Chapter 76 Riding Together
After a night's rest, the wound on her thigh had improved significantly—it no longer hurt unless touched. Yet the exhaustion from days of relentless travel left her spirits low.
Her weariness was so palpable that even Shaoyao grew unusually quiet. When breakfast was served, Shaoyao immediately picked the choicest bites and placed them in Hua Hua's bowl.
Though Hua Zhi had little appetite, she forced herself to eat more. The bitter cold demanded extra calories to sustain her.
As dawn broke, Hua Zhi tightened her cloak and was about to ask Shaoyao about Lu Xiansheng's whereabouts when Gu Yanxi—who had been absent all morning—entered carrying a large bundle, his clothes dusted with snow. "The snow's getting heavier."
Already aware the journey ahead would be arduous, Hua Zhi smiled faintly. "Then we'll brave the wind and snow."
Gu Yanxi gave her a deep look before unwrapping the bundle, revealing a strikingly vibrant fur cloak.
Hua Zhi's quick mind instantly grasped the situation, and she stared at Gu Yanxi in surprise.
"Found a friend," he explained.
Catching Gu Yanxi's glance, Shaoyao immediately understood. She stepped forward, removed Hua Hua's original cloak, and draped the vastly thicker fur mantle over her shoulders. With determined efficiency, she fastened it securely, leaving Hua Zhi no room for refusal.
Hua Zhi stroked the soft collar, savoring its warmth, and accepted the kindness. "Thank you."
Gu Yanxi watched how Hua Zhi's pale face contrasted with the fiery fur, reminded of that rainy night when her fragile yet stubborn expression and defiant eyes had struck him. Now, her complexion seemed just as wan.
Outside, the storm intensified. Hua Zhi took a sharp breath of frigid air, pulled up her hood, and mounted her horse. A gentle nudge of her heels set the horse trotting forward.
The wind bit into her face, and icy air seeped through her nostrils, chilling her from within. Gripping the reins tightly, she told herself: Soon, I'll see my family.
Gu Yanxi's horse occasionally surged ahead. Each time he glanced back, Hua Zhi's blazing eyes seared him like a brand. He felt like a treasure hunter secretly unearthing a priceless hoard—a miser gleefully guarding his discovery from prying eyes.
This indescribable, wordless sensation delighted him beyond measure.
It was precisely because of this attentiveness that he noticed immediately when Hua Zhi nearly fell from her saddle. Without hesitation, he leaped from his horse onto hers, wrapping his arms around her to steady and shield her.
"Hua Hua!" Shaoyao urged her horse forward. "Are you alright? What happened?"
Hua Zhi smiled wryly. "My hands and feet are frozen stiff."
"If you'd fallen, you'd have been done for!" Shaoyao panicked. "Yan Ge, hold her horse still. I'll—"
Gu Yanxi's terrifying glare made Shaoyao swallow the words "take Hua Hua" mid-sentence. She gulped and amended, "I'll check if Hua Hua is injured."
"I'm fine," Hua Zhi reassured her. But being held like this was impractical—while she cared little about propriety between men and women, this era enforced such norms. "Lu Xiansheng, perhaps we should find a place to rest? If I move around, I should recover."
"If we have to dismount and move periodically, we won't reach our destination today," Gu Yanxi stated firmly. "We continue like this."Hua Zhi thought it was reasonable - today's journey was already long, and if they had to rest every time they ran for a while, they'd be lucky to complete half the distance. However, there was another solution. "I dare not trouble Lu Xiansheng. Cao Cao, you can take me."
"The horses you're riding are ordinary ones and can't carry two people."
This was the truth, and even Shaoyao couldn't argue. She nodded to Hua Hua who was looking over and said, "Our horses can't compare with Yan Ge's."
That was the king among horses, personally tamed by The Heir himself!
Gu Yanxi gave Hua Zhi no time to react. He encircled her waist and leaped up, moving from her horse to his own. The horse was extremely intelligent, actively slowing its pace to cooperate with its master.
Hua Zhi's heart rose and fell heavily, her heartbeat accelerating uncontrollably. She experienced the convenience of qinggong, though the sensation wasn't particularly pleasant.
Gu Yanxi's cloak billowed out, enveloping Hua Zhi within it. His originally firm grip changed to a light protective hold, and he maintained distance with his body, ensuring Hua Zhi didn't feel the slightest bit offended.
"Sit steady, we're going to accelerate."
Hua Zhi nodded, instinctively reaching for the reins. But she forgot this wasn't the horse she had been riding before - the reins of this horse were in Gu Yanxi's hands. Her grasp landed on the man's hand instead, and she quickly withdrew it.
"Sorry."
In a place Hua Zhi couldn't see, Gu Yanxi's lips curved upward. "It's fine. Step on my feet, step firmly. Don't worry about hurting me."
But no matter how firmly she stepped, without anywhere to brace her hands, Hua Zhi's body gradually leaned back from the jolting. At first she tried to sit upright, but after a while she simply gave up. After all, she was the one being taken advantage of, and if she didn't mind, she figured Lu Xiansheng wouldn't mind either.
Gu Yanxi certainly didn't mind. He even subtly shook the reins to make the horse run faster.
Despite the harsh weather, this turned out to be the easiest day of travel for Hua Zhi, and they arrived at the relay station earlier than expected.
When she returned to her room after dinner, a large bucket of hot steam was waiting. Hua Zhi couldn't wait to undress and soak in it. The wounds on her thighs had scabbed over, but after a day of rubbing, the skin had broken again and looked somewhat red and swollen. Not daring to soak for too long, she got out once she felt warm from inside out.
Shaoyao seemed to have been listening for movement outside. As soon as Hua Zhi finished dressing, she knocked and entered with medicine in hand.
Looking at the back of Shaoyao's head, Hua Zhi suddenly asked, "Does Lu Xiansheng have a family?"
Shaoyao paused in her movements, glanced at Hua Hua, then continued. "Why ask that? Don't tell me..."
"Where are your thoughts wandering?" Hua Zhi laughed lightly, patting the back of Shaoyao's head. "Sharing a horse is ultimately improper. If Lu Xiansheng already has a wife, I'll have to think of some solution tomorrow and can't trouble him anymore. Did you think I had improper thoughts?"
Shaoyao felt relieved and hummed, "Why would they be improper thoughts? If anyone has them, it would be him. But Hua Hua, don't overthink it - he has no family. If he had a family and still dared to let you ride with him, I definitely wouldn't agree. Even if we had to travel slower, I wouldn't let you be taken advantage of."
Hua Zhi smiled warmly at her friend who was completely on her side, and patted the back of her head again.
"Hua Hua, let me ask you something." Shaoyao carefully stoppered the porcelain bottle. "What do you think of Yan Ge?""Not really. I've never planned to marry in this lifetime. When the time is right, I'll find a delicate little house to live in, watch the sunrise and sunset, and lead a leisurely life."
She didn't want to speculate about what Mr. Lu meant by his question, only hoping her words would leave her lips and enter his ears.
PS: Answering readers' questions - Kongkong is still a junior screenwriter, recently attending script meetings in the capital, hence being so busy. Additionally, Kongkong truly isn't a fast writer, but rather meticulous, preferring to polish sentences and deliberate over word choices. Impatient readers might want to let the chapters accumulate before reading.
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