For the next few days, everyone resumed their journey. Since the third brother and Su Cui Ping had finally broken the ice between them, their interactions noticeably increased.
The early stages of love were always the most intimate, and looking at the way they gazed at each other, one could almost see sparks flying, with pink bubbles constantly floating around them.
Now, Su Cui Ping rarely held onto Su Mu Qing and Lin Rong Rong anymore. Whenever she had free time, she would spend it cultivating her relationship with the third brother. Their constant sweet affections made others feel overwhelmed, as if they were being suffocated by excessive sweetness!
As if to prove this, after a few days of traveling by carriage, Su Cui Ping declared that sitting in a carriage every day was boring and expressed a desire to learn horseback riding.
The third brother, of course, agreed to everything Su Cui Ping said. Moreover, the important task of teaching her to ride a horse would undoubtedly fall to him. He couldn't be happier about the opportunity to get closer to the girl he liked!
Su Mu Qing and Lin Rong Rong exchanged glances. Holding the baby, they also disembarked from the carriage with Fei La. Su Cui Ping's suggestion had sparked their own desire to learn horseback riding as well.
Su Mu Qing had wanted to learn to ride a horse when they escaped from the county magistrate's mansion. However, she had been too busy with other matters and had forgotten about it. Now, it was the perfect opportunity for all three of them to learn.
Lin Rong Rong and Su Cui Ping, in particular, were the least capable of self-defense among the group. If they needed to travel in the future and couldn't ride horses, it would hold them back.
Su Cui Ping immediately got onto the third brother's horse. Su Mu Qing then led Lin Rong Rong to Leng Ren and Leng Feng. "Elder Brother Leng, Second Brother Leng, can you teach us to ride horses?"
Leng Ren and Leng Feng exchanged a look, both preparing to reach out for Lin Rong Rong. Before they could make a move, the tenth brother darted out and scooped Lin Rong Rong up. "Little Rong, come, come, I'll teach you to ride!"
Seeing Lin Rong Rong being pulled away, Leng Feng, with quick hands, took the baby from Su Mu Qing's arms. He said with a serious expression, "I'll teach Xuan Ge'er to ride. Let him get used to it from a young age; it will be easier for him when he grows up."
Su Mu Qing was bewildered. He couldn't even walk yet. Why did these two seem a little reluctant to teach her? Could it be that her skills were too advanced for them to teach? It had to be!
Seeing Leng Feng snatch away the child, Leng Ren dismounted and walked towards Su Mu Qing.
As Su Mu Qing saw Leng Ren approaching her, a bright smile bloomed on her face. She knew it! It must be because Second Brother Leng's riding skills were too poor, which was why he didn't dare to teach her. Elder Brother Leng had the foresight to recognize her extraordinary talent at a glance...
Before Su Mu Qing could finish praising herself, she saw Leng Ren put in a great deal of effort to drag Fei La away? Fei La... dragged away Fei La...? Why was he dragging away a dog?
Su Mu Qing was filled with questions as she watched Fei La, whose entire body radiated refusal, being dragged away.
Did Elder Brother Leng have poor eyesight? Here she was, a living, breathing person, and he was dragging away a dog! Without a doubt, his riding skills must also be very poor, so he could only teach Fei La!
No matter how unwilling Fei La was, he was eventually forcibly put onto the horse by Leng Ren. Seeing that the dog couldn't sit still on the horse, he was simply tied to his chest with a wide cloth strip. He received the same treatment as the baby.
Fei La, tied in front, bared his teeth in a display of his dissatisfaction. His four limbs were spread wide forward, his posture most uncivilized.
Had anyone bothered to ask the dog's opinion? Were they polite?
If Fei La could speak, he probably would have already started cursing them out. At this moment, his inner thoughts were likely a stampede of ten thousand wild horses!
Su Mu Qing also wanted to ask them what they meant!
The others, seeing the actions of Leng Da and Leng Er, really wanted to burst into laughter. However, out of consideration for Miss Su, they could only suppress their laughter, their shoulders trembling uncontrollably.
Lu Yu Zhi, of course, understood the intentions of his subordinates. He slowly advanced, holding the reins, a gentle smile on his face, and extended his hand to Su Mu Qing. "My riding skills are decent, how about I teach you?"
Hearing Lu Yu Zhi's gentle words and his主动 offer to teach her horseback riding, Su Mu Qing felt like she had finally won a round.
"Thank you, Elder Brother Lu. You're the one with vision. Hmph!" Su Mu Qing placed her hand into Lu Yu Zhi's, and with his assistance, mounted the horse. She then turned and gave Leng Da and Leng Er a stern hmph.
Leng Da and Leng Er, who had lowered their heads, thought: This is the person the young master already fancied, what else could they do? Their hearts were filled with bitterness, but they couldn't express it.
The group continued their journey, some riding horses, some in carriages. They rested when tired, and after several more days of laughter and chatter, they arrived at Mukang County, the most remote county in Changning Prefecture.
This was also the border county of the Great Yu Dynasty. Leaving Mukang County was akin to going abroad!
The closer they got to Mukang County, the more desolate it felt. The population density was very low. As far as the eye could see, the areas surrounding the county town were vast tracts of barren land, dotted with some abandoned adobe houses.
It made one wonder. Logically speaking, the environment here was quite good, with mountains, water, and land, and the climate changed normally. The environment looked perfectly suitable for habitation.
When they exited the city with their household registration proofs, Leng Ren slipped a tael of silver to a guard and asked why there were so few people. The soldier asked them where they were going.
Upon hearing that they intended to pass through to do some business in Wanfeng Country, the soldier, motivated by the silver, kindly warned them that Mukang County and the Uninhabited Zone had been very unstable recently.
Firstly, the Uninhabited Zone was in the process of selecting a new leader, and the ensuing fighting inevitably affected the nearby residents.
Secondly, since the beginning of the year, there had been continuous disappearances of people in the county town and nearby villages and towns. And it was always children and women who went missing.
When he mentioned this, the guard cast a meaningful glance at Su Mu Qing and the other girls.
Because of the numerous disappearances, the people of Mukang County were living in fear. Many families had moved to other places, which was why the entire county town appeared so empty.
The soldier also advised them that if they had no urgent business, it would be best to wait for this period to pass before going through the Uninhabited Zone. Alternatively, they could travel south and take a detour of several hundred kilometers to reach the waterway.
If they absolutely had to go, then it would be best to pay to go to the Wanxiao Tower in the south of the city and hire a guide. This might make the journey smoother.
After hearing the guard's words, Leng Ren gave him another tael of silver as thanks. He then returned and explained the situation to Lu Yu Zhi and the others. They discussed it, and in the end, they decided to pass through the Uninhabited Zone.
Traveling hundreds of kilometers south would take a significant amount of time. Moreover, taking the waterway to Wanfeng Country would put them in the opposite direction from their route to Tianzhao Country. This back-and-forth travel would add at least several thousand kilometers, which would cause too much delay. It was better to proceed according to the original plan.
So, Leng Ren went to the Wanxiao Tower in the south of the city again. The innkeeper, upon hearing that they had over a dozen people and intended to pass through to Wanfeng Country, recommended a guide named Tong Le Sheng.
Since they only had people and no cargo, the guiding fee was ten tael of silver per person. The innkeeper said that as long as they listened to Tong Le Sheng, kept their heads down, focused on the journey, and didn't meddle in other people's affairs, they would be safely escorted out of the Uninhabited Zone.
Thus, the group, along with Tong Le Sheng, left Mukang County and began their journey towards the Uninhabited Zone.