For a moment, the two fell silent. After a long while, Old Ma spoke up first. "It's fine. We'll all be better off in the future. Go back inside the carriage and sit comfortably. A young girl like you shouldn't get chilled.
"Unlike me, I'm thick-skinned and rough. This is my job, so a little cold wind is nothing. As long as it doesn't freeze in the winter, I'm always out running around, used to it by now. If you catch a chill and fall ill out here, your family back home would worry sick, wouldn't they?"
Gu Qingyun grinned upon hearing this. "Uncle Ma, don't look at me like that. My martial power isn't weak at all. After all, I'm a Constable—I won't fall ill so easily."
Old Ma looked astonished. "What? A Constable? Truly, one can't judge a book by its cover at such a young age! Well, with you around, I feel even safer traveling at night. Rest assured, I brought a kitchen knife in the carriage. If we really run into robbers, I can help you out."
Gu Qingyun did not know whether to laugh or cry. "Uncle Ma, don't talk like that. We'll definitely reach Zhaoyang County safe and sound. Besides, I brought a weapon, so you had better keep that knife for yourself."
"Haha, the customer is right! I shouldn't spout nonsense." Chatting along the way, the carriage sped toward Zhaoyang County.
...
Haven favored them as the night moon was exceptionally round. Old Ma cracked the reins, and the two horses ran swiftly through the mountain forest, kicking up bursts of dust.
Mountain trees stretched endlessly along both sides of the path, with only a narrow trail cutting through the forest. Occasionally, the roars of wild beasts echoed from within the woods.
The deeper they went, the more the trees reached out, blocking the moonlight above. Whenever a gust of wind blew, the branches on both sides rustled loudly. Anyone faint of heart would have long been too terrified to move forward.
Old Ma remained expressionless. He whipped the horses a few times, and their speed picked up even further.
"Uncle Ma, these two horses have been running for over two shichen. Should we stop and let them rest a bit, eat some fodder, and drink some water?"
"No, we'll rest after clearing this forest. Horses shouldn't eat grass covered in dew; it causes bloating and slows us down. Don't worry, Customer, I fed them well before we set off."
"Ah... Uncle Ma, why can't we rest here?"
Old Ma focused intently, staring straight ahead with an earnest expression she had never seen on him before. Only after an hour had passed, when the carriage finally emerged from the narrow mountain trail onto a wider official road, did he breathe a sigh of relief and explain to Gu Qingyun, "Us drivers always encounter unusual things out on the road. Mountain forests are the places where trouble is most likely to happen, housing mountain spirits and wild monsters we've never seen before.
"Especially shanxiao—they love leading people astray. They even mimic your family calling your name, leading you deeper into the mountains without realizing it until you fall off a cliff.
"Old Ying from our carriage shop vanished without a trace like that. Only his carriage was found, and what became of him remains a mystery to this day."
With that, Old Ma picked up his water flask with one hand, bit open the stopper with his teeth, and gulped down several mouthfuls of water. He tried to plug the stopper back in several times without success, so Gu Qingyun took the water flask, sealed it tightly, and set it beside him. Turning around, she looked back at the mountain ranges.
"Uncle, do we have to pass through this forest no matter where we go?"
Old Ma shook his head gently. "No, only if you're heading north. Zhaoyang County lies in this direction. Every time I pass through there, it makes me nervous and afraid, terrified that one day I won't come back. But to make a living, there's no other choice."
"Uncle Ma, a person has three fires upon their body. The more terrified a person is and the smaller their courage, the weaker the Yang fire on them becomes. If you really encounter strange things in the wild, the best way is to wait in place.
"Close your eyes, do not listen, do not look, and wait for daylight. Of course, if you encounter a monster or spirit, then you can only pick up a weapon, fight back, and fight for a slim chance of survival."
Old Ma gave a sheepish laugh. "Customer, I didn't expect you to know about such things."
Gu Qingyun said, "I've encountered one."
Old Ma asked, "Encountered what?"
Gu Qingyun replied, "A monster spirit."
...
Clop-clop-clop. After four shichen of driving, Old Ma rushed along as fast as he could, finally arriving two li outside Zhaoyang County town around the Chou hour.
Zhaoyang County was not as large as Jiangyin County. At this late hour, all was quiet, and the city gates were tightly shut. Only two giant braziers burned on either side of the entrance, the wood inside crackling occasionally as sparks drifted through the air.
"Customer, we're here. There's a curfew right now, so we can only wait until the fifth watch when the city gates open."
Gu Qingyun looked toward the city gates and nodded. "Uncle Ma, let's stop here and rest for a while. We'll enter the town once dawn breaks."
"Alright, whatever you say, Customer."
Having driven the carriage for so long, Old Ma was tired too. He wrapped his padded jacket tightly around himself, leaned against the carriage door, and closed his eyes to rest. Gu Qingyun did not disturb him, sitting cross-legged inside the carriage box to meditate with her eyes closed.
...
"Cock-a-doodle-do!" With the first crow of the rooster, the city gates of Zhaoyang County slowly opened. Gu Qingyun opened her eyes, washed briefly with water from her flask, and Old Ma drove the carriage forward. After the guards at the gate inspected them, they entered the town smoothly.
Gu Qingyun did not go looking for Gu Qingyu right away. Instead, she took Old Ma to eat a bowl of noodles at a street stall and bought a few meat buns before directing him toward Yuhua Alley.
As the carriage slowly approached Yuhua Alley, several women carrying baskets could be seen walking out from afar. Gu Qingyun asked Old Ma to wait at the entrance of the alley while she carried the breakfast she had bought deep into the alley.
The He family's courtyard was at the innermost end of the alley. It was a modest single-entry courtyard with walls built of earth bricks and a vermilion gate, looking fairly respectable on the surface.
Gu Qingyun walked briskly to the main gate and knocked three times on the copper door knocker. Only after a long while did someone inside answer, "Who is it so early in the morning?"
He Hua opened the door a crack. Seeing a tall, long-legged figure standing outside before full daylight, he could not see clearly and looked perplexed. "Who are you?"
Before Gu Qingyun could speak, the sound of a woman crying and an old woman's sharp scolding echoed from inside the courtyard.
"What are you crying for? You're crying away what little good fortune we have! Just looking at you brings bad luck. Hurry up and make breakfast for me! Jiaojiao is carrying the eldest grandson of our He family in her belly. If you starve my precious grandson, I'll skin you alive!
"You've been married for years and only birthed a useless little girl who does nothing but eat for free. If not for the fact that your daughter has some decent looks so we can sell her for a good price when she grows up, I would have thrown you both out long ago!"
Gu Qingyun frowned as she listened, her heart clenching tightly. Was this the kind of life her Gu family member was living here? Pushing past He Hua at the doorway, she strode inside.
"Hey, who are you? Get out right now!"
He Hua ran up from behind, trying to grab Gu Qingyun, but she kicked him aside. He clutched his abdomen, unable to crawl back up.
Seeing her son get beaten, He Hua's mother instantly turned fierce. "Who do you think you are, daring to hit my son? I'll beat you to death!" With that, she lunged toward Gu Qingyun.
"Get lost."
Gu Qingyun stepped forward, locking her hand tightly around He Hua's mother's neck. Ignoring the old woman's desperate, fruitless struggles, she lifted her straight into midair, her eyes filled with cold, murderous intent.
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