Chapter 26

However, the man clearly didn't feel that way. He stroked the wolf's head, then got up and asked Qingyun how she was feeling. Qingyun said frankly that she was in bad shape. "If it weren't for you, wolf, dragging me here, I might have lived a few more years."

Song Junwu chuckled and asked curiously about the reason. Qingyun then poured out the whole story, but after finishing, she didn't forget to praise the wolf cub, "It's really impressive that it brought me here." She pointed at it and said, "I didn't expect it to be so intelligent, just like a trained dog."

Despite her words, she still wanted to go to a shady place, as she was feeling increasingly uncomfortable. Song Junwu also noticed her abnormality; Qingyun's lips were pale and she was sweating profusely.

Seeing this, the man handed her a water bottle, which Qingyun took without hesitation and drank it all. After wiping the water from the corner of her mouth, she returned it to him, saying, "Take this wolf back and lock it up properly. Don't let it out to scare people." With that, she prepared to walk back.

Upon hearing this, Song Junwu simply stared at the wolf cub before replying, "It belongs to this desert. If I restrain it, it will only make it unable to set free."

Since Song Junwu was not its proper master, he had rescued the wolf once when it was a cub, but every time he kept it locked up, it would try to escape. So he simply handed it over to his subordinates to take care of. Besides, the wolf cub would run away for several months at a time, and he couldn't find it.

After listening, Qingyun asked again what Song Junwu was doing here. The man turned his back and showed her the bow and arrow set. "Falcon."

However, it seems he made no progress this time. Song Junwu mentioned that a new group of criminals would be arriving in the next few days, and he was so busy that he didn't have any free time.

Qingyun seemed to understand something upon hearing this, "In the end, not many people are left after being escorted from Kaifeng Prefecture. What are you so busy with with just a few prisoners?"

Song Junwu: "?"

Upon seeing this, the man hurriedly asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Qingyun recalled her experience of coming here. She explained it all to Song Junwu. She was still lamenting that if Song Chaoyun hadn't made her kneel for a month and a half, she would have been devoured by this cannibalistic world.

Lost in thought, she heard Song Junwu chuckle, then his expression turned serious. "They're just making this up. If even one person dies on the way to exile, the entire team of officials will be held responsible. They're just trying to get you to believe their nonsense."

Qingyun: "?"

Are TV dramas all fake? How could she believe that? Speaking of which, exile is actually a movement of people to reclaim desolate places. Qingyun, who understood the truth, felt a little scared. Fortunately, she didn't give herself to that sleazy man back then.

"Knowing you're from an official family and don't understand these things, even if we find out, we can still charge you with the crime of being shameless and having an affair. What else can you do but marry him?" As she spoke, Song Junwu asked who was saying these words to her.

But Qingyun couldn't remember so clearly. However, she was also extremely angry at the moment. She didn't expect these people to be so shameless. She pursed her lips, feeling helpless and tired. "Forget it, I didn't find anything in the end."

As she walked back, she realized that she was in an unfamiliar place and couldn't tell which way was which. Seeing this, Qingyun asked Song Junwu to take her back, saying that it was all the fault of the wolves he raised.

Song Junwu simply said that the horse knew the way and that they could just ride it and go. As for himself, he seemed to be planning to walk back to the camp. "You ride back to Liu Er's thatched hut, and he will put the horse away."

Qingyun asked, "Who is Liu Er?"

"Your foreman."

It turned out to be that middle-aged man. But the problem was that he couldn't ride a horse. He was even afraid to sit on it, let alone get on. Seeing this, Qingyun said it wasn't necessary. She asked the system to point her back in the right direction. Besides, she thought it wouldn't be far to get out.

Faced with Qingyun's sudden refusal, the man looked her up and down, seemingly realizing the reason. Still worried about her walking alone in the desert, Song Junwu said "excuse me" and suddenly picked up Qingyun, helping her onto the horse.

Once everyone was settled, they pulled on the reins and led the horse back. Qingyun felt dizzy and unwell the whole way, but he didn't show it. As soon as he saw Miaopu, he slowly dismounted and thanked her.

As she spoke, she glanced at the wolf circling around Song Junwu, her lips twitching. She was still unwilling to get too close to such an animal, after all, even dogs can bite.

Song Junwu saw that Qingyun's face was abnormally red, looking like she was about to faint again. Just as he was about to speak, Qingyun asked again, "If a family hires a concubine but then mistreats her, can the concubine divorce him on her own?"

After Qingyun finished speaking, she felt as if she had asked with an answer in mind, but she still didn't quite believe it. What if concubines in this dynasty could do that?

But Song Junwu's words were like another heavy blow to her. "Selling oneself into the household naturally makes one a servant, while being given away by elders or officials is considered a concubine." He stared at Qingyun, wondering how she could not know this. "However, regardless of whether one is a concubine or a lowly one, there is never a concubine who can divorce her master. Only the main wife can do so."

Song Junwu was referring to divorce, but he grasped the key point from Qingyun's words and added, "However, beatings and abuse are absolutely unacceptable. If the officials find out, they will punish you."

Qingyun now understood. Actually, she hadn't forgotten about the original owner's maid, but she realized that even if she wanted to take the person away, it wouldn't be easy. If the person accused her of human trafficking, she wouldn't be able to live.

Although Song Junwu didn't know why Qingyun would ask these questions, she subconsciously thought it was because she had heard those words today. She quickly added, "I have already explained what they said today and told them to be careful with their words and actions. They will definitely not spread rumors. You can rest assured that it will not tarnish your reputation."

Qingyun, who was still deep in thought, simply waved her hand dismissively to indicate that she understood, completely unaware of the inscrutable expression on the man's face. However, when Song Junwu mentioned the seedlings in the nursery, Qingyun's attention was drawn to them. She also told him not to make a fuss about it beforehand.

Although she didn't know what Qingyun was up to, Song Junwu nodded in agreement, a smile appearing on his handsome face. Seeing Qingyun's haggard face, he quickly said that he could ask Qingyun for leave, and that she didn't need to worry about the distribution of the food at the end of the month, as he would handle it all himself.

If there's anything else you want, even if you can't think of it now, you can ask for it later. Qingyun thought so too. Her body was indeed not suitable for strenuous activity; she was too weak and would pant heavily after walking just a few steps.

However, the main pillars of the thatched hut still needed to be erected, and this task naturally fell to the only laborer present. After Song Junwu had erected several main pillars, the two parted ways. Qingyun had just walked onto the path home when he saw Lin Wanjun's figure ahead of him.

Seeing this, Qingyun quickly stopped her and asked where she was going. Only then did she learn that she had originally gone to Qiushang to deliver a message and was now going back to report. Qingyun found it strange and asked her who she was delivering the message to. She then heard the other person say a name, "Song Chaohua".

Upon hearing this, Qingyun frowned. In her memory, these two were somewhat irreconcilable. What was going on now?

She hadn't yet asked the person about the maid changing the dressing, and besides, she already felt that Lin Wanjun seemed to be afraid of Song Chaohua, so this really confused her.

Lin Wanjun replied, "She sent a maid from the palace to tell me that there was an extremely urgent letter for me to deliver to Liu Er." As she spoke, she lowered her eyes and thought back, "I don't know what she meant."

"In that case, let's just do as she says for now," Qingyun suggested after a moment's thought. She stroked her chin, trying to figure out Song Chaohua's thoughts, but she knew very little about this person and really didn't understand what she meant by doing this.

Then she looked up, as if remembering something, and asked with a smile, "Have you finished delivering them now?"

Lin Wanjun nodded, saying that she had returned the horse to the stable. Qingyun looked puzzled, because the road they were on was not leading to the sand dunes. Then she mentioned that she was going to repair a house for a family. After inquiring, she learned that it was the child who had helped on the sand dunes that day.

They weren't planning on resting anymore, and Qingyun said she would go help.

People around her advised her to rest for a while longer, because Qingyun didn't look like someone who was ready to go out and be active again. But she didn't think so. She only felt slightly uncomfortable, but it was within a tolerable range.

With her will so firm, Lin Wanjun couldn't say anything more. She led the group towards another village. Along the way, they saw many people tidying up in front of their houses. This year's strong winds had blown down all the wheat in the fields, and it was no longer clear how much grain they would be able to harvest.

Looking at the dilapidated village, everyone had suffered considerable losses this time. Lin Wanjun saw through Qingyun's thoughts and smiled, "They all went to the city that day to weave straw nets. They can earn a little money, which is enough to buy food and other necessities."

Although there was a smell of moisture in the air, there was also a smell of feces, which was more obvious now that the wind was blowing. Lin Wanjun only said that someone was repairing the dry toilet.

Qingyun nodded without saying anything, thinking that even modern people couldn't withstand natural disasters, let alone ancient times. She then asked if strong winds blew here every year.

"Not frequently, but it does happen occasionally. However, it usually happens in the desert. I wonder why it came to the city this time."

As the two were chatting, they suddenly heard a commotion. A shrill woman's voice rang out, "You little brat! You dare steal my things! You're asking for trouble!" As she finished speaking, a boy suddenly darted out in front of them. However, the boy was so focused on running away that he didn't notice Qingyun standing in front of him.

A headbutt sent the already weakened Qingyun sprawling to the ground, while the boy himself, like a headless fly, also fell, the two steamed buns he was clutching to his chest spilling out.

After rolling around on the ground a few times, the snow-white surface was covered with sand. The child's first reaction was to pick up the scattered steamed buns.