Chapter 36: It's Him

Chapter 36: It's Him

Hong Xiaoduo held the map Tian Quan had just handed her, her fingers tapping back and forth over the locations closest to Mopan Town.

It was only after receiving the travel permit made by Brother Dong that she learned this country was called Fengliang. Mopan Town was located in the eastern part of the country, and a few towns past that was a prefectural seat called Dawu Pass.

Beyond that lay the border near the neighboring country.

Brother Dong had told her that although there was currently no warfare at the border, it was not a peaceful place, and he had specifically warned her not to head in that direction.

As for the old man at the Science Museum, until he cracked the password to that primitive data, he had no idea what the purpose of sending her here was, nor could he give an exact time for when it would be solved.

However, one thing Hong Xiaoduo was certain of: regardless of whether they had fulfilled the purpose of her being here, the old man would absolutely not bring her back first.

It wasn't that Hong Xiaoduo was thick-skinned and could easily let things go, nor was it that she had resigned herself to fate; it was simply that what else could she do if she refused to accept this reality?

In this state of having no clear purpose and no direction,

She did, however, have one thing she absolutely had to do: take these seven children and travel around, hoping to find a way to settle them as soon as possible.

Brother Dong, whom she had only recently met in Mopan Town, was straightforward and righteous, and possessed the financial means to support seven children. However, after hearing her intention to find proper arrangements for them, he had only offered an analysis.

Before she left, he had sent someone to deliver silver. Just now on the carriage, she had opened the brocade pouch and saw that besides fifty taels of silver, there was also a gold ingot, several gold leaves, and a handful of gold beans.

Brother Dong had gone out of his way to help with the travel permit and had given her so much money, yet he had not impulsively taken on the responsibility of receiving the children. This indicated that it was simply inconvenient for him to do such a thing.

Because of this, Hong Xiaoduo became even clearer on the fact that the prospects for finding a place to properly settle these children were not optimistic.

But so what? All she could do was try her best.

One advantage of not having a clear purpose for being here was that she wasn't restricted by time or specific routes; she could go wherever she wanted.

The seven children she was traveling with were all quite young, and with no fixed residence and winter approaching, she didn't want them to suffer too much. She planned to lead them southward.

If they happened to encounter a suitable place, she was also considering staying there permanently.

"Mother, are we changing our destination?" Tian Shu asked, walking over as he saw Hong Xiaoduo looking at the map.

Hong Xiaoduo didn't look up. "No change. So far, this route is the most suitable for us. First, this is an official road, which is relatively safe. Second, the intervals between the villages, towns, and cities on this road will allow us to avoid sleeping in the wild."

"Mother, they are coming," Tian Shu suddenly whispered, lowering his voice.

Hong Xiaoduo nodded and turned her head toward the approaching direction. *Huh? Am I seeing things?* She couldn't help but widen her eyes to look closer.

"Don't be afraid, they aren't bad people," Hong Xiaoduo said to Tian Shu, breathing a sigh of relief after recognizing one of the six men.

"Ah?" Hearing this, Tian Shu also looked at each of the riders approaching on horseback and immediately understood why Hong Xiaoduo was so certain.

Wasn't that person a close friend of Uncle Yuefan? Mother had even treated him to meat buns and wontons before.

However, this person was not as easy to get along with as Uncle Yuefan. Mother had kindly treated him to meat buns, but for some reason, he had suddenly changed his expression and left in a great huff.

At that time, Uncle Yuefan had laughed very happily, lying on the ground clutching his stomach for a long time before he could stop.

It really wasn't Tian Shu's fault that they had sat so close to this man without knowing the truth. There was only one reason: it was the first time in their lives they had sat at a bun shop table, openly eating hot, fragrant, freshly steamed meat buns.

Without the fear of being chased away, their minds were entirely focused on the delicious meat buns during that moment of bliss; how could they have the leisure to notice anything else?

After identifying the person on horseback, Hong Xiaoduo returned to her map. If she accidentally looked at such a narcissistic person for too long, she might be misunderstood again.

By now, the six riders were very close. The five subordinates were all looking at the young lady sitting by the roadside. She was indeed quite beautiful; could it be that this was the type their master liked?

But the lady had absolutely no interest in their master; after a single glance, she didn't look up again.

They observed her very closely. The lady lowering her head wasn't because she was shy; her fair face remained unchanged, without a hint of a blush.

*Good heavens! Are there truly women in this world who remain completely unmoved upon seeing our master, who looks like the legendary Pan An? Rare indeed, truly rare! A rare sight!*

Looking back at their master—good heavens, his handsome face was as dark as the bottom of a pot!

Startled, they immediately turned their faces away, temporarily setting aside their curiosity to sit upright on their horses, staring straight ahead.

How could Mu Zitao be in a good mood? As a young hero, he was admired by countless women in the capital. How could he be viewed this way by this young lady?

But so what if he was annoyed? Was he supposed to stop and ask her if she was blind? Why didn't she have any reaction to seeing him?

Regardless of the rider's mood, his mount continued to move forward at a steady, rhythmic trot.

At that moment, a comment from a child by the roadside nearly made Mu Zitao fall off his horse.

"Eh? It's that sick person from town! They aren't coughing anymore; is the illness cured?" Yao Guang blurted out upon seeing the face of the man on the tall horse.

Her voice wasn't actually loud; on the contrary, she was asking her sister, Yu Heng, in a low voice.

However, Mu Zitao had excellent hearing! He heard it crystal clear! He truly wanted to disregard his status as a young general and roar at the child, *I am not sick, stop talking nonsense!*

The irritation already simmering in his heart surged upward. He squeezed his horse's flanks and galloped away.

The five subordinates hurriedly urged their horses to follow. Even after they had gained some distance, some were still unwillingly turning their heads to look back.

They were all thinking the same thing: *Whose daughter is this lady? She's quite something, being able to make our usually composed master this angry. She's quite a talent!*

*Did something happen between the master and this lady? Is there some sort of grudge?*

During their days in Mopan Town, the master had instructed them to stay far away and had not allowed them to follow him when he went out.

The five of them felt somewhat frustrated. Why were they so stubborn and obedient? If the master told them not to follow, they didn't. If they had secretly followed to protect him, things might not have turned out like this—knowing full well there must be some inside story, yet remaining completely in the dark!

They wanted to know so badly; it was agonizing!

Hearing the hoofbeats fade into the distance, Hong Xiaoduo had the children board the carriage and continued their journey.

She had to hurry a little; otherwise, according to the distances marked on the map, they wouldn't reach that town before dark.

After noon, as Mu Zitao's group rode past a forest, they all involuntarily slowed down.

"Master, something is wrong in the forest."

"Why are there so many people making a living by blocking roads and robbing people these days? They're quite observant, too; they didn't dare pick a fight with us. But that lady and her group were heading this way as well, and there were no diversions on the path."

"Master, shall we deal with them?"

The subordinates were all talking at once, eager to try. When they encountered such matters, their hands itched to act.

The master's hands must be itching too, otherwise, why would his face, which had been dark for most of the day, suddenly break into a smile? However, for some reason, that smile on his face felt a bit... eerie...

(End of Chapter)