Reborn as a Happy Wife in a Rural Family
Chapter 189: Settling In

Chapter 189: Chapter 189: Settling In

The man at Wuqing’s feet witnessed this. Although he felt a pang of regret that these people hadn’t killed his mother and had only taken her hostage, killing those eight Xue Slaves did bring him a slight sense of balance. He no longer wanted to be exchanged back; he just hoped these people would take him away from this place. He didn’t want to remain here. He yearned to go out and see the world beyond.

"Miss, aren’t you tired from standing like this?" Wuqing then asked Gu Qingli. She wanted Wuyou to move the old woman so their mistress could sit.

"It’s alright. I’ll be fine in a moment." Once they obtained the map and whatever else she needed, they would leave immediately. She wanted to return as soon as possible; Xiao Yunjing must be terribly worried by now.

At this moment, it wasn’t Xiao Yunjing who was anxious. Instead, it was Mr. Xiao at Yanshan Pass, who, despite the heavy snow, had broken out in a cold sweat.

Messengers from the Daqian Kingdom, bearing an imperial edict, arrived at Yanshan Pass. They requested Xiao Yunjing to receive it, but he wasn’t present. Xiao Ce came out to accept the edict in his stead.

When the messenger saw Mr. Xiao, he was so terrified that he dropped the imperial edict on the ground.

"Y-you are General Xiao! H-how can it be you?"

Mr. Xiao nodded. Since he had been recognized, he admitted it openly. With a wave of his hand, he ordered, "Someone, take Lord Lu to rest. Lord Lu has had an arduous journey."

"Yes, sir!" Immediately, two soldiers came forward and ’escorted’ Lord Lu and the accompanying eunuch who had delivered the edict away.

The two of them followed in a daze.

Mr. Xiao then picked up the fallen edict and read it.

"Hmph! Daydreaming," Mr. Xiao scoffed after reading it, then tossed the imperial edict into the snow.

He had been genuinely startled when he first saw the two men, fearing Chu Xiong intended for them to return to the capital to report on their duties, especially with the year’s end approaching. It turned out the edict commanded Third to lead fifty thousand troops to attack Beijing. He must be out of his mind to even consider attacking his own people! "Hmm? Why not seize this opportunity to send some grain and supplies over?" he mused. Xiao Yunjing had previously dispatched someone with provisions, but that person hadn’t returned yet, and the supplies were likely insufficient. This way, he could also placate Chu Xiong. He couldn’t let his plans go awry before Xiao Yunjing returned. With this thought, Mr. Xiao, who had started to walk away, turned back and retrieved the edict from the snow.

「Meanwhile, Xiao Yunjing had yet to emerge from the tunnel when the ten members of the Secret Sect tailing him caught up.」

Upon exiting the tunnel, much like Gu Qingli’s group, they found themselves disoriented, unable to distinguish north from south, east from west. They could only choose a direction at random and proceed. Their group moved much faster than Gu Qingli’s, and as fate would have it, they were heading towards the Xue Clan.

「Back in the Xue Clan, after the time it took for an incense stick to burn, Nanny Ah Li indeed emerged alone, holding a scroll.」

She walked over to Xue Mei, glared venomously at Gu Qingli, and said, "Now, can you release the Young Master and Madam?"

"Hand it over." Wuqing snatched the scroll, unfurled it, and checked for anything unusual before passing it to Gu Qingli.

"Miss, please take a look."

"Alright." Gu Qingli accepted the scroll. It was three feet long and three feet wide, and it indicated that this place was called the Snow Maiden Clan. The surrounding Icefield was indeed named Tianshan, and the Snow Maiden Clan was situated in its center. The map of the Snow Maiden Clan had markings indicating east, south, west, and north. Extending from Tianshan, to the east lay the Daqian Kingdom, and to the south, the Yanshan Mountain Range. It turned out that the northernmost extremity of the Yanshan Mountain Range was Tianshan. Of course, these were only general directions; no specific details of the areas in between were marked. To the west was the Xichen Kingdom. There were no markings to the north. Tianshan must be the northernmost land on this continent, she thought.

This simple map was sufficient. Gu Qingli carefully memorized all its markings before handing it to Wuqing to store away.

Then, she turned to Nanny Ah Li, who had been waiting with palpable anxiety, and said, "Prepare some rooms for us. We need to rest for a while."

"You people never keep your word!" Nanny Ah Li exclaimed angrily. She had assumed they would take the map, release their captives, and leave. Now they wanted to stay? This was truly outrageous!

"Enough nonsense! Be careful, or I’ll kill you. Just do as our Miss says," Wuyou threatened, tightening her grip on Xue Mei’s arm.

"Alright, alright! Don’t hurt Madam! I’ll do it. Please, follow me," Nanny Ah Li said hurriedly, terrified that Wuyou, if displeased, might snap Xue Mei’s neck. She couldn’t afford to provoke them.

"Let’s go," Gu Qingli gestured to Wuyou and the others.

She was genuinely tired and needed to rest. Secondly, she wanted to help this young woman, Wuyou, uncover her origins. Thirdly, the poisonous flowers in the courtyard intrigued her; she had never seen such varieties before. She resolved to collect some for study and transplant a few into her Space. Besides, medicine and poison were often intertwined. If there were poisonous flowers, there were likely medicinal herbs as well.

Wuyou sealed Xue Mei’s acupressure points and pushed the wheelchair, following Ah Li. Wuqing carried the man, following Wuyou. Gu Qingli, supported by Wuxin, walked in the middle, with Wushuang, Yun No. 20, and Yun No. 18 following behind.

The group proceeded down a long corridor and stopped before a small courtyard. Ah Li went to open the gate and was then compelled by Wuyou to enter first. Once it was confirmed there was no danger inside, Wuyou lifted the wheelchair and entered, with the others following.

The courtyard was a small, traditional quadrangle, devoid of poisonous flowers but, to her surprise, filled with medicinal herbs. Gu Qingli’s eyes lit up. Indeed, more than half of the herbs were unfamiliar to her.

She first went into a room to rest. She only got up when a woman brought them food. Four dishes and a soup were laid out on the dining table. Gu Qingli inhaled the fragrant aroma. Only after Wuyou meticulously checked and confirmed that the food was not poisoned did she begin to eat.

"Miss, there’s nothing wrong with the food. Don’t you find that odd?" Wuyou asked, puzzled. "Given their methods, they don’t seem like such benevolent people. This would have been the perfect opportunity to poison us."

"I don’t know," Gu Qingli replied, also finding it peculiar. "Perhaps they don’t dare to act because we have that mother and son as hostages."

Gu Qingli hadn’t even finished half her meal when Wuqing entered to report, "Miss, there’s a young woman outside requesting an audience. She claims to be that man’s wife."

"Oh? Let her in," Gu Qingli said, looking up.

"Yes, Miss." Wuqing exited. A moment later, she returned, leading in a young woman in her early twenties. The newcomer had a rather delicate appearance, was dressed in a blue cotton gown, stood about 1.65 meters tall, and walked with a subtly graceful, almost flirtatious sway. She first curtsied to Gu Qingli. Her curtsy was similar to those performed in the outside world. Then, she said, "Madam, I’ve come regarding my good-for-nothing husband."

"Oh? And what about your mother-in-law?" Gu Qingli asked, a faint smile playing on her lips as she looked at the young woman.

The young woman’s face stiffened, and she seemed at a loss for words. Truthfully, she hadn’t considered asking for her mother-in-law’s release. After hearing from Nanny Ah Li about the day’s events, her mother-in-law’s actions had deeply disheartened her.

Gu Qingli didn’t tease her further. She smiled and asked, "Since you’ve come for your husband, tell me your purpose."

"I..." The young woman’s face flushed. She glanced at Gu Qingli. She hadn’t expected this beautiful young lady to be so direct.