Chapter 292 The Tail

Lin Changning carried Li Mingshu on his back and hurried as fast as he could, finally arriving at the edge of Songhe Town early the next morning.

However, Yue'er's white hair was simply too eye-catching.

We don't know what the rules are in the capital right now, but Yue'er's white hair makes her easily recognizable.

It's not a problem to see many people in the forest, but once you enter the city, Yue'er's white hair will definitely attract the attention of others, like a landmark.

Lin Changning paced back and forth in the woods. She was worried about leaving the person alone, but taking the person out would make them a sitting duck.

Li Mingshu noticed Changning's predicament and smiled gently at Lin Changning: "Xiao Liu, you can go into the city first, gather information, and then come back to pick us up."

Lin Changning thought the same thing, but felt it wasn't safe to leave the two of them here. They weren't sure if there were any pursuers behind them or where they were. Leaving the mother and daughter here was indeed unsafe.

Lin Changning frowned, becoming increasingly hesitant. Li Mingshu reassured him, "There aren't many people traveling on this official road, and there aren't any large wild animals. Xiao Liu, hurry back. Yue'er and I will wait for you here."

Lin Changning gritted her teeth: "Then I'll go and come back quickly. Sister, don't wander around. Once I'm out of the city and make sure it's safe, I'll come and get you."

Li Mingshu smiled gently and waved her hand at Lin Changning, saying, "Go ahead, we'll take good care of ourselves."

Lin Changning nodded, his gaze sweeping over Li Mingshu's feet, which were blistered and ulcerated from carrying him for a long time, and then over Yue'er's trusting eyes and dirty face.

He drew a symbol on the spot and handed his sword to Li Mingshu: "If someone comes after you, your life is the most important thing. If you can escape, then escape. If you can, leave this mark along the way. I will follow the mark to find you."

Li Mingshu, holding the knife, waved her hand and said, "Go quickly and come back soon."

Lin Changning nodded and quickly walked towards the city gate. The soldiers guarding the city gate looked Lin Changning up and down with somewhat unfriendly eyes when they saw the bright red on his clothes.

Lin Changning took out his travel permit, handed over two copper coins, and was about to enter the city when the soldiers guarding the city suddenly stopped him and asked, "Where did you get the blood on you? Have you committed murder?!"

Lin Changning pretended to be simple-minded and took out the bow and arrows on his back: "It's deer blood. I'm a hunter, and I've been hunting in the mountains these past two days."

Then, feigning annoyance, he complained, "I finally managed to hunt a deer, and I was thinking of selling it for some money. But just as I was cleaning it up, I ran into a big insect. What bad luck! Luckily, I ran fast, or I would have been eaten by the insect."

The soldiers at the city gate were somewhat suspicious, but another soldier pondered for a moment and said, "Recently, some people in these mountains have indeed encountered tigers, and they are very fierce. This person must have some skill to have managed to escape from a tiger."

Lin Changning scratched his head and chuckled foolishly: "I'm risking my life to make money. It's just a pity about my deer. If the tiger hadn't been so eager to eat meat, it probably would have eaten me instead."

The soldier's suspicious look slowly faded, and he patted Lin Changning on the shoulder: "Alright, you're a man of honor, go on."

Lin Changning cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you, sir. Next time I hunt a deer, I will definitely offer you some of the deer blood first."

The soldier waved his hand with a smile: "Very sensible~ Go on, go on."

Lin Changning, carrying a bow and arrows, swaggered towards the county town. After passing through the city gate, he quickened his pace and hurried towards their agreed meeting place.

Once they reunited, the journey would be much easier, but vigilance remained ingrained in Lin Changning's instincts. As Lin Changning casually passed by their courtyard, he noticed the symbols carved on the gate outside the courtyard.

My heart skipped a beat. For a moment, I couldn't understand how the situation in the backup location could have changed, and why they were telling people to evacuate quickly.

Just as I was about to walk over and go into the yard to take a look, I saw black bloodstains seeping into the dark yellow soil.

My heart sank. I knew the people in the courtyard must have met with misfortune. I couldn't enter the courtyard anymore; it was probably being monitored from all sides.

Lin Changning slowly walked to the opposite side of the courtyard. After walking to the market, he browsed through this and that, and after a long time, he finally bought three sets of clothes from a clothing store.

Sensing that people were already gathering around, Lin Changning tried on the clothes while observing him and said, "Shopkeeper, are these clothes durable? I'm planning to buy one for my wife and my daughter."

The shopkeeper smiled and looked at Lin Changning: "Of course they are durable. If you buy a lot, I will give you a discount. I will charge you 26 coins for three sets of clothes. If you buy them, that will be the price."

Lin Changning hesitated for a moment, rummaging through his pockets, and finally pulled out more than twenty copper coins. He counted them one by one and said, "Shopkeeper, I only have 24 copper coins left. What do you think?"

The shopkeeper clicked his tongue, seemingly feeling he was being taken advantage of: "Alright, alright, 24 it is. Waiter, come and wrap them up."

Lin Changning chuckled: "The shopkeeper is so generous!"

The person following behind seemed to have discovered that Lin Changning was nothing special; he seemed to be just a hunter who was buying clothes here to take back to his wife.

They were so stingy with even a few coins that they couldn't find anything unusual. They assumed Lin Changning had just happened to be passing by and gradually dispersed and left.

Lin Changning breathed a sigh of relief, becoming even more certain that the location had been discovered.

After receiving the clothes wrapped up by the shopkeeper, he carried his bow and ran to several other places, buying some pastries and cakes before turning to leave the city.

The soldiers at the gate saw Lin Changning, who had just come in and taken a stroll, carrying some things out to greet people and asking with a smile, "Why are you going back so soon after entering the city?"

Lin Changning chuckled as he carried his things, "I bought two sets of clothes for my wife and kids, and some food. It'll take several hours to get back from my house in the mountains. If I'm late, my wife will be furious!"

The soldiers at the gate burst into laughter upon hearing this, teasing, "Look at you, afraid of your wife!"

Not wanting to get into any more trouble, Lin Changning unfolded the paper-wrapped pastries: "These are for my daughter. Soldiers, please try them. My daughter loves them."

The soldiers at the gate each took a small piece and waved to Lin Changning: "Have a taste, then hurry back. If you play a little longer, it will get dark, and there might be wild animals in the woods. Go home early."

Lin Changning let out a sound of surprise, tucked his clothes under his arm, carried two bags of pastries and snacks, greeted the people, and then slowly walked towards the official road.

Once the city gates were out of sight, Lin Changning, carrying clothes and pastries, quickly ran towards where the princess and the others were.

"I'm back! Sister, Yue'er!"

Hearing Lin Changning's shout, Li Mingshu silently led her daughter out from behind a tree in the woods, limping along.

"Little Six?"