Chapter 278: The Caravan

Chapter 278: The Caravan

In the end, Changfeng and Ping'an gave up their plan to share a room with Xin You due to her firm stance.

Xin You closed the door and let out a deep breath.

Previously, disguising as a man had only been convenient, and she had never experienced such a situation before.

The night passed without incident, and the next morning, after washing up and having breakfast, the group continued their journey on horseback.

Horseback riding could be considered the fastest mode of travel, but it was also the most exhausting.

Although He Qingxiao knew that Xin You was skilled and could endure hardships, he couldn't help but cast a deeply concerned glance her way.

"Do you need to rest for a while?" he asked, riding closer.

Xin You shook her head upon hearing this: "I'm fine. Does Lord He need to rest?"

Staring at her sweat-drenched hair, He Qingxiao paused for a moment before nodding: "Yes, I think I need to rest."

Xin You immediately pulled on the reins and dismounted.

"Let's all take a break," shouted Huang Cheng, the leader of the ten Jinlin Guard members. Considering the complexity of the journey, He Qingxiao had specifically chosen a clever and articulate person from among his trusted aides.

By the roadside were several large, leafy trees, ideal for resting in the sweltering summer heat.

Everyone was drenched in sweat, and as soon as they dismounted, they started guzzling water.

He Qingxiao handed over a leather pouch: "I had the courier fill it with saltwater. Xin You, have a drink. The pouch is new."

Xin You couldn't help but laugh at his specific explanation: "It wouldn't matter if it were used. When traveling, one can't be too particular."

As she spoke, she took the pouch and drank deeply.

Though the scene was ordinary, He Qingxiao inexplicably felt his face heat up, recalling her words: "It wouldn't matter if it were used?"

The clatter of hooves approached, and He Qingxiao, pulling his thoughts together, looked over to see a caravan approaching.

It was a merchant convoy, with several carriages loaded with goods and dozens of people walking alongside.

They seemed to be planning to stop and rest as well. After glancing over and seeing Xin You's group of about ten young men, each with a fine horse, they chose to stop a little farther off, not wanting to provoke any trouble.

Among the twenty or so people, the leader was a somewhat portly middle-aged man dressed in a long robe, with a kind face. As soon as he sat down, he started chatting with a young boy. The boy, around seventeen or eighteen, resembled the man, suggesting they were either father and son or uncle and nephew.

Xin You fixed her gaze on the group, unblinking.

"What's wrong?" He Qingxiao's voice sounded beside her ear.

She turned her gaze back to him and whispered, "These people have ominous auras; their deaths are imminent."

Especially the pair who looked like father and son. In her vision, the middle-aged man shielded the boy with his own body, only to be struck down by a flurry of blades from behind. The boy, with all his strength, flipped over to take the bloody blade. Both the father and son tried to shield each other, but in the end, neither survived.

This caravan was likely ambushed by mountain bandits.

Xin You recalled the vision she had seen.

It was a somewhat narrow path, with high cliffs on both sides and dense trees. When someone passed by, all it took was for those hiding above to roll large rocks down, causing widespread casualties.

The bandits lying in wait there, numbering about ten, held the advantage of the terrain, making it easy for them to slaughter this group of twenty or thirty people.

"So many people in danger at once, and it's a merchant caravan on the move. I bet they've run into bandits."

Having seen Xin You's predictions come true before, He Qingxiao didn't doubt her for a second. He glanced at the bodies and whispered, "All of them?"

"Yes, all of them."

Outwardly calm, they talked about these grim details like it was nothing.

The young man from the merchant caravan glanced over and gently tugged at the middle-aged man's sleeve, "Dad, those guys keep eyeing us. You think they're after our stuff?"

"Those people clearly have urgent matters to attend to," the middle-aged man analyzed based on experience. To be cautious, he still gave an order, "We'll wait till those riders are gone before we move."

With his sharp ears, He Qingxiao caught this and told Xin You, "They are father and son. The young man is worried we might rob the caravan."

Xin You remained silent for a while before making a decision, "Since we've encountered them, let's save them."

He Qingxiao, however, did not immediately agree, "I'll send someone ahead to scout the situation first."

Without her, he wouldn't mind lending a hand, but his mission this time was to ensure her safety. Both publicly and privately, her safety was his top priority.

She was his mission, and also the one he loved. If anything happened to her, he would be both derelict in his duty and heartbroken, unable to live with himself.

Xin You couldn't explicitly mention the number of mountain bandits, and besides, the vision didn't represent everything. She agreed with He Qingxiao's caution.

She really wanted to help, but not at the cost of her own people.

He Qingxiao sent one of his best Jinlin Guard scouts ahead to check things out. The others took a breather for another half-hour before gearing up to move out.

At this moment, the middle-aged man approached and cupped his hands towards He Qingxiao, "Young man, I saw one of your men ride off earlier. Anything I should know about?"

As a merchant who often traveled, he was most afraid of encountering bandits. Any sign of trouble made him extra cautious.

He Qingxiao, with the intention of saving them, replied, "We were on the main road, but it got flooded, so we had to take this route instead. Not knowing the way, I sent a guy ahead to check it out."

The middle-aged man, seeing He Qingxiao's friendly attitude, relaxed a bit and sighed, "Same here. If your man finds anything, mind giving us a heads-up?"

He Qingxiao gave a small nod.

His cool demeanor actually put the merchant more at ease. He turned back and brought over a package wrapped in oiled paper, "My wife packed some jerky. It lasts forever. Help yourself if you're bored."

"Thank you," He Qingxiao took it and passed it to one of his men.

He Qingxiao's acceptance of the gift made the middle-aged man smile, and he wisely didn't engage in further conversation.

Soon enough, the scout came galloping back, his horse's hooves pounding the dirt.

"Boss, there's a split up ahead. Left's wider but flooded - tough going for carts. Right's tighter but clear."

Xin You frowned, deep in thought, as the scout gave his report.

In her vision, the father and son weren't crushed by rocks - they died running for their lives. The split in the road was just ahead - which meant the bandits were close.

With this realization, Xin You quickly scanned her own people.

From He Qingxiao to Changfeng, everyone looked normal.

If we teamed up with the merchants, would the bandits back off?

The awful image of rocks raining down, trapping everyone, made Xin You rule that out. More likely, the bandits saw they were traveling light and decided it wasn't worth the trouble.

Hearing about the tight mountain pass, the merchant got nervous. "Young man," he begged, "that path up ahead sounds rough. Mind if we tag along for a bit?"

"That wouldn't work," Xin You cut in before He Qingxiao could answer.