Xi Fuhong was lost in thought.
The scorching sun was overhead, and the air was stifling with little moisture.
Before long, she felt parched and regretted not bringing any water.
Remembering the cool stream from last night, she couldn’t help but scold herself for being foolish.
Fortunately, luck was on her side.
Two hours later, the sound of wooden wheels clattering in the distance reached her ears.
Xi Fuhong shook her sun-dazed head and jumped up with a start.
She squinted towards the source of the sound and, sure enough, a blurry figure appeared at the end of the road.
The heat distorted her vision, but it was indeed an old ox pulling a cart!
Without a second thought, Xi Fuhong dashed out, startling the Old Man on the cart, who immediately raised his small whip used for driving the ox.
“Hey!!”
Xi Fuhong dodged the incoming whip and fell to the ground awkwardly.
“Little girl!
Why are you stopping my ox cart?”
the Old Man glared at Xi Fuhong angrily.
Seeing this, Xi Fuhong quickly shook her head and pointed to Xiao Qiyu, saying, “I-I was just following Miss Xiao’s instructions.
I don’t know why either.
Why don’t you ask her directly?”
By this time, Xiao Qiyu had already stood up and approached the ox cart, clasping her hands with a smile.
“I’m sorry to trouble you, sir.
We were caught in a natural disaster and ended up in the valley.
We don’t know how to get back to the city.
We hope you can kindly give us a ride.”
She then took out an embroidered pouch and handed it over.
“This is a small token of appreciation for your trouble.”
The Old Man, seeing how polite the young lady was, didn’t hold a grudge.
He took the embroidered pouch, opened it, and his face turned red with excitement, unable to speak.
As a mere vegetable cart driver, he had never seen so much silver.
Even if he lay in a coffin, he might not earn this much money.
His old hands stiffened as he tied the money pouch tightly and smiled, “Miss, what are you saying?
If you don’t mind my ox cart being dirty, I’ll take you not just to the city, but even to the palace!”
As the saying goes, money makes the world go round, and Xi Fuhong witnessed it firsthand.
“Then we’ll trouble you,” Xiao Qiyu said with an unchanged smile, finding her way onto the ox cart.
Xi Fuhong hesitated for a moment before jumping on as well.
On the road, Xiao Qiyu sat in silence, while Xi Fuhong was full of energy and curiosity.
She had ridden horses before but never sat in a cart.
Unlike the jolting of a horse, the gentle swaying of the cart was quite comfortable, and she leaned against the wooden railing to enjoy the scenery along the way.
The landscape here was vastly different from Que Yi City.
There were no towering mountains or forests.
Along the way, apart from a few small hills, all she saw were farmlands and rice paddies.
Under the sun, the green grass shimmered with specks of light, and when the wind blew, it rippled like a pond, creating a beautiful sight.
The young women working in the fields would look up and smile warmly as the ox cart passed by, some even waving.
Xi Fuhong waved back generously, feeling the warmth of the rural scenery and people, which made her forget the hardships of the past few days.
“Miss Xi, what are your plans after entering the city?”
Xiao Qiyu, usually quiet, asked softly.
Xi Fuhong’s face immediately showed sorrow.
She had been lost in the brief tranquility and had forgotten her mission.
She replied with embarrassment, “I need to find someone.”
“I see…”
Xiao Qiyu’s usual smile faded, and she said plainly, “No worries, since it’s inconvenient for you…”
“Does Miss Xiao have any requests?”
Seeing her frown slightly, Xi Fuhong asked anxiously.
“Miss Xi has her own matters to attend to, and I don’t want to delay you,” Xiao Qiyu said with a gentle smile, shaking her head to indicate that Xi Fuhong shouldn’t worry.
But how could Xi Fuhong not care?
Although she had only known Xiao Qiyu for two days, she was captivated by her gentle and elegant demeanor.
She wasn’t as spoiled and willful as Shi Cuiyan, nor as enigmatic as Xue Baihua.
Xiao Qiyu was like a cool breeze in summer, arriving just in time to comfort Xi Fuhong during her difficult days, making her unconsciously care about Xiao Qiyu.
“Actually… I don’t have any leads on finding the person. I plan to inquire about it after entering the city. If Miss Xiao needs help, just let me know. As long as I can do it, I won’t leave you to worry alone,” Xi Fuhong said, blushing.
It was the first time she had wanted to help someone so much.
Xiao Qiyu’s smile remained, but she pursed her lips as if she wanted to say something, then fell silent.
“Besides, you’re currently… blind. The old lady who saved me that day also said that it’s not convenient for a girl to travel alone. You have to be careful about everything. It’s dangerous if you can’t see. Why don’t I wait for your family to come before setting off?”
“Miss Xi…”
Xiao Qiyu’s lips parted slightly, and she said softly, “Are you helping others with no ulterior motives?”
Xi Fuhong was taken aback by the question.
Ulterior motives?
She was helping someone she wanted to help.
What ulterior motives could there be?
“Miss Xiao, what do you mean by that…”
Xi Fuhong furrowed her brows, looking at Xiao Qiyu in confusion.
Xiao Qiyu remained gentle, her smile always at the corner of her lips.
Yet Xi Fuhong felt that the Xiao Qiyu in front of her…
seemed different from the Xiao Qiyu she had seen yesterday.
But she couldn’t pinpoint what was different.
“No worries, I was overthinking. I misunderstood Miss Xi’s good intentions. I apologize for my rudeness. I hope you don’t mind,” Xiao Qiyu said.
Xi Fuhong was left dizzy by her words and finally replied, “I didn’t take it to heart.”
After a while, the atmosphere returned to its usual tranquility.
Xi Fuhong turned her gaze back to the scenery outside the cart, but the previous leisure was gone.
Her mind was troubled by Xiao Qiyu’s words, and she couldn’t understand the feeling that arose whenever she wanted to ask about Xiao Qiyu.
It was as if the words got stuck in her throat.
Even though the other person was gentle as water, she couldn’t easily get close.
“Miss! Up ahead is Wang City!”
the Old Man shouted, waving his whip to urge the ox forward.
Xi Fuhong looked ahead and indeed saw the city gates.
The city walls, made of yellow earth and stone, glowed golden in the sunset, looking majestic.
There were many carriages entering the city, and they moved forward slowly.
At the entrance stood two rows of soldiers, with long swords at their waists and stern expressions.
Seeing this, Xi Fuhong felt a sense of heaviness, but fortunately, the soldiers saw that the Old Man was carrying two women in plain clothes and didn’t make things difficult, allowing them to enter the city.
“Miss Xi, why is this city so bustling?”
Xiao Qiyu, no longer in a meditative posture, sat on the wooden plank like an ordinary woman.
“I don’t know either.
There are so many people crowding the streets,” Xi Fuhong replied, equally puzzled.
Her Jianghu experience was not as extensive as Shi Cuiyan’s, so she couldn’t know the reason.
She saw a large number of men walking on the streets, some carrying knives, some with long swords, and others with unknown weapons.
Although they looked fierce, they didn’t start fighting in the streets.
“Miss, something must have happened in this city. Why don’t you stay at my place for now?” the Old Man suggested, turning his head.
Xiao Qiyu didn’t refuse and nodded with a smile, “That sounds good. Thank you, sir.”
The Old Man drove the ox cart past a few wealthy households, and seeing the red brick walls, Xi Fuhong thought that the young maidens described in books must live in such houses.
Unfortunately, they couldn’t freely leave their homes to go out on the streets.
Although she hadn’t left the valley for ten years, she thought to herself that she wasn’t some maiden, just an orphan.
The ox cart finally stopped in front of an old brick house.
As soon as they got off, a plump woman ran out from inside.
Upon seeing Xi Fuhong and Xiao Qiyu, she immediately grabbed the Old Man’s ear and yelled at him in a language Xi Fuhong couldn’t understand.
It wasn’t Zhongyuan dialect but had a peculiar tone.
The Old Man led her to the ox shed and said something.
After a while, the plump woman, instead of being angry, ran up with a smile.
She first looked Xi Fuhong up and down, then walked over to Xiao Qiyu and said in broken Zhongyuan, “…Miss, please come inside.”
Xiao Qiyu nodded and smiled, “Thank you, madam.”
She then followed the plump woman into the house, not needing Xi Fuhong’s help at all.
Seeing this, she scratched her head in confusion, recalling Xiao Qiyu’s hesitant expression when he wanted to say something to her.
It left her feeling uneasy, as if something was off.
