“Ah Yue…”
"The fairy from the moon palace..."
He clearly didn't believe it, "Why would a fairy come to this bitterly cold place?"
"Because I want to find the thief who stole my feather robe," the girl said angrily, clenching her fist. "Once I find him, I'll skin him alive and send him to the deepest hell."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Zhouyan chuckled softly, which aggravated his wound and caused him to cough up another mouthful of blood. The girl hurriedly wiped it with her sleeve, and her snow-white sleeve instantly blossomed with red plum blossoms.
"What are you laughing at!" she glared at him angrily. "I'm serious!"
"That fairy..." he asked breathlessly, "Have they found the thief who stole the clothes?"
The girl suddenly fell silent, and in the firelight, the dark osmanthus flower on her wrist seemed to dim a bit.
Outside the cave, the wind and snow howled. She added some dry grass to the fire, and the flames crackled and popped, producing a few sparks.
"Found it." Her voice was so soft it sounded like a sigh. "Unfortunately... I can't bring myself to do it."
Just as Xiao Zhouyan was about to ask further, he saw her take out a small jade bottle from her bundle and pour out a few pearly white pills: "Take these, and they will reduce your fever."
The pills melted in the mouth, carrying the subtle bitterness of lotus.
He vaguely recalled how, when he was a child and sick, his mother would stay by his bedside and feed him medicine in the same way.
But this girl in front of me is clearly a stranger, so why does she always seem so familiar with my every move?
"Girl..." he struggled to stay awake, "...what's your name?"
The girl paused in packing her medicine pouch, the firelight casting dappled shadows on her eyelashes.
"clear……"
She suddenly changed her tune, "Just call me A-Yue."
“Ah Yue…”
Xiao Zhouyan murmured the name over and over, the name rolling across his tongue and inexplicably stirring his heartstrings.
He tried to open his eyes wide to see her face clearly, but his vision became increasingly blurry.
In his final moments of consciousness, he felt cool fingers brush against his burning forehead, and heard her whisper in his ear, "Sleep, little general... wait until the snow stops..."
When I woke up again, all that was left in the cave was a snow-white fox fur coat and a few pieces of ointment that smelled of medicine.
The strangest thing was that the wound on my shoulder was covered with a thin layer of ice, which was crystal clear in the morning light, but I didn't feel cold at all.
Xiao Zhouyan clutched the handkerchief embroidered with a white deer in his hand, which still retained a faint scent of mugwort. When his personal guards found him, they all said he must have encountered a mountain spirit.
But only he knew the dark osmanthus blossom on his wrist, the strange yet effective medical technique, and the unfinished word "Qing..."
They are all real.
***
Xu Qingyao was awakened by the system's shrill alarm.
[Host, Xiao Zhouyan's men have arrived at a small town outside Liangzhou City and will enter the city by tonight at the latest. Please leave Liangzhou as soon as possible.]
She sat bolt upright in bed: "So fast?"
[Based on calculations, if the host departs now, there is a 78% chance of escaping capture.]
Xu Qingyao's eyes were half-open; she was up, but her soul was still in bed.
The sky outside the window was just beginning to lighten, and the morning mist over Liangzhou City had not yet dissipated, but the sound of camel bells from a caravan could already be heard in the distance.
Last night's conversation with General Jiang was still echoing in her mind. Those memories of her parents were like a certain tea or a certain sedative, keeping her awake at all.
She quickly finished washing and combing her hair, then put her long hair into a simple bun in front of the bronze mirror.
The woman in the mirror had beautiful features, yet she couldn't hide the weariness and confusion in her eyes. This face, it's said, bears a striking resemblance to her mother, Jiang Wanxin.
"Miss, the old lady has already gotten up," a maidservant whispered from outside the door.
She quickly packed her bags. Before leaving, she hesitated for a moment, but decided to go and pay her respects and say goodbye to Old Madam Jiang.
In the old lady's courtyard, the shadow of the loquat tree was cast on the bluestone slab, dappled and swaying.
Xu Qingyao knelt on the prayer mat, her forehead pressed against the cold ground.
"Grandmother, Qingyao is setting off today."
Madam Jiang sat on a carved wooden chair, her fingers twirling a string of Buddhist prayer beads. Upon hearing this, her fingers paused slightly.
"Leaving so early?"
"Granddaughter...has important business to attend to."
Xu Qingyao knelt on the prayer mat, lowering her eyes to hide her weariness.
Amidst the swirling sandalwood incense, the old lady sighed deeply: "You are just like your mother when she was young; once you've made up your mind, nothing can change it."
With trembling hands, she took out a jade pendant from her sleeve. "This is Wanxin's old possession. You can keep it."
The jade pendant was warm and smooth, with the words "Peace" engraved on it. Xu Qingyao suddenly choked up—this was the only keepsake her mother had left her.
Just as she was leaving the mansion, Zhou, the old lady's maid, caught up with her and stuffed a cloth bag full of bright yellow loquats into her hands.
"The old lady said that she wanted the young lady to taste the loquats from Liangzhou to see if they were really sweeter than those from the capital."
Xu Qingyao took it, her fingertips touching the cool surface of the loquat, and felt a slight pang of sadness in her heart.
She picked one up, took a careful bite, and the sweet juice immediately filled her mouth.
"It really is sweet," she said softly.
Urged by the system, Xu Qingyao glanced back at the tall gate of the Jiang residence, then turned and disappeared into the crowd in the morning mist.
*
The wind outside Liangzhou City carried fine sand, stinging people's faces.
Xu Qingyao traveled along the Hexi Corridor until her legs were sore and weak, then she stopped to rest by the roadside.
Just then, a caravan of merchants from the Central Asian countries slowly passed by. The merchant in the lead recognized her and warmly invited her to join them.
“It’s dangerous for a young lady to travel alone. Why don’t you come with us so we can look after each other?”
Xu Qingyao thanked the merchant and boarded his carriage. The wheels rolled over the yellow sand with a dull thud.
She lifted the carriage curtain and looked back at Liangzhou City, which was gradually receding into the distance, her heart filled with mixed feelings.
This was the first time she truly felt the presence of "family".
*
On the afternoon of the second day of the caravan's journey, the weather suddenly changed.
A strong wind whipped up a cloud of yellow sand, drastically reducing visibility.
Xu Qingyao covered her mouth and nose with her sleeve, when she suddenly heard a shrill alarm from the system:
[Ambush detected! Armed personnel at the two o'clock position!]
Before she could react, dozens of masked bandits charged out from behind the sand dunes on either side, their curved blades gleaming coldly. The caravan was instantly thrown into chaos, with camels and horses neighing in terror.
The masked robbers instantly surrounded the Hu merchant's group.
"If you don't want to die, come with us!"
Xu Qingyao gripped the dagger hidden in her sleeve, but then heard the system calmly say:
[Host, the enemy outnumbers us and has the upper hand; a direct confrontation will be futile.]
She gritted her teeth and had no choice but to be taken away with the foreign merchant.
The robbers' hideout was located in a secluded valley. The moment Xu Qingyao stepped inside, she froze—
This was not a simple bandit's den, but a rather large city, with unfamiliar characters carved on the stone walls and people wearing exotic clothing.
"Where is this...?" she asked softly.
The foreign merchant beside her gave a wry smile: "Miss, we've been taken to the Kingdom of Gaochang."
Gaochang Kingdom?
My maternal grandfather once mentioned that when my mother was young, she traveled to various countries in the Western Regions with a caravan, including Gaochang.
[Hidden map triggered: "Gaochang Kingdom"]
[Gaochang Kingdom, one of the thirty-six kingdoms of the Western Regions, was located at a crucial point on the northern route of the Silk Road, bordering the Hexi Corridor to the east. Its capital was Gaochang City. King Muwentai of Gaochang outwardly submitted to the Zhou Dynasty, but secretly allied with the Western Turks, attempting to control the pricing power of trade routes.]
The bandits escorted the caravan through the city gate, while onlookers stood on both sides of the street, pointing and whispering.
Xu Qingyao noticed that these "robbers" took off their masks after entering the city, looked relaxed, and some even bowed to them.
This was no ordinary gang of robbers, but an organized group—most likely border guards from the Kingdom of Gaochang in disguise.
The caravan was led to a mud-brick building, where men and women were separated and detained.
Xu Qingyao was pushed into a small room, and the door slammed shut behind her.
The room contained only a simple wooden bed and a ceramic pot, with cobwebs growing in the corner.
She sat on the bed, took out a slightly softened loquat from her bosom, and gently peeled off the skin. The flesh was still sweet, but now it tasted a bit bitter.
Did that young woman walk this same road back then?
As evening approached, the door was opened.
A man dressed in a brocade robe stood at the door, followed by two guards. The man was about thirty years old, with a handsome face and a small scar between his eyebrows.
"So you're from the Jiang family of Liangzhou?" the man asked in fluent Mandarin, his voice deep.
Xu Qingyao looked at him warily: "Who are you?"
"Mukun, the second prince of Gaochang Kingdom."
The man entered the house, looking down at her. "My men found the Jiang family's token on you."
Xu Qingyao then remembered that the cloth bag the old lady had given her before she left had the Jiang family crest embroidered on its lining.
She pursed her lips: "I was just passing by, and I don't have a deep relationship with the Jiang family."
Mu Kun chuckled lightly: "Really? Then why did Old Madam Jiang specifically ask you to bring loquats on your journey?"
He took out a cloth bag from his sleeve, the very one that the old woman had given to Xu Qingyao. "Loquats from Liangzhou are quite rare this season."
“You have a nice face,” the man suddenly looked up, his hawk-like gaze tracing her features, “but not as pretty as her.”
Her hoarse voice carried a strange longing, as if she were gazing at a distant shadow.
she?
Is it...my mother?
Xu Qingyao's heart skipped a beat.
"Are you Jiang Wanxin's daughter?" the man suddenly asked.
"You know my mother?" She regretted asking as soon as the words left her mouth. It was tantamount to admitting her identity.
Mu Kun suddenly pressed his dagger against her chin.
The metallic chill seeped into his skin, and Xu Qingyao noticed that half of his left little finger was missing, with a scar resembling a centipede coiled around the knuckle.
"This story begins more than twenty years ago."
His knife tip traced a line around her neck.
The cold glint of the dagger flashed before Xu Qingyao's eyes.
"More than twenty years ago, your mother, for the sake of the Jiang family..." Mu Kun's knife tip traced along her collarbone: "At that time, she disguised herself as a man and saved my life in the sandstorm of Devil City."
Xu Qingyao held her breath.
The blade was pressed against her skin, and she could feel her pulse pounding against the cold metal.
*
In the second year of the Yonghui era, the new emperor was tyrannical and imposed heavy taxes, so the Jiang family moved from Yangzhou to Liangzhou in the northwest.
Although Liangzhou was desolate, it was a vital hub on the trade route to the Western Regions. At that time, Master Jiang was frowning with worry. The Jiang family's business was declining, and if they could not find a way out, they probably would not survive for more than three years.
Sixteen-year-old Jiang Wanxin stood on the city wall of Liangzhou, gazing at the yellow sand raised by the camel caravan in the distance, and suddenly spoke up: "Grandfather, Liangzhou is short of cloth, and even more so of medicine."
Liangzhou is prone to sandstorms, and many people suffer from coughs. Yangzhou is famous for its loquats, which can be used to make lung-moistening syrup. Jiang Wanxin suggested that the Jiang family could weave light and breathable cotton and linen fabrics, and then use a secret Yangzhou recipe to make loquat syrup, which could then be sold to the Western Regions.
After pondering for a long time, Master Jiang finally made the decision: "Alright, but the trade routes to the Western Regions are treacherous, so we must proceed with caution."
Jiang Wanxin replied, "I will go myself."
Three days later, Jiang Wanxin changed into a Hu (non-Han) outfit, tied her hair up, wore a crown, and had a short knife at her waist. She disguised herself as "Jiang Yuan," the young master of the Jiang family, and hired a Hu merchant caravan.
The caravan leader was a young merchant from the Central Asian region with a high nose and deep-set eyes. He called himself "Mukun" and always spoke with a nonchalant smile.
"Young Master Jiang is quite bold for his age." Mu Kun sized her up, a hint of inquiry flashing in his eyes.
Jiang Wanxin said calmly, "The situation in Liangzhou is unstable. Opening up trade routes as soon as possible will be good for everyone."
Mu Kun smiled: "Then I wish us a pleasant cooperation."
The caravan set off, the camel bells fading into the distance. Jiang Wanxin glanced back at the Liangzhou city wall, silently reciting in her heart—
The Jiang family's path to survival lies at the end of this yellow sand.
...
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