The courier soldiers traveled very fast, both men and horses running as if their lives depended on it, barely stopping throughout the day.

A’Fu gritted her teeth against the jolting of the horse.

Unable to sleep well or eat well, the wounds on her thighs and buttocks that had scabbed over broke open again. If not for A’Le’s herbal medicine sustaining her, the wounds would likely have festered and made walking impossible.

She remembered that when she was in her teens, her horsemanship had been excellent. She would gallop on horseback every day without the slightest discomfort. Perhaps it was because the person inside this body had become her twenty-something-year-old self who had lived in comfort and ease for many years, making the body unaccustomed to such hardship.

A’Le immediately noticed her gradually falling behind and her expression of endurance, and also slowed down, staying close by her side.

“Why don’t we rest for a while,” A’Le couldn’t help but whisper.

A’Fu shook her head, watching the courier soldiers galloping ahead. No, she couldn’t stop. Otherwise, if she gave them an excuse, that A’Jiu would definitely abandon her.

Moreover, she didn’t want to stop either.

“I want to reach the border commandery as soon as possible,” she said, looking ahead. “I want to see Father.”

It had been so very long since she had seen Father.

She had never imagined there would be another chance to see Father again.

As these words left her mouth, tears streamed down her face, and the cold wind cut painfully against her cheeks.

Tears also flowed down A’Le’s face. She understood—Miss had grown up so pampered, when had she ever suffered such grievances, to actually be bound by the Master and sent to the authorities—

In this world, the only person who truly cherished Miss was the General.

Although A’Fu and A’Le said nothing, Zhang Gu quickly noticed something unusual about the two girls.

“A’Jiu,” he spurred his horse forward to catch up with the young man at the front. “Let’s not push on today. Let’s stop at the courier station ahead and rest.”

A’Jiu said, “The horses can still run for another day. It’s not too late to change them tomorrow.” He glanced back and immediately understood, snorting with displeasure. “Brother Zhang, you’re too softhearted. We have our duties—urgent reports must be delivered quickly. We can’t be babysitting people along the way.”

“Urgent report my ass. We’re only delivering the latest military household registration roster. Being three, five, ten days or even half a month late doesn’t matter,” Zhang Gu said irritably. “Come to think of it, if the higher-ups weren’t trying to give you a hard time, we brothers wouldn’t even need to make this special trip!”

A’Jiu raised his phoenix eyes. “In that case, I’m actually these two girls’ good fortune. I’m truly a great benefactor.”

Zhang Gu was amused again and spat. “Seriously though, these two children have managed to keep up until now, which is already beyond my expectations. They’re really impressive, truly admirable.”

A’Jiu scoffed. “Fighting desperately for their own sake—what’s so impressive about that? What’s there to admire? Who has it easy in this world?”

Zhang Gu glared at him in exasperation. “You little punk, is your heart made of stone, or are you completely heartless?”

A’Jiu seemed to smile, though his eyes held a trace of coldness. He cracked his riding whip in the air with a sharp snap, and the horses sped up even faster.

Zhang Gu had no choice but to follow.

Behind them, A’Le saw the courier soldiers speeding up and couldn’t help cursing in anger. “That A’Jiu definitely did that on purpose.”

A’Fu wasn’t angry at all.

“Why curse him? He doesn’t owe me anything, and he shouldn’t have brought us along in the first place,” she said. “Since he’s a cruel person, we’re actually better off.”

They didn’t need to think about how to make someone show mercy. As long as they desperately kept up and didn’t fall behind, they wouldn’t be abandoned.

Though she said this, seeing the girl’s face contort with pain as she sped up again, A’Le felt both sad and confused.

“Miss should never have come to the capital in the first place,” she murmured.

How happy Miss had been when she left the border commandery! How delighted she was when she first arrived in the capital, so full of anticipation and expectations for life in the capital!

Who could have imagined that the girls in the capital were so terrible—mocking, bullying, and ridiculing Miss for coming from the countryside, making fun of her speech, manners, and clothing for their own amusement.

And then there was Miss Chu Tang. Though they were paternal cousins, instead of helping Miss, she joined the outsiders in laughing at her.

Everyone said Miss had struck Miss Liang, but she could be certain that Miss Liang must have bullied Miss first, and Miss had only struck back when she couldn’t bear it anymore.

The Master and Madam were truly cowardly, fearing the Liang family. Without distinguishing right from wrong, they wanted to bind Miss and send her to the authorities.

If only she had been there at the time. If she had still been by Miss’s side, Miss wouldn’t have needed to strike anyone—she would have kicked that Miss Liang flying, and then whether they wanted to bind and send her to the authorities or beat her to death, it would all be up to them.

A’Fu could tell what A’Le was thinking, but most of her thoughts were wrong.

If she were still her thirteen-year-old self, she wouldn’t have struck Miss Liang.

Moreover, at thirteen she had been so foolish that she hadn’t even realized she was being bullied.

She had certainly felt being looked down upon, so she had worked hard to please those young ladies, worked hard to become like them, believing that way she wouldn’t be looked down upon anymore.

She had truly been so foolish back then.

Not just back then—she had been foolish her entire life.

So foolish that her life was laughable and her death miserable.

However, A’Le was right about one thing—she should never have come to the capital in the first place.

All the karmic bonds and misfortunes had begun in the capital.

Leave the capital, return to the border commandery, return to Father’s side.

A’Fu gripped the reins tightly, strength filling her entire body again. Even the pain lessened. She too cracked her riding whip, producing a crisp sound.

Seeing the two girls who had fallen behind gradually catching up, Zhang Gu felt somewhat moved. What good children they were—both suffering and resilient.

He made up his mind that they must rest at the courier station, even if A’Jiu threw a tantrum—though when that boy threw tantrums, he would just gallop off on his own. Let him do as he pleased.

But infuriatingly, A’Jiu just kept going faster and faster, never slowing down even after dark. Zhang Gu had no opportunity to express his decision until torches were lit and the horses could barely take another step, when A’Jiu finally stopped.

Even Zhang Gu, an experienced courier soldier, was almost gasping for breath from running so hard.

“You damned brat, what possessed you?” he cursed.

A’Jiu waved his torch forward, thick smoke swaying in the night.

“I’m not possessed. Didn’t you say to rest?” he said. “There’s a courier station ahead.”

Zhang Gu was stunned. Was there a courier station here? He had no recollection of it. He looked up and indeed saw in the dim night ahead, in a mountain hollow, a place with lights burning, red lanterns hanging, with the four characters “Heling Official Courier Station” particularly conspicuous.

……

……

This was a courier station even smaller than the North Cao Formation station. It had no front or back courtyards, just a single row of rooms. At first glance, it wasn’t much bigger than a village earth god temple.

The station master was also an old soldier like an earth god, greeting them with the support of a cane.

“Our courier station wasn’t actually originally a station. In the past, these mountains produced excellent timber, so the government simply built a house here to store the felled lumber,” the old station master said with a chuckle. “Our location is a day’s journey either way from large towns with proper courier stations, so people either speed up or slow down—they don’t stop here. That you military gentlemen found our place is quite fortuitous, but we have no courier horses here, nor fodder or food provisions. However, rest assured, gentlemen, this old man has stored some food that can fill everyone’s bellies.”

He chattered on as he shakily made his way to the kitchen to cook.

Zhang Gu quickly stopped him. “Old sir, no need to trouble yourself. We brought enough dry rations and can cook for ourselves. But since there are no courier horses, we’ll need to rest an extra day to let our horses recover.”

The old station master said cheerfully, “No problem, no problem. Rest as long as you like. It’s so quiet in these mountains you can barely see a bird or beast.”

Still supporting himself with his cane, he busied himself showing the courier soldiers where to draw water and where to gather firewood.

The small courier station became lively.

Naturally A’Jiu didn’t bother with tasks like starting fires and cooking. He sat sideways on the steps, swinging his legs and gazing at the stars in the night sky.

“You actually knew there was a courier station here,” Zhang Gu walked over and said.

A’Jiu said, “It’s marked on the map. Didn’t you see it, Brother Zhang?”

After so many years, having run this route so many times, who still looked at maps for station locations? Moreover, one so small and inconspicuous—they really hadn’t noticed it. Zhang Gu smiled. “You’re quite conscientious. Don’t tell me you plan to remain a courier soldier forever?”

A’Jiu looked at the stars, his voice casual. “That could work too. Being a courier soldier isn’t bad—traveling everywhere, enjoying good food and drink.”

It wasn’t nearly as good as he made it sound. One could waste their entire life doing this. Only someone who didn’t understand the hardships of life would say such things. Zhang Gu was about to say more when A’Jiu suddenly turned his head and called out twice, “You two, stop right there. There’s only one room, and I’m going to sleep in it. Wait until the kitchen is free, then sleep in the kitchen.”

Having dismounted and rested for quite a while, A’Fu, who could finally be supported by A’Le and walk slowly, stopped. She tugged at A’Le, and A’Le helped her turn away from the room entrance and sit down on a stone block in the courtyard.

Zhang Gu glared at A’Jiu. “We’re grown men—”

“What about grown men? Men get tired from riding horses too.” A’Jiu swung his long legs and looked up at the stars again.

Sitting on the stone, A’Le wasn’t angry this time, but rather somewhat pleased.

Although there was still no bed and they would still sleep on the floor, in the kitchen they could heat water at night to give Miss a proper wash, help her relax, and apply medicine.