The carriage rolled steadily along the bumpy mountain path. Occasionally, a light breeze would lift the curtain, and a keen observer might catch a fleeting glimpse of an elegant youth resting her head on the lap of a woman of peerless grace. But in this desolate, sparsely populated land, who was there to notice?
"Are you two... a married couple?" Perhaps finding the silence inside the carriage too stifling, the old woman looked at the two of them and asked.
Before either of the involved parties could answer, another voice scoffed with disdain. "They are master and disciple. To lay hands on one's own student... truly..."
Nan Muxue’s hand rested on the cheek of the person in her lap, stroking it tenderly. However, the expression on her face formed a sharp, icy contrast to her gentle touch. "If you utter another word, I shall ensure you never speak again in this lifetime."
Bai Zhier let out a cold laugh. "What, do you think you're invincible? You're welcome to try. Let's see which is faster—your martial arts or my medicine."
"Alright, alright, that's enough," the old woman interrupted in her thick dialect. "I was just asking a simple question. You two girls are like a pair of firecrackers. We're all in the same carriage; if you start fighting, what's to become of this wagon?"
Nan Muxue kept her head lowered, gazing at her beloved with a hint of a smile in her eyes, though her voice remained frigid. "If you can't stand the sight, then get out. You have quite the nerve, sitting in a carriage belonging to the Palace of a Hundred Flowers while meddling in others' business."
Clearly, these words weren't directed at the old woman, but at the person beside her. Bai Zhier was not to be outdone. "How hilarious. Since when does everything belong to your Palace of a Hundred Flowers? Is your sect's seal stamped on it? If I recall, Ruo'er bought this carriage after we came down the mountain. It was Ruo'er's money. What does it have to do with you? To claim it for the Palace of a Hundred Flowers—what shameless arrogance."
"Either get lost, or die."
"Oh, my two little ancestors," the old woman said, holding a long tobacco pipe. She wasn't actually smoking; she likely just held it out of habit to stave off boredom. She waved the pipe between the two of them. "Can I call you two 'ancestors'? You've been bickering since you stepped onto this carriage. You're ready to come to blows over a single sentence. Look at where we are—we're far from the inn now, in the middle of nowhere. If you actually fight and break the carriage, do you plan on walking the rest of the way? What's there to argue about? Can't you be a bit more level-headed? If you want to curse or fight, wait until we arrive. You both look so dignified, but you're actually quite hot-headed. Why can't you just talk things through? Honestly..."
Bai Zhier glanced at the fast-asleep Chu Ruo and eventually turned her head away in annoyance. "If it weren't for Ruo'er, only a ghost would want to sit here."
"And if it weren't for Ruo'er, do you think you'd still be sitting here?"
Ultimately, the two of them weighed their priorities and chose a temporary, uneasy peace. However, neither was willing to let their tongue rest, insisting on getting the last word in. Seeing this, the old woman chuckled. "Young people, I tell you... Say, you're being so loud, how is it she hasn't woken up?"
"I sealed her sleeping acupoints," Nan Muxue said with a soft smile, stroking Chu Ruo's face a few more times. "This little one has been exhausted these past few days. Let her sleep a while longer."
Bai Zhier said nothing more. She stood up and went to sit outside. The driver was a woman arranged by the old woman named Yun Mei. Likely considering that the passengers were all women, a male driver would have been inconvenient. Yun Mei glanced at her and scooted over to make room.
"Was that girl telling the truth? Are you two really master and disciple?"
"Yes."
"Then why are you... like this?"
"Why can't we be? I love her, and she loves me. Why should we care about anyone else?"
The old woman let out a hearty laugh. "There aren't many like you anymore. Not everyone dares to break through the shackles of tradition. My boy's father... he was the same back then."
"You have a story to tell."
The old woman sighed, her smile tinged with bitterness. "A story? What kind of story could there be? We were just two ordinary people. There was only one difference—my boy's father was a Miao. The Miao aren't allowed to be with outsiders. Back then, he and I were just like you two—fearless, determined to be together. Seeing you reminds me of how we were when we were young. I'm old now, so old..."
"Did he leave you?"
She shook her head. "No. For my sake, he endured the Seven Major Passes of the Miao people. He came out with only half his life left and opened an inn with me in this place. It's just that his health was poor. He didn't get to enjoy many good years before he passed away."
Nan Muxue was not one for comforting others by nature. Hearing this, she merely gave a faint "Mhm." "At least you have a child."
The old woman looked at her. "You always talk like this? You're quite interesting. You're nothing like that other girl; your personalities are completely different. It's fascinating." She rubbed the tobacco pipe in her hands. "The moment you walked in the other day, I knew something was up. I said you looked like a couple, but you lacked that feeling of a pair who had been together for a long time. I figured you weren't married, but to think you're actually master and disciple. Young people these days... they're truly becoming more and more unconventional."
"You are very observant."
"At my age, what haven't I seen? If I'm not mistaken, this disciple of yours is also a girl."
"What if she is?"
The woman laughed again. "So it's true. I don't understand the affairs of young people. I've been away from the outside world for too long, and I don't care to return. You two... live well. Cherish the person before you."
Nan Muxue only looked at the person still deep in slumber, her eyes holding nothing else.
"There's something I must tell you in advance. Miaojiang is no ordinary place. The Miao do not easily meet strangers. Usually, those who go looking for them never return. I don't know what the situation is like inside. I can't guarantee whether your... condition can be cured. I can only take you to the general vicinity. Beyond that, you'll be on your own. Don't blame me for not making it clear when the time comes."
*Mmm...* This sleep was truly restful. Chu Ruo stretched her limbs, her first words upon squinting her eyes being a call for her beloved. "Xue'er~"
"No need to get up. Keep sleeping."
Chu Ruo looked around. "Where are they? It sounded noisy just now. Did you argue with Zhi'er again?"
"The moment you wake up, you start fretting over your Lady Zhi'er?"
Chu Ruo grabbed her hand. "Can you stop being so sarcastic every single time? Hmm?"
"Do you have a great grievance against this master?"
"Yes, a very great one. Who told you not to kiss me? I just woke up and I need a morning kiss~" She puckered her lips and leaned in. As expected, Nan Muxue pinched them mercilessly, but in the next second, she leaned down and met them with a kiss.
Chu Ruo leaned against her, feeling lazy. "Xue'er, I like this."
Nan Muxue replied dotingly, "Then lean on my lap and sleep a bit longer."
"Mhm. The swaying feels like being on the bamboo raft at Jing Lake back then. But leaning on you is the most comfortable."
"Rascal. You were just as shameless back then, taking advantage of your master all day long."
"Well, if you really didn't want me to, you could have pushed me away..."
Nan Muxue narrowed her eyes. "So, you're saying it's my own fault?"
"Hehe, let's not talk about that. Xue'er," Chu Ruo clung to her, refusing to move. "I've been thinking about the past a lot lately. I even dream about it—practicing martial arts with you during the day, and you pretending to be Yan'er to visit me at night."
Nan Muxue held her, responding softly, "It's because you're too tired."
"I don't have the right to claim I'm tired. You're always the one doing the thinking and the fighting. What have I ever done? I just feel like those times were a bit better than now. Though, of course, having both Yan'er and the Little Scorpion is the best."
"Greedy. However," Nan Muxue looked up, Chu Ruo's words seemingly stirring her own memories. "I, too, was addicted to the warmth you brought. Back then, I was like one possessed every night. I told myself I shouldn't, yet as soon as night fell, I couldn't control myself and would go to find you. Seeing your bright, radiant smile made it all feel worth it."
Chu Ruo reached up to touch her. "You've never told me these things before."
"Does it matter? I only need you by my side."
"I just... I never knew you were already so worried and cared so much about me back then."
Nan Muxue intentionally arched an eyebrow. "This master simply felt that your skin was thick enough to provide some warmth."
"You... why are you like this? Every time I say something sweet, you start acting all prideful. Is it really that hard to admit you fell for me early on? Come on, confess... exactly when did you lose your heart to me?"
"Do you wish to have your mouth shut again?"
"That depends on what you use to shut it."
Chu Ruo knew, of course, that she would get her way as always.
Outside, the wind was biting. Bai Zhier instinctively pulled her outer robe tighter. "Why must you be like this? Following along just to suffer," the old woman said, looking at her.
Bai Zhier looked at the old woman, who had started smoking her pipe, but did not answer.
The woman didn't mind. The carriage was quite spacious; even with three people in a row, there was still room. "It's cold. Go sit inside. Why insist on staying out here in the wind?"
"Then why did you come out?"
"Me? I came out to smoke and get some air. Besides, should I stay in there and watch those two little ones flirt?"
"Then why tell me to go in?"
"You're different." The old woman tapped her pipe. "You chased after them for that girl's sake. If you don't keep an eye on her, how can your heart be at peace?"
"She has someone to look after her. There's no need for me to..."
"It's fine if you lie to me, but don't go lying to yourself. I don't know what's going on between the three of you, but I believe that as long as a person is alive, no matter the outcome, if you like someone, you should fight for them. Don't leave any regrets. My boy's father and I only managed because we fought for it. Even though he left early, we had our time together. No regrets."
Bai Zhier's smile was as gentle as ever. "You know Ruo'er is a woman."
"You heard that? There's no problem with me knowing. This is a matter between the three of you; it has nothing to do with me. I'm just curious—that girl seems a bit airheaded, and in some ways, she's certainly not as capable as you two. How did you both end up falling for her so desperately? All the pretty girls are falling for other girls now. It seems the men outside are going to have a hard time getting married."
"I didn't expect someone of your age to speak so interestingly."
"Only when you're old do you learn to see things clearly and let go. Don't meddle in others' business when your own porridge isn't even cooked yet. Don't look at my boy and think he's big and tall; he's actually quite a fool. I don't know what he'll do with the inn once I'm gone. I agreed to help those two girls inside because they promised to look after the inn in the future. None of those kids at the inn can get anything done. This old woman worries herself to death every day."
Chu Ruo and the others continued their hurried journey. Bai Zhier and Nan Muxue still bickered constantly—no one could stop them. Of course, they would only come to blows once the carriage stopped. Usually, Chu Ruo would try to pull them apart, only to end up the unlucky victim herself. Whenever that happened, she would pull a long face while the old woman and Yun Mei laughed on the side. When would this ever end?
Finally, on this day, an endless marshland appeared before their eyes. The old woman told them they had arrived.
Following closely behind were a dozen or so masked men. This was the reason Bai Zhier had been urging them to keep moving without rest. But in the end, they had been tracked down.
