Chapter 59: The Destination
The clouds hung low, swallowing the last sliver of warm light from the setting sun.
Dots of light began to appear on the horizon, and the sounds of people, carriages, and bells drifted faintly.
“There’s a town ahead, Ma Jia Town.”
Xi Hou rode his horse back, reined it in, and exclaimed, “After passing the town, it’s only about thirty more li to Ye Du!”
Xiao Yi’s spirits lifted, and he decided not to travel at night and to rest in the town.
Ma Jia Town sat at a crucial point on the official road. Though it had no city walls, a stockade gate stood at the entrance, with a worn banner bearing the words “Ye Du Patrol,” guarded by village soldiers in brown tunics.
Inside, the streets were paved with compacted yellow earth, and the accumulated snow had been cleared to the sides. Shops lined the street, banners fluttered, and there were taverns, small eateries, livery stables, general stores selling needlework, and saddle shops, among other businesses.
Xiao Yi sniffed the air, catching the aroma of toasted Hu Bing, the gamey scent of lamb tripe soup, the smell of horse manure, and the odor of cheap wine.
Children chased each other, shouting out off-key nursery rhymes.
“Ye Du’s soldiers are strong and horses are fine, Commander Guo fights the jackals…”
Hua Nong stared, murmuring, “Since Commander Guo took charge of Ye Du, he has rectified officialdom, encouraged farming, and severely punished soldiers who robbed travelers. It seems the rumors were true; truly, traveling ten thousand li is better than reading ten thousand books.”
“Always rambling. What’s so great about it? It’s nothing compared to Kaifeng.”
Jiang Er Niang complained as usual, though her expression had softened somewhat.
Xiao Yi looked around. Xi Hou, understanding his intention, squeezed up to him and asked, “Are you looking for an inn, Military Officer Xiao? I’ve already picked one out, look, that’s it—”
The inn had a large facade, with shops in front and lodging in the back. A pair of lanterns hung at the entrance, bearing the words “An Yu Inn for Merchants” and “Conscientious Eatery.”
Upon closer inspection, a wooden sign stood beside it with crude lettering but reasonable prices.
“Upper room: one hundred fifty cash per night, a bundle of fodder; communal bed: thirty cash per night, hot water charged separately.”
“Coming!”
The shop assistants here were not afraid of the soldiers and greeted them enthusiastically. One first bowed to Xiao Yi and announced, “General, Lady, Military Officer, it’s cold and freezing, please come inside quickly. Our inn has hot soup noodles and hot water for your feet, the stable is spacious, and the feed is fresh!”
The group entered one by one. The main hall was spacious, with a large central hearth where firewood crackled merrily, filling the space with warmth.
Several lamb legs hung roasting, dripping fat into the fire with a sizzle, releasing an enticing aroma.
“Wow!”
Hua Heng’s eyes lit up immediately, as if he wished he could pounce on them right away.
Guo Zongyi tugged at Xiao Yi’s sleeve, saying, “Young Master…”
Xiao Yi nodded at Lu You.
The money pouch landed on the counter with a crisp clatter.
“Quick, quick, bring us good wine and good food, we’re freezing to death.”
“Haha, we can finally be comfortable tonight!”
The group, warmed by the fire and smelling the roasted meat, all broke into smiles.
This was one of the rare times since Xiao Yi’s transmigration that he could eat a good meal so freely and relaxedly, without worrying about the price, letting everyone eat their fill, and even letting out a few satisfied burps himself.
After the meal, everyone settled in.
Xiao Yi saw that the adobe kangs were covered with clean rush mats, and the bedding had no peculiar smell, which made him feel even more comfortable.
He had slept soundly the previous night and wasn’t sleepy now, so he went down to practice martial arts.
The back courtyard was spacious, and the accumulated snow had been swept to the corner. He warmed up, exercised, and practiced martial arts in the courtyard. He didn’t do many fancy routines, but instead started again from the most basic and practical strikes: slash, chop, lift, thrust, and block. His movements were not as graceful as before, but they were more efficient and imbued with the ferocity of battlefield combat.
The frustration, vigilance, anger, and a hint of imperceptible confusion from the past few days were all channeled into this monotonous training.
Xiao Yi’s heart gradually quieted, as if he had returned to the past.
Time passed, and the moon rose to the zenith.
His breathing was slightly labored, and fine sweat beaded on his forehead. Then, as if sensing something, he abruptly turned his head.
Guo Xin had arrived at some point and was standing under a corridor pillar, watching.
She had washed up and changed into a clean skirt and jacket, wearing the Crane Cloak Xiao Yi had brought from the Li Residence. It made her appear slender. In her hands, she held a small Hand Warmer, and her cheeks were slightly flushed from the warmth.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Guo Xin shook her head and walked forward, saying, “We’re getting closer to Ye Du, and yet I can’t sleep.”
“Are you missing your father?”
“Mmm.” Guo Xin lowered her head, her deerskin boots crushing a patch of ice, and asked, “After you meet my father, what are your plans?”
Xiao Yi said, “I’ll see if Commander Guo has a position where I can be of service.”
“Father will definitely value you highly; you have great abilities.”
“Just good luck.”
“Tch.”
Guo Xin was clearly not satisfied with this answer. She sat down on a corridor bench and began to tread on the snow.
“I’ve always been curious, you say you came from being a servant in the Shi Residence, so how are you so capable?”
“Capable?”
“Yes!”
“Because I read books and practice martial arts, my fundamentals are solid. For a child of poverty, isn’t this how one changes their fate?”
“What did you usually do?”
“I was an actor… or rather, a street performer.”
“Street performer?”
Xiao Yi also sat down on the corridor bench and looked up at the sky.
The moon on the ninth day was not quite round, hazy in the snowy mist, no different from what it would be in a thousand years.
“It means, I acted out characters who were very good at fighting, performing with spears and clubs, like Jing Ke, Xiang Yu, Lu You, Qin Qiong, that sort of thing.”
“You are indeed good at wielding spears and clubs. So, who did you perform for?”
“I performed for others,” Xiao Yi sighed softly and said, “and even more so for myself, to fulfill a hero’s dream.”
“Mmm… The kind who performs but doesn’t sell themselves?”
The courtyard fell silent for a moment.
A cold wind swept past the eaves, bringing the snorting of horses.
Guo Xin stood up and placed the Hand Warmer into Xiao Yi’s embrace.
“To warm your hands. You sweated from practicing martial arts, don’t catch a chill. I… I’m going back!”
“Oh.”
“Also, when we get to Ye Du, about you burning my Betrothal Letter… I’ll settle accounts with you later! Hmph.”
After speaking, without waiting for Xiao Yi’s reaction, she quickly ran off.
Looking in the direction she went, he saw her skirt hem and cloak fluttering in the lamplight. As she reached the corner, she looked back once before disappearing.
The warmth from the bronze brazier seeped into his palm.
Xiao Yi thought of his lie and shook his head slightly.
That night, he slept soundly.
The next day was the tenth of the eleventh lunar month.
When he woke up, the inn was filled with noisy chatter.
Xiao Yi looked out from his second-floor window and saw Old Pan preparing horses in the courtyard, with Xi Gou, Hu Deng, and Wu Gouzi talking to him in hushed tones.
“If we can reach Ye Du today, I won’t have held you back from earning merit, right?”
“Idiots, what are you thinking about?”
“From the way Military Officer Xiao spoke,” Hu Deng said, “Commander Guo might even sit on the Dragon Throne. If you hold us back…”
“Hush!”
“Heh, I just don’t want to travel with Xu Sheng, so I specifically followed Old Pan. Military Officer Xiao is generous, so following him will be more comfortable.”
“Shut up, the lot of you.”
Old Pan cursed in a low voice, but not too harshly. He patted Wu Gouzi on the shoulder and said, “Get your minds right and behave yourselves.”
Xiao Yi quietly closed the window.
After going downstairs and packing his luggage, he had Lu You distribute the remaining Gold ingots to Old Pan and the other three.
Old Pan did not expect him to do this and dared not accept.
“Military Officer Xiao, we are acting on orders, how can we…”
“Orders are orders, friendship is friendship. Take it.”
Xi Hou grinned so wide he couldn’t close his mouth, saying, “I’m reluctant to spend it; I’ll keep it and remember Military Officer Xiao’s kindness day and night!”
On the other side, Guo Zongyi and Hua Heng, carefree, chased each other in the Main Hall, chanting the nursery rhyme they learned yesterday.
“Ye Du’s soldiers are strong and horses are fine… Sister, today we can see Zhan Zhao again! He said he’d give me a knife when we get to Ye Du!”
“That guy,” Hua Guan frowned slightly and said with disdain, “He’s a glib talker with no filter. If you believe him, even a pig could fly.”
“He wouldn’t lie to me.”
“Why wouldn’t he lie to you?”
“Because he’s handsome.”
Hua Guan scoffed, “He looks like a monkey, how is that handsome?”
Guo Zongyi laughed, “He’s a handsome monkey.”
Lu You swaggered past and stated matter-of-factly, “None of you are as handsome as me.”
They set off, leaving Ma Jia Town.
Unlike the desolation they had encountered along the way, the Official Road ahead was increasingly filled with caravans transporting Grain, Cloth, Leather, and Iron.
In the furrows between the fields on either side, plowing marks from the autumn harvest could be seen, and beneath the accumulated Snow, stalks of millet were visible.
Seeing this scene, Hua Nong nodded repeatedly, murmuring, “Good, good, good.”
However, as they neared Ye Du, an intangible aura of solemnity and tension gradually pervaded the air.
Continuous encampments, moats, stockades, and watchtowers.
On the watchtowers, Banners of different colors fluttered in the wind, embroidered with the large surnames “Guo,” “Wang,” “He,” “Li,” and others.
Scouts on light cavalry could be seen whistling past, carrying Command Flags bearing the character “scout”.
At a fork in the road, several armored soldiers were escorting bound individuals, and sounds of crying could be heard.
“I really wasn’t a Khitan spy…”
Xiao Yi and the others also unconsciously quieted their chatter; even the most boisterous Xi Hou fell silent.
Finally.
After crossing a stretch of hills, a city majestically situated on the banks of the Zhang River revealed its silhouette.
The city walls were imposing, the battlements like teeth, and the Banners like a forest, standing firm against the wind and Snow.
Under the vast winter sun, Ye Du lay like a black mountain range pressing against the horizon, exuding a cold, hard, and unshakeable grandeur.
