Shen Yuan drove the carriage out of the city before sunset.
She calculated that even if she rushed to the capital at the fastest possible time, it would still take a month.
This doesn't even include the time lost when the carriage encountered extreme weather such as strong winds and heavy snow, making it impossible to move.
Arriving in the capital before the ninth day of the second lunar month would be extremely difficult.
No matter how difficult it is, she's going!
Shen Yuan put aside her chaotic thoughts and focused on driving the carriage. She drove for about an hour until it was completely dark.
It's hard to walk in the dark; you can easily fall into a ditch.
If the horse and the cart were to fall into the ditch, she, a young girl, would indeed be unable to move them.
So Shen Yuan stopped the carriage in time, found a place to rest for the night, and prepared to continue her journey the next day at dawn.
The winter night was cold, so Shen Yuan tied the horse to a tree and gathered some wood to start a fire.
The wood was a bit damp, and Shen Yuan was choked by the smoke for a long time before she finally lit the fire.
She had just sat down on the fire when she felt a slight vibration beneath her.
Shen Yuan quickly lay down, pressing her ear to the ground—
It's the sound of horses' hooves!
It doesn't even sound like a horse.
Shen Yuan quickly kicked over the fire, extinguished it with mud, then crawled into the carriage and stuffed the valuables inside into her bosom.
After getting out of the carriage, Shen Yuan climbed the old sycamore tree where the horse was tethered.
As dusk settled, the wind in the woods grew stronger.
Shen Yuan hid among the branches, standing high up and watching her surroundings warily.
A moment later, Shen Yuan saw someone riding a horse and carrying a torch galloping towards them from afar.
There were six people in total, all strong men, and they carried knives on their horses.
Seeing that there was a water source where Shen Yuan was, the pedestrian stopped and drove his horse toward Shen Yuan's location.
Shen Yuan now deeply regrets resting here.
She didn't know whether these people were good or evil. If they were just here to rest, it wouldn't be a problem. What she feared was that these people would see she was an orphan and harbor ill intentions.
Just then, a rough, hoarse male voice sounded from beneath him.
"Boss, there's a horse tied up here!"
Upon hearing this, the bearded man at the head of the group carried a torch and walked to the sycamore tree where Shen Yuan was.
Shen Yuan's back tensed up instantly.
The bearded man walked to Shen Yuan's carriage, pulled out a machete from behind his back, and then yanked open the curtain.
"Nobody here?"
Seeing that no one was inside the carriage, the bearded man muttered something and then climbed into the carriage.
They seemed to be searching the carriage for anything valuable.
Before long, the bearded man emerged from the carriage empty-handed.
"Bah! What a pauper! There's not a single copper coin in the cart!"
After being scolded, Shen Yuan pursed her lower lip tightly, not daring to make a sound.
It is obvious that this group of people are not good people.
All she can do now is pray that these people don't find her.
But the bearded man's men quickly spotted the fire that Shen Yuan had extinguished and shouted, "Boss, there's still some ashes here, and it's still warm!"
The bearded man chuckled: "So, those young ladies haven't gone far?"
"Girl?"
"There are sachets hanging inside this carriage, and they smell quite nice. It must be the carriage that the young lady rode in!" The bearded man held several sachets in his hand, a cold smile playing on his lips.
Those women must have seen them coming, which is why they abandoned the carriage and hid. But the fire was still warm, so it was obvious that those women hadn't gone far.
The bearded man thought there were several women in the carriage instead of just one because he didn't believe any woman would dare to sleep alone in the open at night.
Seeing the sachet in the bearded man's hand, the others said, "Women are useless to us; they're just a burden. We might as well rob some money!"
The bearded man cursed, "Idiot! Don't women carry money with them when they go out? Just grab those women, rob them of some money, and we'll never have to worry about money again!"
Hearing that these people only wanted money, Shen Yuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
But she still dared not relax her body.
The bearded man suddenly looked up at the sycamore tree in front of him, feeling as if a pair of eyes were watching him from the shadows.
The bearded man walked to the sycamore tree, intending to untie the reins of the carriage. A horse is worth a lot of money; it wouldn't be bad to get one to take back!
Seeing these people walk to the tree, Shen Yuan froze. She forced herself to remain calm and gripped her dagger tightly in her hand.
The horse recognized its master, and when it saw these people trying to drag it away, it suddenly struggled, raised its front hooves, kicked the tree, and let out a neigh.
The branches and leaves of the sycamore tree trembled, and the dark green hem of her robe swept past, only to be noticed by the sharp-eyed bearded man.
"Up in the tree! Grab her!"
Upon hearing this, the people gathered under the tree all looked up, and the torchlight illuminated Shen Yuan's face, revealing her deathly pale complexion.
"It looks like a boy! And quite handsome at that! Capture him and make him our slave!"
As they spoke, these people started climbing the tree.
As these people approached, Shen Yuan gritted her teeth and drew her dagger: "Don't come any closer!"
"Why does it sound like a young girl's voice? Could it be some kind of androgynous eunuch?!"
The bearded man impatiently punched one of his men. "A bunch of idiots! It's obviously a woman disguised as a man! She's definitely carrying something valuable. Get up there and grab her! I want her and the money!"
Upon hearing this, the bearded men scrambled to climb the tree.
Faced with so many people, Shen Yuan's dagger was completely useless.
She quickly pulled out a packet of powder from her sleeve and sprinkled it on the people.
The medicine powder had a pungent smell that made it impossible for those people to open their eyes.
Seeing this, the bearded man was enraged and raised his knife to chop down the sycamore tree where Shen Yuan was hiding.
The tree trunk trembled as it was struck by the immense force of the blade.
Shen Yuan almost fell off the tree.
The bearded man kicked the tree trunk, using the force to leap into the air and climb the tree effortlessly.
A cold light flashed through the air, and the knife in the bearded man's hand was placed squarely against Shen Yuan's neck.
Shen Yuan immediately begged for mercy: "Heroes, spare my life! Heroes, spare my life! I can give you the carriage and the money, just please let me go!"
The bearded man, looking impatient, snapped, "Stop talking nonsense! Hand over the money pouch!"
"Okay, okay..." Shen Yuan replied repeatedly, then ran back into his arms.
Seeing this, the bearded man leaned forward slightly and got closer to Shen Yuan.
Suddenly, Shen Yuan took out a packet of powder and sprinkled it on the bearded man.
The bearded man screamed in pain, covered his eyes, and stumbled backward. But his foot slipped, and he fell straight down from the tree.
"Boss!"
The bearded man exclaimed in surprise, then looked at Shen Yuan with even greater anger.
"You dare to hurt our boss? You're asking for death!"
As they spoke, these men drew their knives and charged toward Shen Yuan.
Shen Yuan hurriedly reached into her bosom, only to find that she had used up all the medicinal powder she had on her.
Just then, a figure swept to the foot of the sycamore tree like a gentle breeze. With a flash of light, several people fell to the ground.
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