Yu Rong pulled out a sheepskin map of the Yuan Dynasty from her clothes. Gu Qingtong realized this map, a state secret at the time, was only in Yu Rong’s possession, indicating she was the leader among the three.
After some deliberation, Yu Rong hesitantly said, “Sister Qingtong, there’s a way to speed up, but it’s quite dangerous for you.”
“Dangerous for me?”
Yu Rong solemnly nodded: “Just ahead is Min Yang County. North of Min Yang is Mount Qin Mian, which we can cross. However, Mount Qin Mian is extremely steep, with jagged rocks and many fierce beasts. We three can manage, but you, being untrained, might not endure.”
“Why wouldn’t I endure?”
“You’ve never traveled far.”
Reaching halfway up the mountain would be impressive,” Yu Shi added, climbing in.
“How many days to reach the border through Mount Qin Mian?”
“Five days.”
“Five days…” Gu Qingtong calculated, clenched her fist, decisively: “Taking the carriage would take over half a month. We’ll cross Mount Qin Mian.”
“What if you can’t make it?”
“I can make it.” Seeing their disbelief, she softened her tone, “If I can’t continue, Yu Rong and Yu Shi will go find General Qia Xi and the Cavalry General.”
The children, already impatient, nodded and drove the carriage towards Mount Qin Mian.
Arriving at Mount Qin Mian near dusk, though it was summer, cold winds blew, causing shivers. She looked at the dark valley, mixed with fierce beast sounds that made her skin crawl.
Everyone abandoned the carriage. Yu Rong carried several packages ahead, Gu Qingtong walked in the middle, with Yu Shi and Yu Guang bringing up the rear.
Gu Qingtong steeled herself to follow Yu Rong on the small path, overgrown with grass and thorns, with protruding stones that hurt her feet.
Because Yu Rong walked further up the mountain and it became increasingly steep, he specially explored a winding path, which meant climbing to the halfway point of Qin Mian Mountain and then circling to the other side of the mountain, then proceeding from a relatively flat terrain to another mountain peak, and finally descending through a long canyon.
The wilderness in these mountain forests remained untouched by human traces, preserving its most primitive appearance. Gu Qingtong could see numerous large white birds flapping their massive wings among the trees.
During summer, most wild beasts would emerge to roam and hunt, especially prey with unusual scents that easily attracted their attention. When camping at night, the four were afraid of large predators potentially hiding in caves, so they could only climb trees to rest.
But just as Gu Qingtong closed her eyes, she heard a “hissing” sound and turned slightly to see a pair of green, glowing eyes. Her lips trembled as she whispered: “Rong’er.”
In the next instant, the snake quickly approached. Gu Qingtong let out an “Ah” and dodged to the side, only to see the snake bite her arm slightly off-target.
Hearing her cry, Yu Rong turned his head and, catching the moonlight filtering through the leaves, took a slight breath: “Don’t move. This snake is still young, its venom isn’t strong. Don’t be afraid, I’m coming.”
Gu Qingtong was too scared to do anything. Hearing his words, she hugged the tree trunk tightly and kept her mouth shut.
The snake seemed to sense someone climbing the tree trunk nearby and released Gu Qingtong, raising its head and flicking its tongue toward Yu Rong.
Seeing the snake was a foot away from Gu Qingtong, Yu Rong shouted “Close your eyes” and threw a cloud of powder.
Gu Qingtong closed her eyes and held her breath, hearing the snake make a strange sound before quickly slithering down the tree trunk and escaping.
Yu Rong hurriedly untied Gu Qingtong’s clothing and helped her jump down from the tree. Seeing Yu Shi and Yu Guang had also arrived nearby, he softly said: “There are snakes around, but we can’t fight them, only scatter medicinal powder. This isn’t a long-term solution. Go find if there’s an open grassland nearby and gather some firewood to light.”
“Okay.” Yu Guang and Yu Shi ran off, while Yu Rong helped Gu Qingtong sit under a camphor tree and began sucking out the poison.
Gu Qingtong’s arm had a small puncture from the venomous snake, feeling slightly numb. The blood, though not black, was dark red. Yu Rong seemed extremely skilled at handling snake venom, quickly sucking out the poisoned blood and finding some leaf-like plants nearby to chew and apply to the wound.
Watching her professional bandaging, and seeing Yu Shi and Yu Guang had not returned, Gu Qingtong pressed her chest and spoke to distract herself: “Rong’er, you’re truly impressive.”
Yu Rong continued working without stopping, only glancing up: “I could cut a ten-foot python when I was eight. Handling this two-foot green snake is child’s play.”
“Are there many pythons in your mountains?”
“Yes, but they’re raised to train us. Venomous snakes are nothing; the most dangerous are small but highly toxic scorpions and poisonous spiders. If we weren’t alone in these mountains, I would have cut that green snake to avenge you.”
Gu Qingtong watched her speak confidently, frustrated about the snake bite, and smiled softly: “It’s nothing. Consider the snake bite a warning.”
Yu Rong was preoccupied with the incident and afraid Gu Qingtong would underestimate her skills: “These venomous snakes and fierce beasts are large and easy to guard against. The most unpredictable are small, agile toxic insects. I had already scattered powder elsewhere to prevent snakes and insects, but that small green snake found a way to bite you.”
Gu Qingtong, seeing her finish bandaging and carefully check her for other injuries, pursed her lips: “Rong’er, I’m fine. I wasn’t asleep when it approached, and no other insects bit me.”
“Good that you’re vigilant,” Yu Rong nodded in relief.
Gu Qingtong felt slightly embarrassed.
Yu Rong didn’t notice her expression, just furrowing her small brow and looking in the direction the Yu brothers had left: “Why haven’t they returned? Is this Qin Mian Mountain more dangerous than the depths of Floating Cloud Mountain?”
Though the boys were trained, they were still young. Gu Qingtong was also worried: “Should we go look?”
Yu Rong slowly shook her head: “No, we don’t know which path they took. If we leave and they return, they won’t find us. Moreover, with these tall trees and dense grass, we might not find our way back if we leave.”
“How will they find their way back?”
“They’ve made markers. They’ll naturally find their way.”
“Can’t we follow their markers?”
“No, they’ve wandered back and forth. There’s more than one path, making it difficult to discern.”
Gu Qingtong fell silent after her successive rejections.
Yu Rong turned to look at her dejected face and curved her mouth: “Sister, don’t worry or blame yourself. This is our expertise. Nothing will happen. Besides, we’re here to protect you. Just take care of yourself.”
Gu Qingtong nodded solemnly, waiting in place before finally pushing through a bush: “Sister, because we just hunted a wild boar, and you haven’t eaten anything good these past few days, we wanted to get you some pork to eat. So, we took some time, come quickly with me.”
Yu Rong was about to scold Yu Shi a few words, but he had already turned and run away, so he pulled Gu Qingtong to follow.
The mountain grass was sharp, and Gu Qingtong’s dress was torn, but she tried to keep up with Yu Shi’s pace.
Yu Shi and Yu Guang had found a clean patch of grass, with a spring nearby. A thin stream flowed down from the cliff, forming a pool. When Gu Qingtong arrived, Yu Guang had already washed the wild boar meat and was roasting it over the fire.
Gu Qingtong smelled the meat’s fragrance, and having not eaten well for days, her appetite was awakened. Replenishing her strength would make the next day’s journey easier.
