Though unafraid, the two remained vigilant and prepared to respond, but A Jiu didn't cause any trouble, continuing to eat and drink as usual. That evening, A Le cautiously approached him with foot-washing water, but he reacted with the same sarcastic tone as before, refusing to let her get close. He claimed he only had two sets of clothes left and if they got wet again, he'd have to go naked.
A Le fled with a flushed face, while the couriers laughed and teased her.
Neither A Fu nor A Le slept soundly that night, but the night passed without incident.
Waking the next day, both people and horses were well-rested after two days of break. After bidding farewell to the enthusiastic Old Station Chief, the group set off at a gallop once more.
Whether it was her body adapting or because they were getting farther from the capital and closer to her father, A Fu was in high spirits. She no longer found horseback riding arduous, and the chafing on her thighs and buttocks had ceased to be agonizing. Lifting her scarf, she let the biting cold wind blow against her face, not finding it bitter but rather experiencing a long-lost sense of exhilaration.
In her previous life, after entering the capital, she had abandoned horseback riding and martial arts to become a proper noble lady. After marriage, she devoted herself entirely to learning how to serve her husband, her speech and demeanor becoming soft and delicate, transforming into a fragile beauty who could stumble and miscarry from a mere push. In the end, when she was forced to drink poisoned wine and strangled with a white silk ribbon, she lacked even the strength to resist.
When she first awakened in this new life, even this body felt weakened—she had nearly failed to climb over the wall at the Chu residence.
The freedom of galloping on horseback and the resilience of her body felt truly wonderful.
In this life, no one would strangle her again—she would strangle them first!
A Fu raised her whip and shouted a clear command to urge her horse forward.
Zhang Gu and the others ahead turned to look. The two sisters were usually quiet, and though A Fu spoke more than her sister, this was the first time they had heard her shout like this.
After all, she was just a twelve- or thirteen-year-old child.
"A Fu, your riding skills are impressive!" a courier said with a laugh. "Come, race with me."
The others chimed in, teasing, "Aren't you a bit old for this?" and "Shameless!"
A Fu didn't respond, but cracked her whip to spur her horse forward, quickly catching up. The couriers cheered in approval.
The silent winter wilderness instantly grew boisterous.
Watching A Fu overtake him, A Jiu, who had been leading the group, curled his lip in disdain.
"Oho, she's beaten you!" Zhang Gu laughed heartily.
"Impossible!" A Jiu retorted. The young man urged his horse, and it shot forward like lightning, not only overtaking A Fu but nearly knocking the girl off her horse—
Zhang Gu cursed from behind, "Why compete with a young lady?"
No one actually believed he could be outdone.
That reckless boy!
The courier who had intentionally lagged behind while racing A Fu now encouraged her, "Go on, race him and piss him off."
A Fu glanced at the young A Jiu galloping wildly into the distance across the wilderness, smiled, and shook her head. "I can't beat him."
This A Jiu—whether he was inherently unruly or just pretending—was hard to figure out.
It seemed he truly hadn't suspected anything about the letter.
"I don't think that letter was written by him," A Fu whispered to A Le. "Since it's a secret message, there were probably many decoys. The one you stole must have been a fake."
A Le speculated, "So he likely carried many such letters on him and didn't care that one went missing."Although it felt somewhat unreasonable, there was no other choice. As long as A Jiu didn't ask, she would pretend nothing had happened. What A Fu was more curious about was who had sent that secret letter to her father.
Right now, everyone seemed suspicious, yet everyone seemed unlikely.
Perhaps it was that person.
Watching the figure of the young A Jiu disappearing into the wilderness, A Fu's eyes flashed with hatred.
"Don't be angry," A Le noticed and quickly whispered, "I'll try again to see if I can get it."
That wasn't why she was angry. A Fu lowered her gaze and shook her head: "Don't. That boy is too sharp—he'll notice."
Now that she knew about the letter, she was determined to read it when she saw her father. He would show it to her.
Thinking of her father made A Fu happy.
"Look!" Zhang Gu called from ahead. "Up ahead is Xiao Ku River."
The Couriers all cheered.
"Once we cross Xiao Ku River, we'll officially be beyond the Central Plains."
A Fu knew this well. When she had entered the capital, she had also passed by Xiao Ku River and had even taken a boat to play along the river for a few days.
Yunzhong County was getting closer, and so was her father.
She couldn't help but break into a smile.
That night, they camped in the wild, falling asleep to the sound of rushing water. A Fu still woke up at the first light of dawn.
A Le was curled up in her cotton clothes, fast asleep. A Fu rose swiftly and quietly.
Seeing her move, the Courier on watch knowingly greeted her and warned, "Be careful—the riverbank is slippery."
A Fu thanked him, picked up a wooden bucket, and walked briskly toward the river.
As usual, she first relieved herself, then washed her hands and face briefly. By now, she had grown accustomed to the cold water.
The river was called Xiao Ku River, but it wasn't small at all—it was wide and turbulent, though it calmed slightly in the early morning.
A Fu could see her reflection in the water. It was strange—she hardly recognized her childhood self, nor could she recall what she had looked like just before her death.
After her miscarriage, she had become a wreck. In her twenties, she had withered like a fading flower, even sprouting white hairs.
She had thought it was due to poor health, but looking back now, it must have been the medicine she was taking at the time—someone had tampered with it.
How could it have come to this? After all they had been through as husband and wife, how could it have come to this?
As A Fu stared at the hate-filled face of the girl in the water, a sudden whistling sound cut through the air. A stone whizzed past, landing in the river and shattering the girl's reflection.
Startled, A Fu turned around to see A Jiu standing behind her, holding a slingshot.
"Sir," she quickly stood up, clutching the bucket. "You can wash up now. I'll head back."
But with a sharp crack, another stone shot over and struck the bucket.
A Fu's hand went numb, and she couldn't hold on. The bucket fell with a thud.
A Jiu looked at her, his expression neither mocking nor strange—just calm and unreadable, his eyes icy cold. "Who sent you?"
A Fu's heart sank. So this boy did know the letter had been stolen, and he had waited until now to confront her.
"What are you talking about?" she bit her lower lip. "Are you trying to bully me again?"
A Jiu laughed, but it was a chilling laugh. He pulled out a cold, gleaming dagger and fitted it onto his slingshot, aiming it at A Fu.
"I'm not going to bully you," he said. "I'm going to kill you."
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