeong Pio explained that not only that, but that regardless of the escort warriors from the agency, the Tang clan itself had come with their own guards, which made it hard to guess how valuable the cargo they were transporting was.
Dan kept his eyes on the old man. Tang Hogwan said he could smell something very pleasant, that it was quite annoying, and then he exploded a butterfly using only his internal energy. He explained that among those hunters there was someone emitting a very unusual energy, and he had clearly noticed it was Dan.
But at that moment the main guard, Ma Yuki, said the preparations for departure were ready and that they could rest assured. Tang Hogwan thought he must have sensed Ma Yuki's energy, and said they could leave soon, since the journey would be long. Even so, the elder remained suspicious, because he did not know that Ma Yuki's energy was that great.
Ma Yuki told the escort warriors and porters to finish eating and listen. The symbol of the Renan escort agency was speed. Normally the road to Sichuan would take four months, but they had to arrive within a month and a half. Everyone got a bit nervous and answered, "Yes, sir."
Hyeong Pio warned Dan that if he got on the bad side of the escort leader, Ma Yuki, he would be fired immediately, so he should not fall behind. Then everyone started getting up in a hurry, because Ma Yuki was already preparing to depart. Dan wondered what falling behind meant.
Later, the horses were running, the porters were running, the warriors were running. Ma Yuki's missions were infamous because of his strict personality. But the real problem was that it was not only the escort warriors trained in martial arts who needed to keep up the pace, but also the porters, who had to run without that same physical preparation. Dan, on the other hand, was completely relaxed, as if it were just a walk.
When it was time to sleep, Ma Yuki asked if the boy was not going to sleep. Hyeong Pio replied that he slept like that, sir. Standing up.
And so Dan and the escort group arrived at Mount Pingding, on a journey that would take four days, but they stopped when they were ambushed. A spear was fired, but Ma Yuki split it in half with his sword. It was a group of bandits.
Tang Hogwan said they were just Green Forest Bandits, and told everyone not to panic. They could keep observing for now. The disciple Tang Ilhyeon replied, "Yes, sir." Hyeong Pio said they would retreat if they paid the toll, and told Dan not to worry. Dan wondered if they were the same bandits as before.
Ma Yuki threw chains with coins, which were the toll, and ordered them to clear the way, but the fat bald man cut the cords, saying he did not want small change, and that he wanted the goods. Then he leaped toward Ma Yuki, attacking violently. That bandit was not there for cargo. He was there to kill.
Ma Yuki managed to block the first strike, but the kick to his chest made him cough blood. The fat bald man asked if that escort agency really thought they could stop them, and ordered everyone to be killed. Several bandits rushed toward the porters. Jung Chil panicked, just like the others.
Tang Hogwan asked who was backing those bandits, because they were not mere Green Forest Bandits. The bald man said they were the heroes of the Green Forest Bandits, and that it was an honour for them to die by their hands. Tang Hogwan replied that it was a shame, because if they were just bandits, they could have lived. Then he fired a poisoned needle that pierced the first bandit's chest, exploding him into blood, and followed with a rain of those needles that pierced several bandits along the way.
The people behind it all finally appeared. The ones who had hired the forest bandits were from the Phantom Hall. The first one said that since Tang Hogwan of the Tang clan had personally interfered, they would not waste time standing there. That was an order from the Phantom Hall, and no one would leave alive.
Tang Hogwan told everyone to prepare, saying those guys were serious opponents. Even if everyone from the escort agency fell, they had to deliver those items to the main clan. He told the guards, the elite of the elite, that no matter what happened, they had to protect the escorted item.
The Phantom Hall assassins were ruthless, and killed several porters and warriors in an instant. But Dan stood in the middle of the battlefield just watching. Ma Yuki thought his escort warriors were no match for those assassins, who were true masters. Even if the Tang clan had the advantage over them, they had no intention of drawing their swords for their sake.
But when Dan found himself facing the person who had helped him all along, he finally drew his sword, and with a lightning strike pulverized that assassin.