Chapter 5769: Suffering
"Water spirits are so much better! Clean, refreshing, and effortless."
"The river water has tiny plankton, don't you think—" Mo Yu hadn't finished his chattering when a piece of pastry suddenly blocked his mouth.
"Talkative!" Qiao Lin glared at him, annoyed. Tiny plankton, so overly particular! Qiao Lin took a piece of pastry for herself and put it in her mouth, then slanted an eye at him as she ate, a strong warning in her gaze. Keep babbling and I'll kick you out of the carriage.
Mo Yu deciphered the young girl's subtle warning and silently closed his mouth.
The carriage moved slowly forward. Mo Yu took a sip of tea and asked in a low voice, "What do you plan to do with that woman?" In yesterday's commotion, the woman had fainted again, ultimately escaping any immediate consequences. Now, a day later, Mo Yu naturally wanted to ask the young girl for her opinion. If the young girl said to deal with her, it would be perfectly reasonable. After all, someone had touched her Four-Winged Snow Steed, and that was no laughing matter.
"Forget it," Qiao Lin pouted and waved her hand. She wasn't in the mood to bicker with that woman anymore. Looking at the woman's physique, she seemed very frail and prone to fainting. If Qiao Lin were to deal with her, she might faint before anything could even be done, and Qiao Lin couldn't bear to be accused of bullying the weak.
"You're quite kind-hearted," Mo Yu snorted, his words carrying a hint of dissatisfaction.
Qiao Lin smiled slightly at his words. After breakfast, the carriage traveled for over two more hours, then stopped for a rest in the wilderness for about half an hour at noon. This time, there were no scares or incidents. The repeatedly fainting Princess Huaizhu was also helped out of the carriage to get some air, her face still looking somewhat pale and wan. She seemed like a delicate willow swaying in the wind, speaking in a voice as small as a mosquito's, barely audible unless one leaned in close, as if fearing to startle small animals.
Qiao Lin was naturally as active as a boy, otherwise, she wouldn't have pestered her sister to go play in the military camp with Qiao Sen. She couldn't stand such delicate, weak women who seemed like they could be blown away by a strong gust of wind. Therefore, seeing the princess come down for a walk, she simply walked farther away, climbing a tree to enjoy the scenery on her own.
Princess Huaizhu's eyes flickered slightly.
The accompanying Qingluo grumbled softly with some dissatisfaction, "Princess, what does she mean by this? Is she showing disdain for you?" Her behavior was too obvious. As soon as she saw Qingluo helping the princess walk over, the young girl flashed away, flying so high and far, clearly trying to avoid them and unwilling to converse.
Princess Huaizhu waved her hand indifferently, her expression unreadable. "Fine, this princess also doesn't wish to speak much with such a rude commoner from the wilderness." Judging by this girl's demeanor, she was too carefree and undisciplined. She clearly seemed like someone who hadn't received a proper education. Wasting words on her would only lower her own status.
Qingluo nodded and supported Princess Huaizhu as they walked in the wilderness, until the leader called for assembly, upon which they returned to the carriage.
After several days of smooth travel, they entered a mist-shrouded mountain forest one evening.
Mo Yu said to Little Lin, "From the moment we step into this forest, we'll be within the Undead Village's territory. Be careful."
Qiao Lin was actually a little excited. Along this journey, let alone corpse puppets, she hadn't even seen a single blind beast. This made her feel bored and somewhat miss the days of fighting corpse puppets. She remembered how, during their escape, there were so many corpse puppets, spreading everywhere, and they would blow up one after another. Now, it was so calm that she could hardly believe it. The Lower Star Domain is indeed different from before, she thought to herself.
Eerie Encounters
Mo Yu seemed unreliable on the surface, but seeing how smoothly their journey had gone and how the common people were living in peace and prosperity along the way, it was clear that he was actually quite dependable. At least, he was countless times better than his useless father.
Brother Yu was dismounting the carriage when he glanced back and caught the young girl's gaze. He couldn't help but blink. "You were secretly looking at me."
Qiao Lin quickly retracted her gaze, hopped down, looked around at the mist-shrouded environment, and frowned. "Are we staying here tonight?"
"Yes, once we enter the Undead Village, the mist will become even denser, making it almost impossible to see anyone ahead or behind." Mo Yu nodded. "Especially at night. We're still on the outskirts of the village now, so we can still see a bit more clearly."
Seeing the young girl darting around him, Mo Yu couldn't help but raise a hand and rub her forehead. "That's why I want you to stay by my side. Don't wander off, and don't take this lightly."
"Got it, got it," Little Lin waved her hand, sniffed her small nose, and conspiratorially leaned closer to Mo Yu. "I'm telling you, there should be corpse puppets here."
"You smell them?" Mo Yu couldn't help but tease.
Qiao Lin nodded her big head vigorously. "Yes, and it's that extremely rotten, decaying corpse smell."
Mo Yu: ...
He almost didn't know what to say; he felt like the conversation couldn't go on.
Qiao Lin looked around and then at Mo Yu again. "You don't believe me?"
"Believe, believe, I believe you," Mo Yu nodded helplessly, then turned and quietly whispered a command to Baozi the guard.
Soon, Baozi ordered everyone to set up camp and rest, planning to enter the Undead Village early tomorrow morning.
"Ah!" Suddenly, a shriek came from not far away. Their gazes swept over, and they saw Qingluo supporting their Princess Huaizhu, who was covered in sweat and her face pale with fright, running towards them.
"Your... Your Royal Highness, over... over there are snakes... snakes."
Everyone couldn't help but collectively roll their eyes. What's wrong with snakes? You're all mystic masters, not truly helpless ordinary people. To be scared stiff by a single snake is just too pathetic.
Princess Huaizhu read this hint of meaning from their strange gazes and secretly grew resentful. Although she possessed some mystic power, she had been pampered since childhood and had never spent a night in such deep mountains and old forests. The surroundings were damp with vegetation, and snakes and insects occasionally darted out from the trees, each moment challenging her fragile nerves.
"From now until we leave the village, no riding horses or carriages. Everyone be prepared," Mo Yu commanded plainly. They had already stored their horses, carriages, and other items in their storage talismans.
Everyone set up camp on the spot without saying much. Every now and then, a shriek or two would come from Princess Huaizhu's side. Presumably, she had seen some more snakes or insects and was greatly frightened.
Qiao Lin and Mo Yu exchanged glances, both seeing a hint of speechlessness in each other's eyes. This princess is so delicate; she really shouldn't have left home at all! When you're out and about, where do you find so many petty demands?