The Ling Mountains stretch for thousands of miles in length and hundreds of miles in width, dividing the two regions. The mountains are high with deep forests, and the terrain is fierce and treacherous.
Wild beasts roam the mountains, strange creatures appear, and there are swamps with miasma, as well as sheer cliffs.
Even some mountain folk who live in the mountains year-round reside only on the periphery of the range and dare not venture deep inside.
Only those who rely on the mountains for a living, such as herbalists and hunters, will selectively enter the mountains, and over the years, they have blazed trails running north to south, establishing temporary rest points in the mountains.
As time passed, trade demands between Lingnan and Lingbei increased, and these mountain paths began to serve a purpose. They were gradually simplified by removing the more cumbersome routes, leaving some easier paths, which eventually formed an official road connecting north and south, along with some convenient shortcuts.
The path that Lu Zheng was taking this time with Luo Jin’s caravan was one such shortcut.
“We’ll travel a shorter distance on the first day and rest at a hunters’ rest point,” Luo Jin introduced. “The second day is at an inn.”
“An inn?” Lu Zheng was very surprised. “There’s an inn on this kind of road?”
“Hahaha!”
As expected, Lu Zheng would be surprised. Without waiting for Luo Jin to reply, the man surnamed Zhang said, “The location of that inn is only two hilltops away from the official road, and there’s a nearby mountain folk village. One family has opened an inn here, a monopoly business, making quite a bit of money!”
Luo Jin nodded. “The intersection of this path and the official road is a mountain stream, with a suspension bridge on the official road above. We have one below as well.”
“Alright.” Lu Zheng indicated his understanding.
“The third day’s journey is the toughest, with only a mountain cave available for resting at night. But if you’re quick on your feet, you can exit the mountains by the evening of the fourth day,” the man surnamed Zhang said. “Night travel is difficult, though, so most people still spend the night in the mountains and exit by noon on the fifth day.”
“This is already the shortest mountain path, with almost no detours,” Luo Jin said.
“Indeed.” Lu Zheng nodded. He had crossed the Ling Mountains before, so he knew the thickness of this range. Getting through in five days was not easy at all.
…
The mountain entrance they entered from diverged from the official road by about a mile, entering the mountains from halfway up the slope along a narrow path overgrown with weeds.
One guard led the way in front, another brought up the rear, and two more guards stayed in the middle on alert, ready to provide support at any time.
Luo Jin followed the caravan, while the other seven carters pushed the wheelbarrows swiftly along the mountain path, hurrying without stumbling.
Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan were at the rear of the caravan, not far from the man surnamed Zhang who was bringing up the rear. The path ahead had been cleared, so their walking was relatively smooth as well.
“Not bad!” The man surnamed Zhang gave a thumbs up and praised, “You didn’t lie; you really are used to mountain roads!”
Then he looked at Lu Zheng. “You too. You look like an ordinary scholar, but unexpectedly, you’re quite capable.”
“You’re too kind.” Lu Zheng smiled, then glanced at Luo Jin ahead. “We’re following you, so do you get extra pay for that?”
“Extra pay my foot; we get paid per head. A trip requires at least ten heads,” the man surnamed Zhang said. “Old Luo only has eight people, so we waited at the mountain pass to see if we could pick up two more in a hurry to cross the mountains. And you two came along just like that.”
“No wonder they’re called Old Stingy Luo.” Liu Qingyan covered her mouth and chuckled softly.
…
The group entered the mountains around noon and spent the entire afternoon traversing them.
On the first day, close to the mountain outskirts, the paths were easier to walk, and the group’s pace was fast, covering nearly thirty li in the afternoon.
As evening approached, they crossed a narrow stream and walked another li before finding a wooden hut in an open space near a cliff.
“We’ve arrived; rest up, light a fire, cook some food, and then turn in early!”
The carters piled the wheelbarrows not far from the hut’s door, then scattered nearby to gather dry firewood for the fire.
Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan held hands and entered the hut to look around.
It was indeed a temporary rest point for hunters.
The hut was not small, but the furnishings inside were sparse.
A bed of dry grass, a jar of clear water, several strips of air-dried cured meat hanging on the wall, a pile of dry firewood in the room, and a heap of extinguished campfire ashes.
“The weather is clear today, so we won’t use their dry firewood; we’ll just gather some ourselves,” Luo Jin said as he followed them in. “Later in the evening, we’ll light a fire inside the hut. Would the two of you mind making do on the dry grass bed for the night?”
“What about you all?”
“We brought tents too; we’ll stay outside,” Luo Jin laughed.
“Then we’ll gladly accept.” Lu Zheng nodded. His two strings of cash weren’t spent in vain.
“You’re welcome, you’re welcome!” Luo Jin said. “I’ll have the lads stew some soup; the two of you should join us.”
“Thank you, but no need; we brought our own food,” Lu Zheng said.
He and Liu Qingyan were travelling to enjoy the mountains and rivers, and with their cultivation, roughing it overnight was just an experience of life, which they didn’t mind. But they couldn’t skimp on food.
Plum wine, roast chicken, flatbread, and apples and oranges for after the meal.
All set!
…
“Awoo——”
“Cheep——”
In the middle of the night, distant howls of wolves and cries of eagles echoed endlessly.
Inside and outside the hut, two campfires burned, with the four guards taking turns to keep watch in pairs. Lu Zheng also chatted idly with Liu Qingyan and the man surnamed Zhang outside the hut for a while before returning to rest.
The night passed uneventfully.
Early the next morning, as Lu Zheng stretched and stepped out, he found that Luo Jin’s group had already packed up and was ready to depart.
“Young Master Lu, did you rest well last night? We still have three days of journey ahead.”
“Mm, not bad; slept well.” Lu Zheng nodded. “Shall we set off now?”
Lu Zheng looked at the sky; it was just barely dawn.
“Starting early allows us to reach the inn before nightfall, giving more time to rest,” Luo Jin said. “Today’s journey is not short.”
Lu Zheng nodded. Seeing Luo Jin’s caravan preparing to leave, he took Liu Qingyan and followed along.
On this leg, Luo Jin’s caravan hurried along, eating only dry rations at noon.
The four men surnamed Zhang were vigilant the whole way, killing three large snakes, driving off one mountain cat, avoiding a herd of wild boars, and hunting a pair of pheasants and one wild rabbit.
As for Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan…
They picked twelve kinds of wildflowers, admired seven scenic views from afar, observed five unusual rocks, toured two waterfalls and mountain springs, and even soaked their feet in a clear mountain stream.
At this point, even the dimmest person would notice something unusual about Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan.
After a day of walking, everyone else was panting with exhaustion, yet they remained calm and composed, without a drop of sweat.
Could they be… extraordinary people?
Of course, since Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan didn’t mention it, Luo Jin and the man surnamed Zhang wouldn’t bring it up either; they simply became even more respectful toward the pair.
Heading south, the group encountered four small caravans coming north, all pushing wheelbarrows, with the largest having twenty people and the smallest seven or eight.
From this, it seemed Luo Jin truly ran a small caravan, doing petty trade.
Lu Zheng and Liu Qingyan chatted with interest about these small caravans, about what businesses connected the two regions to make money, and about the scenery along the way, enjoying the mountains and waters immensely.
The mountains grew dark early; by the end of the shen hour, it was already dim, and after hurrying along, the group finally reached the inn’s location.
“The inn is here!” Luo Jin pointed to a three-storey building ahead and said.
Lu Zheng looked ahead at the eerie, gloomy inn and couldn’t help but stare in astonishment. “You’re going to stay in there?”
