Chapter 280 Escort
After speaking, Doctor Luo took out a folded yellow paper from his pocket and handed it over.
The masked men remained silent. The leader accepted the paper, returned the greeting with a fist salute, and then led his men away, disappearing into the dense forest in no time.
Mu Xi watched the masked men leave before asking, "Who were those people? How did Doctor Luo hire them, and what was their payment?"
Doctor Luo glanced at Bao Fan, who was sitting on the ground with Mu Xi, and said, "These people are really grateful to Bao Fan."
"Bao Fan?" Mu Xi turned her head and carefully examined Bao Fan, who seemed to have gained weight again.
In such a war-torn environment, people living in fear and anxiety are lucky if they don't lose weight. I never expected that Baofan would actually gain weight.
When Bao Fan saw Mu Xi looking over, he took out a paper package from his pocket and handed it to her.
"What is this?" Mu Xi subconsciously took it and opened it, only to find a packet of crushed peanut brittle inside.
Mu Xi smiled and returned the peanut brittle to Bao Fan, then suddenly remembered: "You carried me all the way just now, didn't you? You've worked hard, eat these well as a reward."
"Mmm." Bao Fan said just one word, taking the peanut brittle back without hesitation and chewing it heartily.
The divine physician Luo watched from the side, shook his head and smiled bitterly: "If it weren't for this kid's own good fortune, I wouldn't have been able to support him for a while, he would have eaten me out of house and home."
Mu Xi's question was interrupted, and she was about to ask again when Doctor Luo changed the subject: "How much have you recovered? This is not a place to rest for long. Let's talk as we walk."
"Okay." Mu Xi had to force herself to stay calm, even if she couldn't, because this was definitely not the place to talk.
So the four of them, now reunited, set off in another direction from the dense forest, led by Doctor Luo.
During this time, Doctor Luo explained the background of the masked men to Mu Xi and Cao Pan'er, while Bao Fan ate as he walked, as if he had an endless supply of food.
It turned out that the masked men were actually bodyguards from a security escort agency under Qi Yingyu's name, and one of them was the very bodyguard Qi Yingyu had lent to Mu Xi years ago to "enhance her image" when she stormed the Court of Justice.
"Wouldn't I have been recognized if I had been dressed as a woman?" Mu Xi was startled, but then she thought that the identity of "Prince Jin Fang" was "dead," so it didn't matter.
Doctor Luo also said, "I didn't mention it and I don't know about this matter. But judging from the situation just now, they probably didn't recognize you. After all, you are dressed as a woman and have been seriously ill. You are almost a completely different person."
"That's true." Mu Xi no longer cared.
Doctor Luo continued, "If it weren't for a bodyguard who had seen Bao Fan before recognizing him when I was practicing medicine with him to earn money, and who also knew about the relationship between Boss Qi and the young master, and that Bao Fan later followed the young master, we wouldn't have been able to accomplish what we have today."
“Dr. Luo, I’m no longer a prince, and I’m dressed as a woman now, so why don’t you just call me… Miss Shen?” Mu Xi originally wanted to call her “Miss Mu,” but fearing that her surname would be exposed, she decided to use the identity of Shen Zhixi for the time being.
"You still want to use Shen Zhixi's identity?" Doctor Luo asked, frowning.
Mu Xi didn't want to either, but couldn't think of anything else for the moment. After being asked by Doctor Luo, she suddenly had an idea: "Oh, that's it! If Doctor Luo doesn't mind, we can pretend to be father and daughter. Then I will be 'Miss Luo'."
Doctor Luo walked ahead, not answering for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.
Feeling awkward and caught off guard, and unable to see Doctor Luo's expression, Mu Xi could only change the subject: "And then what happened? Doctor Luo didn't have enough money, so what kind of reward did you give those bodyguards?"
Doctor Luo finally came to his senses: "Ah, I wanted to hire them to help save people, but I had no money and nothing of value, so I naturally used the prescriptions I had in exchange. Some of those prescriptions were for treating bruises and sprains, some for stopping bleeding and healing wounds, and some were even for killing people without them noticing. These prescriptions were still somewhat useful to people like them who made a living on the edge, and with the help of Bao Fan, they agreed."
I see.
Knowing the truth, Mu Xi felt even more that Bao Fan was not only blessed with good fortune, but also her lucky star, as he had saved her life many times.
Afterwards, the four of them changed directions several times in the dense forest and traveled for quite some time before they finally came across a small path.
Having found the path, Doctor Luo breathed a sigh of relief and looked up at the evening light: "Following this path further ahead, there is a village. We'll stay there tonight."
Knowing that Doctor Luo had made the arrangements, Mu Xi felt relieved. She took a deep breath and insisted on keeping up despite her exhaustion.
The four of them stayed at a house in the village that Dr. Luo had arranged in advance.
The next day, not daring to linger, they discussed it briefly and continued on their way, heading, of course, towards Shenlun's hometown, Qinzhou, in the southern border.
Mu Xi wasn't worried about encountering Shen Lun in the Southern Territory, since they didn't even have a carriage and could only walk. If Shen Lun wanted to return to the Southern Territory, he would have already done so and wouldn't have had to wait until now.
For someone of Shen Lun's status, he wasn't afraid of war, or even whichever faction ultimately occupied Moyang, he could handle it all with ease. Therefore, he would simply wait near Moyang City, awaiting the outcome, so he could maneuver and secure the greatest possible benefit.
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The sound of horses' hooves clattered, and dust billowed.
Mu Xi and her group traveled along the official road to the southern border, stopping frequently. For safety reasons, she and Cao Pan'er changed back into men's clothing.
Originally, they lacked money and couldn't afford to hire a carriage. But the further they went, the more difficult it became for the displaced people to scatter. Even if they had money, it was difficult to buy food and water, let alone hire a carriage.
Thanks to Doctor Luo's remaining savings, Mu Xi and Cao Pan'er were able to leave Shen Lun's residence with several pieces of valuable jewelry.
They exchanged these for money. If they couldn't hire a horse-drawn carriage, they would ride in an oxcart or a donkey cart. If they couldn't find a vehicle, they would have to walk.
Despite the arduous journey, Mu Xi felt as if she had traveled for ten thousand years, but in reality, it had only been a few days and she had only covered a little over a hundred miles.
After days of running around, worrying, and hunger, Mu Xi was physically exhausted and felt nauseous.
The divine physician Luo knew that at this time, there was no magic cure other than to rest more, but she was at a loss as she traveled.
Mu Xi, however, was leaning against a tree trunk by the roadside, forcing a smile: "Don't worry about me, I will definitely be able to see Mu Xun again alive."
These words were not only to comfort Doctor Luo, but also to encourage herself.
Doctor Luo looked at the three-way intersection not far ahead, where there were many pedestrians and refugees coming and going. He couldn't help but frown: "Yesterday, when I inquired about this small road leading to Huaicheng, no one seemed to care. Why is there such a large flow of refugees today?"
Exhausted from the past few days, Mu Xi took a moment to catch her breath, too lazy to speak or respond.
Cao Pan'er took out a water bag with a worried expression and handed it to Mu Xi: "Young Master, you look really unwell. Have some water to calm down first. If you can't, we can continue our journey later. Bao Fan will carry you."
Bao Fan, who was stuffing wild fruit into his mouth, heard this but showed no displeasure whatsoever. Mu Xi, however, shook his head.
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