“Captain!” Shouted some of the guards, wanting to give chase.

“Stand down.” Harsh Patel said and pushed them back. “The fight is over. Where is Wuyi?”

The guards parted and a sad figure limped up. His armor was broken and he looked like he had been given a good thrashing.

“Here… sir!”

“Cheh, look at you! All that training and practice and you can’t even beat a bandit. You’ve embarrassed the lord’s name and my name as well! Tend to the wounded and clean up the mess!”

Bai Wuyi shrank under his captain’s reprimand, “Yes sir!”

Gray sat on the ground and watched as the guards spread out across the camp. He was too tired and in pain to help as they put out the fires and took stock of the losses.

Six members of the caravan died while the rest all sported various wounds. The bandits lost even more with more than twenty dead. It was a tragic battle but there was one person who didn’t care about the deaths.

Amin Baba moaned in pain as losses to his cargo were reported. The bandits came in huge numbers and made off with around half of everything in the caravan. It was a crushing blow to the merchant’s profits.

“Captain Patel! Captain Patel!” Amin Baba cried, “I truly did not know you were in my caravan. I should have known. I am blind, blind I tell you. But sir, why did your nobleness not move to assist from the beginning? With your power, you could have defeated all of the bandits just by yourself!”

Harsh Patel turned away from the merchant as if met with an unpleasant sight, “My responsibility is only to my lord’s guards. If you wanted to hire me to protect your caravan… I’m afraid you can’t afford it!”

“But sir…”

“Useless! You should have fought the bandits instead of hiding like a useless person!”

“But…”

“If you have the strength to complain, then you have the strength to fight. Look at this young man and how brave he was. He did more to protect your caravan than you ever could!”

“Huh?”

Harsh Patel had arrived in front of Gray, who had managed to stand up and was leaning against his cart of gold, amidst a sea of carnage. He was covered in dirt and blood all over and looked like a wild beast. It was hard to tell how many wounds he suffered but most of them were due to Tang.

In contrast, the guard captain’s clothes were impeccable. There wasn’t even a drop of blood or dust anywhere. He was slender and a head shorter than Gray but when standing in front of each other, he did not seem small at all. Instead, he gave off a powerful aura like a giant, one that completely suppressed everything in surrounding without even meaning to.

“I am Harsh Patel, captain of the guard for the lord of Jade Hill Town. What’s your name, young man? Are you okay?” Harsh Patel asked, his voice strong and piercing.

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“Gray… and I’ll survive…”

Harsh Patel laughed, not mockingly but out of appreciation, “You’re good! Come here Wuyi! Get Gray some bandages!”

“Yes sir!”

When Wuyi came, so did Amin Baba. The trader looked at Gray, at the cart beside him that was untouched, and finally at the two carts nearby that were looted clean. Amin Baba quickly added everything together and his face became red with fury. He even started to visibly shake.

“You fat bastard!” He spat, “You could have protected those carts too but you only stood by your own cart. What bullshit is that?”

“So what?” Gray growled.

He wasn’t about to take abuse from the cheap trader.

Amin Baba wasn’t a pushover either. He was a decent cultivator and managed to survive the attack mostly unscathed. He readily wanted to teach Gray a lesson and vent some frustration.

Harsh Patel broke up the scuffle before it could begin. He shoved Amin Baba away, causing the trader to stumble and land on his bottom.

“Don’t be stupid, Gray wasn’t responsible for protecting your caravan. He is a paying passenger. You should go back before you embarrass yourself any further.”

Amin Baba felt the captain’s withering stare and scampered away without another word.

“Disgusting…” Harsh Patel muttered and turned back to Gray, “Anyways… Gray, I think you have great potential. If you want, I am offering you a place in the Jade Hill Lord’s guard. Where you can receive proper training and improve your cultivation!”

“…” Gray was taken aback but he didn’t refuse immediately.

Harsh Patel took that as a positive sign and, while Wuyi was bandaging Gray’s wounds, described the benefits of being a guard.

The lord’s guards were separated into several tiers which included ordinary guards, head guards, and guard captains. Ordinary guards were recruited from talented youngsters. They were taught combat skills, given food and lodging, and earned a small but decent pay. Head guards and guard captains were appointed based on talent and strength and received much better benefits. All of them were assigned to various missions with bonus pay to serve the lord and his interests. This included guarding trade caravans such as this one that brought in needed goods to town.

“My lord is constantly in search of great talents. If you perform well, you can reach head guard in a short time. You may even be able to compete for a guard captain position eventually.” Harsh Patel said.

Gray had already made his decision halfway through and only partly listened to the long-winded speech. He was used to being by himself, with no one to answer to and no one to order him around. Serving a lord sounded nice but it robbed him of freedom. He also wasn’t about to trust the words of someone he only briefly met.

But given the fact that the man held real power and status, Gray found it awkward to reject him outright. The man was a guard captain after all. He was second only to the lord and no doubt held a lot of influence in town. Gray wasn’t sure if directly saying no would offend people he couldn’t afford to offend.

“Well… the job seems quite dangerous.” Gray said mildly, “Many guards died during the bandit attack. I like peace and quiet and don’t really like fighting and dying for nothing.”

Harsh Patel snorted, “If you don’t like fighting, then Amin Baba doesn’t like money. You were like a ferocious demon defending your gold. The bandits are a part of life in these lands, an unavoidable danger. Resources are scarce and desperate people will do desperate things. However, the pay for such a dangerous mission is very good. Even a stingy bastard like Amin pays three times the normal salary. Not all caravans get attacked either, this one was just a little unlucky. But… I sense hesitation so I won’t insist. You don’t have to give me an answer now but think about it for a while. You are still young and there’s plenty of time.”

He did not push the subject further and left with a wave, taking Wuyi Bai with him.

Nobody else bothered Gray after that. The camp was still a mess but nobody needed him to do anything. By the time the sun rose, the remaining goods were moved around and consolidated from looted or burnt carts. The caravan took to the road once everyone was ready. The mood was mostly somber yet also somewhat relaxed. Now that everyone knew they were being escorted by a captain, it made them more at ease. Harsh Patel’s cultivation was profound and there was almost no one within the Dangerous Region that could defeat him.