Chapter 814 Guo'er Offers a Plan
"What is my dear niece looking at?"
In a mountain forest, a group of people are starting a fire to burn firewood.
Li Xian took the water pouch handed to him by Wei Mei, tilted his head back and took a sip, then asked the pretty girl in red standing on the opposite bank of the river with some curiosity.
Xie Lingjiang stood by the water's edge, tilting her head to gaze into the distance, seemingly lost in thought.
She was tall and slender, with black hair reaching her waist. Her fiery red dress fluttered in the breeze, and the night sky behind her was gradually darkening, with a brilliant sunset. It was absolutely stunning.
This remote mountain area is rarely visited by people. Since leaving Longcheng County, Xie Lingjiang and Li Xian's group have been traveling for two days and one night, enduring wind and rain.
Li Guo'er instructed Cai Shou to fetch a bundle from the carriage, from which she took out several small brocade pouches with a medicinal fragrance, waved her hand, and told Cai Shou to distribute them.
It was prepared in advance to avoid mosquitoes and other insects in the wild.
Upon hearing Li Xian's words, she lowered her eyes slightly, fastened the brocade pouch at her waist, and said softly:
"If Ouyang Lianghan were here, he would also advise us to leave first. Every extra day we wait increases the risk."
"Although Master Yuan has calculated that this route is dangerous but safe, that is not a reason for us to be careless. Besides, what if Master Yuan is wrong? Man proposes, God disposes."
The crowd fell silent.
"I know."
Xie Lingjiang turned around, her back to the brilliant sunset, her slender white hand supporting her sword, and walked back to the campfire.
Her pretty face was backlit, making it difficult to discern her expression.
All that could be heard was a clear and gentle voice:
"Aunt Zhen and the others were a little uneasy because they didn't see the eldest brother. We don't know where Aunt Zhen and the others are. The road back to Nanlong is quite long, but fortunately, Thirteen Sister and the others are with us."
Li Xian and his group separated from Zhen Shuyuan and the other women from Huaiye Lane in Longcheng. One group continued their secret journey back to Beijing, while the other temporarily returned to their hometown in Nanlong.
However, the two groups waited for Ouyang Rong for an extra day in Longcheng County before reluctantly parting ways.
"Don't worry, your senior brother is not a reckless person."
Li Guo'er lowered her eyes, staring at the flickering flames, and a slight smile curved her lips:
"Besides, that lady named Rongzhen wouldn't hurt him."
Xie Lingjiang hummed in agreement.
By the fire, Li Xian, Li Dalang, and the others exchanged glances, all sensing her distracted state.
That's how times are. The journey is long, the carriage is slow, and traveling long distances is very risky. Sometimes, a separation can last for many years, like an old musician who has been away from home for many years and only now has his hair turned gray when he thinks about going back.
The same applies to spouses and lovers; many are separated by life and death.
The Li family has left Jiangzhou, where they have lived for many years, and returned to Luoyang, which is far to the north. They don't know when they will return to Jiangzhou.
Perhaps influenced by Xie Lingjiang, a faint sense of uncertainty and melancholy permeated the Li Xian family.
However, the people standing around the fire, lost in thought, reacted in different ways.
Both Li Xian and Li Dalang looked towards Jiangzhou with a touch of nostalgia.
Wei Mei sat upright on the embroidered stool that Shunbo had brought over, silently gazing northwards towards the capital.
Li Guo'er took out a small blue-covered book and browsed it by the firelight, feeling somewhat relaxed and light.
Cai Shou, who was grilling fish next to her, kept glancing at the book. The book seemed to be about the sights and sounds of Luoyang. The chubby-faced maid looked curious and kept asking her mistress a few questions in private.
Although she was a loyal and reliable maidservant born into the Su family, Cai Shou, like Li Guo'er, had never witnessed the splendor of Luoyang. Before her master Li Xian's title was restored, she always thought she would stay in Longcheng County for the rest of her life. Cai Shou's biological parents were of the same generation as Shun Bo and were guards and maids of Li Xian and his wife, but they never mentioned the past of the Su family to her.
Footsteps came from the side.
It was Lu Ya who returned carrying some firewood.
Xie Lingjiang turned her head and glanced at the small compass in his hand:
"What is this? I've seen you fiddling with it."
Li Guo'er spoke:
"It's their method of communication as Taoist priests of the Three Pure Ones. Master Lu is contacting his senior brother Zhang from Longhu Mountain. There are two of these compasses. Before they parted ways, Master Lu left one for his senior brother Zhang."
Lu Ya nodded, somewhat embarrassed, and said:
"This pair of compasses was left by our master. They are divided into the Qian compass and the Kun compass, and they can sense each other. Only people from our Sanqing Taoist sect can understand them. Starting the day before yesterday, the compasses began to make noise. It was Senior Brother Zhang looking for us."
"This afternoon I consulted with the Prince and the Princess, and they both agreed to invite Senior Brother Zhang. Senior Brother Zhang is a direct descendant of Longhu Mountain, so he is quite reliable."
Xie Lingjiang pursed her lips and said nothing more.
at night.
Xie Lingjiang and Lu Ya took turns keeping watch at night.
The Li family was fast asleep.
In the latter half of the night, Xie Lingjiang finished her watch and handed it over to Lu Ya.
However, Lu Ya kept fiddling with the compass, occasionally turning his head to look at the night sky, his expressionless face revealing nothing of his thoughts.
Xie Lingjiang did not return to the carriage, but closed her eyes and leaned against the tree.
At one point, she suddenly opened her eyes, as if she had woken up from a dream.
"What's wrong, Fellow Daoist Xie?"
Lu Ya put down the compass and asked, puzzled.
Xie Lingjiang looked around and noticed that Li Guo'er was also nearby.
Li Guo'er seemed to have gotten up in the middle of the night. She was wrapped in a blanket and shawl and chatting idly with Lu Ya by the campfire.
Li Guo'er looked over with some curiosity.
Xie Lingjiang's small face still looked bewildered, and she murmured softly:
"My senior brother is calling me. He's found us. Should we..."
Just then, Lu Ya, who was standing nearby, beamed with joy:
"Senior Brother Zhang has arrived."
No sooner had the words left his mouth than some noises came from the darkness not far away.
Li Guo'er and Xie Lingjiang turned around and saw a young Taoist priest walking towards them from the darkness.
The young Taoist priest looked travel-worn and carried a small compass in his hand.
"Senior Brother Zhang!"
Lu Ya breathed a sigh of relief. Before he could go to greet him, Zhang Shixiu walked over with a serious expression, and his first words startled the two women:
"Junior Brother Lu, where is the Prince? Are those White Tiger Guards behind him protecting the Prince? Why are they following him? Something seems off."
The three of them were suddenly startled.
Li Guo'er immediately went to wake up Li Xian and the others.
Before long, the tranquility of the camp in the early morning was broken.
Li Xian asked, "Have they found Master Zhang?"
"No, there was a strange murderous aura about them. To be on the safe side, I avoided them. There were too many of them, and I could travel faster on my own."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
However, we dare not let our guard down.
After hearing Lu Ya describe the appearance of the two leaders of the White Tiger Guards, Xie Lingjiang took a deep breath:
"It's Li Congshan and Miaozhen. They're definitely not right. They've been chasing us."
Wei Mei said hatefully, "That bitch!"
Li Xian felt a pang of sorrow, looking back behind him:
"Do you want me dead that badly? We're cousins, why are you going to such lengths? Why are you going to such lengths?"
Li Dalang's facial muscles trembled as he took a step forward, his voice resounding: "The more they try to stop us, the more crucial we become, posing a great threat to the Wei family's attempt to seize the throne, and further confirming Tanlang's judgment!"
Xie Lingjiang then asked Zhang Shixiu about the distance between them, and after learning the distance, she looked around at everyone:
"We're less than a hundred miles apart. Let's leave immediately, no need to wait until morning. This place is not safe to stay any longer."
Lu Ya suddenly asked:
"We need to figure out how they tracked us down and how they found out our route."
The atmosphere fell silent instantly.
Of all the people who had been quiet until now, Li Guo'er finally spoke:
"There are two possibilities. One is that they use methods such as tracking by aura, and there are experts among them who can find people by following the slightest clues."
"There is another possibility: an insider tipping off someone."
These words, especially the latter sentence, caused the atmosphere in the room to plummet to freezing point.
Lu Ya glanced at Cai Shou, Shun Bo, and other former servants.
Xie Lingjiang glanced at Zhang Shixiu.
The somber atmosphere was first broken by Li Dalang, whose unusually serious expression set the tone with a single sentence:
"There can't be a traitor among us. We shouldn't let morale drop. We should be thinking about how to escape instead of fighting amongst ourselves. If Tanlang were here, he would be very disappointed to see us like this."
Li Xian forced a smile and stepped forward to ease the tension:
"What you say is right, we've all come together, I have no doubt about it."
Wei Mei frowned and asked, "So, where should we go next?"
Li Guo'er glanced at the surrounding fire and spoke in a cool voice:
"We should continue on our way as usual, following the Raozhou route. Since they've managed to catch us here, changing our route rashly would only make them realize we've been exposed. Why not play along and pretend they don't know? That would also make it easier for us to quietly create space to escape."
"However, we need to hurry on our way. Once we reach Shaoyang, the main city of Raozhou, we can't stop... Let's go, pack up first, and set off immediately. Extinguish the fire as usual, don't make a fuss about it. Let's do what we need to do, and take all our luggage with us. We'll discuss it on the way."
"good!"
Everyone readily agreed.
Wei Mei, along with Shunbo, Caishou, and others, went to pack their things, preparing for their departure.
Li Guo'er suddenly turned around and asked the woman in red again:
"Sister Xie, you said before that Ouyang Lianghan came looking for us?"
Xie Lingjiang, who remained where she was, pursed her red lips, and after a moment, gently shook her head:
"Given the current situation, we can't wait. We need to get going immediately. It's alright. The fact that Senior Brother was able to touch the skirt knife at least proves that he's alright, which is a good thing."
Xie Lingjiang then turned to Li Guo'er, who was nodding slightly, and said:
"If the first possibility you mentioned is true, then they are experts in astrology, and we can't escape it either. Perhaps there is something on us that Li Congshan and Miaozhen have locked onto. They have been guards of the Prince's Palace for so long, they should be very familiar with us, and they may have left marks on us in their daily lives."
Li Guo'er glanced at the carriages and luggage that had come out of the Prince's mansion, as well as the clothes on everyone's bodies, and seemed to be deep in thought:
"Master Lu, Master Zhang, Sister Xie, please come with me."
...
"stop."
In the morning, at a fork in the road deep in the mountains, a young general in a white robe raised his fist, his voice hoarse.
The young general in white robes led the way, with a cold-faced middle-aged female official as his deputy, followed by about three hundred soldiers in white armor.
Upon hearing the voice of the young general leading the group, the three hundred White Tiger Guards instantly reined in their horses and stood still, like statues, attracting a few curious birds to land on their shoulders.
Three hundred elite soldiers, cold and silent, with strict discipline.
Li Congshan dismounted, squatted on the ground, picked up some soil, and sniffed it.
Miaozhen, mounted on her horse, glanced down at Li Congshan and asked coldly:
Which way?
The latter clapped his hands and pointed to the right front.
"The one on the right."
Li Congshan mounted his horse and, together with Miaozhen, led three hundred White Tiger Guards on their journey.
About half an hour later, they stopped briefly by a riverbank to check the embers of a campfire.
The campfire had just gone out, and some debris was scattered around it.
Besides food scraps, there were two small brocade pouches containing herbs and a small book with a blue cover.
The former appears to be an insect repellent, while the latter seems to have been left behind by a learned young lady.
These kinds of discarded debris can be found near abandoned campfires in recent times, as Li Congshan and others have discovered them.
Each time, only a few items are scattered around.
No one noticed.
Li Congshan picked up some soil from a footprint near the campfire, sniffed it, and suddenly spoke:
"They left in the middle of the night, yet they are still a hundred miles ahead of us, which is about half a day's journey."
Miao Zhen asked sharply:
"It seems like they've been traveling much faster since we passed Raozhou, and the distance between us hasn't decreased much."
"They didn't stay in Raozhou City either. Judging from the ashes of the most recent campfires, they didn't stay long and left in the middle of the night. Did they discover us?"
Li Congshan did not answer, his eyes lowered.
"Continue the pursuit, discard the baggage, and travel light and quickly."
Li and Miao, leading three hundred White Tiger Guards, began a forced march. After traveling for most of the day, at one point, the young general in white robes suddenly reined in his horse and pointed to a small path on the right side of the road:
“There’s a smell there.”
Three hundred armored soldiers immediately surrounded them.
Upon closer inspection, however, all that could be seen was desolation, with not a single person in sight.
Miaozhen frowned and said:
"Where are they? Their carriages can't cross this river, so how did they end up here? Did they split up?"
The young general in white robes walked over, squatted down, picked up some dust from the ground, sniffed it, and coldly gave the order:
"Return by the same route and continue on your way."
The group of armored soldiers set off again. About an hour later, Li Congshan, who was walking on the right road, turned around again and made a gesture.
The group then turned onto a side road and, following the trail, arrived at a stream at the foot of a mountain.
Li Congshan squatted down, picked up a piece of clothing from the stream, and smelled it.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
Miaozhen was getting a little impatient:
"Where is he? Why is he taking such a roundabout route?"
Li Congshan, unhurriedly, turned around and said:
"The main road heading south still smells, but there's also a smell at this side road; someone stopped here."
"They split up? Where did this person go?"
"There should be quite a few people missing, based on the food found near abandoned campfires each time."
Miao Zhen's face turned cold: "So you're saying they've discovered us? Is this a smokescreen to buy us time?"
Li Congshan looked around, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
He suddenly turned around, led his followers onto the right road, and continued south.
As evening fell, the three hundred White Tiger Guards finally arrived at a long-awaited post station before nightfall.
On the map, this post station is called Qingya Post Station, which belongs to Hanyang County and is not far from the county seat.
It is highly likely that the Prince of Xunyang and his family stopped at this post station to rest and recuperate, or even spend the night there.
But before Li Congshan and his men could get close, they saw a flame shooting into the sky from afar.
The fire burned for an unknown amount of time, while a group of post station workers and travelers gathered outside, anxiously trying to put it out, but to no avail.
Strangely, the fire was a ghostly green color and burned extremely fiercely.
Miaozhen glanced sideways at Li Congshan's darkening face:
"The scent has dissipated?"
Li Congshan shook his head:
"No, this fire is strange, it doesn't produce thick smoke, but the smell is much milder."
Where does the scent point?
Li Congshan pointed to Hanyang County.
Miaozhen coldly stared at the dark green fire.
He uttered four words softly:
"A trivial skill."
Li Congshan remained silent, seemingly hesitant and deep in thought.
He suddenly raised his hand and made a gesture.
The three hundred White Tiger Guards immediately sprang into action.
Led by Li Congshan and Miaozhen, they circled the burning post station to make sure there were no survivors before rushing onto the main road and heading straight for Hanyang County.
In the distance, on a lush, large tree, stood a secluded and isolated Taoist priest.
Zhang Shixiu stood quietly, watching the dust raised by the departing White Tiger Guard troops.
In fact, ever since he left Raozhou a few days ago, he had been following behind Li and Miao and the three hundred White Tiger Guards.
They silently observed the choices made by Li Congshan and others.
Each time Li Congshan led his team into a location that the little princess had set up in advance, Zhang Shixiu would silently record the corresponding location and afterwards stroke the compass to transmit the information back.
Because the little princess's discarded "miscellaneous items" were scattered in many places.
Li Congshan only found a portion of them, and there were many places he missed.
This wasn't a wasted effort; this is exactly the result the little princess wanted.
Which items will be found, and which will not?
The two rivers are clearly distinct.
Zhang Shixiu turned his gaze away from the direction of Hanyang County, leaving that area to Miss Xie; the duty that Princess had entrusted to him had been completed.
The young Taoist priest quietly leaped down from the lush tree, preparing to catch up with the prince and the little princess.
He suddenly remembered a sentence that the little princess said to them with a light laugh after she finished making the arrangements that night.
Even the most composed and experienced tracker will start to doubt himself after being misled more than three times in a row... Hmm, let's play along with him.
Zhang Shixiu breathed a sigh of relief, now somewhat understanding why the Ancestral Hall had placed such a bet.
He walked forward a few steps with a blank expression, as if he had noticed something.
He suddenly turned his head.
Zhang Shixiu was shocked to see a familiar young general in white robes emerge from the dim woods behind him, followed closely by a middle-aged female official with a cold face.
The young general in white robes had armor covering his face. The mouth of his silver-white tiger-face was curved and upturned on both sides, which at first glance looked like a comical smiling face, but now looked extremely strange and perverted.
"Gotcha! You've got some nerve, following me all this way."
He pointed his index finger at the compass in Zhang Shixiu's hand:
"I forgot to mention, I was already tired of the smell of that slovenly Taoist priest in the Prince's mansion."
Zhang Shixiu was horrified.
(End of this chapter)
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