When the horse-drawn carriage caught up, he leaned over and knocked on the carriage wall, asking, “General, we’ve been riding all night. Shall we rest for a bit before continuing?”
The carriage curtain parted slightly, and a weak, hoarse male voice accompanied by a faint medicinal fragrance drifted out: “Is there a place to stop ahead? Rest in place. The brothers have worked hard.”
Following the order, the group charged towards the shelter, raising dust and drawing stares from other travelers resting inside.
This group rode without banners, all wearing narrow-sleeved, cross-collared blue military robes. Each rider was sturdy and imposing, their faces radiating an unmistakable “do not provoke” aura.
The lead rider dismounted, handed over a small silver ingot, and instructed the shopkeeper to provide food and drink while his men rested. He then found a clean, shaded table, prepared hot tea and some light refreshments, and went outside to help a pale, sickly young gentleman down from the carriage.
The man walked unsteadily, his face showing illness, requiring support to move. The short distance from the carriage to the tea shop took him an extraordinarily long time. When he finally sat down, he coughed several times as if his body could barely support him.
As they exhaled, they realized they had been transfixed: Though the man looked like he might die at any moment, he possessed an extraordinary, captivating quality. He had a rare, exceptional appearance, not the delicate, spring-flower-like beauty popular in the capital, but with phoenix eyes, starry-cold gaze, a sharp nose bridge, and thin, sharp lips – a striking, cutting beauty.
The man was tall, seemingly accustomed to looking down at people, his eyelids perpetually half-lowered, exuding an air of languid weariness. So thin he was almost skeletal. Yet when he sat upright, his spine was straight as a bamboo shoot, like a blade tempered by fire – even wounded, capable of drawing blood, his weak body unable to restrain his spirit of conquest.
Traveling merchants unconsciously craned their necks, resembling attentive geese. Only when the young gentleman slowly finished a bowl of water and placed it down with a “clang”, saying impatiently, “Your necks are stretched out like donkey leads. Is it that interesting?” did they react.
