Seeing Lu Heng in such a state, Cao Yuqing couldn’t help but sigh softly and also offered comfort, saying: “Elder Lu has weathered storms for decades. I believe he is certainly not such a fragile person. When I next send a message, I’ll find a way to bring word to Elder Lu, letting him know that you’re still alive and well. I believe that with Elder Lu’s deep affection for you, knowing your news will cure most of his illness.”
“Indeed.” Qin Yining also smiled and said: “The future is long, and temporary setbacks are nothing. Everything will turn out well.”
Lu Heng was moved and nodded, once again thanking the two of them, especially Cao Yuqing.
Lu Heng thought to himself that she truly was worthy of being Qin Yining’s aunt. This must be what they meant by “birds of a feather flock together.” Qin Yining was such an extraordinary woman, and the people around her were also no ordinary individuals.
Everyone sat down again, and Cao Yuqing shared the observations she had made on her way here.
“Although it wasn’t easy for me to find this valley when I came, that was because I was traveling alone. Though heavy snow has blocked the roads outside, the provisions you seized from Khan Wutejin were no small amount. Such a large quantity of food would be enough to feed an army of one hundred thousand for one or two months if used sparingly in battle. How could Khan Wutejin possibly let you go? Have you considered what you should do if he sends out all his forces for a carpet search? You have fewer than a thousand people—how would you handle such a situation?”
Cao Yuqing’s words struck right to the heart of the matter.
Qin Yining smiled bitterly and said: “I won’t hide it from you—we were just discussing this very problem. We lack food, and our tribespeople left on the other side of the desert also need provisions. Combined with our deep-seated hatred for Khan Wutejin, when we had this opportunity to stab him in the back, we naturally wouldn’t let it pass. However, now that we have these provisions in hand, we indeed feel they’re burning our hands. We’re trying to figure out how to handle this situation.”
Si Qin and Uncle Alhan also nodded in agreement. “Yes, for the moment we truly don’t know what to do. If small groups of troops come after us, we wouldn’t be afraid. What we fear is if too many people come. We have to escort so many provisions, which will inevitably stretch our formation thin. When that happens, we might be able to protect the front but not the rear.”
Hearing this, Cao Yuqing said: “That’s exactly what I was thinking. Although this valley’s terrain is very concealed and the heavy snow outside has blocked the roads so no one will discover your tracks, making it indeed a good hiding place, this is not a long-term solution. What if Si Qin’s forces catch up and trap you inside? In my humble opinion, it would be better to find an opportunity to scout the surroundings and leave here as soon as possible.”
Upon hearing this, Qin Yining, Lu Heng, and Alhan all nodded in agreement: “You’re absolutely right.”
Qin Yining said: “If we’re going to leave, it would be best to choose a snowy day. Although it will make travel difficult for us, it will also be most convenient for covering our tracks.”
Everyone nodded again.
After thinking it over, Cao Yuqing said: “This place is too close to the border between the Tatars and Great Zhou, which will easily attract attention. If we’re going to leave, we should head toward more remote areas.”
Lu Heng said: “You’re right. I was thinking we should head west.”
“West?” Cao Yuqing thought for a moment and said: “To the east, besides several large towns, there’s also a main road leading directly to Tatar territory, with a desert in between. Crossing the desert is also a shortcut for major trade routes. To the west, besides a few towns, there’s nothing but uninhabited wilderness.”
“Exactly.” Lu Heng said: “The western terrain is complex and vast, making it easier to play hide-and-seek with pursuing forces. If we go east, we could easily be intercepted by pursuing troops from various prefectures and towns. If many people come and attack us from both front and rear, with our current force of only eight hundred people, we might all end up buried here.”
Cao Yuqing thought it over, couldn’t help but frown and scratch her hair, saying with a bitter smile: “If only Yining’s father were here right now. He’s so clever, he would definitely have a solution.”
Hearing Cao Yuqing say this, Qin Yining couldn’t help but find it amusing. But after laughing, her longing for her father became even more intense. Qin Huaiyuan’s understanding, tolerance, and love for her were absolutely genuine, and his guidance had a profound influence on her.
To be honest, during her wandering outside, the people she missed most were Pang Xiao and Qin Huaiyuan, even more than Sun Shi.
Qin Yining took a deep breath and told herself that as long as she could persist, she would eventually return home safely. Then she could enjoy family happiness and properly honor her father—how wonderful those future days would be.
Actually, during countless difficult days and nights in the desert, Qin Yining had relied on this kind of self-comfort to give herself hope and keep herself going.
“I agree with Second Master Lu’s suggestion to head west for now. Because on this Tatar land, going west gives us a better chance of survival. During this period, we’ll observe Great Zhou’s situation and the war conditions between the two countries. If both sides show intent to fight, the Zhou Emperor will definitely send a prince to the front lines. Then we can contact Great Zhou’s forces and go through the prince’s connections. With so many provisions to trade, I believe the Great Zhou people will definitely agree to protect the Minuo tribe.”
Hearing this, Uncle Alhan smiled and nodded repeatedly: “This is very good. If things really work out this way, nothing could be better.”
Lu Heng also nodded: “If things go smoothly, they’ll naturally develop in this direction, and then all the Minuo tribe’s people will be saved. As for how to live after reaching Great Zhou, Great Zhou is vast and rich, with many beautiful but uninhabited places. It would be easier to survive there than on the grasslands, so there’s no need to worry about that. But we also need to consider another possibility. What if we encounter pursuing forces first?”
Uncle Alhan wiped his face and patted Lu Heng’s shoulder heartily, saying: “Brother Lu, can’t you say something positive? But if we really encounter such a situation, we brothers naturally won’t fear them! The Minuo tribe has never had cowards! A’na Ri tortured and killed our former tribal leader and harmed so many of our people, not even sparing babies in swaddling clothes. We absolutely must fight Khan Wutejin to the death! If it really comes to that, we’ll fight them to the end!”
Uncle Alhan’s Great Zhou dialect was extremely poor, but Qin Yining, Lu Heng, and Cao Yuqing all found it inspiring and felt their spirits soar.
Cao Yuqing had always been a straightforward person, so hearing this, she also laughed heartily: “Right, at worst we’ll fight them. We’re not afraid of them.”
Qin Yining and Lu Heng felt both amused and touched. Qin Yining, who knew Cao Yuqing better, wasn’t too surprised, but Lu Heng was amazed, thinking: Such a delicate beauty is actually so bold and fearless of death—truly admirable!
Qin Yining said gently: “If we encounter such a situation, we naturally won’t be afraid, but that would be the worst-case scenario. We should try our best to prevent things from developing that way and minimize casualties among our people—that’s what’s most important.”
Lu Heng also said: “Exactly right. Then tomorrow we’ll first scout the surrounding situation and move west as soon as possible. At the same time, we’ll send people ahead to investigate the situation clearly and reduce our casualties.”
“That sounds excellent.” Qin Yining nodded.
Cao Yuqing thought it over and also felt this was feasible. Since she couldn’t think of any other solutions anyway, she also nodded in agreement.
Si Qin and Uncle Alhan then used Tatar language to explain what had just been discussed to the Minuo tribe members, discussing it together with them while boosting morale.
Qin Yining then pulled Cao Yuqing back to her own tent.
This tent was very simple, only tall enough for an adult to walk bent over inside. The ground was covered with animal skins and cotton quilts. Because Qin Yining now held the position of tribal leader in the hearts of the Minuo tribe members, considerate women traveling with them had thoughtfully prepared hot water in the tent. They had also prepared an extremely precious hand warmer, filled it with hot water, and tucked it into the bedding to warm it up first.
Qin Yining pulled Cao Yuqing to sit cross-legged facing each other, pulled the quilt over both their legs, and placed the hand warmer by their feet.
Cao Yuqing smiled and sighed: “Ah, it’s really warm!”
“Yes.” Qin Yining also squinted her eyes contentedly and took Cao Yuqing’s hands, saying: “Aunt Cao, you must have suffered a lot searching for me alone out there, right?”
Cao Yuqing felt both awkward and happy as Qin Yining held her hands.
Although she had been married, she had no children, and there were no young family members she liked this much. Combined with her feelings for Qin Huaiyuan, out of her admiration for him, she loved Qin Yining as well—loving the house because of the crow. Therefore, in her heart, she actually regarded Qin Yining as her own junior.
She considered herself a rough person who couldn’t say pretty words, only able to give her whole heart and act with a clear conscience. As long as her conscience was clear, she felt at peace. She had never imagined that Qin Yining would hold her hands and talk with her without any reservations.
She had never had a junior hold her hands and talk like this before.
Seeing Qin Yining’s smiling expression with curved eyebrows, after the initial awkwardness, Cao Yuqing felt only joy. She gripped Qin Yining’s hands back to warm them and smiled, saying: “It was alright. I’ve seen all kinds of storms over these years, so I wasn’t afraid to travel alone. It’s just that when I couldn’t find any trace of you before, I was very anxious. At that time I was injured and watched helplessly as people carried you away. I didn’t know how to explain to your father. I thought that if anything happened to you, I would never have the face to see your father again and might as well die. But fortunately heaven protected you, and you’re safe and sound. When I heard that you had assassinated Khan A’na Ri, I was simply overjoyed.”
Cao Yuqing’s frank words made Qin Yining smile with curved eyes as well. “Aunt Cao, I really thank you.”
Feeling her sincerity, Cao Yuqing felt very comforted inside, but outwardly pretended to be angry, saying: “When you say such things, you’re being distant from me.”
“Not at all, I’m speaking from the heart!” Qin Yining said earnestly: “Aunt Cao, I consider you family—how could I be distant from you? It’s just that I like to speak my mind about everything. I’m grateful to you, so I want you to know.”
Cao Yuqing couldn’t help but laugh: “You! Aren’t you afraid that being so close to me will make your mother angry?”