Chapter 63

Chapter 63

The members of the caravan saw new faces, and they all turned to look.

Having spent years on the road, they could tell that Pei Mu was young but possessed an extraordinary bearing and gaze; after a quick look, they averted their eyes.

Manager Wang was counting the caravan's people and goods. Seeing that Pei Mu's oxcart was empty, he put them near the front of the line.

The caravan leader was a burly bearded man named Dong. He rode at the very front on horseback. After finishing the tally, Manager Wang went forward to report to him. He glanced back, his eyes pausing on Pei Mu for a moment, then waved his hand, and he bellowed in a deep voice that carried to the back: "Move out!"

The column of several dozen vehicles slowly began to move.

This caravan was heading north towards the border. Quzhou Prefecture was just a stopover. Pei Mu discreetly observed that the goods were neatly bundled and tightly covered with waterproof felt, almost everyone carried weapons, and several carts were loaded with grain and cooking utensils. It indeed looked like a large, experienced caravan that had traveled far and wide.

Pei Mu tugged the reins to follow the mule-drawn cart ahead, and said to Zhong Yizhu, who had stuck his head out the carriage door: "If you want to get some air, just tell me. It'll warm up once the sun's up—keep yourself wrapped up."

Zhong Yizhu hummed in reply and, holding his hand warmer, peered outside curiously.

As they left home farther behind, his feelings slowly changed.

The space inside the carriage wasn't very large, but Pei Mu had modified it to be much more practical and comfortable.

He had built several fixed small cabinets under the seats so that things wouldn't fall out even when the ride got bumpy. He also added a sturdy cabinet between the two facing seats, so that the back of the carriage could now seat someone.

Under one seat there was a removable wooden board. When lifted and placed on the catches, the seats connected into one flat surface, allowing him to lie down completely, though he would need to curl his legs a bit.

The road outside and the scenery on both sides were all unfamiliar to him. Zhong Yizhu cracked open the window to look for a bit, then closed it and curled back up.

The winter scenery was bleak, nothing much to look at—just cold.

It was extremely cold, the wind cutting like a knife against the face. The thrill of the trip faded, and he couldn't help worrying about Pei Mu outside.

Every now and then, the sound of hooves passed by outside. Zhong Yizhu peeked out to see that it was the caravan's patrol.

Perhaps due to the cold, the entire caravan traveled in silence, with no one talking. He also didn't say much to Pei Mu, afraid of getting a mouthful of wind.

Zhong Yizhu shifted positions many times but was still stiff all over. After a while, Pei Mu cracked open the door and asked if he wanted to get some fresh air.

Zhong Yizhu quickly wrapped his cloak around himself, grabbed his hand warmer, and scrambled out.

The sound of the carriage door opening and closing caught the attention of the two men securing the load on the cart ahead. They turned around and seeing a young man emerge from the carriage, they weren't too surprised, but the young man was so strikingly handsome that they couldn't help staring.

Pei Mu reached out to steady Zhong Yizhu on the driver's seat, then adjusted the hood of his cloak and helped him put it on, covering half his face.

Zhong Yizhu looked up at him: "I'm not cold."

"Mm." Pei Mu pulled him to lean against himself. "Don't catch a chill—you'll get a headache tonight."

Zhong Yizhu reached out a warm hand and touched Pei Mu's face—it was freezing.

He stuffed the hand warmer into Pei Mu's chest, but knew it was useless—what could that slight warmth do against such a constant wind?

Pei Mu said softly, "It's nothing," and changed the subject: "Are you bored? We should be stopping soon for a meal and rest; then you can stretch your legs."

Zhong Yizhu shook his head, leaning against him and looking at the unfamiliar scenery around. They had only been out of Songyun County for half a day; the trees and plants on these mountains weren't all that different from back home.

He pressed closer to Pei Mu, and when he began to feel cold sitting, he went back inside the carriage on his own.

Later, the caravan stopped to rest. The two leaned against the cart and ate the flatbreads Sun Yunniang had made for them. The caravan members also had dry rations for lunch, so it didn't take long before they set off again.

In the afternoon, Zhong Yizhu's back and waist ached from sitting. Unable to bear it any longer, he spread out the bedding and lay down, but then felt dizzy from the motion. Eventually, he propped himself up with one quilt and used another as a cushion, half-lying down to feel more comfortable. Although he hadn't been exposed to wind or cold inside the carriage, after a day of tossing about, he was still a bit wilted.

That night, they lodged in a village. The household they were assigned to was really filthy, but there was no other choice—there weren't many families in the village.

Frowning, Pei Mu moved the host family's bedding aside and spread out their own quilts—one underneath and one on top—then held Zhong Yizhu and gently patted his back.

Zhong Yizhu buried his nose in Pei Mu's clothes and finally managed to fall asleep.

The next day, they got up before dawn and set off again.

Zhong Yizhu half-reclined in the carriage to catch up on some sleep. Today's schedule was tighter, and because they had to go around a mountain, the road was not as smooth as the previous day; it became very bumpy.

The scripture he had brought to pass the time was impossible to read due to the jolts. Gripping the handrail inside the carriage, he struggled to suppress the nausea churning in his stomach.

On the third day, they finally reached a town and stopped.

The two rented a nice room, took a good bath, and finally had a good night's sleep.

As they prepared to depart the next day, the inn attendant handed two boxes and a small cloth bundle to Zhong Yizhu, items he had paid for the previous day and asked the attendant to purchase.

Over the past few days, the caravan members had all come to know that they were carrying a young couple—the young man was extremely good-looking, but his husband was no pushover either, keeping a very close guard on him.

When they set out today, everyone saw that Pei Mu was wearing a wind hood that completely covered his face. Those who couldn't keep their mouths shut laughed privately, saying that a man who couldn't endure a little hardship wasn't much of a man—a real man's face could be rough, and the northern wind was still like a knife even in March or April.

But laugh as they might, they couldn't help feeling envious—this was his husband doting on him; it was said that the wind hood was tied on by the young man himself.

After the previous days' ordeal and last night's rest, Zhong Yizhu was clearly in much better shape today. During the midday break, he held Pei Mu's face and carefully applied a layer of face cream, paying extra attention to the chapped areas caused by the cold wind.

Pei Mu let him do as he pleased. When Zhong Yizhu said "all done" with satisfaction, Pei Mu gently flicked his ear: "You're really treating me like a delicate young man. If it cracks, it cracks—it'll heal in spring."

Zhong Yizhu paused at these words and said petulantly: "Then I won't kiss you. I'll wait until spring to kiss you."

Pei Mu raised an eyebrow: "Really? Last night, who was it..."

Zhong Yizhu covered his mouth. Pei Mu's eyes crinkled as he kissed his palm: "Just teasing. Hurry up and check if it's enough; if not, put another layer."

Zhong Yizhu reapplied cream to the spot he had just smeared on his own hand, and sighed softly inside. He knew traveling for business was hard, but this was the first time he had such a real sense of what "hardship" meant.

It might be a small matter for Pei Mu, but for him, it was a big deal.

Voices urging them to depart sounded outside. Zhong Yizhu withdrew his hand and told Pei Mu to wait a moment before putting on the wind hood, lest it get smudged. Unexpectedly, Pei Mu caught his lips and exchanged a very brief kiss.

By now, Zhong Yizhu could read the scripture even in the bumpy, dim carriage, and he had grown accustomed to long stretches of monotonous travel. So when the convoy suddenly stopped, he didn't immediately realize what had happened.

Until Pei Mu's low voice reached his ears: "Don't come out, Zhu Ge'er."

Zhong Yizhu quickly responded and stealthily moved to the front to look outside. It seemed that several people had stopped their convoy and were talking to Manager Wang.

Soon, the convoy resumed its journey, leaving those people by the roadside. The men's cries and pleas were pitiful. Zhong Yizhu gathered that they had gone out to do business but were drugged and robbed of their goods and money by villagers. They wanted to hitch a ride back to the city with the caravan, offering to pay a reward later. Clearly, the caravan had refused them—not a single cart stopped to give them a lift.

Zhong Yizhu frowned. After the caravan had left the cries far behind, he gently pushed open a crack in the door. Receiving Pei Mu's signal, he crawled over to sit next to Pei Mu and quietly asked, "Why?"

He had heard those people's heart-wrenching cries, which made him both fearful of the dangers of traveling for business and inevitably moved by sympathy. But since the caravan leader hadn't helped and Pei Mu hadn't said anything, he held back and only now asked.

Pei Mu took his hand and replied softly: "There's something wrong with those people."

Zhong Yizhu was stunned. A chill shot up his spine, making him shiver.

Pei Mu pulled him into his arms, rubbing his chin against the top of his head: "Don't be afraid. I'm here."

Zhong Yizhu nodded, praying inwardly that perhaps the other party would suffer an early setback and choose to give up, after all, this was a large caravan, and not a caravan that ordinary bandits or highwaymen would dare to confront head-on.

His wish seemed to come true; they encountered no other strange incidents afterward, and they smoothly arrived at a village the caravan knew well to rest.

This time, the household they were assigned to was kept clean, though the family accidentally added too much salt to the food they cooked.

At night, the entire village fell silent.

Several figures sneaked into the village, entered the village houses separately, deftly lifted the door latches, and with their hands glinting with cold steel, they reached out to slit throats.