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Chapter Six

Qi Jingyan’s camp had already been broken down. He now sat in a wheelchair, cradling the still soundly sleeping Yi’er in his arms.

Mu Feng approached with Meng Yuning, bowing respectfully. “Your Highness, Miss Meng has something important to discuss with you.”

Qi Jingyan raised his eyes and looked at Meng Yuning. “What is it?”

Meng Yuning bowed, her expression tinged with worry. “Your Highness, this morning when I went to gather wild vegetables, I noticed some suspicious traces along the road, as if a large group of people had passed by.”

In truth, she hadn’t seen anything clearly—only faint sounds of horses’ hooves before she quickly mounted and fled. But according to the story, the bandits who had chased the original owner off the cliff had appeared on the very day she escaped.

Although in the original plot Qi Jingyan and his party never encountered those bandits, she felt it best to warn him just in case.

From memory, they had left early each morning after breakfast for several days. Today, for some unknown reason, they had delayed until this time.

She wasn’t sure if this matched the original timeline, but she worried that her presence might cause a butterfly effect. It would be troublesome if they met those bandits again.

When Mu Feng said they were about to depart, she seized the moment to deliver this warning.

Mu Feng was unconcerned. “Miss Meng, the direction you fled and gathered wild vegetables aligns with the route we took. Those tracks are probably ours.”

Meng Yuning shook her head, continuing her fabrication. “No, it’s different. We passed through there yesterday; any traces should have faded overnight. But these look fresh today.”

Mu Feng did not doubt her and simply accepted it.

Relieved, Meng Yuning was about to relax when Qi Jingyan suddenly asked, “How fresh?”

She was caught off guard, unsure how to answer.

Under his calm yet probing gaze, she could only bluff, “I can’t say for sure, but they definitely look fresh.”

Qi Jingyan studied her for a moment, then lowered his eyes. “Very well, I understand. You may return now. Prepare yourself and wait by the luggage carriage.”

Seeing his composure, she could not tell if he intended to take precautions. As a “young lady who had never traveled far,” she felt she should not know too much. Having said her piece, she agreed and, after the formalities, returned to her tent.

Mu Yun, standing nearby, cautiously inquired, “Your Highness, I do not think Miss Meng is lying. Should we alter our route?”

The five hundred elite soldiers sent by Emperor Kangwen had only instructed them not to make contact with others, but as long as they traveled southward, they barely interfered with their itinerary.

Qi Jingyan replied without hesitation, “No need. What is meant to come will come.”

Mu Yun’s expression turned serious as he acknowledged the order, then turned to notify the others to prepare for departure.

---

Before long, the two hundred-strong caravan set off, moving grandly southward.

The five hundred elite troops followed, neither too near nor too far behind.

Meng Yuning sat in the carriage carrying their supplies, trailing behind Qi Jingyan’s carriage. She parted the curtain slightly and glanced outside.

Judging by the sun’s height and position, it was about two or three in the afternoon. Verdant trees lined both sides of the road, and the rhythmic clatter of hooves filled her ears.

A wave of disorientation washed over Meng Yuning, as if she were trapped in a dream.

Before coming here, she had never been an orphan, yet she might as well have been one.

Her parents divorced when she was five. Due to various circumstances, she was awarded to her father.

Her father quickly remarried and had a new son, leaving her—a “burden”—to live with her grandmother in the countryside.

Her grandfather had passed some years before. Her grandmother lived alone in the old house and greeted her return with tears and calls of “Good girl,” overjoyed beyond measure.

Her grandmother loved her dearly and raised her single-handedly. Though her parents were seldom present, she lived a happy life.

Until her second year of high school, when the family’s ripe wampee fruit prompted her grandmother to fill a basket and take a tricycle to town, then a bus to the city, to deliver the fruit to her.

The seedless wampee, sweet and sour, was her favorite, and her grandmother never forgot.

The school forbade phones, and eager to meet her during lunch break, her grandmother hurried along the way. At a turn, she failed to notice a small truck suddenly rushing out and was struck, flying a great distance.

Meng Yuning rushed to the hospital upon receiving the news, but her grandmother was near death.

She collapsed beside the bed, weeping so fiercely she could barely see. Her grandmother smiled, grasped her hand, and pressed the crushed wampee fruit into her palm, now only skin left.

With trembling hands, her grandmother wiped her tears and urged, “Don’t cry, don’t cry.”

Not wanting to upset her grandmother, she forced back her sobs, but tears still escaped uncontrollably.

Her grandmother continued, “I won’t be with you anymore. You must be good—be good.” With that, she passed away.

Her father arrived and, upon learning from neighbors that her grandmother had been delivering wampee for her, flew into a rage, slapping her and berating her for causing her mother’s death. He told her to leave and threatened to cut off her tuition and living expenses, declaring she was a curse.

Relatives intervened, reminding him the child was at school and unaware of her grandmother’s visit, so it was no fault of hers.

But the irate man ignored them, kneeling before her grandmother’s coffin, lamenting his unfilial nature for having such a cursed child.

She said nothing, quietly mourning, attending the wake and funeral. Once her grandmother was laid to rest, she packed her belongings and left the only home she had in that world.

Her grandmother’s passing left her more heartbroken and guilty than anyone else.

But it was an accident, not her doing.

She rejected her father’s cruel words but no longer wished to stay in that home.

Having nowhere else to go, she wandered, helpless.

She sat on the steps of the bus station for two hours before finally going to the city and knocking on her mother’s door.

Over the years, her mother occasionally sent gifts during the New Year and greeted her warmly when they met. After she entered the city’s top high school, her mother had even visited a few times, bringing fruits and snacks.

So she hoped, now in trouble, her mother would help.

Her mother was surprised but smiled and asked why she had come.

Meng Yuning explained everything and asked if she could stay for a while, promising she would live at school normally and only stay during holidays.

She also requested to borrow tuition and living expenses for her third year, promising to repay after the college entrance exam, even showing her past excellent exam papers as proof.

But her mother’s face darkened instantly and she did not invite her inside, instead closing the door behind her and stepping out.

She looked troubled and stammered that times were hard and with two younger siblings at home, she simply had no room.

Seeing her mother’s defensive stance, as if guarding against a thief, Meng Yuning said no more, grabbed her suitcase, and turned away.

Her mother called after her a few times. When Meng Yuning did not stop, her mother chased after her with a few hundred yuan, insisting she take it.

She refused, tossing the money on the ground without a glance back.

With her remaining pocket money, she bought a bus ticket to the province’s largest city. Arriving that day, she dragged her suitcase for who knew how far, finding a boarding house before dark where she took a job as a waitress.

Later, she volunteered to work in the kitchen, learning to cook, and eventually earned a chef’s certification.

After saving some money, she resigned and seized the rise of social media by filming videos and working as a private chef serving clients at home.

Though only two years in, her delicious dishes and excellent service earned her many loyal customers.

Her appealing appearance and deft knife skills quickly gained her a large online following, earning her the nickname “Knife Beauty.”

She capitalized on this, selling products and taking advertisements. Over a few years, she saved a considerable sum, enough for a down payment on a hundred-square-meter apartment in a good city location.

Her mother found her popular social media account, contacted her after much effort to apologize and repair their relationship, mentioning her younger siblings’ struggles and asking if they could work together.

She said nothing and immediately blocked her.

Her father also reached out, arrogantly reminding her not to forget his raising her, asking how much money she made, and demanding she send him hundreds of thousands to cover his business losses, claiming it would repay his investment in her.

She blocked him as well.

But neither gave up, persistently harassing her.

She hired a lawyer who, accompanied by ten burly bodyguards over six feet tall, visited her parents to explain the law, finally silencing them.

Her grandmother’s last words, “You must be good,” stayed with her.

For years, she ate well, slept well, worked hard, earned and spent wisely, and treated herself kindly—she had been good.

Yet, since leaving home at sixteen, five years had passed without a proper rest except for the annual Qingming tomb-sweeping holiday.

Suddenly, she wanted to travel to clear her mind. After enjoying herself, she planned to return and buy a home to settle down.

But unexpectedly, while the tourist bus traveled through the mountains, it was first caught in a violent rainstorm, then struck by a landslide. The bus rolled repeatedly, hitting her head several times before she lost consciousness.

In that world, there was little worth holding onto; death was no great loss.

But all the money she had painstakingly saved was wasted. The thought made her heart ache.

---

Meng Yuning was gloomily mourning the loss of the money in her bank account when Mu Feng galloped over.

He arrived excited, pointing to the roadside. “Miss Meng, look! Aren’t those the wild bamboo shoots you used earlier to stew lamb?”

Meng Yuning lifted the curtain and peeked out. Dense clusters of bamboo shoots sprouted at the edge of the bamboo grove. Her eyes brightened. “Exactly. Wait, I’ll get down and pick some.”

Mu Feng chuckled, “No need for you to do the hard work. Stay in the carriage and watch—we’ll go gather them.”

He dismounted and called loudly to the guards, “Brothers, these wild bamboo shoots are good food. Grab a few on the way, and when we camp, have Miss Meng cook for us.”

Earlier, about thirty people had tasted the wild bamboo shoot lamb stew, but the remaining hundred hadn’t even smelled it. The ones who had eaten boasted constantly, making everyone drool with anticipation.

At Mu Feng’s words, the guards all shouted in unison, “Got it!”

About thirty guards swiftly dismounted and dashed toward the bamboo grove.

Their sudden movement immediately drew the attention of an escorting officer. A man who looked like a general approached on horseback with ten riders, face dark with displeasure, warning, “By imperial decree, no one is allowed to take anything without permission...”

Mu Feng crossed his arms and snorted coldly, cutting him off. “We know. No need to drone on. We’re just picking bamboo shoots, not doing anything else.”

The other guards raised the freshly picked shoots in their hands. “See? These are bamboo shoots; that’s all we’re picking.”

Mu Feng seized the opportunity to mock, “We left the capital in a hurry and had no time to prepare rations. The Empress Dowager’s provisions have nearly run out. When we asked to buy more, you forbade it. You didn’t tell us to arrange something either. Oh right, we wouldn’t dare eat what you arranged anyway. So we have to forage as we go. What, you won’t allow even that?”

“If you won’t allow that, don’t blame me for fighting you.” His face turned fierce as he drew the blade from his waist.

“Fight!” “Fight!” The guards drew their swords in unison.

The general barked, “What are you trying to do? Rebel?”

His ten accompanying soldiers brandished their weapons and shouted, “Rebel?”

Meng Yuning, sitting in the carriage, watched the tense standoff with a tightening heart.

She clasped her hands and prayed silently, pleading, “Please don’t fight, don’t fight, please no fighting.”

They were vastly outnumbered; if a fight broke out, they would suffer. Worse, someone might accidentally kill her.

She glanced toward Qi Jingyan’s carriage and saw it stopped steadily ahead, utterly still. She couldn’t help but admire his composure.

Mu Yun stood with arms crossed by Qi Jingyan’s carriage, signaling Mu Shan.

Mu Shan nodded, approached Mu Feng, patted his shoulder, and then bowed awkwardly toward the general. “Brother, did His Highness tell you to starve him to death?”

The general’s face darkened instantly as he snapped, “How dare you! His Majesty would never say such a thing!”

The emperor prized his reputation as a wise ruler. If such rumors spread, he would be furious, and they would be doomed.

Mu Shan scratched his head. “Then I don’t understand. His Majesty didn’t say starve His Highness, so why won’t you let us find food for him?”

The pointed question made the general’s face fluctuate between pale and flushed. He glanced at the towering, densely forested mountains on both sides, gritted his teeth, and said, “You may not stray more than three zhang from the roadside. Anyone who does will be treated as a deserter and killed on sight.”

With that, he pulled his reins, turned his horse, and led his men away.

The conflict diffused. Meng Yuning patted her chest, relieved.

Mu Feng beckoned, “Keep picking, pick more so we don’t run short later.”

The guards shouted, “Got it!”

Mu Feng grinned proudly, running over to Meng Yuning. “Miss Meng, take another careful look. Besides bamboo shoots, what other edible plants grow along the road?”

Sitting in the carriage, she couldn’t see clearly, so she got down and walked to the roadside, pulling some up.

“These are shepherd’s purse, the ones we cooked with this morning,” she said.

Mu Feng took some, copying her motions, and passed them around. “Shepherd’s purse can be eaten too. Pick them when you see them.”

Meng Yuning also gathered a few wild onions and a purslane plant. “These two are edible, and so is dandelion.”

About thirty guards followed Meng Yuning and Mu Feng, learning to recognize edible wild plants before scattering to forage.

Mu Yun led the main force steadily forward, so both tasks proceeded without hindrance.

Doctor Tang sat opposite Qi Jingyan, lowering his curtain and sighing. “A few days ago, I saw Miss Meng crying all day, unable to eat. I thought she wouldn’t survive Lingnan. But after this trip, she’s changed. And her cooking is truly delicious—I’ve never tasted such good dishes in my life.”

Qi Jingyan said, “You don’t need to cook for me anymore.”

Doctor Tang clapped his hands. “I couldn’t be happier.”

With no new plants to identify, Mu Feng persuaded Meng Yuning back into the carriage, while the others, like children with a new toy, excitedly ran to the left side of the caravan to gather a handful, then to the right to pick some more, thirty men buzzing energetically without rest.

Soon, the uncovered supply cart at the rear, once carrying vegetables, was piled high with various wild greens.

The escorting soldiers occasionally rode closer to inspect. Seeing only constant foraging, they gradually relaxed their vigilance, maintaining a distant watch instead.

The two hundred-strong caravan had originally marched in two neat columns, keeping the formation relatively compact.

But with the guards running about picking plants, the formation stretched and scattered, eventually more than doubling in length.

Night had fallen. Meng Yuning, leaning against the carriage window, had grown sleepy after her initial enthusiasm and planned to curl up inside to rest.

Turning her head, she suddenly caught sight of two lean guards darting into the dense forest like leopards with incredible speed.