Chapter 151: Encountering Wolves
After breakfast, Grandpa let Jinsui and Jinan sleep first, saying he wasn’t sleepy yet as he had already taken a nap. He brewed a pot of strong tea and drank it with the person who also wasn’t planning to sleep, chatting in low voices.
Jinsui knew Grandpa intended to keep watch. One must be wary of others, so she seized the time to sleep well and relieve Grandpa.
Jinan understood too and quickly said, “Sister, you just sleep. I’ll get up in the latter half of the night to watch the carriage.”
Jinsui flicked his forehead, “You watch the carriage, and what if you and the carriage are taken away then?
Go to sleep! Children who don’t sleep well won’t grow tall.”
The items in the carriage were tidied to one corner. The quilts could barely be spread out, and it was still spacious enough for the siblings to lie down. Jinan started to feel a bit embarrassed, trying to stay as far away from his sister as possible.
Sister is a girl, she can’t sleep next to her.
Unexpectedly, Jinsui hugged him around the waist, “Aren’t you cold! It’s warmer when we huddle together.”
Jinan curled up motionlessly. Smelling the fragrance from his sister, he involuntarily thought of Mother. He hadn’t been held like this to sleep for a long time.
His eyes welled up a little, afraid his sister would notice and laugh at him. He was too tired from traveling during the day, and the little fellow fell asleep in no time.
Jinsui listened to the even breathing of her younger brother in her arms, then strained her ears to hear Grandpa drinking tea outside. Her mind raced uncontrollably, thinking about all sorts of things.
Border City, Gu Changxiao, Jiangnan, Father Ling’s case, how to proceed in the future, and so on, all tangled together like a twisted rope, making her head ache and feel swollen. She couldn’t fall into a deep sleep, always half-awake and half-dreaming, feeling disoriented.
Suddenly, she clearly heard a low growl. A string in her mind tightened abruptly, and she sat up sharply. Jinan, in her arms, rolled to the side, fast asleep.
Jinsui quickly covered her brother with the blanket, loaded a hand crossbow with an anesthetic needle and a fish oil firearm, and jumped off the carriage.
She saw Grandpa and a group of men all holding weapons, but unfortunately, the weapons were not proper; some were sticks, and some were stones.
The people who had been sleeping soundly woke up one after another. Children were having their mouths covered by their mothers, and they all retreated towards Jinsui’s carriage.
It was people’s instinctive reaction when encountering danger: to find a shelter. And the only thing that could be considered shelter in this forest was the carriage.
“Grandpa, what is it?”
Grandpa Ling adjusted his hat and stared intently into the darkness outside the forest, “A wolf pack. They’re quite cunning. I sensed something when I was drinking tea, but they waited until the dead of night to come out.”
One person said with lingering fear, “Those sleeping on the outskirts of the forest were almost dragged away. Fortunately, the old man reacted quickly and woke us up.”
The low growls of the wolf pack could be heard intermittently. The humans and wolves were in a standoff. Everyone kept adding firewood to the bonfire, hoping a larger fire would scare the wolves away.
The wolf pack kept circling outside the forest, also not daring to charge in.
After an unknown amount of time, everyone’s breathing was almost frozen by the cold night wind. Jinsui’s arm holding the hand crossbow had gone numb. This was not the time for her to be brave.
She couldn’t go fight the wolves, and leaving Grandpa and Jinan behind was also unsafe. It was a matter of who would give out first, the humans or the wolves.
Just then, it suddenly became very quiet outside the forest, so quiet it was eerie. The cold wind blew, making one’s hair stand on end.
Then came a wolf’s pained whimper. A faint smell of blood was carried by the wind. The Wolf King let out a howl, and the sound of the wolf pack galloping away echoed from outside the forest.
The tense atmosphere in the forest dissipated. The sounds of birds and small animals could be heard. Jinsui, holding a torch, said, “The wolf pack is gone. A few people, come with me to take a look.”
Grandpa Ling tacitly climbed onto the carriage to guard Jinan. Jinsui, with a torch in one hand and the crossbow in the other, led over a dozen young and strong men carrying wooden sticks into the depths of the forest.
One wolf was covered in blood, with a branch stuck in its neck that had pierced its main artery, draining almost all its blood.
Jinsui had people carry the wolf’s corpse into the forest. The others couldn’t explain why, but they involuntarily obeyed the youth in front of them.
She and her grandfather seemed to possess a natural aura that commanded belief.
“The wolf pack has fled.”
She was trying to guess the wolf’s cause of death, but the crowd came to their own conclusion: “It’s truly the blessing of the Earth God! This wolf actually impaled itself on a branch and died!”
Jinsui: …What kind of branch could pierce a wolf’s hide on its own and hit the main artery precisely?
She glanced at Grandpa, saw him shake his head slightly, and said nothing more.
The crowd discussed cooking wolf meat. On such a cold night, a pot of meat soup would not only ward off the cold but also dispel the fear they had just experienced.
Amusingly, they even managed to attribute this to Li King:
“No wonder they say Border City is a good place. Look, even the wolves in Border City don’t dare to eat people!”
“It must be Li King’s deterrence.”
“Haha, I haven’t tasted meat in over half a year, and I get to eat wolf meat before even reaching Border City!”
The more they talked, the happier they became. The children also lost their sleepiness and eagerly awaited their share of the meat.
They skinned the wolf and, along with two wolf teeth, insisted on giving them to Grandpa Ling. Grandpa Ling smiled and said he hadn’t done anything, and the wolf wasn’t killed by him, so he couldn’t accept it.
It would be better to sell them in Border City and share the money.
Those who slept on the outer perimeter quickly said, “If it weren’t for the old man calling us, we would have been carried off by the wolves long ago. We have nothing to repay you with, so you must accept this wolf hide!”
Grandpa Ling had no choice but to roll up the wolf hide and store it on top of the carriage, planning to process it when he had time.
Meanwhile, the pot was set up to cook the wolf meat. Jinsui quietly handed Grandpa Ling a packet of salt to add to the meat soup, while she returned to the carriage to sleep.
She recalled the wolf’s death, a vague guess forming in her mind.
For a moment, she didn’t know whether to feel angry or disheartened, then she gave a self-deprecating laugh:
“You’ve been driven out of Border City, and you still think he’ll remember old feelings? Anything is possible. Don’t panic, Jinan and Grandpa still need you to protect them!”
Jinsui opened her eyes and stared at the carriage roof until dawn. A plan took shape in her mind.
They could travel at dawn. Grandpa Ling got into the carriage to sleep, and Jinsui drove southward. With the camaraderie from the night of fighting wolves, the people who woke up waved them goodbye.
The large pot of stewed wolf meat was still steaming. The morning mist rose thinly, obscuring visibility. The carriage soon disappeared on the official road, as if driving into a painting.
The travelers, who had shared a night’s experience, each embarked on their own journey, heading towards the Peach Blossom Spring chosen by fate.
Jinan woke up and carefully climbed out without disturbing Grandpa. He put on his thick clothes, donned a crooked hat, and crawled next to Jinsui, apologizing, “Sister, I overslept.”
Jinsui chuckled, “Fortunately, you didn’t wake up, or you would have been too scared to sleep last night.”
Hearing Jinsui recount the encounter with the wolves last night, Jinan deeply regretted not waking up and urged Jinsui to wake him next time something like this happened.
As the mist gradually dissipated and visibility improved, Jinsui stopped the carriage and took the mat Grandpa had specially prepared for her to relieve herself in the forest.
Grandpa Ling, with his meticulous care, worried about his granddaughter’s convenience on the road. He had taken an old mat and attached two ropes to the front. When rolled up between two trees and tied with the ropes, it formed a temporary toilet.
After tying the ropes, Jinsui entered her space to wash up, relieve herself, change her underwear, boil water to make two bowls of oatmeal, cook a few eggs, and grab some energy bars for a simple breakfast.
Carrying the mat and breakfast back to the carriage, Jinan ate whatever was given without asking any questions.
Grandpa had repeatedly instructed him on this: when your sister offers food on the road, don’t ask where it came from! Just eat it!
Brother Hei Hu had also warned him never to ask, or the Prince would stop giving it.
Grandpa slept until almost noon. They stopped to cook a pot of hodgepodge soup with flatbread. After the three of them ate, Grandpa told Jinsui to sleep and he would drive.
They traveled like this for three days and finally left Yanzhou Territory.
Neither the Zheng Family nor the Yan Clan sent anyone to pursue them. The three of them finally relaxed. The rest of the journey was still rushed; only after completely leaving Yandi could they travel at a leisurely pace.
After finishing the hodgepodge, they happened to pass a small town. Grandpa Ling suggested going into town to buy some fresh vegetables and meat. He would continue to stew a pot of hodgepodge to have on hand.
Jinsui readily agreed. The town was very lively, but the streets were too narrow for the carriage to enter.
Jinsui stayed to watch the luggage while Grandpa took Jinan into town to buy things.
About half an hour later, a peasant woman dressed in thick cotton clothes approached the carriage, smiling and asking Jinsui for directions.
Suddenly, her foot twisted, and she fell in front of the carriage, crying with her hands over her face.
Jinsui quickly got out of the carriage to help her in. After simple bandaging, the woman left, limping.
Soon, Grandpa Ling returned with Jinan. Daoist Ji, wearing a strange eye mask, a wide-brimmed hat, and a scarf, emerged from the carriage and continued driving southward.
Another two peaceful days passed. However, for some reason, Daoist Ji either drove the carriage or rested inside, rarely showing himself.
This night was fortunate. They passed a rather large Earth God Temple, with three main halls and a very wide porch, large enough to accommodate the carriage and horses.
The three of them entered the temple, lit a fire, cooked, and rested. In the darkness, unnoticed, a youth stood with his arms crossed, yawning and staring at the ruined temple.
The youth didn’t sense anything unusual.
Unbeknownst to him, at a post station ten miles from the ruined temple, a young girl in an old peasant outfit, wearing a wide-brimmed animal hide hat that covered her face, asked for a dormitory bed for ten coins, the cheapest available at the post station.
The girl attracted no attention. Like other passing travelers, she was low-key, poor, and timid, afraid to speak to the post station attendant. She kept her head down, clutching her simple luggage, and curled up on the dormitory bed.
In the unseen darkness, the girl opened her eyes. Anyone who had passed through Border City and looked with a lamp would be astonished to find that this girl bore a striking resemblance to Li King!
That’s right, the girl lying at the post station at this moment was the real Jinsui.
This was her and Grandpa Ling’s plan. That day in the small town, Grandpa Ling took Jinan to buy things, but in reality, he was looking for a man of similar build to impersonate her.
This man only needed to know how to drive, and additionally, he had to dress as a woman to approach the carriage.
As long as the silver was enough, the young men in the small town were very willing to take on the job.
Grandpa Ling didn’t have time to be picky. He chose the coachman’s son and gave him a deposit of three taels of silver. The remaining seven taels would be given to the coachman’s son upon completion of the task.
They agreed he would only be needed for three days, and ten taels of silver, equivalent to a coachman’s annual income, was immediately agreed upon by father and son.
Tonight was the third night. Tomorrow, that coachman’s son would show himself. Those secretly following them would see that this was not the fake Li King at all.
They would either choose to come forward and inquire, or search secretly. Regardless of their choice, Grandpa Ling had a way to deal with it.
The real Jinsui, dressed in women’s clothing again, quietly followed behind Grandpa Ling. No one would believe that Li King was a woman.
Once Jinsui bought another carriage and had Grandpa abandon the old one, they could completely shake off the followers.
This plan was rather crude, but it was the only method Jinsui could think of on the spur of the moment.
That night, upon seeing the gray wolf’s corpse, Jinsui was certain someone was following them.
She didn’t delve into it. Was this person there to protect them in leaving Yanzhou smoothly, or to silence them, or to keep their whereabouts firmly under control?
Regardless of the reason, if it was protection, she didn’t need it. If it was to control their whereabouts, she couldn’t tolerate it. If it was to silence them, then it would be a fight to the death, who was afraid of whom!
She couldn’t stay too close, or she would be detected. Nor could she stay too far, or she would easily fall behind.
After confirming the itinerary multiple times with Grandpa Ling, tonight, as they had predicted, she stayed at the post station, and Grandpa Ling stayed at the Earth God Temple not far away.
Tomorrow morning, when Daoist Ji appeared, the secret followers would surely be stunned.
In the darkness, Jinsui smiled.
She wondered if Jinan and Grandpa missed her special breakfast these past two days.
As she gradually fell asleep, she was completely unaware that the situation was developing far more complexly than she had anticipated.
In the Earth God Temple, a cold wind blew in from the dilapidated window. Grandpa Ling, fearing Jinan would catch a chill, used an old mat from the carriage to block it.
He then took down the animal hide blanket and spread it out as a bed for Jinan. The coachman’s son looked on with envy.
“Master Ji, you are truly good to your grandson.”
Grandpa Ling said with a smile, “After toiling for most of my life, I only have this grandson and granddaughter left. How could I not treat them well?”
The young man was very curious and bold, and couldn’t help but say,
“You had me pretend to be a girl to get on the carriage and swap out your granddaughter. Fortunately, I covered my face, or I would have been embarrassed.”
Grandpa Ling was surprised, “What do you mean?”
The coachman’s son slapped his thigh and said, “Your granddaughter is too beautiful! I’ve never seen such a beautiful and spirited girl in Yanzhou!
I pretended to be a girl and looked like an ugly monster. How could I swap? If anyone looked too closely, I would have been exposed.”
Grandpa Ling laughed. His granddaughter had been impersonating Li King for so long, and people had said all sorts of things about her, calling her a rogue, a reincarnated mischievous monkey, rude and uncivilized…
Every time he heard it, he would think to himself, “My granddaughter is beautiful! What do you common folk know?”
Hearing the coachman’s son praise her so generously, Grandpa Ling was naturally pleased.
“Which Master Ji? When will your granddaughter catch up to us? Do you want to hire me as your coachman? I’ll take you to Jiangnan.”
Grandpa Ling glanced at him. Kid, your intentions are written all over your face!
You just want to use this opportunity to talk to my Sui Sui, don’t you? Dream on!
Grandpa Ling handed him some roasted flatbread pieces, trying to shut him up, “As agreed, you will walk out of this Earth God Temple openly at dawn and go straight home.
Your father is waiting for you to bring the silver back. I don’t need you as a coachman.”
After speaking, Grandpa Ling reminded him with a veiled warning, “Don’t forget our agreement…”
The coachman’s son quickly said, “I know, I know. I can’t tell anyone about this. If anyone asks, I’ll say I was a passenger and didn’t know where your grandson went.”
“Master Ji, you’ve said it eight hundred times. My father and I remember it clearly.”
Grandpa Ling sighed softly, “This is for your own good.” Alas, he hoped things would go as smoothly as Sui Sui’s plan.
Watching the young man chew on the flatbread, Grandpa Ling felt a pang of sympathy. He had no idea what he had gotten himself into, only that he had earned ten taels of silver in three days and was very happy and proud.
“I haven’t asked yet, what’s your full name?”
The coachman’s son chuckled. His rough skin, illuminated by the firelight, appeared dark red.
“My name is Lu Ming. Master Ji can call me Xiao Lu.”
Continuing to ask for votes, ahhhhh.
