Chapter 58: Demonic Escort Agency

"What about me then?" Fang Che asked.

"You'll be our uncle-master, of course!"

"Fine," Fang Che finally relented in a resigned manner. "But you can't all become armed escorts! We have to have at least a few people doing stuff in the shadows."

Everyone began looking back and forth at one another, and it was clear that no one wanted to take on such an unglamorous role.

However, at the very least, the plan to open an armed escort agency had been approved.

"Helmsmaster, we'll need names for our fake identities. Will you be using your real name or an alias?" Zhao Wushang asked in a careful manner.

"I'll use my real name. Barely anyone knows it anyway."

"May I ask your venerable name, Helmsmaster?"

"Yin Xiu."

"That's a beautiful name!"

"Beautiful enough for you to marry me?"

"......"

At this point, it had become clear to the women that their helmsmaster hadn't been putting on an act when he proclaimed his desire to find a wife!

With that in mind, they didn't dare to make joking remarks of affection to Starlight anymore for fear of being taken seriously.

The next order of business was to think of a name for the escort agency.

"How about Big Bad Escort Agency?" Fang Che suggested.

"......"

"I don't think that's a good name, Helmsmaster."

"Fine, you guys come up with a name then! I can't get anything to go my way today! I can't even find a wife!"

The women pretended to be deaf to his complaints.

"From now on, if any of the girls do something wrong, then they'll have to marry me as their punishment."

All of the women instantly became hyperfocused. If making a mistake would force them to marry Starlight, then any mistake was essentially a death sentence!

After some discussion, a name was decided.

Unmatched Escort Agency!

Head escort: Yin Xiu.

Escorts: Zhao Wushang, Zhao Wubai, Zheng Yunqi...

Deputies: ......

Treasurers: Wu Lianlian...

Sales: Zhou Mei'er...

"Hurry up and get your identities sorted out so I can register you all at the Hall of Protectionists tomorrow! From now on, all of us will be good, law-abiding citizens!"

Everyone instantly turned to Fang Che with looks of astonishment and admiration upon hearing this.

Our helmsmaster is going to the Hall of Protectionists for our sake? How brave!

"What are you all looking at me like that for?" Fang Che snapped. "From now on, all of you also have to establish good relations with the Hall of Protectionists! We're going to be a legitimate business, so what do we have to fear?"

Everyone collectively fell silent.

They weren't necessarily afraid of going to the Hall of Protectionists, but they still didn't want to go.

"Grow some spines, you cowards!" Fang Che encouraged. "As long as we do nothing wrong, we have nothing to fear! Show me your courage! We're not even afraid of death, why should we be afraid of the Hall of Protectionists? Who wants to volunteer to come to the Hall of Protectionists with me? Anyone who volunteers will receive a reward!"

However, no matter how much he tried to encourage everyone or goad them into action, they refused to take the bait, happy to be denounced as cowards.

"Fine! I'll go then!" Fang Che acquiesced in a resigned manner. "Hurry up and get your identities arranged!"

Zhao Wushang immediately contacted his clan, requesting them to contact a sect to arrange identities for everyone.

After some discussion, everyone chose the neutral Mountain Moving Sect.

***

Shortly thereafter, Fang Che departed, and as he made his way down the street, he looked back at the branch helm, which was already far away in the distance and completely hidden in the darkness.

His branch helm had finally taken shape, but not only did he not derive any joy from this development, he felt a sense of loneliness.

As time wore on, this sense of loneliness only became more and more debilitating.

During the day, he served as a guardian of the people, but at night, he ran a branch helm for a demonic church.

He felt like a schizophrenia patient with one foot treading through the light, while his other foot was entrenched in darkness, and the line of division between light and darkness was one that was also splitting him into two.

With each step that he took, the more danger that he found himself in, and this was only the beginning.

He thought of Ye Meng, of Mo Ganyun, of his family...

He thought of the academy and the band of brothers that he had detached himself from...

He could've easily become extremely popular in the academy, transforming himself into the core of his cohort, but instead, he had chosen to become a lone wolf.

He had given up on the opportunity to bask in light and be revered by all, instead choosing to walk through the darkness, destined to be alone and cursed by everyone.

He shook his head with a wry smile to rid himself of these scattered thoughts, then vanished from the spot in a flash.

There was no point in thinking so much.

This was a path that he had chosen for himself from the very beginning.

***

Three days later.

"I'm going to the Hall of Protectionists to register your identities. Who's coming with me?"

Everyone: "......"

Didn't you say you were going to do it? You called everyone a coward, yet you're behaving like a coward now!

"Come on, it's not a big deal! One of you needs to come with me! Hurry up!"

"......"

"How are any of you going to accomplish anything if you're all such massive cowards? Just pick someone to come with me already!"

Everyone: "......"

"You're all spineless cowards, you hear me?! You should be ashamed of yourselves!"

Yes, we're all cowards! What're you gonna do about it?

"Fine! I'll go on my own!"

Everyone heaved a collective sigh of relief.

"Actually, no! I'm not going on my own! Zhao Wushang, you're coming with me!"

Zhao Wushang immediately raised his head with a horrified look on his face.

"What?! No! But Helmsmaster, you said..."

Jiang Bin gave him a kick in the backside before he had a chance to finish, sending him stumbling forward.

"Hurry up! Helmsmaster Starlight has called you out by name!"

Take one for the team, Brother Zhao!

Zhao Wushang strode forward with a hopeless expression, looking as if he were trudging toward his own execution.

***

Starlight and Zhao Wushang made their way to the Hall of Protectionists, and on the way there, Zhao Wushang's legs almost gave out from under him several times.

However, he couldn't allow himself to fall as he had to support Starlight, whose knees were also weak from fear.

By the time they finally limped to the Hall of Protectionists, both of them were already soaked in sweat.

They exchanged a glance with each other, and Zhao Wushang was having to fight back the urge to run.

"H-H-Helmsmaster..."

"Call me head escort, you idiot!" Fang Che snapped with a vicious slap. "Are you stupid?!"

Zhao Wushang's face was deathly pale as he stammered, "H-H-Head Escort, m-maybe we should go back..."

He received another slap.

"Harden up! What're they gonna do, kill you?"

"That's a very real possibility!"

Right at this moment, someone emerged from the Hall of Protectionists with tightly furrowed brows.

"Who are you? Why are you committing acts of violence in front of the Hall of Protectionists?"

Zhao Wushang's legs immediately began to quiver, and he was unable to stutter out a coherent response.

"Shut up!" Fang Che snapped, then turned to the Protectionist with a fawning smile as he said, "I just opened an armed escort agency in the city, but I haven't registered it yet. Everyone tells me that the Protectionists are really scary, so I'm too afraid to go in."

The Protectionist that had come out to confront them just so happened to be none other than Zuo Guanglie, and he snapped, "Scary my arse! How are you going to run an armed escort agency like this? Hurry up and come in! What the hell are you trembling for?"

"Y-You're too intimidating," Zhao Wushang stuttered.

In any other setting, Zhao Wushang wouldn't have been afraid of Zuo Guanglie at all, but right now, he was like a sheep in a wolves' den!

Zuo Guanglie had come out to wait for Fang Che, but instead, he had been met with Starlight and Zhao Wushang. He grabbed the registration details from Starlight before taking a glance, then remarked, "Unmatched Escort Agency? That's quite a bold name! You can go register over there. Quit shaking! If you keep this up, I'm going to arrest you on suspicion of being a demonic church member!"

That was the final straw, and Zhao Wushang's legs gave out from under him as he sat heavily onto the ground and wailed, "No! Please! We're innocent!"

Fang Che immediately slapped him across the face again.

"Get up! You're making a fool out of yourself!"

"You came at just the right time," Zuo Guanglie said. "From this day forth, our Hall of Protectionists is enforcing a policy of service with a smile. I don't know which numbskull came up with this policy, but it's been approved by the higher-ups."

He led Fang Che and Zhao Wushang to the registration window as he spoke, and sure enough, they were greeted by a smiling figure inside.

"How can I help you today?"

"I.. I'm from the M-Mountain Moving Sect, and I wanted to r-r-register an armed escort agency today," Starlight replied.

"Relax! Do you normally stutter like this?"

"N-N-N-No..."

"Alright, that'll be a thousand taels of silver. There's also this booklet of industry guidelines, and this..."

"Yes, I'll buy them all!"

"What do you mean buy? These are learning materials provided to you free of charge! Pay up!"

"H-How much?"

"One thousand taels of silver! I just told you!"

"S-Sorry..."

"Alright, here's your business license."

"Thank you. Is there anything else we need to do?"

"No, you can go back and prepare for an official opening now."

Upon emerging from the Hall of Protectionists, both of them heaved a massive sigh of relief.

It all still felt like a dream to Zhao Wushang.