Nodding his head, Ying Gui looked at his team of guards that had quickly gathered in front of the inn's entrance, before turning his head to the side to look at Shun Long and saying humbly
''As young master Shun Long can see, I only have 15 guards. Normally, they would be more than enough to protect me and the items that I transport from any thieves, but this time things are slightly different. Hehe, I will explain everything to young master Shun Long after we leave the city.''
Originally, Ying Gui was about to explain his situation to Shun Long before they left the 'Blue Heaven inn', but seeing that there were plenty of pedestrians who were looking at his 4 carriages with looks of curiosity, he decided against saying anything until they left the Holy city in case anyone ends up lusting over his merchandise.
Finishing his words, Ying Gui then jumped atop the first carriage, before he gestured for Shun Long to sit on the second one.
As for Zou Qiang, he didn't pay any attention to Shun Long or his boss, as he had the 14 men who were walking behind him to completely surround the carriages, while he himself walked in the front.
Shun Long noticed that all of the guards from Zou Qiang's team were between the early rank 1 and the peak of rank 3 in the Nascent Soul, with only Zou Qiang himself having reached the middle stages.
The guards had curious looks in their eyes as they inspected Shun Long as well, dumbfounded by his cultivation base that was only at the early rank 3 as well.
They had already heard from their boss that there was a chance for a disciple of the Holy sect to join them in their journey this time, and they were hoping that it would be someone at the early rank 6 of the Nascent Soul, or if they were unlucky, someone at the early or middle rank 5 in the Nascent Soul.
They couldn't believe that they were so unlucky to get someone who was even weaker than some of them, let alone their captain!
Ignoring the looks on the guards' faces, Shun Long took a look at the 4 carriages in front of him, and without declining Ying Gui's offer, he sat atop the second carriage.
At the same time, Shun Long also noticed, that every single carriage was being pulled by 4 massive magic beasts at the middle of rank 4 that resembled cows, while the carriages themselves were completely covered, each of them with a white piece of cloth that made it impossible to see what was inside them.
With just a glance, Shun Long instantly recognized the middle rank 4 magic beasts that were pulling the 4 carriages as 'Ironhide cows'.
He knew that these weren't normal cows, but instead, resilient magic beasts with very high natural defensive abilities. Their hide was as tough as iron and it could absorb the attacks of other middle rank 4 magic beasts without suffering too much damage.
Although the 'Ironhide cows' didn't have any offensive abilities, their ability to defend themselves was extremely strong, and they could even take on the attacks of some late-stage Spirit realm cultivators.
Just like Ying Gui had said, his guards were indeed strong enough to protect him from normal bandits. Even an early rank 6 Nascent Soul bandit wouldn't necessarily try to rob him with Zou Qiang on the front and 14 early-stage Nascent Soul guards protecting the rest of the carriages, making Shun Long curious as to why Ying Gui felt the need to ask for the help of a disciple from the Holy sect.
Closing his eyes, Shun Long then sent his soul sense past the white cloth below his feet, but a moment later he realized that he had failed to pass through it.
''As expected...''
He actually wasn't surprised by this as he had already expected the carriages to be filled with protective formations that blocked out any attempts of soul sense.
Otherwise, anyone could simply send his soul sense and see past the white cloth of the carriage to find out what was being transported.
The reason why Shun Long tried this in the first place, was simply to verify the importance that Ying Gui had placed on the merchandise that he was transporting this time.
Indeed, it seemed to be something beyond what he normally dealt with, otherwise he wouldn't be so cautious as to ask for the help of the Holy sect on top of all of the normal measures that he had taken.
An hour later, Ying Gui's caravan had already arrived at the gates of the Holy city before they passed right through it without any obstruction
After all, there was no need to pay a fee of any spirit stones to leave the city as one only had to pay when they entered.
As soon as they left the Holy city, Zou Qiang turned around and looked at his guards before he shouted
''From now on and until we reach Yanzhu city, be on full alert!''
''Yes, captain!''
Even Shun Long had to admit that Zou Qiang was a captain who was respected by his troops and had above-average leadership abilities.
Unfortunately, this didn't really increase his image in Shun Long's eyes.
Regardless of how good a captain he may be, intentionally offending someone who came to help him would only end up harming him in the end.
Not caring about the orders that Zou Qiang was giving as he arranged the rest of the guards, Ying Gui smiled brightly as he turned around and looked at Shun Long before he then said
''Young master Shun Long, let me explain why I asked for your help. Unfortunately, I couldn't explain this while we were still in the Holy city as there were too many people around us.''
As he finished speaking, after checking and making sure that they had opened up a sizeable distance between themselves and the Holy city and that there were no other cultivators around them, Ying Gui raised the white sheet that was covering his own carriage revealing the scene inside.
As soon as Ying Gui lifted the sheet, Shun Long realized that what he was riding on wasn't a normal carriage, but instead a small prison.
And inside this very prison, a beast that resembled a dog, with pitch-black fur and orange eyes appeared in Shun Long's vision!