Lu Yuan was old and his legs were not very agile. He walked in the mountains for a quarter of an hour before he disappeared.
Wan Jinlan fell to the ground with her head heavy and her feet dizzy. Xiao Feng directly carried her on his back.
"Let's go quickly. If those people don't die, we'll be at risk of being exposed."
Xiao Feng said soothingly: "Just sleep peacefully."
Wan Jinlan's body had indeed reached its limit. In the end, he could no longer bear it and fell asleep.
Xiao Feng looked back in Lu Yuan's direction, then carried Wan Jinlan on his back and walked towards the village Lu Yuan pointed to.
After climbing over six not-so-high hills, it was already afternoon. Standing on the top, I could actually see a village below.
Although it was winter, I was steaming hot and my insides were soaked with sweat.
Xiao Feng found a flat place and put Wan Jinlan down while panting. Seeing that her face was already flushed, he felt something was wrong.
He got up and began to search in the mountains. When he came back, he was holding a handful of green leaves and yellow flowers of the Chinese angelica.
He put the green juice squeezed from the cihu into her mouth, and finally applied the remaining paste on her head.
Seeing that the sky suddenly became gloomy and it might rain at any time, Xiao Feng looked around and found a cave nearby.
This cave is probably where the villagers settled down when they entered the mountains.
Heavy rain soon fell. Xiao Feng held Wan Jinlan in front of him and buried her head under his neck to prevent her from getting wet.
Inside the cave, there was a very simple "bed" made of hay, and some dry firewood. Outside the cave, there was a stove surrounded by a mound of earth, and next to the stove, there was a dusty stone basin rolling around.
After Xiao Feng rinsed the stone basin with rainwater, he filled it halfway and placed it on the stove to start burning.
He knew that rainwater was unclean, but there was nothing he could do now.
When Wan Jinlan woke up, the rain had stopped.
She was nestled in Xiao Feng's arms. Even in such a cold day, she was sweating. No wonder she always felt her body was nestled and heavy and she couldn't move when she was asleep.
The two looked at each other, and Xiao Fengru touched her forehead as if nothing had happened. The temperature was not so hot anymore, so he breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, he let go of her hand and let her get up.
It was common for the two of them to snuggle together to keep warm along the way. After Wan Jinlan stood up, she put aside the discomfort she had just felt. When she reached the entrance of the cave, she saw the mud on the ground and frowned.
"Awake, are you still feeling unwell?"
Xiao Feng moved his sore arms.
Wan Jinlan said, "I feel uncomfortable all over. Can you still let me go back to the palace and live a life of luxury?"
Xiao Feng had nothing to say.
Wan Jinlan simply loosened her hair and finally tied it up. Since there was no hair crown, she tore a piece of white cloth from Xiao Feng's body and wrapped it around her hair. It looked like a scarf worn by an ordinary civilian man.
She already looks very heroic, and with the change of her hairstyle, it's hard to tell whether she's a man or a woman.
"Go to the cave entrance. I need to change."
Xiao Feng didn't know how she was going to change clothes. When he was allowed in again, he saw that her upper body had become much flatter, and her female features were basically unrecognizable.
They were wrapped in animal skins and neither of them was clean. At first glance, they looked like refugees who had fled from somewhere.
"How about it?"
Wan Jinlan turned around.
Xiao Feng smiled lightly and said, "It's better not to talk anymore in the future."
The words she spoke would reveal her true nature as a girl.
The two of them did not delay any longer. If they waited any longer, it would be dark, and they had run out of ammunition and food in their bags.
The mountain road was difficult to walk on after the rain. The two supported each other and although they fell several times, they finally got down the mountain before sunset.
Smoke from the village rose up, bringing the aroma of food, and the two were already starving.
The two of them knocked on the wooden door of the first house at the east end of the village, and soon a boy came to open the door.
"Who are you looking for?"
Xiao Feng said politely: "Go find Yin Wen and tell your elders that Lu Yuan introduced you here."
The boy nodded in confusion, but turned around and went back to find his father.
Soon after the boy returned, a burly, square-faced, middle-aged man came out.
The visitor looked the two of them up and down and invited them into the yard.
"I am Yin Wen. What is your relationship with Uncle Lu?"
Yin Wen looked at the two strangers with a scrutinizing look.
Xiao Feng said: "It doesn't matter."
Seeing that the two were unwilling to disclose anything, Yin Wen continued, "Since it was Uncle Lu who asked you to find me, I won't ask any more questions. Where are you two going?"
"The price varies depending on the distance to each state. Since you were introduced by Uncle Lu, I can charge you a lower price."
Xiao Feng and Wan Jinlan exchanged a glance. "How much silver do we need for four people going to Liangzhou?"
The two had no intention of traveling with others. Whether they believed it or not was one thing, but if there was an assassination attempt on the road, it would also implicate others. Having two more checkpoints was also a precaution.
Yin Wen had been doing business and escorting convoys for many years and had seen countless people. He could tell that these two seemingly down-and-out people were not simple people.
Since others had no intention of having a deeper connection with him, he wasn't the type to insist on getting to the bottom of it. The main reason he didn't care was because of Lu Yuan's face.
He thought for a moment and said, "One pass is three hundred taels. Three days later, hand in the money and the pass."
Fearing that the two would find the price too high, Yin Wen explained, "The fees required to get the place done are too high. Three hundred taels is already a very fair price."
"If you two can't leave, just wait another two months. After the New Year, I have another shipment of goods to the Western Regions. You two can take up two escort slots at the escort agency, and you won't have to pay so much money."
Xiao Feng said, "My brother and I appreciate your kindness. The banknote will be delivered on time in three days."
After finishing the business, Yin Wen invited the two to have dinner at his home.
Wan Jinlan took out a few taels of silver from his purse and handed them to Yin Wen.
Xiao Feng said, "Thank you, Brother Yin. I'm so shameless for bothering you today. Just prepare some filling meals for the two of us. If there's any hot soup, my two brothers will be very grateful."
Yin Wen waved his hand and refused to accept the money. "Uncle Lu has done me a favor. If I accept money for a simple meal, I will be too embarrassed to see him."
He looked at Wan Jinlan hesitantly and asked Xiao Feng, "Why hasn't this little brother spoken a word?"
Xiao Feng: "He was born with a mouth defect and cannot speak."
Wan Jinlan lowered his head at the right time, looking sad and inferior.
Yin Wen quickly apologized, "I'm sorry for being so talkative. You two should come with me. Our village is quite far from the town, and you two probably don't have anywhere to go tonight. Why don't you stay at my humble abode tonight?"
The two really had nowhere to go. This village was separated from where they landed yesterday by a mountain range and was in a different direction, so it should be safe for the time being.
Yin Wen took the two of them to a room in the backyard, which only had a wooden bed and a low table.
In a short while, they brought in a plate of smoked rabbit, two large bowls of rice porridge, a plate of homemade pickled radish, and a large bowl of chicken soup.
"You two can do as you please. If you need hot water, go to the kitchen and make it yourself. My wife has been unwell for the past two days, so I won't be here to entertain you two."
Yin Wen was very polite and considerate, while maintaining a certain distance.
Wan Jinlan looked at Xiao Feng and said, "I'll eat first. If nothing happens after an incense stick, you can eat later."
One must be on guard against others, after all, they don't know whether Yin Wen is really as he appears to be.
You always have to keep one just in case, right?
Before Xiao Feng could say anything, he saw her pick up the hot chicken soup, blow away the golden fat, take a sip, and then reveal a satisfied look.
He said quietly, "Jinlan really loves me a lot."
Wan Jinlan swallowed the chicken soup, his face flushed slightly, "Don't worry, I'll leave half for you."
Xiao Feng: “…”
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