She was already beautiful, and her politeness and courtesy greatly increased everyone's goodwill towards her.
Even Li Laosi's expression softened a bit. "Master Hua, you're too kind. We also ended up here in dire straits, so it's quite a coincidence. We're only here to retrieve the book. Once we have it, we'll leave without disturbing your peace."
Hua Ruyue pointed to the packages, "There are over a hundred books here, and the rest are still being sorted out. They will definitely be delivered. However, we have a favor to ask: could you please take us out of the mountains and back to Jiangnan?"
She spoke directly, without any beating around the bush, "We are a group of women, twenty-six people of all ages, and we have already reached our limit by struggling to get here. If you brave men refuse to help us, we have run out of food and we don't know how to hunt, so we are afraid that we will starve to death here. We beg you brave men to lend a helping hand, we will be eternally grateful and will surely repay you handsomely in the future."
After saying that, she and several other women knelt down again, leaving Li Laosi and the others at a loss. They wanted to help her up but didn't know how, so they could only say, "Master Hua, please get up, everything can be discussed."
Hua Ruyue didn't get a positive answer, so she looked at everyone with red eyes and tears welling up in her eyes. She looked pitiful with a mix of stubbornness and helplessness, which made everyone feel a pang of sadness and couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
The soldiers couldn't hold back any longer and said, "We guard the dock to help rescue the people of Tianwu. We can't just ignore this opportunity to help them."
"Yes, Master Hua, please get up quickly. Now that we've seen you, we must save you."
Li Laosi and Ye Shan exchanged a glance and did not refuse. As men, they couldn't very well leave these vulnerable women alone in the woods.
Hua Ruyue saw their expressions and breathed a sigh of relief before getting up.
After exchanging a few more casual words, she excused herself to tidy up her things and went home.
There shouldn't be anything major happening here for the time being, so Ye Shan took ten personal guards and Liu Yang, a righteous man, to scout out the enemy situation on the other side of the mountain.
Li Laosi then led the remaining soldiers to cut down trees to make sleds and twist ropes, preparing to pull the women's luggage.
Sure enough, the women brought their luggage down one after another and piled it in the thatched shed.
Finally, with the addition of over four hundred books, they filled seven or eight sleds.
The women smiled shyly and thanked him. Li Laosi didn't think much of it, but the soldiers blushed and became even busier.
Three days later, Ye Shan and his group returned. They were lucky enough to capture a barbarian and managed to get a clear picture of the barbarian forces in the vicinity.
The group could not linger any longer; if the barbarians discovered them and came after them, it would be difficult to escape.
Just before departure, Li Laosi couldn't stand the chattering group of women any longer and asked Hua Ruyue to speak to him.
"Master Hua, we promised to take you on your journey, and we will do our best. However, you must follow orders along the way, as there are many dangers in the mountains and forests. There are still several miles between the bottom of the mountain and the dock. If we encounter barbarians, our lives will be in danger. If anyone disobeys orders and causes trouble for everyone, don't blame my long sword for being merciless!"
Hua Ruyue's pupils contracted, and she quickly said, "Okay, Master Li, please give your orders. We will follow your instructions and won't be a burden to anyone."
Li Laosi didn't stand on ceremony and pointed to the dress she was wearing.
"You should all change out of your skirts and into trousers, and put on shoes that are easy to walk in. Tuck the cuffs and sleeves in, otherwise mosquitoes will easily get in. Wash off any face powder or similar products, as they can attract wild bees. Try not to make any noise while traveling, especially screaming, because disturbing wild animals will cause a lot of trouble."
"Put away all the little pleasures like picking flowers. Don't stray from the main group, or you'll get bitten by a poisonous snake and there's no doctor in the group to treat you. Conserve your strength as much as possible and use all your energy for walking. We need to get to the river dock as soon as possible."
Hua Ruyue frowned upon hearing this, but nodded nonetheless. However, the women behind her were dissatisfied.
"When we came in, we also crossed the mountain, and we were still wearing skirts, but it didn't delay our journey, did it?"
"That's right, I've been using face powder the whole time, how could there be any wild bees?"
Li Laosi ignored all of that and simply said, "We're leaving in 15 minutes. Those who don't want to go can stay. Those who want to come must follow the rules!"
As he spoke, he turned to inspect the sled.
He and Jiayi took turns pulling a sled with more than four hundred books on it, otherwise they wouldn't feel at ease.
No matter how unhappy the women were, they didn't want to stay. After a quarter of an hour, they were all ready and set off.
The procession was quiet on the road; no one dared to speak, but that didn't last long.
The mountain path was difficult to traverse, and they had taken a shortcut. Underfoot were vines and withered branches, and the women kept twisting their ankles or scratching their cheeks, crying and whimpering endlessly.
At first, the soldiers showed some pity and put the injured women on the sleds, but the women were lazy and afraid of hardship, so they sat on them even with scratches on their arms.
By the end of the day, almost half of the women had barely walked a few steps, and the other half were sickly.
The soldiers, exhausted from dragging their sleds, were getting impatient as they still had to set up camp, gather firewood, and start a fire.
There were even women who acted coquettishly, demanding hot water to soak their feet and wash their faces, treating the soldiers like servants.
Li Laosi saw it all but didn't say anything, and Ye Shan pretended not to see it either.
They had warned them before, but the soldiers still couldn't resist. In the past few days, they not only got tricked into talking by the women, but also often pleaded for the women.
Now let them fully experience what it means to be favored by a beautiful woman, so that they will remember it.
Li Laosi didn't know what a song and dance troupe was, nor had he ever seen a song and dance performance, but he could guess that these women made a living by pleasing the wealthy and powerful, and must have been pampered and fawned over by men on a daily basis.
Now that they're in trouble, although they're pitiful, they still can't change some of their old habits.
He did not despise their background, but he was also unwilling to get close to them or be driven by them.
They arrived in eight or nine days and left in more than half a month.
It was half a month later when the group finally emerged from the mountains and could vaguely see the river.
The group of women had long lost their delicate appearance; each of them had their heads wrapped, carried bundles, and had their trouser legs tied up, looking no different from the women of the mountain village.
On the third day of their journey, they had completely exhausted the soldiers' patience and pity, and then all the chores such as gathering firewood, making fires, boiling water and cooking porridge fell to them.
Unless they are seriously injured, they must walk on their own two feet, and there are no more preferential treatments.
The women no longer joked and chatted with the soldiers; they were more afraid, and there was also a hint of anger and resentment.
Ye Shan took two soldiers and returned to the dock to report the news and find someone to meet him.
Hua Ruyue thought for a moment, then changed into a dress and styled her hair. Although she still looked tired, her beauty made her seem even more pitiful.
When Li Laosi saw this, he guessed what she was thinking and ignored her.
He was extremely worried; almost a month had passed since he left home, and he was sure his family was missing him terribly.
Had he known these women would be so troublesome, he would have taken the books and left without bringing them along. He could have simply told the Marquis when he returned to Jiangnan, and asked him to send someone to rescue them.
But there's no going back in life!
The group slowly descended the mountain and hid in the forest, waiting for reinforcements.
At dusk, a large group of people finally came running over.
Upon seeing their own men, the soldiers were all happy to go out and greet them.
The women couldn't resist any longer and squeezed to the front.
Hua Ruyue was surrounded by people in the middle, looking up at the mountain road.
The cavalry, numbering several hundred, thundered their hooves, kicking up dust, creating a formidable spectacle.
The first figure was tall and imposing, riding a tall black horse, clad in silver armor, and wielding a long sword, charging forward with imposing grandeur.
The fiery red sunset cast a magnificent glow on his silver armor, making him look like a god from mythology.
As the horse approached, the general raised his hand and opened his visor.
Hua Ruyue's heart suddenly began to pound wildly...
Marquis of Xinting, this must be Marquis of Xinting!
Presented at midnight, a Labor Day greeting to all the flowers working hard!
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