Over the course of a day, Gu Qingyun calculated silently that they had traveled roughly forty to fifty li.
Looking at the criminal sitting in the prisoner cart, far more comfortable than any of them, she comforted herself: To achieve great things, one must first temper their mind and exhaust their body. This was a form of cultivation in its own right.
As the sun slowly set, Head Constable Liu surveyed the surrounding terrain and made a hand signal from atop his horse.
“Halt! We rest here and set out first thing tomorrow morning!”
With that, he dismounted, tossed the reins to a Constable, and found a spot to sit down and rest.
Gu Qingyun joined the others in clearing out a patch of ground and creating a firebreak, scattering medicinal powder around the perimeter. She then gathered plenty of dry branches from the area to build a campfire.
Out in the wilderness, fire was crucial. Visibility was poor at night, and without a campfire, they would be as good as blind.
By the time Gu Qingyun returned with the firewood, Wang Wu had already set up the cooking pot.
It was usually stowed on the prisoner cart, as everyone preferred a warm meal whenever time permitted rather than gnawing on rock-hard dry rations.
Gu Qingyun looked at the pot of food, then at her own dry flatbreads, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Seeing her expression, Head Constable Liu let out a hearty laugh.
“Qingyun, everyone’s like this on their first long journey. The first time I went on a trip, I did the exact same thing—bought flatbreads outside, and after two days, I couldn't stomach another bite.
“Don't worry. I already anticipated that a girl like you wouldn't bring anything good. There’s a portion here for you.”
Gu Qingyun didn't stand on ceremony and nodded gratefully.
“Thank you, Uncle Liu. Next time, I'll buy you a jug of good wine.”
Head Constable Liu waved a hand.
“A small matter. As long as every journey we take ends in safety, that's enough. Go toss a flatbread to the man in the cart—just enough to keep him from starving.”
Gu Qingyun obeyed, tossing a flatbread straight into the prisoner cart. She had no kind expressions to spare for a flower-stealer like him.
After drinking the piping-hot porridge, the group sat around the campfire to rest. Gu Qingyun sat upright, closing her eyes to cultivate. The others assumed she was exhausted and lowered their voices, careful not to disturb her.
When Gu Qingyun snapped out of her cultivation, she saw Wang Wu standing night watch alone. She looked over at him.
“Uncle Wang, get some rest. I'll take the remaining shift.”
Seeing her bright, energetic eyes, Wang Wu smiled faintly.
“Alright, you take over.” Young people really had endless energy.
Once everyone had fallen asleep, Gu Qingyun looked up at the stars in the night sky and silently practiced the 《Star Body Tempering Technique》.
To an outsider, she merely appeared to be performing strange, awkward movements.
However, if a knowledgeable practitioner were present, they would see the starlight from the heavens gradually fusing into her muscles and meridians with every posture, making her physical constitution purer and sturdier.
In the morning, birds chirped in the woods as the eastern horizon paled into dawn. After a night of cultivation, Gu Qingyun felt completely refreshed, without a trace of fatigue.
Seeing everyone wake up, she stepped over to sit before the dying fire and circulated her mental art, absorbing the purest morning spiritual qi.
Over the next two days, Gu Qingyun handled the night watch each evening. Fortunately, their luck held out, and they came across local homesteads where they could lodge and rest properly.
The other Constables felt she was taking on too much hardship, so during their daytime breaks, they relieved her of all chores and had her rest atop the prisoner cart.
This continued until the sixth day.
At noon, the weather had been fair, with the sun hanging high in the sky. But an hour later, the heavens rapidly darkened. At first, it was merely a fine drizzle like ox hair; Gu Qingyun and the others donned their coir raincoats and hastened forward.
Watching the raindrops grow heavier and the flashes of lightning across the horizon, Head Constable Liu shouted, “Pick up the pace! We’ll take shelter in the ruined temple ahead!”
Driving the prisoner cart, Wang Wu widened his eyes.
“Boss, are we really entering a temple in this weather?”
Head Constable Liu rode his horse alongside the cart and sighed.
“Go in. At least it's a place to shelter from the wind and rain. In weather like this, if we catch a cold out in the middle of nowhere—miles away from any village or inn—it could cost us our lives. We have no choice.”
Hearing this, Wu Yong and the others broke into a run toward the ruined temple. Half an hour later, the group finally arrived at its entrance.
It was a long-abandoned Mountain God temple. The temple doors had long since rotted away, and faint flickers of firelight shone from within. It appeared someone had arrived before them to seek shelter from the rain.
“Finally, a place to rest our feet.”
Wu Yong collapsed by the threshold, letting out a long sigh of relief with a smile on his face.
Wang Wu escorted the prisoner over and nudged him with a kick.
“Hurry up and start a fire.”
After saying that, he hesitated for a long moment. Seeing Gu Qingyun step inside the temple without batting an eye, he gritted his teeth and followed behind with the prisoner.
After tethering his horse in the stable, Head Constable Liu walked inside, shaking the water off his coir raincoat, his gaze scanning the Mountain God temple with a heavy expression.
Unsure what they were looking for, Gu Qingyun picked up a rag beside the altar table and wiped down both the altar and the shrine.
Together with the other Constables, she found a dry spot and lit a campfire, bringing a welcome touch of warmth to the men.
The travelers who had arrived before them appeared to be split into two groups. One was a family—a master and mistress traveling with several servants—and the other was a group of scholars. Seeing the Constables enter, both groups tacitly yielded the driest area to Gu Qingyun and her party.
Tonight, no one had the energy to cook. They simply boiled a pot of hot water to soak their dry flatbreads and ate.
Having traveled all day and gotten soaked in the rain, everyone was both exhausted and famished.
After devouring a flatbread, Gu Qingyun took a deep look toward the shrine. No one spoke in the temple; each group kept strictly to themselves, minding their own business.
Aside from the crackling of burning branches and the rainfall outside, not a single sound could be heard—no howling wolves, no chirping birds—a quiet so eerie it made one's skin crawl.
Gu Qingyun pursed her lips and withdrew her gaze from the shrine, her fingers twitching imperceptibly.
“Qingyun, what are you thinking about?” Wu Yong turned to ask curiously.
“Nothing. I just feel it's a bit too quiet here,” Gu Qingyun said, shaking her head.
“Tonight will be tough on everyone. We’ll split into two watches, five men per shift.”
Head Constable Liu’s voice suddenly rang out. Everyone nodded silently and turned to look outside the temple, hoping the rain would stop soon.
By midnight, the other two groups had fallen asleep against the temple walls. The fire tended by Gu Qingyun and her group had dwindled significantly.
Only a single stubborn flame flickered, offering the last remnant of warmth to their party.
While cultivating, Gu Qingyun felt someone rise beside her. Thinking they were merely getting up to relieve themselves, she didn't take it to heart—until the two walked out the door and a faint scent reached her nose, snapping her instantly out of her cultivation.
Something was wrong. The campfire had gone out at some unknown point, and aside from breathing, not a sound could be heard throughout the temple.
Wu Yong and Zhao Si, who had been sitting beside her on night watch, were standing stiffly near the temple entrance, walking in a strange, unnatural posture.
“Uncle Wu, Uncle Zhao, where are you going?” Gu Qingyun called out toward the doorway.
After waiting a long moment, she saw only Wu Yong and Zhao Si walking stiffly into the darkness outside, without offering the slightest response.
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