Zhu Qing discovered that Third Master had been in an extremely good mood these past few days, his smiling face never stopping, acting like best buddies with everyone he met.

Not only was his mood good, he was also frequently arranging drinking sessions.

Yesterday with Cai Si and his men;

The day before with He Yun;

And before that, with the brothers from the Five Wards Command.

Daily inspections, daily drinking, busy without a moment’s rest—normally Third Master’s body would have shown some discomfort.

Not this time.

Not only was Third Master in a good mood, his energy was exceptionally robust. Morning and evening, an hour of martial arts practice each, training more earnestly than usual.

Thinking it over, it was mostly thanks to that bottle of blood-activating, bruise-dispersing medicine.

Third Master took it everywhere, even held it in his palm while sleeping at night, treasuring it like a precious object.

Xie Zhifei’s mood was indeed good, but his heart was also anxious. Tossing and turning with worry and hope, he often woke with a start at night.

Where were they now?

Was everything going smoothly?

Had they encountered mountain bandits or robbers?

Could sister-in-law, a sheltered inner-chamber woman, physically endure this?

Had that Pei Mingting kid caused any trouble?

…

Someone who felt the days pass even more like years than Third Master was Second Master Zhu.

The carriage had been racing for two solid days, stopping only five times—one of those because his elder sister couldn’t bear the jolting and had vomited.

Even worse, the further west they traveled, the colder it got.

Though the carriage was sturdy and could block wind and rain, it ultimately had no door, only a brocade curtain hanging there. The cold wind drilled through the brocade curtain straight onto their bodies. Even their bones were frozen.

Second Master Zhu pulled the bedding up higher, his gaze falling on Young Master Pei.

Throughout this journey, Young Master Pei hadn’t even let out a single grunt. He’d been curled up in his bedding the entire time sleeping soundly, even snoring a little.

He looked like a pampered young master used to fine clothes and food, but actually wasn’t delicate in the slightest.

How would Second Master Zhu know that actually, on the second day after leaving the capital, Pei Xiao had begun regretting it in his heart.

Traveling south, it got hotter the further you went; traveling northwest, it got colder the further you went.

If it was hot, at worst you could ride a horse—once you got going there was always wind;

If it was cold, even putting the bedding over your head was useless.

Besides, Xie Wushi wasn’t here. Even if he complained and whined, no one would comfort him. If the Sorceress and the Hero heard him, he’d just earn their scorn.

Forget it—best not to invite humiliation.

Once the carriage passed Longyuan Pass, the speed slowed.

Outside the pass, a heavy snow had fallen a few days ago. When the sun came out, the snow melted into water. At night the temperature dropped, and the water froze into ice. The carriage wheels slipped on the ice and couldn’t run at all.

In several places, Ding Yi and Huang Qi could only dismount to drive the carriage.

There were still quite a few post stations outside the pass. Each time Yan Sanhe and her group reached a post station, they stopped to check the carriage. Such icy and snowy roads wore down the carriage wheels—if they broke halfway, that would be fatal.

They also changed horses frequently. Tired horses were replaced with well-fed, well-watered ones, which could increase the speed considerably.

Even so, it wasn’t until the fourth day that they reached Longwang Hall. Upon asking around, they learned that Longwang Hall was still a full day and night’s carriage ride from Mount Wutai.

Yan Sanhe decided to rest at Longwang Hall’s post station for one night, then make the final push directly to Mount Wutai. Who knew that the very day they stopped to rest, Zhu Weixi fell ill.

A woman whose ten fingers had never touched spring water, traveling this urgently for the first time, exposed to such cold wind, without even anyone to serve her tea and water—it would be strange if she didn’t fall ill.

The illness came on fiercely. In just a short time, she burned with confusion, her eyes red from fever.

There was no choice but to first seek medical care and medicine. They’d wait for the fever to break before continuing.

In this place where the front village couldn’t be seen and the rear shop couldn’t be reached, where could they find any good physician? Young Master Pei assessed the situation and pulled several doses of medicine from his bundle.

He always carried this stuff with him, and it always came in handy.

Ding Yi went to borrow a stove from the innkeeper. Huang Qi soaked the medicine and started a fire. Before long, the medicine was bubbling away as it brewed.

Yan Sanhe watched over Zhu Weixi. Li Buyan took the opportunity to inspect the carriages and horses, leaving only Second Master Zhu standing there clutching three copper coins, at a loss.

Should he still divine auspiciousness?

…

This illness caused a full two-day delay. Fortunately, on the remaining road much of the snow had melted, and the party was finally able to reach Mount Wutai smoothly.

Just as they entered the mountains, the sky changed color. Cold wind mixed with snow pellets struck their faces. The temperature plummeted. Even Yan Sanhe felt a trace of cold.

Having followed Third Master to many places over these years, Ding Yi took one look at the weather and quickly warned: “Miss Yan, within one shichen, heavy snow will come.”

More snow?

Yan Sanhe thought for a moment. “Huang Qi, the mountain road isn’t easy to travel. Go explore the surroundings to see if there are any households. If so, find a local to guide us.”

“Yes!”

“Ding Yi.”

Yan Sanhe: “Find some sturdy tree branches, sharpen them, and nail down the brocade curtain on the eldest young mistress’s carriage.”

“Yes!”

“Buyan.”

Yan Sanhe’s gaze drifted toward the front carriage. Li Buyan blinked lightly and immediately strode to Second Master Zhu.

“Second Master Zhu.”

“Miss Li.”

“My young lady says to take out your tools of the trade and divine auspiciousness.”

“Good!”

Zhu Yuanzhao had been planning to do this all along. This journey had been so full of stumbles and bumps—without divining auspiciousness, he had no confidence at all.

Li Buyan: “Throw them in the carriage. The ground is dirty.”

Zhu Yuanzhao walked to the carriage. Young Master Pei lifted the curtain.

Three copper coins were tossed onto the bedding.

Two landed with tails up, one with heads up.

Inauspicious.

Young Master Pei’s eyes widened. Just as he was about to let out a “wail,” suddenly a palm covered his mouth.

Young Master Pei blinked: Hero, what are you doing?

Li Buyan reached out her hand, flipped the two coins over, then called out loudly: “Miss, all three are heads up—most auspicious!”

You could do that?

Young Master Pei was so shocked his jaw nearly dropped to the ground. He used his eyes to look at Second Master Zhu.

Second Master Zhu’s face was full of terror.

Li Buyan released her hand, wiped her palm on her clothes, and said matter-of-factly: “My mother said not to believe in feudal superstition. Faith can overcome all hardships and difficulties.”

What was feudal?

What was superstition?

Young Master Pei’s fair ears slowly turned red.

Fine, Hero—whatever your mother says goes!

The rear carriage.

Yan Sanhe lifted the curtain and looked at Zhu Weixi, whose face was pale and who was curled into a ball. “Did you hear? Most auspicious. Everything ahead will be smooth and successful. You don’t need to worry.”

Zhu Weixi showed a slight smile. “With you here, I’m not worried.”

She spoke from the heart.

Throughout this journey, Yan Sanhe had maintained a cold expression. Even sitting in the same carriage, she rarely spoke to her. Most of the time she kept her eyes closed.

During that rest stop, she had gnawed on a cold steamed bun.

When they set off again, they happened to encounter a downhill stretch of road. The speed was very fast, and the carriage jolted violently.

Her stomach felt terrible, but she kept enduring it with all her might.

Yan Sanhe lifted her eyelids to glance at her, then immediately called for the carriage to stop…

At the post station, burning with fever and confused, she couldn’t distinguish whether what she heard in her ears was the howling north wind or Geng Songsheng’s sobbing cries.

Opening her eyes to see a pale face, tears silently flowed down.

People in illness are all fragile.

She asked in a hoarse voice: “Yan Sanhe, can I still find him alive?”

“With me here, don’t worry.”

Yan Sanhe took the hot towel Li Buyan handed over and wiped the sweat from her forehead, incidentally wiping away her tears too.

“As long as you recover from your illness, I will definitely be able to bring you to see him.”