Unrestricted Dao Lord

On the main road, the Zhenyuan Escort Agency was escorting dozens of carts filled with goods, slowly making their way toward Qingquan Prefecture City.

This time, the schedule was tight.

They had to return to the Prefecture City before sunset tomorrow.

Li Xiaoman, the daughter of the Chief of the Escort Li He, was once again among the escort party, disguised as a man.

Several months had passed since the last time she had followed her father on an escort mission.

This time, she had finally gotten the chance, begging her father to take her along, treating it as a way to travel the Jianghu and broaden her horizons.

However, this trip through the Jianghu was different from Li Xiaoman’s previous ones.

There was no glint of flashing blades.

No bloody battles.

The journey was exceptionally smooth, without any danger.

The whole trip felt less like an escort mission and more like a leisurely tour of the scenic countryside.

For example, the Tiger Stream they had just passed through was notoriously dangerous.

Even when her father, Li He, the renowned "Ghost Head Saber," personally led the escort, he still had to pay a toll to pass through Tiger Stream.

But this time, Li He didn’t pay a single coin.

"Father, why were you able to pass through Tiger Stream safely without paying a single coin? And we didn’t have to pay any tolls at the other mountain strongholds along the way, either. Since when did our Zhenyuan Escort Agency become so prestigious?"

Li Xiaoman had been holding this question in for the entire journey and had wanted to ask it for a long time.

After all, it wasn’t her first time on an escort mission, so she knew very well what the journeys used to be like.

Li He raised his head, pointed to the "Zhang Character Banner" hanging from the agency’s flagpole, and said with a complicated expression, "Xiaoman, our Escort Agency has changed its banner. Although the name is still ’Zhenyuan Escort Agency,’ the owner is no longer my Li Family, but the Zhang Family."

"And the Zhang Family... is formidable! You’ve already seen it. Along the way, with our Escort Agency flying the Zhang Character Banner, which mountain stronghold dared to demand a toll? Which one dared to give us trouble?"

"This is all because the Zhang Family has produced an incredible figure—Zhang Su! You saw him on your last escort mission. An Inner Sect Disciple of the Guiyuan Sect. In the territory of Qingquan Prefecture, who wouldn’t show him respect?"

Li Xiaoman understood.

Her eyes instantly lit up.

The image of the figure who had single-handedly slain dozens of ruthless bandits from Feitian Ridge gradually appeared in her mind.

"Father, even if the Zhang Family is much more powerful than before and Young Hero Zhang is incredible, we didn’t have to be in such a rush to pledge our allegiance to them, did we?"

Li Xiaoman asked again.

"Xiaoman, you don’t understand the situation in Qingquan Prefecture."

Just then, Li Xiaoman’s older brother, Li Wushi, walked over.

He glanced at his father, Li He, then explained, "The Wei Family of Qingquan Prefecture is becoming aggressive. They want to swallow up all the other powers—those who submit will prosper, and those who resist will perish! In Qingquan Prefecture, only the Zhang Family can stand against the Wei Family. To be precise, only Zhang Su can!"

Li He looked at his eldest son with satisfaction and nodded. "Xiaoman, your brother is right. Right now in Qingquan Prefecture, you either choose the Wei Family or the Zhang Family. There is no third option."

"The reason our Escort Agency chose the Zhang Family is that their eldest young master handles matters fairly and is a man of integrity. As for the Wei Family... their methods are just too ugly."

Li Xiaoman fell silent.

As a young woman, she didn’t understand the complex power plays involved.

However, she did know that the Wei Family’s power in Qingquan Prefecture was at its zenith.

And Zhang Su, who had appeared out of nowhere, could single-handedly stand against the Wei Family. In her eyes, he was even more formidable than her father—a truly towering figure.

The escort convoy traveled in fits and starts, eventually arriving at a small town.

As usual, everyone prepared to rest their feet at an inn.

Suddenly, Li Xiaoman saw a Little Red Horse tethered outside the inn.

This Little Red Horse gave Li Xiaoman a sense of déjà vu.

It seemed she had seen it somewhere before.

’This Little Red Horse... it seems to be...’

Li Xiaoman’s eyes lit up, and a trace of excitement appeared on her face.

"Father, Big Brother, quick, look at that Little Red Horse! Isn’t it his...?"

Li He and Li Wushi followed Li Xiaoman’s gaze and also saw the Little Red Horse outside the inn.

Fine steeds that could travel a thousand li were not actually rare in the Jianghu.

But such a distinctive Little Red Horse was hard to ignore.

After all, they had seen it before.

Li He, in particular, was an old hand in the Jianghu. With his sharp eye, he confirmed in a single glance that it was the very same Little Red Horse he had seen a few months ago.

He grew excited as well.

"Quick, let’s go into the inn to pay our respects to him..."

Li He led his son and daughter quickly into the inn.

Sure enough, they saw a figure inside.

He was dressed in white robes and had a gentle disposition. If not for the longsword he carried, no one would have believed he was a Martial Artist.

The three of them hurried forward.

Li He, pulling his son and daughter along, bowed respectfully and said, "Greetings, Young Hero Zhang."

"Hmm?"

Zhang Su looked up at the three of them. They looked somewhat familiar, and he quickly recalled who they were.

"Ah, it’s Chief Li of the Zhenyuan Escort Agency..."

Zhang Su smiled faintly.

He seemed to be fated to meet these three.

He had run into them the last time he came down the mountain, and now, he had run into them again.

"You’re too kind. Young Hero Zhang is now the Boss of our Zhenyuan Escort Agency."

Li He said with a smile.

"Hmm? What’s this about?"

Zhang Su was slightly taken aback.

Li He then explained the situation in detail.

Zhang Su found it quite surprising.

He genuinely had no idea.

Things like this were generally handled by his older brother, Zhang Chen.

"Young Hero Zhang, are you on your way back for the Third Miss’s wedding banquet?"

Li He asked in a low voice.

"Yes."

"We also need to hurry back to the Prefecture City. Why don’t you travel back with us?"

Zhang Su considered it. Traveling with the Escort Agency would be much slower, and he probably wouldn’t reach the Prefecture City until tomorrow.

But he wasn’t in a hurry this time, so he didn’t refuse and nodded in agreement.

"Alright, let’s go back together then."

"Excellent! With Young Hero Zhang with us, this escort mission will be completely worry-free!"

Li He was also very happy.

After they had rested, the sky grew dim. It looked like a heavy rain was coming, which would make continuing their journey inconvenient.

So, Zhang Su and the people from the Zhenyuan Escort Agency decided to simply stay at the inn and leave early the next morning.

A short while later, thunder indeed began to boom, and a heavy rain started to fall.

Zhang Su was in his inn room, resting with his eyes closed.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.

Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

"Young Hero Zhang, I have something to ask you..."

"Come in."

It was Li He, and he had brought Li Wushi and Li Xiaoman with him.

Zhang Su had seen through Li Xiaoman’s disguise as a man long ago.

But he didn’t point it out.

The three of them entered the room.

"Quick, kneel before Young Hero Zhang."

Li He bowed to Zhang Su and urged Li Wushi and Li Xiaoman to kneel.

"Young Hero Zhang, I’m a crude man, so I’ll be direct. In my younger years traveling the Jianghu, I was lucky to learn some rough Saber Techniques. I made a small name for myself by fighting desperately, but my meager skills are hardly enough to teach my own children. You, however, are powerful in the Martial Arts, an Inner Sect Disciple of the Guiyuan Sect, and a renowned Inner Strength expert. Would it be possible for you to give my two children a pointer or two?"

As soon as Li He finished speaking, Li Wushi and Li Xiaoman began to kowtow, their foreheads hitting the floor with a THUD, THUD, THUD.

He knew his actions were somewhat presumptuous, but such opportunities were rare. When he was young, if he hadn’t been so thick-skinned, he probably would never have learned his Saber Technique, let alone earned his great reputation as the "Ghost Head Saber."

Now, for the sake of his two children, he could only swallow his pride once more.

’Guidance...’

Zhang Su looked up at Li He, then at Li Wushi and Li Xiaoman.

"Perform your best Martial Arts for me. Whether it’s a Saber Technique, Swordsmanship, or even Fists and Feet, it doesn’t matter. I’ll see if there’s anything to improve."

Zhang Su’s words made Li He overjoyed.

"Quickly, both of you, demonstrate your best Martial Arts for Young Hero Zhang."

So, Li Wushi demonstrated a Saber Technique.

And Li Xiaoman demonstrated a Body Technique.

The Saber Technique and Body Technique of these two had only reached Minor Achievement.

Moreover, it seemed they weren’t practicing them correctly.

If they continued training this way, Great Success would be their limit; they would never be able to reach Perfection.

So, Zhang Su offered a few words of guidance.

Zhang Su had cultivated dozens of Martial Techniques, all to the level of Perfection.

He was even close to developing the "Martial Sense" that only Grandmasters could grasp.

The level of his mastery in Martial Techniques was immeasurable.

Even just a few words of guidance from him were a priceless opportunity for ordinary Jianghu Martial Artists.

Li Wushi and Li Xiaoman felt as if they had been enlightened. Although their Martial Arts didn’t improve instantly, they knew that by following Zhang Su’s guidance and practicing diligently, reaching Great Success in their Martial Techniques was only a matter of time.

They even had a great hope of achieving Perfection in their Martial Techniques!

"Thank you, Young Hero Zhang! We won’t disturb you any longer..."

Li He was so excited his voice trembled. He then respectfully withdrew from the room.

Zhang Su knew that life was hard for Jianghu Martial Artists. Any Martial Artist who could generate Inner Strength was already considered highly accomplished.

Furthermore, their Martial Techniques were crude. Even if they had access to advanced techniques, without a master’s instruction, they could practice for a lifetime and achieve nothing of note.

His own entry into the Guiyuan Sect, even though he’d had to spend silver to get in through the back door, had been the right step.

Compared to other Jianghu Martial Artists, he was quite fortunate.

’The Martial Dao is fraught with hardship; to not advance is to fall behind...’

A wave of emotion washed over Zhang Su.

Even with the help of his panel, he didn’t dare to slack off in the slightest on his path of the Martial Dao.

He immediately began practicing the ten Martial Techniques that had not yet reached Perfection right there in his room.

These Martial Techniques included Fist Techniques, Palm Techniques, Body Techniques, and more.

Zhang Su practiced them over and over.

RUMBLE.

Outside the window, amid the wind and rain, thunder boomed loudly.

Zhang Su practiced faster and faster, seeming to merge his Fist Techniques, Palm Techniques, and various other Martial Techniques into one.

CLANG.

The next moment, Zhang Su’s Cold Frost Sword was unsheathed.

The sword’s light flashed, and the faint sound of wind and thunder emanated from it, seeming to echo the roar of the thunder outside, the two becoming indistinguishable.

Zhang Su became completely immersed in this special state.

He didn’t know that this was the state of sudden enlightenment that many Martial Artists dreamed of achieving.

A moment of enlightenment is worth ten years of hard work!

Of course, that was an exaggeration.

However, immersed in this state of enlightenment, Zhang Su’s ten Martial Techniques that had yet to reach Perfection improved at a terrifying speed, quickly reaching the Perfection Realm.

One technique, two techniques, three techniques...

An unknown amount of time passed.

CLICK.

With a crisp sound.

The Cold Frost Sword was already back in its sheath.

Zhang Su returned to his senses. Savoring the moment of enlightenment he had just experienced, he smiled with deep understanding!

"My Wind and Thunder Sword Technique is finally at Perfection!"

Outside, the wind and rain raged, accompanied by waves of thunder.

This was the catalyst!

And Zhang Su had seized this catalyst, listening to the wind and thunder in the rainy night...

On this night, Zhang Su had made immense gains!