When Hua Cai arrived at the resting place with the people arranged by Xin Ran, Zhao Qiang was still asleep. Fortunately, someone helped lift him onto the horse, which saved her the trouble.
"Girl, where are we going?" The leader, Fa Deng, was one of the people who had followed Xin Ran that morning.
Hua Cai gave him the address she had originally written to Xiao Shuang, which surprised Fa Deng.
Strictly speaking, Dorsma still falls within the sphere of influence of the Ming Cult.
Fa Deng glanced at Hua Cai secretly, then stepped forward with a conflicted expression to help, roughly pushing the unconscious Zhao Qiang onto the horse.
"Hey, brother, be careful, be careful, this is an injured person." Hua Cai was terrified when she saw this and quickly stepped forward to help.
Fa Deng stepped in front of him and quickly and properly placed the person down, muttering with dissatisfaction, "It's normal for a real man to get injured. I'm telling you, young lady, how is this kid any better than my boss? Look at how weak he is, he's just a little prince. He's nothing compared to the carefree life of us Jianghu heroes."
Hua Cai was taken aback and looked at Fa Deng strangely: "Big brother, what did you say?"
"N-nothing." Fa Deng, with a sullen face, mounted his horse nimbly: "Let's go before that little wench has a chance to send anyone up. The sooner we get there, the sooner we brothers will be back. The boss is anxiously waiting for news."
Hua Cai climbed onto the back of the pillow with a question mark on her face. She watched as Fa Deng secretly moved Zhao Qiang around on his back, carrying him across the horse's back like cargo. She couldn't help but feel exhausted.
As expected, they had a grudge; unable to defeat Zhao Min, they resorted to sabotage against Zhao Qiang.
"Brother, he's injured, he's injured." Hua Cai urged the pillow to hurry up and reminded him weakly, "Why don't we help him up?"
Fadeng quickly moved the person to a straight position and solemnly explained, "It's not appropriate for a grown man like me to be hugging another man."
Hua Caihe, riding a bumpy, uneven road, didn't die at Fan Yao's feet, but he died here prematurely.
"How about I do it?" Hua Cai rode her horse closer to Fa Deng and extended her hand to him.
Fa Deng was taken aback, then reached out and swiftly helped Zhao Qiang up onto the horse, sitting him comfortably on his shoulder. He waved to Hua Cai without looking away, saying, "People of the martial world don't concern themselves with trivial matters. Besides, when lives are at stake, there's no such thing as appropriate or inappropriate."
Hua Caihan, this Dharma lamp looks big and burly, but I didn't expect it to be such a lively character.
Ever since she started carrying a man in her arms, Fadeng always gave Hua Cai a feeling of urgency. They rushed along the way, and if Hua Cai hadn't insisted on feeding Zhao Qiang melted pastries every two hours, Fadeng would have let Zhao Qiang go hungry the whole way, becoming a quiet, wooden figure until they reached their destination.
And so, along the way, Hua Cai was on tenterhooks and Fa Deng was on pins and needles. The whole group was filled with an inexplicable sense of tension. What should have been a three-day journey was completed in just two days.
Looking at a large locust tree with a red ribbon tied around it two meters away, Hua Cai dismounted.
"That's enough for now. Thank you all for seeing me off." Hua Cai took the unconscious Zhao Qiang from Fa Deng's hands.
"This is what the boss told us to give to the young lady." Fa Deng took a box off his horse and handed it to Hua Cai.
Hua Cai curiously took it, opened it, and saw a thick stack of silver notes inside. She suddenly fell silent, feeling a heavy weight in her heart.
"Young lady, we're leaving now." Fa Deng glanced at the village not far away, mounted his horse, and prepared to depart.
"Wait." Hua Cai suddenly woke up and quickly called out to him, "There are still some things I need to ask you to take to Xin Ran."
Hua Cai helped Zhao Qiang lean against the tree, then jogged over to Fa Deng and handed him the box: "I already owe him enough. I can't take these silver notes. You can see they won't cost much here."
Before Fadeng could refuse, Hua Cai shoved the box into his hands and took out two small bottles from her package: "This is...this is the antidote for the Ten Fragrant Tendon-Softening Powder. The ingredients are insufficient, so the effect of this concoction may be a little weaker, and the recovery time will be a little longer than the normal antidote. This is all I have on me, and it might be of some use to you."
"It's true that Xinran has been helping me all along, and I feel unworthy of his help. The Ming Cult won't be peaceful lately, and something big might happen. You all need to be careful. I'm going back now. Be careful on your journey." With that, he handed the two porcelain bottles to Fadeng, waved to him, and turned to run back.
Fa Deng stood there stunned for a long time, watching Hua Cai help Zhao Qiang walk towards the village, before sighing, "Such a good girl, why can't she be our sister-in-law?"
Frustrated, Fa Deng climbed onto his horse and yanked the reins hard: "Who says it can't? As long as the boss is willing to put in the effort, there's no beauty we can't snatch! Giddy up!"
This village was the location that Hua Cai had already confirmed with the system; it was where Xiao Shuang was currently located.
Xiao Shuang is very clever, but too clever. She's the kind of person Hua Cai likes to use, but now she doesn't dare to trust her with confidence.
Only by captivating her soul can she feel secure enough to consider her as her backup plan.
Looking back at the iconic old locust tree, the setting sun shone on her face, giving Hua Cai, who had been in a state of tension since coming into this world, a sense of peace and tranquility.
Shaking her slightly sore hands, Hua Cai dragged Zhao Qiang along, walking step by step towards the village.
At dusk, many elderly people gathered at the village entrance to cool off and chat. They were all shocked to see Hua Cai and her companion covered in blood. Immediately, an old woman with gray hair came to greet them.
"Oh dear, girls, what's wrong with you?"
Hua Cai, supporting Zhao Qiang, looked at the group of people who had gathered around her with teary eyes: "My brother and I were playing on the mountain when we accidentally slipped and fell down the cliff. My brother was seriously injured protecting me. Look, what a big bump."
As she spoke, Hua Cai pointed out the several shocking bumps on the back of Zhao Qiang's forehead to everyone.
“We met some kind people who wrote letters to our families and pointed out the nearest village, which is how we found this place. Before our families come looking for us, could you please let my brother and me stay here for a while?” Hua Cai looked timidly at an elderly woman in front of her who was overflowing with kindness: “We have money. You see, if there is a place to stay, we are willing to pay.”
As if afraid that the others would disagree, Hua Cai quickly pulled out a small piece of silver, which made everyone's eyes light up.
"Yes, yes, of course." A sprightly old man warmly greeted Zhao Qiang and helped him up, leading him into the village. "We have lived here for generations. Some of the men in our families work away from home all year round and rarely come back. We have plenty of places to live, but I'm afraid you won't be able to endure the simple conditions in our countryside."
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