Chapter 100 A Long and Endless Road

Although it is early spring and the earth should be warming up, the melting snow has still eroded the earth, causing it to crack.

Moreover, it seemed that the further northwest one went, the more severely the earth cracked. Ahead lay endless mountains, and dried-up rivers resembled the scars on the earth. Large, muddy pits appeared on the ground, dark and murky, like small swamps. If one were to slip into one carelessly, one would likely be swallowed by this unknown depth, and in this desolate wilderness, no one would come to the rescue.

This is a small, man-made path, rugged and difficult to traverse, yet it is the shortest route between Lai and Northern Yan. Therefore, many merchants still risk their lives, driving carts and horses through it. However, the mud pits grow larger every year, consuming more and more people, and sometimes bones can be seen floating to the surface, causing many to dare not continue.

Originally, this place shouldn't be so desolate. There's also Litao Prefecture on the border of Lai Kingdom, which, although far inferior to the capital, has seen its people's lives improve. But the war at the end of last year destroyed this place. In just a few months, decades of hard work were wiped out. Buildings turned into ruins, crops into graves. How could one not sigh with regret when it's mentioned?

A woman dressed in tattered clothes walked alone on this road; she was coming from the west to the east.

The linen wrapped around the woman's neck was riddled with holes, letting in the howling wind. Her face was sunken and her eyes bulged from her extreme thinness. But her features were different from those of the Lai people; they were exceptionally deep-set. Her skin was brownish-yellow, and her hair was also brownish-yellow and slightly curly. She was clearly a person from the Northern Yan.

The carriage was coming from the east. A coachman dressed in black and wearing a black veil was whipping the tall horse in front of him. The horse walked fast and steadily, knowing how to avoid the deep mud pits.

The woman lay half-crouched in the snow, her hands clasped together, muttering incoherently, begging them to leave quickly and not find her.

But just as the carriage passed the tree where she was hiding, it suddenly stopped. The coachman grabbed the reins and turned to look in her direction.

The woman felt a chill in her heart; she didn't want to be captured by the Lai people. She quickly pulled her legs out of the snow, rolled and crawled around trying to escape, but her legs were so weak that she stumbled and fell after a few steps, making an even louder noise. The cloth covering her head was also torn off, revealing the brown and curly hair of the Northern Yan people.

"Hey, you over there, where are you going?"

The coachman's shout rang out from behind, and he continued.

"Would you like something to eat? I have some food here."

The woman, who had intended to continue running, suddenly stopped and swallowed hard.

She hadn't hunted anything for many days, and hadn't even put grass roots or tree bark in her mouth.

Her hands and feet were frozen purple, she was thin as a rake, and her belly was swollen from the grass roots and snow water. The woman rubbed her frozen hands, but only dared to stand at a distance, whispering to the black-clad coachman.

“I…I am from the Northern Yan.”

"I know."

The coachman didn't react much, just nodded, went back into the carriage, took out five flatbreads, which were still warm, and were more tempting than gold in this freezing weather.

The woman's eyes suddenly lit up with a green light. She didn't care about Lai Kingdom or Northern Yan, or whether the coachman would suddenly pull out a sharp knife... She swung her arms and pounced on the pancake.

Even if it meant being bitten, she thought, she would rather die.

The woman snatched the pancake and stuffed it into her mouth in large bites, the sweetness filling her nostrils. For some reason, she suddenly felt wronged and burst into tears, her tears salty, adding a bitter taste to the pancake, her words muffled and unclear.

"Thank you, thank you, sir..."

As she was about to eat her third pancake, the woman, out of the corner of her eye, saw the coachman suddenly raise his hand. Startled, she screamed and jumped back, clutching the two pancakes tightly in her arms.

"I just want to say that if you keep eating like this, you might overeat and kill yourself. Don't be afraid."

The coachman's hand, which had been hovering in the air, was withdrawn. She didn't force the woman to come over, but simply asked loudly.

"Where are you going? If you're going back to Northern Yan, I can give you a ride. I'm heading to the capital of Northern Yan, Shuo'an City."

“I’m not going back, I…I’m here to find my child.”

"Your child? How did your child end up in Lai?"

“My child… she was what people commonly call a border traveler, doing business that the government forbade to do, earning some money. After the war started, I told her not to take any more risks, but she insisted on going… and now, she hasn’t come back… but I think, she’s from Northern Yan…”

Litao Prefecture was attacked by the combined forces of Northern Yan and Southern Qi. So, the people of Northern Yan might still be alive.

The woman seemed at a loss for words, warm tears welling up. She felt it was inappropriate to speak of these things in front of a Laiman, yet she had searched this border region for nearly a year, and everyone advised her to give up. Over time, rumors spread that she had gone mad, and even fewer people were willing to listen to her. This stableman was the only one who was willing to ask her questions.

She just felt that she had a hard life. How could her child have made some money in business and their life had improved, only to suddenly disappear and lose everything?

Just as the woman was about to start talking and vomit bitterness, the coachman suddenly handed the cake back to her, then turned back to the carriage, grabbed a lot more, and stuffed them all into her hands.

"What else do you need? I'm in a hurry to get going, so I won't listen to you anymore."

The woman's crying gradually subsided, and she finally stopped crying, her eyes swollen like walnuts. She said, "That's enough, that's enough," and sniffled again, asking in a muffled voice.

"...Where are you going, sir? If you go any further, you'll reach Northern Yan. Northern Yan only finished fighting Lai a year ago, and they don't welcome Lai people. Perhaps, perhaps...you might..."

"Yes...it's been a year already."

The coachman in black glanced at the woman indifferently, his voice somewhat hoarse. The woman stood there blankly, unsure of what to say.

The coachman raised his hand, the reins landed on the bridle, and the tall horse neighed and trotted away. The coachman's voice trailed off, echoing in the woman's ears.

"I'm going to Northern Yan to seek medicine and a way to survive; I have to go."

It sounds like she has a tough life.

The woman had just thought the coachman must be carrying a noble person and felt envious. But now she suddenly felt sorry for him and didn't want to talk about her own suffering anymore.

Most people in the world seem to live mundane and trivial lives. You say you're suffering, but there's always someone suffering even more. Comparing yourself to others suddenly makes you feel like it's all meaningless. Before you even have time to be sad, you have to rush forward again.

The woman knelt before the departing carriage, her knees soaked with snow. The carriage swayed and blurred into a faint shadow in the snowstorm, but the woman still kowtowed three times heavily, muttering incantations.

"Then I wish you a safe journey, sir, and that your wishes will be fulfilled..."

...

My wish has been fulfilled.

The wind carried those four words to Lin Chengye's ears. She gently closed her eyes, letting the horse pull the carriage forward.

How simple it is, yet it is the delusion she desires most now.

Of course she knew that it was snowing heavily in Litao Prefecture, that the roads were difficult to travel, and that there were many marshes and swamps. But she was a living tomb here, a ghost that had finally returned.

There was no one left here. Lin Chengye didn't intend to tell the woman that her daughter had also died here. She couldn't tell whether it was better to let that woman from Northern Yan keep hoping and continue her search, or to leave her with a single sentence and extinguish her will to live.

There was a sudden rustling sound in the car. Lin Chengye opened his eyes and turned around to ask softly.

"You're awake? How are you feeling? Is there anything that's bothering you?"

Why so early today? He should usually wake up at sunset. Lin Chengye looked up at the sky.

"..."

No one spoke in the car, and the rustling sound stopped again, as if the person had simply turned over and fallen into a deep sleep again.

Lin Chengye waited for a while, then paused, his hand about to lift the curtain.

The carriage had finally managed to gather some warmth, and Lin Chengye shook his head, not wanting it to dissipate again. In the end, he withdrew his hand and focused on driving the carriage.

Bian Yi is now only awake for no more than two hours a day.

Almost in a moment of impulsiveness, Lin Chengye was already on his way to Northern Yan, without even leaving a single word for Wei Jingchen.

Lin Chengye only considered it briefly. Although Wuma Yi's injuries were not as severe as Bian Yi's, they were still a great loss of vitality and would require a long time to recover. In addition, although Wuma Yi still did not know her true identity, she knew that she had undermined her foundation and would definitely try her best to kill her. Leaving at this time was the safest option.

So Lin Chengye pulled the cart, rode the horse, and embarked on a new journey.

This time, however, the person lying in the carriage was none other than the all-powerful Divine Physician Bian, the Alliance Leader Bian.

As soon as Bian Yi regained a little consciousness, Lin Chengye stopped the car and recounted everything, the whole truth.

Bian Yi's story with Wu Ma Yi fits together perfectly like mortise and tenon joints, forming a complete circle.

This story is as long as the journey from Lai to Northern Yan.

...

"Actually, both Wuma Yi and Wuma Kui are good children. They are intelligent and hardworking."

In the courtyard pavilion, the woman let out a soft sigh. She wore a long, dark blue robe with intricate patterns, adorned with silver ornaments that shimmered with silver light, giving her an air of noble elegance and aloofness.

Another woman, dressed in an ordinary black and blue robe, stood beside her and echoed her sentiments.

“Patriarch, although Wuma Yi’s martial arts talent is not as good as Wuma Kui’s, she is smart and quite shrewd at a young age. Many elders also have their eyes on her, thinking that she can strengthen our Wuma family… Alas, in the end, which one do you prefer? This matter cannot be delayed any longer.”

"That's the problem. The Wuma family is a special case. Although the secret techniques they possess are powerful, they are not of the orthodox path. If their ambitions are too great, it might backfire and bring disaster upon themselves..."

The elegantly dressed woman put her hands behind her back, frowned, and sighed heavily.

"You mean, you're interested in Wuma Kui..."

The two were so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice a small figure hiding in the thick shadows of the trees tonight. After hearing their conversation, the figure pursed its lips, resolutely turned and left!

Author's Note: The final volume, "Debts of the Predecessors," begins! It's also time to count down to the end.

( ▽ ` ) Thanks again for the comments and for the support! If you interact more with this office worker, maybe I'll update more...right? (I'm resting tomorrow, so I should update again.)