Early the next morning, Li Wanming got up very early.
She had chatted with Xiao Jingnan late into the night last night. Strangely enough, although she had slept for only a short while, she was now full of energy, with a sparkle in her eyes.
Maybe it was because she had finally found the person she was looking for, and the stone in her heart had finally dropped.
When everyone was packing up to go down the mountain, Li Wanming specifically pulled Jiang Xiaohuan aside and admonished her, "It's a good thing that you're making bows and arrows for the Dacheng army. However, the poison of the arrow that can kill upon contact is too strong. If it accidentally falls into the hands of the Anluo people, it could lead to a great disaster."
"General Feng's army should arrive in three days. By then, I'll write a letter to him and ask him to send someone to collect your arrows."
"Before that, you stay in the mountains and make arrows in peace. Don't make a fuss about it, and don't sell them to anyone who comes to buy..."
Jiang Xiaohuan patted the two crossed knives on her back. The scabbards made a crisp sound as they collided. "Don't worry, Sister Li. I know the stakes! I won't let anyone go down the mountain in these three days. I've even detained Chen Mazi!"
Chen Mazi: …
(I wonder who I've offended)
…
Hutouzhai was located deep in Dayi Mountain. The group trekked westward along the winding mountain stream for two days. Finally, they emerged from Dayi Mountain and reached the foot of Shou'an City.
Xiao Jingnan had served in the army in the southern border and was no stranger to Shou'an City. Li Wanming and the others had grown up in the Min area since childhood, so they were also accustomed to the scenery of the southern towns.
But He Muhao was different.
Previously, Wanmo had taken him through Tangli and directly into the mountains. Only now did he truly get to see what an important town in the southern border looked like.
The city wall was towering, coiling at the foot of the mountains like a giant python. The grayish - blue city bricks were stained with decades of smoke from battles. The moss and sword marks interlaced into a mottled pattern.
The watchtowers stood tall in all four directions, piercing through the unique humid and hot mist of the southern border. They were like divine generals holding weapons, silently guarding the southern gateway of the Dacheng Dynasty.
"Wow—!"
He Muhao's exclamation startled the sparrows on the battlements. He excitedly rushed to the city wall and carefully ran his fingers over the uneven dents:
"Are these really left over from the battles? Hey, what's that black stuff in the brick joints? Could it be blood?"
Wanmo glanced at him disdainfully. "What's so strange about blood? Isn't your neck full of it? If you need some, I can let some out for you right now."
Wanmo's sarcasm didn't dampen He Muhao's mood. He was excitedly touching and looking around, acting like a country dog that had been locked up for a long time and was finally let out to have fun.
"Why are the corners of the wall curved?"
"This is called an arc - shaped wall," Xiao Jingnan replied patiently. "It provides stronger protection. The soldiers guarding the city can eliminate the enemies from both sides."
"What's that semicircular pavilion on the city wall?"
"It's a circular watchtower, used for surveillance and patrol."
"Hey, why are there two city gates? Haven't we entered the city yet?"
"This is the barbican. It's like a small city outside the main city gate. It's used to station troops and usually defends the most important city gate."
"Wow..."
After passing through the deep gateway of the barbican, the unique hustle and bustle of the southern border town finally rushed towards them with the heat wave.
On both sides of the street, the peacock - blue Zhuang brocade and the silver - white Miao embroidery were intertwined. Bare - footed porters carried whole baskets of loquats and shuttled through the alleys, hawking in their unique mountain tunes.
The shops along the street were row upon row. Colorful silk ribbons were hanging on the door lintels, attracting the mountain sparrows to peck at them. The lingering sound of the pipa came from the second floor of the wine shop, but it was always interrupted by the clanging sound from the blacksmith's shop.
He Muhao stood there with his mouth open. After a while, he let out another "Wow..."
Wanmo couldn't bear it any longer and gave him a hard knock on the head. "Wow, wow, wow! Were you reincarnated from a toad? All you can do is wow, wow, wow?"
He Muhao covered his head, with tears in his eyes. "Oh..."
Wanmo was so angry that she felt a tightness in her chest. She turned around and strode away, too lazy to care about him anymore.
After entering Shou'an, Xiao Jingnan didn't return to the yamen. Instead, he left several unique marks on the corridor columns and stone walls along the way.
"Let's find a place to rest and wait for someone." After making the last mark, he led the group into a street - side teahouse.
The window lattice of the elegant private room on the second floor was half - open, facing the street view. But thanks to the shade of a tall flame tree, it cleverly avoided the sight from the long street—it was just suitable for hiding and lying in wait.
The waiter served the rock tea, a specialty of Dayi Mountain. The amber - colored tea soup rippled in the celadon cups, and a faint aroma floated in the steaming heat.
After the food was served, He Muhao's attention was attracted by the dishes on the table.
"What's this? It's a bit spicy. Is it satay noodles? It's so delicious..."
He Muhao ate with his head down, and the brownish - red sauce stuck to his lips.
Xiao Jingnan smiled and pushed a bowl of black glutinous rice forward. "This is steamed from glutinous rice dyed black with the leaves of the Myrica rubra tree. It's fragrant and soft. Try it."
"Um, this is also delicious..." He Muhao ate like a starving ghost, burying his head and gobbling.
Strangely enough, he had grown up in the capital and was the son of a noble family. He had tasted all the rare and delicious foods in the world.
But for some reason, in the capital, no matter how exquisitely cooked the bear paws, camel humps, bird's nests, and shark fins were, he always found them bland. In contrast, this bowl of black glutinous rice in front of him was incredibly sweet.
"It seems that you were really starved in Dayi Mountain..." Li Wanming propped her chin and looked at his starving - ghost - like appearance, lost in thought.
"Maybe it's not because of hunger, but—" Xiao Jingnan's eyes twinkled, and he gave a soft laugh. "Beauty is a feast for the eyes."
After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill and waited for about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the carved wooden door of the private room suddenly opened. Two young bodyguards in plain clothes appeared at the door.
"Your Highness the Prince!"
"Your Highness the Princess?"
Lu Ping and Wu Yao pushed the door open and walked in. Suddenly seeing everyone in front of them, they were extremely shocked.
After seeing the marks along the way, they had already guessed that Xiao Jingnan had returned safely. But they didn't expect that when they opened the door, the room would be full of people.
Wu Yao was immediately stunned. "All of you came?"
Lu Ping calmly nudged him with his elbow. Then he pulled him down to kneel on one knee and clasped his fists in salute to Xiao Jingnan. "We're late. Please forgive us, Your Highness."
Xiao Jingnan smiled slightly. "Get up and talk."
After the two of them stood up, he briefly told them about his experiences in the past few days. Then he changed the subject. "Tell me, what have you found out in these days?"
Since he had disappeared without a trace, Lu Ping and Wu Yao would surely not sit back and do nothing. They must have tried their best to find out where he was and the ins and outs of the whole thing.
Seeing that he was safe and sound, Lu Ping relaxed his tense nerves and said in a deep voice, "After the news of Your Highness's fall off the cliff came, Wu Yao and I split up. He went into Dayi Mountain to rescue you, while I stayed in Shou'an to investigate the people who attacked you."
"After several days of investigation, we've finally got some clues..."
At this point, he suddenly stopped. His eyes swept across the people in the room, hesitating to speak.
"It's okay." Xiao Jingnan said softly. "They're all our own people. You can just say it."
"Yes." Lu Ping clasped his fists in response and lowered his voice a bit more. "Previously, Your Highness ordered us to investigate the case of the Lingxi garrison selling military equipment. The clues finally pointed to a spice shop run by Anluo people. But..."
He frowned tightly and slightly pursed his lips. "When I was investigating the assassins, I found that those people had also entered the same shop."