Chapter 326: Thousand Miles Away
"Military Advisor Qin, what's going on... ahem..." Su Qianqian asked as she pulled the scarf around her mouth a little open. Her voice was a little hoarse, and she quickly took out the water bag from her arms and took a sip.
She was so tired that she wanted to lie on the ground. She said nothing more and turned back to the pine forest with shaking legs. Qin Shiliu found a big rock for her to sit down and rest.
The horses were tied to trees and were eating grass. The secret guards took out their dry food and ate some with water. Qin Yi and Qin Shiliu sat on the ground next to Su Qianqian and ate some bread. In the darkness, only a little moonlight filtered in through the branches.
"Try this." Su Qianqian took out some dried meat from her arms and handed it to Qin Shiliu.
Qin Shiliu: ...
I really don’t know how Su Qianqian can hold so many things in her arms.
"Why didn't Military Advisor Qin stay in the capital instead of following us?" Su Qianqian munched on the dried meat with water, which could replenish her physical strength. She ate so much biscuits that her neck was stretched out so long that she refused to eat any more.
Qin Yi glanced at Su Qianqian. Although it was embarrassing, he had to admit that he was worried that Su Qianqian would come true, because at least at this time no message had been delivered by the carrier pigeon.
"It is important to be in charge of the capital, but I want to see with my own eyes how Madam is mocked by the Marquis. I have arranged everything, so I will come to take the Marquis back to the capital."
Qin Yi stroked his chin when he saw the shadow, but Su Qianqian remembered clearly that this fair-skinned scholar with a round face had no beard at all.
"Excuse me, sir, how old are you? You look no more than fifty, could it be that you are already over sixty? If that is true, sir, you really have a youthful appearance and never age. Do you have any advice on how to maintain your health?"
Su Qianqian had some strength after eating, so she practiced her eloquence and teased this military advisor whose identity did not match his behavior to relieve her tension. She felt sleepy but could not bring herself to sleep. Time was running out and she could not feel at ease without seeing Qin Hanzhang.
"You... Madam, please be careful with your words. I... I... humph!"
Qin Yi was so angry that he was speechless. In all these years in the military camp, no one had dared to make fun of him for this. And although he didn't want people to see him as childish, he also didn't want people to really think of him as an old man. Fifty years old? His father is not even fifty!
When Qin Shiliu saw that someone had actually made the military advisor lose face, he admired Su Qianqian even more and felt very happy.
Qin Yi is not much older, but he always calls himself "old man". Qin Shiliu has been unhappy with him for a long time. If it weren't for his extraordinary wisdom and his attempts to discipline him were always seen through and he was punished by the Marquis, he would never be able to pretend to be an elder in front of his brothers.
Qin Shiliu reminded Su Qianqian earnestly: "Master Su, are you tired? This is inevitable for your first long journey. If you want to take a short rest, that's fine. Just plan your time accordingly."
Su Qianqian really wanted to enter the space, take a hot bath, and sleep on her soft bed. Once this idea came into her mind, it grew wildly and uncontrollably. She could only use Qin Hanzhang in her dream to suppress this idea.
"No need. Today is only the first night and we can still hold on. We should walk more at night and try to avoid pedestrians after daybreak to avoid attracting attention." Su Qianqian shook her head and refused.
[My lady, you are the only one who attracts attention. You wrap yourself up like a mummy, which does protect you from the cold and sun, but it doesn't protect you from thieves. Instead, you attract thieves. Anyone with a little curiosity will follow you. 】The system complained quietly.
[Shut up! Do you want me to go to the Dali Temple in front of Mr. Bao after returning to Beijing? Then when Lan Xiang opens, will I go to cut the ribbon wearing the same face as Mr. Bao? Do I think I have lived too long, or am I here to urge the Qin family to set off earlier? 】
Su Qianqian retorted fiercely, and after a few words of quarrel, she was not so sleepy anymore.
Seeing that they had rested enough, Su Qianqian ordered them to continue on their journey. Dragging their stiff legs, they got back on their horses, and the group galloped along the mountain road in the night.
At dawn, they arrived at a small town. Su Qianqian ordered them to stop to eat and supply fodder for the horses. She also asked where this was and checked the map to see how far it was from Yunhe Mountain.
As expected, they had walked almost a quarter of the way, which was the limit for both horses and people. It took eight hours to travel three hundred miles. If nothing unexpected happened, they would be able to reach Yunhe Mountain before Youzhong on the second day.
But while I was thinking this, an accident had already happened.
Su Qianqian's little white horse was feeding hay in the stable when it suddenly heard a neighing sound.
The secret guards pretending to be passers-by were eating hurriedly. When they heard the horse neighing, they stood up instinctively. Several figures ran straight to the stable. Su Qianqian only saw a residual shadow in the soup bowl, and the person was gone.
"At this moment, horses are more important than anything else. Losing a horse is like breaking a leg. You can never buy a good horse on the road." Qin Yi was eating next to Su Qianqian, and worry was visible on his face.
Soon Qin Shiliu came back and reported to Su Qianqian in a low voice:
"There was a horse thief in broad daylight. Mr. Su's little white horse is indeed a tribute horse. It has excellent legs and recognizes its master. The thief was kicked by it when he was leading it. However, the thief was so angry that he injured the horse's leg. How should Mr. Su deal with it?"
Su Qianqian really wanted to say that she was a jinx. What unexpected thing was she thinking about?
"Hand the horse thief over to the authorities. I will ask about the result when I return. I'm going to check on Xiaobai's injuries." Su Qianqian stood up and followed Qin Shiliu to the stable. Qin Yi also followed.
The owner of the foot shop rubbed his hands and apologized repeatedly, claiming that all the fodder and food were free, and that he would also prepare fodder needed for the journey. He did not expect that there would be horse thieves visiting, and it almost caused a big accident.
The little white horse was injured on its right front calf. It kept whinnying because of the pain, and circled restlessly on the ground, raising its hoof from time to time.
Su Qianqian walked over and patted Xiaobai soothingly: "I'm so sorry for not taking good care of you and causing you suffering. I'll see if I can relieve your pain."
Su Qianqian squatted down tentatively as she spoke. Qin Shiliu and the two secret guards were worried and were ready to push the little white horse away at any time.
Xiaobai was surprisingly docile and allowed Su Qianqian to hold its calf to check the wound.
Maybe because he was afraid of being kicked by Xiaobai, the dagger didn't cut too deep, but it still cut the flesh.
Su Qianqian took out the prepared medicine and painkillers, cleaned Xiaobai's wound, applied the medicine and bandaged it.
Xiaobai didn't move from beginning to end. After Su Qianqian bandaged its wound, she stood up and stroked its neck. It even nudged Su Qianqian's hand with its head, as if to express its joy.
But Su Qianqian couldn't be happy. Xiaobai was injured. What should she do for the rest of the journey? It is a horse that can run a thousand miles a day. The reason why the secret guards of the Qin family army can keep up with it is because they are all well-trained war horses. She can't control those tall horses!
As for riding two horses on one horse, don't even think about it. If you do that, you may not be able to reach Yunhe Mountain the day after tomorrow!
"Master Su, old... I do have an idea that can solve the urgent problem. I wonder if Master Su is willing to give it a try?" Qin Yi said leisurely at the side.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
