Chapter 10: Surprise (Revised)

Everyone waited tensely for the pack of wolves to go berserk and swallow the tender little lady whole. Several guards even had veins bulging on their foreheads, prepared to fight to rescue her—they were all grown men, and even if they couldn't pull her out, they couldn't just stand by idly.

As it turned out, the alpha wolf didn't follow the script at all.

The young girl walked over effortlessly, casually patted the alpha wolf's ear, and even leaned in to whisper something to it.

"Awoo!"

The alpha wolf simply flopped down.

"I think I saw that wolf licking the girl's hand like a dog. Am I seeing things?"

Many people agreed that they were seeing things; walking in the snow frequently was enough to strain one's eyes.

However, they watched with their own eyes as the young girl took a small bundle from her hands, tied it onto the alpha wolf's back, and smoothed its fur.

The alpha wolf let out a long howl, turned around, and led the wolf pack—whose eyes were turning green with hunger—to scatter in all directions.

The crowd: "…………"

Regardless, everyone breathed a sigh of relief; they finally didn't have to fight for their lives. As for Xu Weishu, she became the guest of honor for the merchant caravan. She was ushered to the front of the campfire, where piles of dried meat were handed to her to roast or boil, allowing her to eat it however she pleased.

Yu Zhen caught a glimpse of the skin faintly revealed under the firelight on her young mistress's face. She hurriedly smeared a handful of ash on the girl's face, but in her heart, she was marvelling. After only three years of not meeting, the young lady's beauty had become even more stunning. Forget men—even as a woman, Yu Zhen couldn't help but be greatly captivated. She was no longer that little girl with sallow, dull skin from years ago. However, excessive beauty was not always a good thing.

In the manor, Baoqin and the others lived with their mistress constantly and were frequently shocked by her changes, but Yu Zhen only saw her once in a long while, so she naturally felt that Xu Weishu's appearance became more dazzling with every meeting.

Yu Zhen lowered her head, unable to help her worries.

In the past, when the young lady didn't look good, she worried; now that the young lady looked beautiful, she worried even more.

In the Great Yin Dynasty, the general requirement for women was to value talent over appearance, and they favored girls who were tranquil, virtuous, and gentle.

At the very least, a primary wife was expected to be beautiful for her tranquility, while concubines were valued for their looks.

Yu Zhen couldn't help but think of Lady Aman of the Duke's Mansion.

Back then, Lady Aman's fame was widespread. Even when Xu Weishu was the Duke's precious pearl and at the height of her prestige, she could not compare to Aman in the hearts of the capital's young ladies—not just in appearance, but in virtue as well.

It could even be said that Xu Weishu's reputation among the social circles of young ladies was quite terrible. Many thought she used her influence to bully others and frequently picked on Aman, and that it was only because Lady Aman was forgiving and patient that she didn't retaliate.

Yu Zhen frowned. Currently, the young lady's looks seemed much better than Lady Aman's; she didn't know if this was a blessing or a curse.

The Xiao clan was in charge now.

Immediately, Yu Zhen gave a bitter smile. She was overthinking it. Not long ago, Lady Aman had even taken first place at the poetry gathering hosted by the Grand Princess and received a jade hairpin from the Princess. Once her young mistress finished her mourning period and began attending those kinds of banquets, there was no telling how she would be snubbed. Perhaps once the Xiao clan gained power, they wouldn't care at all whether their young lady's appearance was good or bad.

Xu Weishu had no idea her maid was there fretting and torn; she was nonchalantly tossing dried meat into the pot.

The dried meat was ordinary, and the boiled flour cakes were ordinary too, but Xu Weishu had simply added some herbs. Especially after adding Jishui, the fragrance wafted out, causing the group of men to turn their heads.

The owner of the caravan and the several old managers beside him were also discussing the master and servant, Xu Weishu. Those in trade were well-traveled and knowledgeable; although Xu Weishu and her maid had dressed simply, the young master could tell at a glance that they were not from ordinary farming families.

Besides, an ordinary family would never let several girls travel a mountain road alone at night.

At first, the young master had assumed they were something like runaway concubines from a wealthy household.

In these chaotic times, such things happened often. Usually, one would just pretend not to notice, but now that Xu Weishu had shown her skill, it was hard for them not to pay attention. Upon closer inspection, they felt even more that these were not ordinary people.

"The young girl sitting on the left is clearly a maid, but looking at her conduct and the way she eats, she is not much different from a lady of high standing. To be able to afford such a maid, they must be wealthy or noble."

One had to say that Xu Weishu's biological mother, Shi Yan, truly knew how to train people, living up to her heritage from a family of scholars.

The Duke's Mansion back then was indeed wealthy and magnificent; the maids they raised had the lives of wealthy young ladies if they went out into the world.

"Also, although their clothes are old, the fabric is excellent. The handkerchief that young lady is using is high-quality white damask. The embroidery work should be from the Ruyi Workshop in the capital. A single handkerchief would cost at least five taels of silver, yet she uses it to wipe away ash without a second thought."

An old manager nearby smiled and said, "The young master observes closely. These people indeed come from wealthy families. Setting aside everything else, just look at those hands—ordinary laborers couldn't maintain them like that. Let's not mistreat them; we should escort the master and servant out of the mountains properly and build a good connection. We might be able to use it in the future."

There was no need for the old manager to remind him. Just seeing that they could drive away a wolf pack and save their caravan meant they shouldn't just "not mistreat" them, but rather treat them with great respect.

Regardless of what secret skills or techniques the other party possessed, this feat was nothing short of a godsend for a caravan traveling through the mountains.

While this group was talking, two people on a nearby cliff had watched the whole thing from beginning to end, having witnessed the entire drama.

One of them had a delicate and beautiful face with a hint of feminine grace, appearing to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old. He held a blade in his hand and maintained a cold expression, guarding the side of the young man beside him who was resting with his eyes closed.

The age of the seated young man was hard to tell; he seemed very young, yet his eyes and brow already carried the traces of hardship. He was exceptionally handsome, but his complexion was ashen and his lips were bluish. Despite wearing a snow-white cloak, he was skin and bones.

Compared to his frail body, his temperament was excellent. His hair was as black as ink, and his long, jade-white fingers gave him an extraordinary sense of character.

Hearing the wolf howls, the young guard's spirit instantly tightened. He wore red cotton clothes, which weren't very obvious, but as he moved, beads of blood dripped onto the snow; he must have been injured.

The sickly young man also opened his eyes, but he hadn't expected the two of them to witness such a good show.

"Limp limbs, lacking spirit... this girl doesn't know martial arts." The guard raised an eyebrow in surprise and turned to glance at his master.

The sickly young man chuckled. "The world is vast and full of wonders. Why be surprised to encounter a few extraordinary people?"

The guard rolled his eyes. "I'm just thinking that if they are heading to the capital, we might just be able to hitch a ride."

He had already scouted ahead; the cargo wagons behind them weren't full and had gaps. If they hid inside, they likely wouldn't be detected. Furthermore, there were no experts in the entire caravan, so it was unlikely there were assassins lurking.

As for the sudden appearance of three women, it seemed like an anomaly, but he couldn't care less about that. They had been hunted all along the way and were injured, his master's health was very poor, and on top of that, the master's picky eating habits were enough to be torturous. If they didn't find a way to return to the capital and get him to eat something, he would die of starvation before anyone could kill him.