Chapter 241 - The Harsh Dry Lands (2)

Still, to be able to live in this kind of temperature… she had to applaud them.

Not everyone would be able to live in this harsh condition. 

Yang Xian noticed Wei Liuying's discomfort and spoke out. "This place will be much colder than the city you came from, Miss. If you would like, I'll ask for additional blanket and fur for you."

Wei Liuying: "…" it's still too early, isn't it?

Internally, she was glad that she posed as a girl again. However, this would only make things difficult for her if she had to wield her sword again. There was no way a young lady could easily carry sword around wherever she went. 

As for blanket… it was a bit too fast. The temperature was not that unbearable yet, so Wei Liuying shook her head.

"There's no need for now. I can still withstand this much. It's not that much different from early winter back in my city," Wei Liuying replied.

Yang Xian stayed silent even though he knew that Wei Liuying was lying. He came to the capital city when the winter had just passed, but the temperature there was already much warmer. The snow had already melted and only leaving some thin layer that still stuck on the buildings or ground.

The distance between the two places caused the winter to be so different. But since Wei Liuying didn't want to reveal that fact, Yang Xian would not step out of his bounds either. 

The two of them reached Shi Yan's carriage. He was currently sitting inside while sitting on the carriage's floor. In the first place, there was no chair in that carriage because the design was different.

"Master Shi, Lady Ying is here."

Shi Yan raised his head. He looked at Yang Xian for a moment then nodded. "Come in, Lady Ying. You can stand on the door, Xian."

Wei Liuying climbed into the carriage slowly. She scanned the items in the carriages with a frown. It seemed that Shi Yan never liked to store many items in his own carriage and chose to live simply. However, would he survive the winter with such thin clothing?

Shi Yan sighed. "I can't believe I have to act."

"You'll be able to do a good job, Yan."

Shi Yan smiled bitterly. Having Yang Xian treated him so politely was truly a large hurdle. He nearly had a heart attack when he noticed that the one who was calling him as Master Shi was Yang Xian. Both of them used to have normal background that was not remarkable in any way, so they were not used to be treated as the young master.

Even though Shi Yan has been developing his business, he used to be just a small merchant with no influence whatsoever. Now that he had come this far, he had no other choice but to live as a young master because of his newfound position.

"Anyway, I'm calling you here to tell you about our path."

"Path?"

"Yeah." Shi Yan took out the map on the animal's skin and spread it in front of Wei Liuying. There was a city that was marked in the map along with several other small villages from some people who lived nearby. However, they all didn't belong to Han Shi Kingdom as they stood by themselves as free region.

Wei Liuying's eyes landed on the small village marked not far from Prince Ji Sheng's City. She pointed to it. "Is that our destination?"

"Yes. Normally I'll be roaming on the north for a few days around the village to have trade with other tribes. However, this time I'll only go to the village because the temperature has been dropping so badly," Shi Yan replied.

"It'll be Winter soon."

"I know that, you don't have to repeat that fact," Shi Yan said in annoyance. "In any case, Princess Ji Xiaoli and Prince Kou often visited the city, so if you can meet with them later, check on their condition too. As a young girl, it wouldn't be that hard for you to ask for a meeting with her."

Wei Liuying furrowed her brows. She was unfamiliar with the marriage custom in the tribes, but she knew that it would be hard for her to ask for permission to meet with any royalty. Still, she knew that the lives of females here were filled with more freedom. It was something that she longed ever since a long time ago.

"Have you met them?"

"I did. A few weeks ago, I come to Village K when they came to visit too. Princess Ji Xiaoli was still not used with the custom and life at the north, so she wanted to stay in Village K once in a while since it was quite similar to Han Shi Kingdom in terms of culture," Shi Yan explained.

"I see."

"Also, you should eat in this carriage or in your carriage."

"Why?"

"It'll be a trouble if a noble lady were to join in with those rogues," Shi Yan said with a sigh. This was a request made by Yang Xian, so he had to make sure that he conveyed what Yang Xian wanted. Still, he didn't think that it was any problem as long as she didn't come to direct contact with them, right?

Wei Liuying pursed her lips. "Xian is worrying too much."

"How do you…?" Shi Yan was stunned, but then he recalled who he was dealing with. If it was any other person, they would not be able to know that it was Yang Xian who said anything because Shi Yan didn't give any clue.

He sighed. "You're sharp."

"Many thanks for your compliment."

"Anyway, just eat and then return back to your carriage. You have to rest because tomorrow will not be an easy journey."

Wei Liuying merely smiled and cleaned her hand in the basin. This kind of journey was nothing much compared to military march. But of course, it was not something she would ever tell Shi Yan.