Chapter 19: One-Eyed Man
The entourage from the General's Mansion continued along the route of exile, and within a few days, they met up with the officials who were deporting the criminals.
Qin Xiangnuan looked at the starting point of the winding mountain road. There stood a stone gatepost and above the gatepost hung a crooked plaque. If she looked closely, she could vaguely make out the words "Wild Man Valley" written in sloppy handwriting.
She turned around in confusion and looked at the officers and others.
The chief official's face was solemn. He nodded and said to her, "Miss Third, you don't know that this place is full of dangers."
"It's said that huge wild beasts live in the Savage Valley. Many nearby farmers and hunters dare not enter the mountains, and you can hear many howling sounds at night. Exiled criminals from the capital would never take this road unless they were guilty of heinous crimes. So... when we left the capital and knew we had to go this way, we were extremely reluctant, so our attitude towards you..."
After what happened, the chief officer treated Qin Xiangnuan well and at least he could speak the truth to her from the heart.
When everyone in the general's mansion heard these words, their faces instantly turned grim.
Qi stood up from the back and asked anxiously, "Can we take a detour? Go somewhere else?"
"I'm afraid not. There are savage valleys within a few miles."
"If we want to continue moving forward, we must cross this valley. This will only take time if we choose another entrance."
The chief officer had a frank look in his eyes. Qin Xiangnuan believed what he said and looked at the old, young women and children behind him.
"Excuse me, sir, how much food and self-defense equipment do we have left?"
Qin Xiangnuan asked. The chief officer looked at the horses and the loads on them and replied in a low voice, "I'm afraid there aren't many left. We don't take too many with us when we're escorting exiles. There are official post stations with supplies every few miles. What we have left now is barely enough to last a few days."
"There's still a few tinder sticks left, but the rest have all been used up..."
"We lost some of them when we were in the criminals' den. Otherwise, we wouldn't have withheld and robbed you of the things you hunted." The official explained his previous actions, but Qin Xiangnuan felt increasingly heavy-hearted. Even if she could come up with some silver now, she couldn't buy what she needed in the wild.
Savage Valley is a dangerous place, so you must be fully prepared.
Things could be taken out of the space, but there was no place to hide them in the wilderness. Qin Xiangnuan frowned and his thoughts were confused.
She couldn't think of a better way for a moment. Just at this moment, bursts of shouting came from afar, attracting everyone's attention. A one-eyed man came out of the path driving an ox cart. Bells were shaking in front of the cart, making a crisp tinkling sound.
When he saw the group of people from the general's mansion, he quickly stopped and nodded and bowed repeatedly.
"Do you know where I can buy it nearby?"
Qin Xiangnuan stopped him and asked. The man was too frightened to speak. He turned to look at the official, and seeing that he didn't stop him, he dared to answer, "I'm the only family in a few miles around, but I don't have anything good in my house. If you don't mind, you can go and take a look."
"We won't believe your nonsense!"
"You're the only one here in this wilderness, and you look like this, you must be a bad guy." Qin Xiangsong ran out from behind, pointing at the one-eyed man and shouting crisply, "People like you have tricked us before, we won't be fooled!"
Seeing the one-eyed man's expression change, Qi quickly picked up Qin Xiangsong, covered his mouth, and whispered, "Shh, don't talk nonsense."
Qin Xiangnuan looked at the one-eyed man and rolled her eyes. "Thank you, brother. We will go with you."
"Then please go on foot. This ox is old and can't carry too many people." The one-eyed man said fiercely. He snorted at Qin Xiangsong and added angrily, "Besides, I don't want anyone to think I'm a bad guy."
Qin Xiangsong was glared at by him and was so scared that he hid behind Qi with tears in his eyes.
Qin Xiangnuan nodded slightly and followed him closely.
The chief officer stood beside Qin Xiangnuan and asked in a low voice, "Why did the Third Miss do this? We have already wasted too much time. If we stop on the road again, it will affect the general." His face looked a little bad. He just thought that Qin Xiangnuan was greedy for enjoyment and deliberately slowed down the journey.
"Sir, the situation in Savage Valley is unclear. If we rush in without sufficient supplies, we will most likely encounter danger."
"He's the only family within a few miles. He came from the mountains, so he's naturally well-informed about the situation there. It would be beneficial for us to get some information from him," Qin Xiangnuan reasoned, staring at the man's back. "His cows bear the marks of years of farming, so he doesn't seem to be lying. Although he looks fierce, he only responded with a few cold words to Brother Song's offensive remarks."
"We have more people, he can't make any waves alone."
Qin Xiangnuan raised her chin, pouted, and pointed at the bags on the ox cart. "I'm afraid every time he goes out into the mountains, it's always a long time, so he will take all the household expenses with him. There must be no one at home."
"Miss Third is very thoughtful. I admire her."
After hearing what Qin Xiangnuan said, the chief official immediately admired her. However, the man driving the ox cart in front turned around, looked at Qin Xiangnuan, and said lightly, "It's not good for a young lady to gossip about others behind their backs. It's true that there is no one at home, but I just don't want to find a wife."
"If you want to find one, with our skills and abilities, it's easy to get one or two wives and concubines."
The one-eyed man raised his whip and retorted. Qin Xiangnuan's eyes froze as she looked at the distance between her and him.
This man has sharp eyes and ears, his body is full of tendons, and there are a few inconspicuous calluses on the palms of his hands. He steps very lightly. He must be a martial artist, and his martial arts skills are not low. Although he is not a bad person, we still need to be careful.
"Excuse me, little girl, where are you from in the capital?"
The one-eyed man turned around and asked. Qin Xiangnuan raised the corner of her lips and answered politely, "It's just a run-down official residence, not worth mentioning."
"You're quite alert." The one-eyed man jumped off the ox cart and pointed at the two shacks ahead. "We're here."
He took all the herbs off the ox cart and pushed open the door of the yard. As soon as Qin Xiangnuan entered, she saw that it was filled with weapons and wild animal furs. There was a deep well in the yard with two hemp ropes hanging on it, with some wild animal meat tied to it.
Looks like I've found the right place!
Qin Xiangnuan gave Qin Feng a look, and he immediately understood. He hurriedly put on a warm-hearted attitude and rushed over to help carry the bamboo basket. "Brother, look, how can you do such a small thing yourself? Just tell me."
"Dad, come and help!"
Qin Feng waved to Qin Yi, and the two of them cleaned up the place as if it were their own home. The one-eyed man was stunned for a moment.
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