Chapter 190: Divine Bird
Jinsui never expected that the journey to the Northern Frontier would end like this! It was truly dramatic from beginning to end.
It can be said that none of the plans she made at the beginning were useful. It was the fish oil firearms made in the space that were most effective.
As expected, plans never keep up with changes, but being well-prepared gives you an advantage.
Hei Hu was very obedient. When asked to quickly take Jinsui away from the Northern Frontier, he rushed at forced march speed, exhausting Jinsui greatly.
It was also very cold, and riding a horse against the cold wind felt like knives slashing at her face. Every time they stopped to rest, she would enter the space to warm herself up.
It took half an hour to stand up, there was really no other way. Even with her space, it couldn’t be used as a carriage.
She missed Yan Jiu’s luxurious carriage a bit. When she returned to the border city, she would definitely have one custom-made for herself.
The energy bars once again played a significant role. During breaks, she would take many energy bars and boil them into syrup, which she would put into biscuits for the soldiers to eat, or add compressed biscuits to cook together.
It turned into a bowl of porridge that looked very unappetizing but tasted very sweet, and was both filling and provided calories.
Hei Hu said that on their way here, they had only eaten dry rations and drunk water boiled with snow. The dry rations were so hard that even ordinary knives could be nicked, and only refined iron knives could cut them.
Jinsui regretted not having improved the military rations on a large scale. When she returned to the border city, she would mass-produce dry rations that could be stored long-term and were easy to carry, such as compressed biscuits, cheese, dried meat, and dehydrated vegetables.
This way, the soldiers could eat more nutritiously during the campaign. Hei Hu and the others had already developed a good habit; not a single one of them asked where Leader Ji got the food from.
Anyway, when Jinsui finished cooking, she would call them to eat. After eating, they didn’t even need to wash their bowls; adding some hot water made another bowl of sugar water, which they drank completely.
They rode for three consecutive days and didn’t dare to enter the Tuolei tribe when they passed by, fearing that Batel would send a message via falcon, and Tuolei would stop them.
Anyway, no one trusted anyone now! They didn’t even enter the secret post station of the Yanzhou merchant caravan they passed.
Jinsui was a little worried: “If we run this fast, what if the Prince and the others can’t catch up?”
Hei Hu didn’t think there was any problem: “We’re going back to the border city anyway, so we’ll catch up when we get there!”
Jinsui: … You make a lot of sense!
After three days, they didn’t know where they had run to. They hadn’t seen a single tribe, nor any traces of felt tents or horse dung.
Hei Hu was very worried that they would get lost, but Jinsui used a compass to find the way: “As long as we can get to the border city! There are no roads in the world, but if many people walk them, they become roads!”
Hei Hu praised: “Leader Ji speaks wisely!”
Just then, a scout team reported: “An unknown group of over five hundred people has been spotted ahead.”
Hei Hu immediately ordered them to be on guard, and Jinsui took out fish oil firearms as if they were free, until the squad leader reported again: “They are Han Chinese! That group is all Han Chinese.”
Jinsui still didn’t relax: “They could still be bandits! We encountered a group of bandits on our way here.”
Until that group also sent someone to inquire, and after mutual reporting, they learned: “We are former subordinates of the Crown Prince of the Northwest Army, specially ordered to rendezvous here.”
Hei Hu whispered to Jinsui: “Who is the Crown Prince?”
Jinsui was overjoyed: “It’s the Prince! He was the Crown Prince before, don’t you remember? Hurry, these are our people!”
They were indeed their people, former subordinates of Gu Changxiao. He had ordered them to rendezvous here, and they naturally numbered more than a few hundred; they were acting separately, with a total of three thousand seven hundred people.
Upon hearing that they were from the Black Feather Camp and were escorting Miss Ji back to the border city under the orders of the Li King, this small team immediately joined the escort.
Jinsui also felt much more at ease. With this Northwest Army joining them, even if Batel sent people to pursue them, she was confident of escaping.
The leader of the troops was a Seventh Rank Captain, Xie Maolin. He was initially somewhat wary and reserved towards Jinsui, Hei Hu, and the others. They didn’t eat from the same pot during meals, and they took turns keeping watch at night.
Until Jinsui cooked a pot of compressed biscuit porridge and brought it to them, and gave them hundreds of energy bars, even eating one in front of Xie Maolin.
The Northwest Army, which had been eating cold biscuits and drinking snow water, could no longer sit still and suggested that Captain Xie eat in batches, so that if there was poison, it could be treated in time.
After eating like this for three days, they started to fight to be among the first batch, fearing that the Black Feather Camp’s military rations would be insufficient and they would eat it all.
They even suggested raiding a few bandit camps along the way to supplement their military rations. Hei Hu repeatedly assured them that they had enough military rations and would definitely not run out, only then did they abandon the idea of ‘gathering supplies locally’.
Xie Maolin privately asked Hei Hu if this Miss Ji was the Prince’s woman, as an entire army was escorting her.
Hei Hu proudly replied: “Leader Ji is not the Prince’s woman at all! She is our leader, the Military Strategist of the border city!
Heh heh, you’ll all know how amazing Leader Ji is in the future!”
As for Jinsui having impersonated the Li King before, she strictly forbade Hei Hu and the others from mentioning it. It was difficult to explain, and if it caused Xie Maolin to be even more wary, it would be best for Gu Changxiao to explain it himself.
As they neared the border between the two countries, they encountered a group of Northern Frontier shepherds, with over a dozen youths herding more than a thousand sheep.
They were initially very wary of this Great Xia army, thinking they would directly steal their sheep. They sent someone back to the underground dwellings to call their clansmen while raising their knives to defend themselves.
Until Jinsui communicated with them in broken Northern Frontier dialect, expressing her willingness to buy their sheep. The youths still didn’t let down their guard.
Jinsui took out glazed glass artifacts, perfume, cloth, tea, and sugar and asked him if he was willing to exchange them.
These small tribes, far from the Royal Court, would not want gold and silver, only bartering. The youths’ eyes lit up, and they believed they were genuinely looking to trade.
Soon their clan leader was brought over. Seeing that the other party was a well-equipped Xia soldier, he knew escape was impossible, so he boldly negotiated a trade with them.
In the end, Jinsui exchanged fifty bricks of black tea, one hundred catties of sugar, one hundred bolts of cotton cloth, and a glazed glass falcon that the clan leader specifically requested.
In return, they got three hundred sheep. During this time, Xie Maolin curiously asked where these supplies came from.
Hei Hu said: “They are from our Leader Ji! Leader Ji is very wealthy, and we follow her to eat well and drink sweetly.”
Xie Maolin had already noticed that this Captain Hei Hu was a bit stubborn, so he asked more clearly:
“I mean, where did she hide these things? Why could she produce so many goods overnight?”
Hei Hu looked at him as if he were an idiot: “We have mutton to eat, why do you care where it came from? Be careful, Leader Ji might say that those who ask questions are not allowed to eat, and you can watch us eat!”
Xie Maolin: …
Are the armies in the border city so unique? The Crown Prince has it too hard.
“Brothers of the Northwest Army, you have traveled a long way, and I should have treated you to a meal long ago, but it has been delayed until today.
Tonight, we will have mutton hot pot! So some people will have plenty of mutton to eat!”
The Northwest Army was clearly not yet accustomed to Miss Ji’s style of doing things. How could she be like a young lady?
It didn’t feel like we were escorting this young lady, but rather that this young lady was leading us to gallop across the Northern Frontier!
The soldiers of the Black Feather Camp had eaten large pots of meat at the Royal Court, while the soldiers of the Northwest Army had not eaten meat for a long time.
All border soldiers suffer. The Black Feather Army suffers because no one took the border soldiers seriously before. Since Jinsui, the fake Li King, arrived, their situation has improved dramatically.
The Northwest Army suffers because their former lord, the Crown Prince, was deposed, they were suppressed by Prince Yu, and their newly appointed commander persecuted them.
They were once faced with the choice of either being killed or rebelling. Fortunately, Gu Changxiao contacted them in time.
However, the road out of the Northwest was also very difficult, and their military supplies ran out, almost leading to a shortage of provisions.
They couldn’t even remember the last time they ate meat!
Looking at the bubbling milky white mutton soup in the large pot, some soldiers were on the verge of tears. Jinsui felt very uncomfortable seeing this.
These are the soldiers who guard our border! Prince Yu and the others eat gold and jade, yet they treat us border soldiers so harshly.
A large amount of pepper was added to the mutton to ward off the cold. Each person ate a bowl of meat and soup. The remaining broth was used to cook noodles with tomatoes.
The aroma wafted for miles, and everyone ate until their backs were sweating, no longer feeling cold. Jinsui also gave the Northwest Army soldiers a lot of tanned leather for warmth.
Feeling that they had escaped the pursuit range of the Royal Court, they slowed down. Jinsui began to inquire in detail about the situation at the Northwest border from Xie Maolin.
Amusingly, the news of them buying sheep quickly spread through the tribe. Along the way, they encountered three groups of herdsmen waiting to sell sheep.
They also wanted tea bricks, sugar, and linen, as well as a divine artifact that the clan leader specifically requested.
It’s really a unified aesthetic from top to bottom! They all like shiny glazed products.
As long as they were willing to sell, Jinsui would buy as much as they had. After being away from home for so long, she had to bring some gifts back for the brothers in the border city!
The escape route was turned into a roadside acquisition by her. Hei Hu was a little worried: “Will we have ten thousand sheep when we get back to the border city?”
Jinsui laughed heartily: “Then I’ll change my profession to become a rancher.”
Hei Hu took her seriously: “No, no, Leader Ji should still be our leader. With you here, the brothers are more at ease.”
That day, the scout team brought good news: the Prince had caught up.
Gu Changxiao’s troops were also moving at a forced march speed. Fortunately, Jinsui’s team had slowed down these past few days, allowing them to catch up successfully.
His troops were more numerous because all the Northwest Army had joined him.
He left a detachment of the Northwest Army and Han Xing to escort Yan Jiu, as Yan Jiu and Yan Twelve Niang were carrying a lot of goods and moving slowly.
The two had not been separated for many days, but upon reunion, the feeling was very different. Their eyes seemed to overflow with affection.
Jinsui was very sure of her feelings. Her heart had fallen for Gu Changxiao even earlier than she herself had.
Her heart, which seemed shrouded in mist, cleared when Gu Changxiao climbed the Divine Palace and appeared before her. She could deceive others, but not herself.
Gu Changxiao was different to her. That indescribable, mysterious feeling was what countless infatuated men and women called love.
She had to admit to herself that she had fallen in love with Gu Changxiao.
Not when he kissed her, not when he confessed, but when his hands, bloody and bruised, climbed the Divine Palace and he said, “I’ve come to take you home.”
Xie Maolin saw the way the Crown Prince looked at this Miss Ji and understood everything. Hei Hu had said it vaguely, but this Miss Ji was clearly the Crown Prince’s woman!
Gu Changxiao was bewildered by the flocks of sheep: “Where did they come from?”
Jinsui chuckled: “I bought them along the way. It’s just in time for your welcome feast. Tonight, I’ll treat the entire army to stewed mutton!”
The soldiers of the Black Feather Camp cheered: “Thank you, Leader Ji!”
The newly joined soldiers of the Northwest Army were a bit confused. Leader Ji? You call a young girl leader?
While Hei Hu led people to skin and stew the sheep, Gu Changxiao told Jinsui about what happened later. When he returned to the Royal Court, Tuoya was seeing Yan Jiu and the others off.
But he was worried about Batel and insisted that Batel come out and explain himself clearly. Batel admitted that he could not send troops to pursue them, nor could he send anyone to take Jinsui away.
Batel was initially unwilling to come out. He had lost so much face and really didn’t want to see Gu Changxiao and the others again.
Fortunately, Jinsui escaped using a ‘miracle’, so the matter of him bringing a Han woman into the Divine Palace did not spread.
Later, when Batel and Tuoya entered the Divine Palace, they found that all the items had disappeared. The two assumed that Jinsui had thrown them down the mountain from the small window out of spite.
They even took people to search the foot of the mountain, but unfortunately, they found nothing.
How could they find it! Jinsui had transferred everything to her space.
Batel was willing to come out and meet Gu Changxiao later because he wanted to add a condition to his promise: “This King will not send anyone to pursue, nor will he send anyone to Great Xia to take away the Female Immortal Ji.
However, if she ever sets foot on my Northern Frontier territory, this King will spare no effort to keep her!”
Jinsui patted her chest: “Damn it! I can’t come to the Northern Frontier for tourism anymore! Batel is truly terrifyingly paranoid.
Perhaps in a few years, when he grows up, he will realize how foolish his actions were!”
Gu Changxiao shook his head: “No, he will only think that he did not try hard enough to keep you.
From now on, Sui Sui not only cannot go to the Northern Frontier, but should also not interact with people from the Northern Frontier. Who knows if there might be Batel’s spies among them!”
Jinsui smiled: “If he really sent spies, it would be great. They would find out that I’m not a Taoist Nun at all, and naturally, he would give up this idea.”
“Batel is not devout to the gods at all. Whether you are a Taoist Nun or not is irrelevant to him; he only wants the fish oil firearms.
The so-called building a Taoist Temple for you and calling you a Female Immortal was just a means to keep you.”
Gu Changxiao suddenly looked at Jinsui with a smile, making Jinsui’s face flush: “Why are you looking at me like that?”
“I’m thinking how amazing Sui Sui is, that people always want to snatch you away! Hmm, I need to work harder.”
Jinsui blushed: “You don’t need to work hard. Give me more silver, and I’ll work diligently.”
Gu Changxiao smiled: “All my silver will be managed by Sui Sui!”
Jinsui scoffed: “How much silver do you have? If we really calculate it, you still owe me money!”
Gu Changxiao laughed heartily: “Then I promise you the future. In the future, no matter how much silver I have, it will be managed by Sui Sui!”
Jinsui quickly changed the subject: “Will this matter affect your cooperation with the Northern Frontier and Yan Jiu?”
“No, Tuoya is still worried that we will leak this matter! Apart from Batel’s personal emotions, the Northern Frontier dare not publicize this matter.
Even those powerful people regret our hasty departure; they all wanted to buy perfume and glazed glass artifacts from you and Twelve Niang!”
Jinsui smiled: “Then when we get back to the border city and get the goods, we’ll send them over immediately. Haha, trading luxury goods for military supplies is too cost-effective!”
She then asked curiously: “What do the people of the Royal Court think of our flying?”
Speaking of this, Gu Changxiao found it even more amusing: “They are already preparing to build a temple for that divine bird!”
Jinsui also burst into laughter. It was truly ironic! Batel wanted to build a Taoist Temple for me, and the powerful people collectively opposed it.
Yet you all voluntarily want to build a temple for the ‘divine bird’, and Batel can’t even reveal the truth.
