Chapter 45 A New Path She was dressed so simply and poorly, it was obvious she didn't have...
It's best to get vaccinated in advance.
To avoid being criticized even more severely when I get back.
She secretly tried to get herself a "get-out-of-jail-free card," thinking she might need it when she returned from Jian'an.
In terms of quick wit, Yu Nie never felt like he was the one holding others back.
She's the one who's most adept at using clever tricks.
The night before her departure, she packed her travel permit, blister powder for self-defense, two or three changes of clothes, and a few items for treating bruises and sprains, putting them all into her rattan-woven travel bag.
After carefully checking everything, I lay down in bed and fell peacefully asleep.
Perhaps it was her first time traveling so far in her life. Although she knew that the journey to Longxi was long and arduous, with many dangers and obstacles along the way, none of this diminished her excitement.
She tossed and turned in bed many times, unable to close her eyes, and could only lie on her back, quietly waiting for the time to depart.
As she waited, she unknowingly fell asleep.
When I opened my eyes again from my dream, it was already dawn outside.
Seeing the sky outside the window startled Yu Nie, who jumped out of bed, quickly tidied herself up, placed the letter she had written on the table, picked up her travel bag, and quietly opened the bedroom door, glancing around.
Fortunately, Langxi and Ahui hadn't gotten up yet, and the courtyard was quiet and deserted.
She tiptoed down the corridor to the door of the side room, pressed her ear against the door, and listened carefully for a while.
Seeing that there was no other movement inside, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Knowing that Ah Hui had extremely keen hearing, she walked even lighter and moved more cautiously.
He quietly and silently took the raincoat hanging on the wall not far from his door, turned around and, like a little fox stealing food, went to the outer door, tiptoed to remove the latch on the door, and quietly stepped out.
But she was so focused on one thing that she forgot the other. She only paid attention to the movements of her feet and hands, but forgot that she was carrying something on her back.
As soon as she stepped out of the door, because the gap in the door was not wide enough, the satchel on the back of her foot slammed against the door frame with a "clang".
She was so frightened that her whole body trembled, her soul almost flew away, and she froze on the spot, not daring to even breathe.
He stopped breathing and dared not make any other movements.
Fortunately, the wind and rain were loud enough that the heavens did her a great favor.
Ah Hui, who lived in the side room, did not hear the noise she made.
Seeing that Ah Hui hadn't been awakened, she didn't dare delay and quickly and quietly closed the door. She went around to the back of the stable, deftly untied the reins of her reddish-brown pony, put on her raincoat, and climbed onto the horse's back in the stirrups.
In the pouring rain, she sat on her horse, gazing longingly at Lingbao Temple shrouded in misty mountain fog.
Suddenly, a wave of sorrow she had never felt before washed over her. Even though it wouldn't be long before she returned from Longdao with a cartload of saltpeter, it felt like a final farewell.
Perhaps it's the lingering emotions of a traveler leaving their homeland for the first time; today, as they part ways for the first time in their lives, they feel both excited and reluctant to leave.
She stood in the rain, watching for a while before turning her horse around.
As the sound of hooves faded into the distance, Yu Nie couldn't help but turn back again and again, looking around until Lingbao Temple was completely hidden in the rain and mist, before she spurred her horse and galloped away.
*
In the distance, the mountains rise one after another. On horseback, Yu Nie hums a tune, looking carefree.
The Longdao Road is located south of Huaiyuan Town, a distance of over 1,100 li. To reach it, one must first pass through Ganzhou, Suzhou, and Liangzhou, then take the route through Jincheng County, and pass through Lintao City before finally arriving.
Normally, it would take at least ten days to travel that distance. Only by speeding up the horse can the journey be shortened.
However, the little red horse that Yu Nie rode was not a horse specifically designed for traveling long distances; she could only walk faster than usual.
She had been traveling non-stop for most of the day since she set off from the Taoist temple.
Along the way, they ate only the water and dry rations they carried with them. After a short rest, they spurred their horses on and continued galloping south.
Whether it was Heaven's will to help her achieve her great ambitions sooner or not, as the rain gradually weakened and turned into fine drizzle as she left Huaiyuan for Ganzhou, it eventually stopped.
Without the resistance of the rain, the sound of the horses' hooves became lighter.
She sped along, without stopping for a moment.
Because of the continuous rain, it gets dark earlier than usual.
As darkness fell, they worried that if they continued walking, they wouldn't be able to reach Ganzhou by nightfall. In addition, the horse had been tired all day and it was time to rest.
As she passed a simple inn, she tightened her grip on the reins, and the horse reared up, splashing mud and water, before stopping in front of the inn.
The two lanterns hanging at the entrance emitted a dim, yellowish light.
An elderly couple came out upon hearing the noise.
The old man leaned on his cane, while the old woman beside him supported his elbow. The two, with their gray hair, stepped slowly across the threshold.
Nie took off his wet raincoat and draped it over the saddle, then led his weary horse to the shop entrance.
Upon seeing the host appear, she stepped forward and bowed. The lantern above her head illuminated her delicate, slightly childlike features, further highlighting her ethereal beauty.
Her voice was clear and melodious, like that of a nightingale: "Old man, I am passing through this place on my way to the Longdao Road. I would like to stay here for the night. I wonder if there are any rooms available?"
The old woman smiled kindly and said, "Young Taoist priest, please come with me."
Knowing there were still empty bedrooms, Yu Nie led his horse inside.
The old man turned to her and said, "Young Taoist priest, please give this horse to me and lead it to the stable. Feed it some hay so that you can continue your journey tomorrow."
Yu Nie did not refuse. After thanking her, he handed the reins to her and followed the old woman into the shop.
The inn, built by the family in the middle of nowhere, is incomparable to those in the city.
Looking around the simple room with few decorations, Yu Nie didn't mind. Led by the old woman, she sat down at the square table, took down her travel book from her back, and placed it by the door.
She carried this book for almost a whole day, and it made her shoulders ache.
The old woman poured tea and water for her, placed the teacup in front of her, and asked her what she wanted to eat.
She hadn't eaten much along the way, so she ordered two vegetarian dishes and a bowl of brown rice.
After making a note of it, the old woman turned and went to the kitchen outside to start a fire and cook.
After a bowl of tea, Yu Nie, having nothing else to do, took out the map he was carrying and calculated how far he was from Longdao.
She must have been looking too intently to notice that the travel book placed by the door had been knocked open a crack, and a pair of red eyes were staring at her, occasionally making noise with its legs.
As the noise from the luggage compartment grew louder, the old man, who had just finished arranging for the horse to enter, caught a glimpse of his moving luggage compartment out of the corner of his eye and thought he was seeing things.
He rubbed his eyes and discovered that the bundle was indeed moving on its own. Startled, he staggered backward, his back slamming against the door with a thud. Trembling, he pointed at the bundle on the ground and said, "Little...Taoist Master! Could there be some kind of spirit or monster hidden in this bundle?!"
The loud noise startled Yu Nie, who turned around and looked in the direction the old man was pointing.
She was also quite frightened, gasped, and stood up abruptly.
This is unbelievable! She carried things all day and was perfectly fine during the day. What's wrong with her now?
The bundle of books was running around like a headless fly, making the porcelain bottles and pottery jars inside clang and rattle. Anyone outside who didn't know what was going on would think someone was performing a play.
The old man and she stared at each other, their faces filled with fear.
Just as she was still in shock, she suddenly squinted her eyes—through the half-open gap of the book, a section of snow-white object was vaguely visible.
The more she looked at it, the more it seemed to be...
Without thinking twice, she walked to the overturned travel bag and righted the rickety rattan trunk.
Then, she untied the hemp rope binding the box, and as the lid was lifted, she saw the little white creature curled up between the bottles and jars, its innocent red eyes blinking as it looked at her.
Perhaps because it was an acquaintance, it showed no sign of panic.
Ren Pingyu grabbed it by both ears.
Yu Nie never expected that the little guy would hide in her travel bag; she hadn't even noticed it when she locked it earlier.
She pointed at it and said, "Well, you little snow slave, you only show yourself now. Did you also want to go to Longdao, so you secretly ran into my box?"
Xue Nu kicked her legs twice in mid-air as a response.
She was so angry that she was completely helpless. They had already gone so far, she couldn't possibly send it back.
Upon seeing that it was a rabbit, the old man was still shaken and said, "I thought it was some kind of spirit, but it turns out to be the little Taoist priest's rabbit."
Yu Nie apologized to the shopkeeper for the disturbance.
When she looked back again and saw the little guy's pitiful, big eyes, she could only sigh.
It's also her fault for not checking the rabbit cage this morning. This little guy usually loves to run around the house, and she completely forgot about it.
At this point, she had no choice but to ask the shopkeeper to find a suitable cage and put it back in so that it could be easily carried on the road.
If it had to stay in the travel bag, her clothes would be completely unwearable.
The old man agreed and went out to find her a cage, leaving only the woman and the rabbit inside.
Dinner was ready in no time.
During a break from dinner, I learned that she was going to Longdao.
The old woman said to her, "Young Taoist priest, if you are in a hurry to get to Longdao, why don't you go through Panshan, travel along Zuli River, and cross the Yellow River in Jingyuan? This way you can reach Jincheng County the fastest, saving three days of travel time."
The route the old woman mentioned was something Yu Nie was hearing for the first time.
Many shortcuts are not visible on a map, but merchants, travelers, and innkeepers who deal with many people know many secret routes passed down by word of mouth.
Yu Nie hesitated and asked, "But with the continuous rain, the Yellow River's water level has risen sharply. Is it still possible to travel from Jingyuan to Jincheng County?"
“Jingyuan is not far from Yongdeng Ferry. If you can’t cross directly from Jingyuan, you can take a slightly longer route to Yongdeng,” the old woman said. “Overall, it will definitely save you some time compared to the route you’re taking now.”
Listening to the old woman's words, Yu Nie nodded, seemingly considering whether to change his route.
To conserve my energy, I traveled for another day.
After the meal, she felt increasingly tired and did not stay long. She followed the shopkeeper's lead and went back to her room to rest.
Once inside, she barely had the energy to tidy up, so she quickly lay down on the bed.
Despite being very sleepy, she didn't fall asleep immediately after lying down. Instead, she put one hand behind her head, looked at the roof beam above her head, and recalled the new route the old woman had mentioned during dinner.
Every day of delay increases the risk of the dike breaking.
Besides, these two elderly people didn't seem like bad people. They were dressed simply and poorly, so there was no reason for her to rob them.
Now that there's a shortcut, there's no reason not to take it.
But just to be on the safe side, she wondered how many people would be going to Panshankou tomorrow. If there were many, she might as well follow the new route, which would save her a lot of time.
She was still on her way, but her mind was already on Longdao. She planned that once she arrived, she would select a few shrewd and capable helpers and head straight to Bazhong Mountain in the Longmen Mountains in the northwest to purchase saltpeter.
If things go smoothly, we can immediately set off to return, and even give Langxi a surprise before her birthday.
But... Yu Nie's only wish is that the Yellow River will not breach its banks.
If the dikes were to breach and floodwaters were to come, the return journey to Huaiyuan would need to be postponed, and they might even have to take a long detour to get back to Lingbao Temple.
Then she won't be able to celebrate her senior sister Langxi's birthday.
We still need to go faster...
As she thought this, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and after a moment she gradually closed her eyes.
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