Chapter 396
**Chapter 394: Tracing the Trail**
Far from home, the return date remains uncertain.
King Wu felt a wave of sadness wash over him, tears welling up in his eyes.
Before his sorrow could spill over, the chilly morning wind swept in.
The wind rustled his robes, stirring up dust that clung to him.
Caught off guard, King Wu coughed repeatedly, his mouth filled with dirt, making his already worn clothes look even more tattered and disheveled.
Heart aching, he patted his most prized garment and cursed under his breath as he climbed back into the carriage.
Shen Wei watched, her eyelids twitching. She leaned closer to the guard beside her and asked in a low voice, “Is this how His Highness always behaves?”
Having known King Wu for only a short time, Shen Wei concluded—this boy had a handsome face, but his mind seemed troubled.
The guard, Zhang Wuge, sighed, “You get used to it.”
With King Wu back in his place, the caravan set off in grand procession. They traveled until nightfall, stopping at a dilapidated post station.
The station was nearly abandoned, with only an old soldier left to guard it, who naturally had no energy to prepare dinner for King Wu. Meanwhile, Yuan Fu, who had been hiding at the back of the group, quietly gathered pots, pans, and food to head to the kitchen.
It was then that Shen Wei noticed Yuan Fu was also part of the caravan!
Hurrying to the kitchen, Shen Wei found Yuan Fu skillfully boiling water and cooking fish, his small frame bustling about. She grabbed him by the collar, “What are you doing here? This journey is dangerous.”
After revealing the truth to Yuan Fu that night, he had looked so heartbroken, returning to the fishing village alone.
Shen Wei thought he had turned his back on her as his sister.
To her surprise, the little rascal had snuck into the convoy carrying the tribute and had taken on the role of the cook.
Caught red-handed, Yuan Fu’s eyes turned red, and he said pitifully, “Sister, I have nowhere else to go... I can’t think of anywhere but to follow you.”
With his parents lost to a shipwreck and his sister having drowned herself, Yuan Fu, only twelve, felt the weight of despair pressing down on him, seeing no glimmer of hope.
He didn’t know where to go; he could only follow Shen Wei, even if the woman before him wasn’t truly his sister.
Yuan Fu clung to Shen Wei’s arm, tears brimming in his eyes, “Sister, I won’t hold you back... just let me stay with you.”
He cried with such sorrow, like a little black dog left alone in the world.
Shen Wei, recalling the past, felt a pang of compassion. She gently stroked Yuan Fu’s head, “This journey is perilous. If we encounter any bandits, don’t worry about me; just run.”
Yuan Fu nodded, tears still glistening.
As long as he could stay by his sister’s side, he feared no danger.
Yuan Fu continued to cook the fish soup, his culinary skills shining through as the broth turned a milky white, filling the air with a delicious aroma. King Wu was quite pleased, repeatedly praising Yuan Fu as a great cook.
As night fell, the caravan rested at the post station, ready to set off again at dawn.
...
In Wu County,
When King Wu left, he left behind most of the royal household to govern Wu County. His departure did not disrupt the order of the county.
On the fourth day after his departure, a group of cavalry dressed in Southern Chu military attire arrived in Wu County.
The steward of the royal household came to receive them.
The leader of the cavalry asked, “Has there been any news regarding the ‘person who died and came back to life’?”
The steward replied awkwardly, “As soon as the Emperor’s decree arrived, our lord began digging through the earth to find this person. Unfortunately, we haven’t found anyone who fits that description.”
The Southern Chu cavalry leader was a shrewd man; he didn’t take the steward’s word at face value. Instead, he sent someone to the county town to post a notice, raising the reward to “one hundred taels of silver.”
The cavalry leader felt helpless.
Two months ago, the Emperor of Southern Chu had suddenly issued a decree for spies from all nations to search for the ‘person who died and came back to life.’ The spies were baffled, but fate was unyielding, and they had no choice but to search.
On the Eastern Lin side, the Southern Chu Emperor had dispatched an elite cavalry unit to conduct a thorough investigation. They had traversed much of Eastern Lin but had yet to find anyone who met the criteria.
After all, the condition of “supposedly dead yet mysteriously revived” was exceedingly stringent.
The cavalry initially thought they would return empty-handed from Wu County as well. However, just as the notice was posted, that very afternoon, someone came forward to respond.
A dark-skinned fisher girl was brought into the royal household, nervously clutching the notice, her body trembling, her eyes darting around.
“I am Qiao Jie, at your service, my lord.” It was Qiao Jie’s first time in the royal household, her first encounter with the famed Southern Chu cavalry, and her body shook like a leaf, nearly fainting from anxiety.
The cavalry leader glanced at the fisher girl, “Do you know the ‘person who died and came back to life’?”
Qiao Jie nodded vigorously, “Of course. To be honest, I live in Yuan Family Fishing Village. Just over a month ago, Yuan Xi’er from the village jumped into the sea to end her life. When she was pulled up, she was already dead. But somehow, she suddenly came back to life. I’ve seen many unfortunate souls who drowned, but none were like her—when she woke up, she was almost a different person.”
“Today, when I went to the market to sell fish, I saw the notice and thought of Yuan Xi’er from my village, so I came to respond.”
The cavalry leader was overjoyed.
Seeing a lead, he quickly asked, “Where is Yuan Xi’er now?”
Qiao Jie replied, “I heard that Yuan Xi’er jumped into the sea again a few days ago, and His Highness King Wu punished several fishermen severely. But I believe she didn’t die; it’s strange that her body hasn’t surfaced after several days, and her brother is also missing.”
The cavalry leader pondered carefully, finding Yuan Xi’er from Yuan Family Fishing Village suspicious.
After investigating further, he documented the matter of Yuan Xi’er and swiftly sent it back to Southern Chu. A reply soon arrived, with the Emperor of Southern Chu personally issuing a decree for the cavalry unit to thoroughly investigate the whereabouts of Yuan Xi’er and her brother.
...
“Achoo—”
On the crumbling official road, Shen Wei, the guide, let out a loud sneeze. The guard Zhang Wuge, hearing this, kindly reminded her, “Little Shen, winter is approaching; you need to take care of yourself. Once we leave Eastern Lin’s territory, we’ll be like a bunch of blind men, relying on you to lead the way.”
Shen Wei rubbed her nose.
Gazing at the distant, rolling mountains, she suddenly felt an ominous premonition.
The place ahead was called Wenzhou, a geographically unique area located at the intersection of Southern Chu, Qing Kingdom, and Eastern Lin, with no official management, making it a lawless border zone.
With half a day’s journey still to Wenzhou, Shen Wei noticed the sky darkening, signaling a heavy rain was imminent. She decided to halt the caravan and rest for the night at the post station by the official road.
As the caravan entered the post station, torrential rain began to pour down, soaking Shen Wei completely. Inside the station, a fire was lit, and the men quickly shed their wet coats to dry off.
Only Shen Wei kept her wet clothes on.
Seeing her drenched like a drowned rat, King Wu felt a pang of sympathy for the frail figure, her silhouette appearing even more fragile.
“Achoo—” The poor guide sneezed again.
Like a pitiful little cat.
King Wu admired Shen Wei’s lovely back for a moment, his heart softening. He took out one of his dry outer garments and generously offered it to her, “Take off your wet coat and wear mine.”
Shen Wei silently tightened her grip on her wet coat, “No.”
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