The unusual weather is probably the first time that the usually hot Saigo County has ever seen such a snowy landscape.
Low temperatures are like a godsend for viruses. Cholera is already highly contagious, and in this kind of weather, it will probably spread even faster.
It's tough.
Lili's heart sank a little, and she instructed Huangying, "Huangying, go and urge them to clear the road quickly."
"yes."
Lili sat upright in the car for a while longer, but then she heard the sound of the guards sweeping snow hard outside, and she couldn't sit still any longer.
"Yunshu, let's go too."
Without hesitation, Lili pulled her scarf tighter and jumped out of the car. Yun Shu followed behind, trying to stop her: "Miss, it's too cold outside!"
Ignoring the cold, Lili was in a panic. Doctor Sikong and Shen Jiaqing were still in that dangerous situation, and she had to go. She wouldn't feel at ease if she didn't see them.
The snow on the road was already thick, and the carriage wasn't moving very fast. If we wasted any more time, we might not reach our next destination before dark.
It's just a bit cold; she's not some princess and pea.
The official road was wide enough for four carriages to pass, but now it was completely blocked by snow.
Huang Ying was at the front watching the guards sweep the snow when she saw Li Li coming over. She was shocked and said, "Miss, why did you come down? It's snowing heavily outside. Please go back to the carriage and wait!"
Lili raised her hand to stop her from advising, looked up at the cliff above, and then observed the height of the snow.
The cliff is towering, its sharp point protruding outwards, covered with a lot of snow, looking precarious, as if another wave of snow might fall at any moment.
The cliff is too high, and there is already a lot of snow. Falling from such a height makes the snow even more compact and difficult to sweep away.
Fortunately, Shen Jialu was worried about Lili, so he sent his trusted confidants with people to accompany her on this trip. These people were from the merchant caravan and were experienced in such situations, so they brought a lot of tools to prevent such situations from happening.
Dozens of people stood in neat rows, shoveling snow. Several maids, who were not as strong as the men, swept the thinner patches of snow on the outermost edge.
Lili frowned and told the maids to stop what they were doing: "We're in a hurry, just clearing one path is enough."
Lili asked several maids to fetch salt from the grain carts at the back. Sprinkling salt could quickly melt the snow, and using salt to melt snow was a bit extravagant, but Lili couldn't care less about extravagance at the moment; getting there quickly was the only important thing.
Otherwise, before this wave of snow is cleared, snow will fall from the cliff again.
Yun Shu and Huang Ying, along with several maids, were spreading salt in the middle of the road. The wind and snow were so heavy that everyone was freezing cold and they were all eager to reach their destination as soon as possible, so they worked extra hard.
Lili tried her hand at it for a while, but soon she was panting heavily.
Wearing such thick clothes, I look like a round ball, and it's hard to move around.
Huang Ying quickly wiped her sweat, knowing that sweating in this cold weather could easily lead to a cold.
"Yun Shu, has Brother Chen Ye returned?"
"Miss is not here. Should I go and look for her?"
Judging by the time, Chen Ye had been gone for quite a while, and Lili was a little worried.
"Okay, go ahead, be careful."
Anqi was still keeping watch in the shadows, so Lili wasn't worried about Yunshu being in any danger after leaving.
"yes."
Yun Shu lightly touched the snowdrift with her toes and nimbly moved forward, disappearing from sight in no time.
Lili looked away and saw that everyone had been busy for a while and finally cleared a hole.
Shi Wuque, Shen Jialu's confidant, came over to report: "Miss, there is more snow than we expected. I just went around to the woods to take a look, and after working for half a day, I have only cleared a small part of it. There is still a lot of snow blocking the way!"
Lili frowned. Yun Shu had been looking for Chen Ye for a while now, why hadn't she returned yet?
Based on her understanding of Shen Ye, she shouldn't have gone too far.
Could it be that they've encountered some kind of danger?
The carriage could only pass through the official road. Lili immediately made a decision: "You take the men and continue clearing the road here. I will take Huang Ying and go ahead first. Chen Ye and Yun Shu have not returned yet. I suspect that something has happened."
Shi Wuque disagreed. He knew that Yun Shu knew martial arts. Although no one had said it, as someone who also knew martial arts, he could naturally tell that Yun Shu was a trained martial artist.
But Huang Ying is not like Yun Shu. Huang Ying does not know martial arts, and Shi Wuque would not feel at ease if only Huang Ying accompanied him.
If anything happens to the young lady, he can forget about ever having any money for the rest of his life.
“Absolutely not, Miss. This place is sparsely populated, and very few people pass by, especially during this blizzard. If you want to go forward, you should at least take a few guards with you.”
Lili shook her head: "It's nothing, don't worry about me, I'll be fine. You stay here and lead everyone to clear the road as soon as possible."
She naturally couldn't tell him outright that she had a bodyguard with her.
Shi Wuque wanted to persuade her again, but Lili had already bypassed the snow and entered the woods nearby.
Huang Ying hurriedly followed behind, not forgetting to tell Shi Wuque, "Don't worry, just keep an eye on our things and catch up as soon as possible."
Lili had already stepped into the woods on her own, and Huang Ying hurriedly followed, urging Shi Wuque to get to work.
Shi Wuque had no other choice but to do as he was told.
The snow was too heavy, and the paths in the woods were difficult to walk on. The thick layer of snow quickly soaked Lili's shoes and socks.
Lili struggled to lift her foot, feeling as if it were about to freeze.
Huang Ying supported Lili with one hand, feeling a little sorry for her: "Miss, if the snow gets any thicker, it will be as tall as you. It's really exhausting. Why don't you wait a little longer?"
Lili: "?"
Who are you calling short?
Lili glared angrily at Huang Ying, who chuckled sheepishly, "Oh dear, Miss, I misspoke."
"Hmph, I'm only nine years old, I still have a lot of room to grow taller!"
Pear Pouts and struggles to move forward.
“Brother Chenye is highly skilled in martial arts, but Yunshu is even better. These two have been gone for so long and haven’t returned yet. I’m always uneasy. Something must have happened.”
Knowing that her young mistress's judgment was always accurate, Huang Ying was also very nervous upon hearing this, and silently helped Lili quicken her pace.
The two of them took a long detour, bypassing the section of road blocked by snow, before finally emerging from the woods and rejoining the main road.
Lili saw a fairly neat set of footprints on the snow, which should belong to Chen Ye and the guards.
Not far away, a short distance apart, there was another set of brief footprints, which must have been Yun Shu's.
Huang Ying pointed to the footprints on the ground: "Miss, look, these should be Lord Chen Ye and the others' footprints, right?"
"Yes, let's follow the footprints."
Lili followed the trail of footprints for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, but still couldn't find anyone, and even the footprints had disappeared.
All around was silent, except for the faint sounds of Lili and Huangying stepping on the snow.
Huang Ying couldn't help but mutter, "Lord Chenye said we should go ahead and scout out the way to see if there are any places blocked by snow, but we've been walking for so long and haven't seen any more snow, or even a single person."
Lili was a little tired, so she stopped and rested under a tree by the roadside, looking somewhat troubled.
Shen Ye and Yun Shu are both very reliable people, they wouldn't just disappear for no reason, how could they not even have a signal?
As Lili was pondering this, Huang Ying took out a handkerchief from her bosom, found a large rock nearby, and used the handkerchief to brush away the snow from the rock. Seeing that the surface was still relatively smooth, she quickly laid the handkerchief on the rock.
"Miss, come and sit here for a while!"
Lili didn't insist and pulled Huang Ying to sit down together.
The handkerchief was very small, barely enough for Lili to fit in. Huang Ying felt sorry for her and said, "Miss, I'm sorry to trouble you. I didn't bring anything else with me."
Lili smiled and shook her head, then took out her handkerchief and placed it under her bottom: "What's the big deal? Are you so worried about your young lady?"
Huang Ying shook her head and said honestly, "No, it's just that this cloak is priceless; it was a gift from His Highness!"
Lili: "...Oh."
Huang Ying had no food with her, only a little water. After the two shared the water, Li Li rested and began to observe her surroundings.
Logically, the footprints should be clearer towards the end, but here, the footprints suddenly disappear.
If Yun Shu's footprints were gone, that would be understandable; she must have used her light-footed skills to walk on the treetops.
But what about Chen Ye and those guards?
Although the footprints in front were not very clear, they were not completely covered by snow and were still faintly visible.
What happened to this place?
"Did something happen here?"
Lili frowned and looked around.
"Yellow Oriole, you are from Xixiang County. Do you know where this place is?"
“Miss, this is the road I took when I fled from Xixiang County to Nanlin County. I calculated the distance, and it should be about fifty li from here to Rucheng. However, the snow is too thick, and the speed of the carriage varies, so I am not sure if it is accurate. But it should not be too far off. There is only one official road from Rucheng to Nanlin County, and I cannot be mistaken.”
Lili nodded thoughtfully.
Along the way, the official road was lined with forests on both sides, and the snow covered the trees like a matcha cake covered with a layer of white cream.
Lili hadn't looked closely before, and now she realized that the area to the right of the official road no longer seemed to be a forest.
A few glimmers of silver occasionally peek through the white buildings. In the distance, there's a mountain peak, which Lili guesses is probably a small hill with a very gentle slope.
A blizzard raged, with snowflakes falling like goose feathers, mercilessly swallowing the mountain road.
The once winding and rugged mountain road was completely covered by a huge white curtain, leaving no trace of its former self.
Thick snow filled the gullies and blurred the slopes, as if the road had never existed in these mountains, leaving only a vast expanse of white.
Huang Ying suddenly remembered something: "Oh, I remember when I passed by a mountain nearby, I encountered a group of bandits. The refugees on the road were all emaciated, but the bandits were all greasy. But the bandits were strange. They didn't rob or kidnap anyone. They just stood there and watched us flee to another place, saying pitiful things, but their expressions were extremely contemptuous and superior."
Lili turned to look at her, a glint of malice flashing in her eyes: "Bandits?"
“Hmm! Those people look a bit different from the people of Xixiang County. They look like they came from somewhere else to make their own way in the mountains.” Huang Ying patted her chest. “But it’s a good thing they didn’t do anything. Otherwise, given the situation of our refugees at the time, we would have been completely powerless to fight back if those bandits had started a fight.”
Huang Ying sighed with relief as she left the valley, but Li Li stared intently at the concealed mountain path and asked, "Could those bandits be on this mountain?"
Huang Ying looked in the direction Li Li was pointing and carefully discerned the winding, indistinct mountain path.
After staring for a while, Huang Ying's face turned pale instantly, and she sprang up from the rock: "Whhhhh! This, this is a mountain?"
Lili nodded: "Yes, that should be true."
Huang Ying was so frightened that her body trembled. The bandits were all incredibly strong, and they even had knives. They looked like fierce demons.
Although I don't know if they are still in these mountains, or if they are still robbing people, what if they are?
If they run into each other, they're both doomed!
Huang Ying suddenly appeared in front of Li Li, trembling as she pleaded, "Little Miss, shall we go? I'm not Sister Yun Shu, I can't beat her!"
After saying that, the girl comforted herself: "But, but there are many mountains on this road, and it may not be that mountain, right? Hehe, besides, I only calculated a rough distance, no, it's not accurate."
Huang Ying turned to look at Li Li, her eyes clearly questioning, wanting to hear a definite answer from Li Li, whose mouth seemed to have been blessed.
Lili really wanted to nod and comfort her by saying yes, but...
Lili's gaze shifted to that direction, where a burly man dressed in a tiger-skin sable coat was standing on the inconspicuous mountain path. The man was carrying a knife and a chicken. When he saw the two lively girls, his expression changed from surprise to excitement.
It's a giant golden statue.
Lili's face darkened.
Huang Ying turned around and was so frightened she almost fainted: "It's...it's the bandits from that year!"
She didn't remember what the bandits looked like. She was terrified. After taking one look, she quickly dragged her nearly fainting body, gritting her teeth, and ran forward.
But she was absolutely certain that she wouldn't mistake him; this person's appearance gave her the same feeling as those bandits—they didn't look like people from Xixiang County!
Oh, now she has seen what people from Nanlin County look like, and they look different from people from Nanlin County!
"Miss, what should we do, what should we do!"
Huang Ying watched as the man walked towards them step by step, and she stood firmly in front of Li Li, protecting her.
She had already decided that if the man took three more steps forward, she would pounce on him and hug him, so that the young lady could quickly run back to find their convoy!
"Don't be impulsive," Lili whispered to the agitated Huang Ying. "Let's go with him."
"ah?"
Lili glanced at the disappearing footprints on the ground, then at the burly man walking towards her, his face beaming with excitement as he said, "Caught two more!" Her gaze gradually shifted from doubt to interest.
A tiger-skin mink coat, huh? She certainly knows how to dress.
Tsk tsk, the people who arrested me?
I'd like to see what you bunch of golden men are up to.
Those who captured me, Shen Lili, today I, this young lady, will not be surnamed Shen if I don't turn your bandit den upside down!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com