Unable to bear it any longer
“Hey hey hey, what are you doing?!” Suddenly, a loud shout was heard, shaking the ground three times. The two beggars turned their heads to see a burly man with a face full of flesh striding over, as if Mount Tai was pressing down on them.
The two hurriedly stopped what they were doing, exchanged glances, and seeing the situation was not favorable, tried to flee. Ma Da grabbed one of them with each hand, lifting them off the ground.
Seeing Ma Da’s face clearly, Ci Ke breathed a sigh of relief and lowered the hand holding the hairpin.
“Bullying a defenseless girl, believe I’ll really break your legs!” Ma Xiao rolled up her sleeves, pushed aside the crowd, and picked up a bamboo pole leaning against the wall. Although she was a woman, it was obvious that she possessed great strength, causing the surrounding onlookers to retreat three steps back.
In Danzhou City, such scenes were commonplace. The passersby didn’t pay much attention and quickly walked past.
“Two heroes, my brother was just bumped into by this little girl, I was merely asking for an explanation, with no ill intentions.” The beggar knew he was no match, so he quickly put on a smiling face and bowed.
“Ridiculous! A girl who weighs less than this bamboo pole can cripple you? You’re trying to con the wrong person!” Ma Xiao twirled the bamboo pole with her right hand, making it whistle through the air, scraping the ground and kicking up dust.
Seeing that the pole was about to hit his leg, the beggar struggled desperately to avoid it, repeatedly begging, “Hero, spare me!”
Seeing they had yielded, Ma Da knew he couldn’t make a bigger scene, so he harshly threw the two to the ground.
They rolled, got up, and ran off, the supposedly “crippled” one running faster than the other, disappearing in a flash.
“Miss, are you hurt?” Ma Xiao didn’t bother with the two anymore and turned to ask Ci Ke.
Ci Ke shook her head, then nodded to show her gratitude.
Unconsciously, she looked behind Ma Xiao but didn’t see Ye Youqing’s figure. Disappointed, she lowered her eyes under the bamboo hat.
“The Eldest Miss and the young Escort Head are waiting for you by the carriage,” Ma Xiao said, turning to lead the way.
Ci Ke took the reins of a horse, which had hidden to the side to graze during the commotion, and followed silently.
The carriage and two horses were parked by a food stall. Ye Youqing stood there, looking down at something. Hearing footsteps, she put it down and glanced at Ci Ke.
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“Miss, are you hurt?” Ye Youqing asked.
Ci Ke shook her head.
“That’s good.” Ye Youqing smiled reassuringly and handed a paper-wrapped cake to Ci Ke. “After traveling for half a day, you must be hungry.”
Then she looked at the red-maned horse Ci Ke was leading, her phoenix eyes slightly widening.
Seeing her gaze on the horse she had hurriedly bought, Ci Ke panicked, pointed to Ye Youqing’s wound, made a walking gesture, and pointed towards Bianjing.
This self-created sign language left Shi Li and the others puzzled, but miraculously, Ye Youqing understood and said gently, “You want to take care of me until my wound heals, then return to the capital?”
Ci Ke nodded quickly, the bamboo hat bobbing up and down.
Ye Youqing’s lips moved as if to smile. “I thought you were still in the capital. Thank you, Miss. When the time comes, I will have Ma Xiao escort you back to the capital safely.”
In the past, Ye Youqing would never have been so cold, nor would she have only instructed Ma Da and Ma Xiao to help her, but would always stand before her personally.
Ci Ke mounted her red-maned horse, her eyes fixed on Ye Youqing getting into the carriage, unable to understand her own sense of loss.
It was her decision to pretend to be someone else and not see her. Ci Ke gently stroked the reddish-brown mane, feeling a faint, subtle grievance.
She hadn’t expected that this feeling of watching her but no longer being cared for and protected would be so intense.
Ci Ke, what are you doing? She closed her eyes slightly, letting the horse walk on its own, unable to dispel the chaos in her heart.
Up ahead, Ye Youqing suddenly tore her wound, pausing in her movements. Ma Da reflexively said, “Miss Ye,” but immediately fell silent when Ye Youqing looked at him.
At this moment, Ci Ke suddenly felt a burning gaze behind her. She quickly turned around but saw only the bustling street, everyone busy.
She withdrew her gaze, deep in thought.
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The first day’s journey went smoothly. The towns and villages they passed through rarely had portraits posted, and even if there were, they only checked symbolically, waving them through upon seeing Ye Youqing was a man.
Ye Youqing had prepared a map before setting out, and they followed it, arriving in Mengzhou by evening to find an inn.
Although Ye Youqing’s wound had started to itch, sitting in the carriage for a long time caused her clothes to rub off some scabs, leading to minor bleeding, requiring Ci Ke to enter the room to apply medicine.
The two remained silent as she applied the medicine. After finishing, Ye Youqing suddenly called Ci Ke, wanting to say something but not opening her mouth.
“Thank you,” Ye Youqing said.
Ci Ke shook her head, put down the medicine bottle, and left.
Ye Youqing lay on the bed, suddenly pounding the bedboard in frustration. The loud snoring of Ma Xiao next door made her stop, burying her head in the soft pillow to muffle a short sigh.
The night passed uneventfully. Before dawn, they had a simple breakfast and set off again. Most of the journey was through uninhabited areas, occasionally passing by merchant caravans transporting goods, whipping their horses in the morning sun.
Fortunately, it was summer, and the scenery was pleasant everywhere. They passed through a stretch of grassland dotted with flowers, the fragrant air filled with the scent of earth and grass.
The road, formed by travelers’ footsteps, was rocky and bumpy. Ye Youqing, prone to motion sickness, had to stick her head out of the carriage, reaching for the half-height grass blades.
The cool dew on her hand made her feel a bit better.
Today, Shi Li had changed Ye Youqing’s appearance again, no longer a laborer but a refined and elegant young man in a blue robe.
“Feeling unwell again, young master?” Ma Xiao asked, handing Ye Youqing a sour orange through the carriage curtain. “Smell this, it might help.”
Ye Youqing took the orange, peeled it, and the fresh, tangy scent filled her nose, suppressing her nausea.
“Thank you.” Ye Youqing relaxed, leaning against the carriage wall.
“Don’t thank me, it’s from the mute girl, said it would help you.” Ma Xiao laughed, cracking the whip with a “Hyah!”
Ye Youqing looked down at the green orange in her hand for a long time, then placed a segment in her mouth. The sour and bitter juice flooded her taste buds, making her wrinkle her nose, wanting to spit it out but swallowing it.
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After swallowing, she miraculously tasted a hint of sweetness.
She continued pondering like this, sometimes feeling sour, sometimes sweet, and before she knew it, she had eaten the entire green orange.
At this moment, the carriage suddenly jolted, accompanied by the sound of the horse’s reins being yanked and the horse neighing in distress. Ye Youqing quickly steadied herself and lifted the curtain to look outside.
“What happened?” she asked warily.
Ma Xiao, still shaken, paused with her mouth open before answering, “Miss, there’s a person on the ground!”
Ye Youqing’s heart skipped a beat at these words. She hurried out of the carriage but was stopped by Ma Xiao, who pointed to the front of the carriage. “Look, I almost ran over her while talking to you!”
Still trembling with fear, Ma Xiao saw Shi Li ride up from behind and stop beside the person lying on the ground. She dismounted and bent down to examine them.
“It’s a woman,” Shi Li said in a deep voice. She crouched down and turned the person over.
Sure enough, it was a woman, her hair in disarray over her shoulders, her face no larger than a palm, with a pointed chin like a lotus leaf in early summer, and features as delicate as a spring peach.
But now, drenched in sweat, she looked more like a trembling little white flower in the wind.
Looking further down, her robe was torn, seemingly by force, revealing some skin marred with blood marks, though it was unclear what caused them.
“There’s no village ahead and no inn behind, where did this woman come from?” Ma Da exclaimed, blushing and turning his head away upon seeing her exposed skin.
Shi Li placed her fingers under the woman’s nose to check her breathing, then felt her pulse. Looking up at Ye Youqing, she said, “She’s alive, and the wounds are superficial, but for some reason, her pulse is very unstable.”
Ye Youqing bypassed Ma Xiao, slowly got out of the carriage, and walked to the woman’s side. The woman’s clothing was made of ordinary fabric, not indicating a wealthy background.
Ye Youqing opened her sleeves and even felt inside her lapel. Apart from some blood, there was nothing else.
No object to prove her identity.
“What should we do?” Shi Li frowned.
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Ye Youqing was also in a dilemma. This woman’s identity was unknown. If they saved her recklessly, they might invite trouble. However, leaving her there without helping weighed heavily on her conscience.
“Let’s take her along and find a doctor at the next village or town to leave her with,” Ye Youqing finally decided.
“Alright.” Shi Li stood up, signaling Ma Xiao to help carry the woman, then instructed, “Since we don’t know her background, she absolutely cannot share a carriage with you.”
“But if we put her on horseback, won’t she be jolted to death before we reach the next town?” Ma Da said, scratching his head in frustration.
After some discussion, they decided to place her on the horse for the first part of the journey and then have Ye Youqing ride behind Shi Li in the latter part, putting the woman in the carriage. With this bumpy arrangement, they finally entered Shangzhou.
Due to the proximity to Hangu Pass, the area was strategically important, so the checks were stricter than in previous towns. People and horses entering the city lined up for inspection. However, it was not as strict as in the capital. They merely glanced at the weakly Ye Youqing before letting them pass.
The bloodied woman in the carriage, whose origins were unknown, was held down for a thorough check before being allowed entry.
They entered the city early and headed straight to an inn to organize their belongings, feed the horses, and take a meal. Ye Youqing hid in her room to bathe and change her bandages. By the time she came downstairs for dinner, it was already evening.
The inn was not doing well, with few guests, making the large hall seem very empty. As Ye Youqing stood there, she heard footsteps behind her. Turning around, she saw a woman in white coming down the stairs. Their eyes met.
Separated by a veil, Ye Youqing couldn’t see her expression, but she nodded at her.
With her expression concealed, Ci Ke unabashedly stared at Ye Youqing, lost in thought. On the last step, she missed her footing and stumbled.
Ye Youqing instinctively reached out, though from a distance, to steady her by the shoulder. Once she was stable, he withdrew his hand as if it had been burnt.
“Be careful, Miss,” Ye Youqing said, stepping back to maintain a distance, then found an empty seat to sit down.
Ci Ke stood there in a daze, her heart feeling like it was being twisted, filled with anger and pain—anger and pain at herself. Her fingers silently tore at her sleeve.
She felt like she could no longer hold back.
Still standing there, Ci Ke saw another figure descending the stairs. The person had changed into clean clothes and, waking from unconsciousness, moved delicately like a water plant, slowly approaching Ye Youqing.
Before Ye Youqing even saw her, the woman suddenly swayed and knelt down, clutching Ye Youqing’s sleeve with a distressed expression.
“Thank you, young master, for saving me!” she cried tearfully.