Chapter 209:
In Lu Zhou City, on the wide long street, a group of people galloped past on horseback, leaving the street vendors with a mouthful of yellow sand.
Xie Wanning sat at a wonton shop by the street, chewing a wonton deliciously, using her arm to shield the soup bowl. Hearing the commotion, she looked up, her face immediately stiffening.
She only saw the backs of the group.
But even as backs, that familiar silhouette was one she couldn’t forget even if turned to ash.
Lu Ziyan had actually come to Lu City!
Had he heard news of her? The events of the previous night were still fresh in her mind.
It made sense if he had gotten the news and rushed over.
Swallowing the wonton, Xie Wanning made a decision.
She could no longer stay in Lu City.
She had originally planned to play in Lu City for a couple of days before heading south, but sure enough, plans couldn’t keep up with changes. She would leave today.
In the eyes of those thugs, she had jumped into Dayang Lake, so Lu City wouldn’t be peaceful for a while.
Based on her understanding of Lu Ziyan, he would seal off Dayang Lake to drag for her, and along the way question boatmen for news of her…
In short, she had died in Lu City, so this area wouldn’t be calm for a while. Before giving up, Lu Ziyan wouldn’t leave.
And Lu City was only so big; she might get caught by him at any time.
Xie Wanning glanced in the direction where the fast horses had disappeared, then heard a nearby customer curiously say, “I wonder what happened. Look, that direction is our Lu City yamen.”
The wonton shop owner, who was boiling wontons, didn’t care, “No matter what it is, as long as it’s not Great Jin people attacking in, it has nothing to do with us common folk.”
Fair enough…
The group laughed heartily.
Xie Wanning stood up, paid a few copper coins, and was about to leave when she saw another group coming from afar, also on tall horses, also galloping by in a rush.
The leader, she also recognized.
She stood stunned in place…
She knew Pei Yuqing had come to the Northern Region, but she hadn’t expected it to be so coincidental—he was actually in Lu Zhou at this moment.
Judging by the direction, his destination seemed the same as Lu Ziyan’s.
They had probably both heard news of her accident, so…
“Young Lady… Young Lady?”
Xie Wanning came back to her senses.
“The caravans in the city are all over by the south market. You need to go this way,” the shop owner said with a cheerful smile, giving directions, and added, “He Family Caravan has a good reputation. Most people asking around on the street who want to go out of town go with He Family Caravan.”
In these chaotic times, every family had urgent matters requiring long journeys, and setting out alone was definitely not feasible.
Most people traveled with caravans.
Merchants who could organize caravans had paid off the mountain bandits and roving bandits in the area with incense money, so of course they wouldn’t be troubled.
This was also the most trusted way for common folk to travel.
After thanking him, Xie Wanning headed in the direction the wonton stall owner had pointed.
Before fleeing the Northern Frontier, she had prepared herself to abandon her identity and conceal one’s identity for life.
Even if she died out there.
Even if she ended up destitute and down-and-out.
No matter how hard or difficult, she absolutely could not let herself become an object of contention again.
As long as she was alive, Lu Ziyan and Pei Yuqing’s struggle wouldn’t stop.
The Great Khan was riddled with problems and couldn’t withstand them fighting like this. She had no intention of disrupting the regime, much less harming Pei Yuqing’s life.
Nor did she wish to ruin the Xie Clan’s reputation.
But the moment she saw Pei Yuqing appear in Lu City, Xie Wanning’s mind was still greatly shaken, and the thought arose to stay and meet him.
