Chapter 194: Northward Journey

Chapter 194: Northward Journey

The two traveled swiftly, or rather, Zhanyue carried Huang Xueqing swiftly. They finally left Yunmo Mountain and reached its northern side. A journey that would take ordinary people two or three days, Zhanyue completed in just one day while carrying a person.

“Why did we stop?” Huang Xueqing opened her drowsy eyes and asked curiously. She had enjoyed a good sleep.

“You slept comfortably, but I’m exhausted. Weren’t you afraid I might throw you off a cliff?” Zhanyue joked.

“The esteemed Divine Son surely wouldn’t stoop so low. If the Goddess knew, she might spank you,” Huang Xueqing climbed down from Zhanyue’s back, her face still slightly flushed. They had been too close, which was indeed a bit uncomfortable.

“We should find a carriage to travel in later. It’s not good to have you carry me all the time,” Huang Xueqing said apologetically.

Zhanyue didn’t say much, just pointed to a place in the distance and said, “That should be a village. Let’s stay there for the night. Although there are no Nightmares in this world at night, it’s cold and we can’t see anything, which isn’t good for traveling. Our current strength isn’t enough to ignore natural laws.”

“Alright, I’m hungry anyway,” Huang Xueqing said sheepishly. She had done nothing all day but sleep, and now she wanted to eat.

“Let’s go.”

The two walked side by side and soon reached the village at the foot of the mountain. However, at a time when there should have been lights and smoke from cooking, the mountain village was eerily quiet.

“No one’s here?” Zhanyue and Huang Xueqing entered the village, only to find it had been abandoned for a long time.

“These houses show signs of being looted. The villagers probably fled into the deep mountains to escape bandits,” Huang Xueqing guessed.

“Mm, you’re probably right,” Zhanyue entered a house. The furniture inside was in disarray, and there were no clothes in the wardrobe. The villagers must have packed up and left voluntarily. For them to abandon everything, those bandits must have been truly notorious. Now that they had lost their strongest leader, who knows if they would split up. If they turned on each other, it would be some revenge for the common people.

“Sigh, even without Nightmares, ordinary people’s lives are still so difficult,” Zhanyue lamented.

The two found a spacious and clean place to stay. Although there were many empty houses, Huang Xueqing insisted on staying in the same house as Zhanyue, looking at him pitifully. Who knows what this woman was thinking.

“Staying overnight in an abandoned village, I’m not afraid of you, but I am afraid. I’m just a weak woman now,” Huang Xueqing said softly.

“Between those two, who do you like more?” Huang Xueqing asked gossip-like.

“Can’t I like them both? Let’s not talk about this. Let’s rest early, we still need sleep to recover, but don’t sleep too deeply,” Zhanyue changed the awkward topic.

“Ah, you really are a greedy, fickle radish. You sleep first, I’ll keep watch. After all, I’ve been sleeping all day,” Huang Xueqing said. Soon after, she heard Zhanyue’s even breathing. Zhanyue was truly tired, first from the battle with Eunuch Cao, then not sleeping well in the small cave, and then carrying Huang Xueqing for a whole day’s journey. He slept peacefully, confident that if anything happened, Huang Xueqing would wake him. This woman surely wouldn’t do anything ungrateful.

Huang Xueqing looked at the man lying on the ground, lamenting in her heart. If only she were a normal woman, it would be good. Her body determined that she could never get too close to others. The sweet intimacy others enjoyed was out of reach for her.

Early the next morning, the two set off again. This world was vast, as large as the real world, and it would take them a long time to reach the northern region. Fortunately, the weather was nice, crisp and clear, suitable for traveling.

“Giddy up!” Huang Xueqing, on Zhanyue’s back, was beaming with joy.

“Miss Huang, if you keep this up, I might just drop you,” Zhanyue was a bit speechless. He still hadn’t figured out this woman’s true personality. At first, he thought she was aloof and saintly, then he felt she was sweet on the outside but dark inside, with deep schemes. Now he saw her innocent and lively side.

“What, is the horse unwilling?”

“That’s going too far. I am the Divine Son, after all,” Zhanyue frowned. How annoying could this woman be?

Huang Xueqing hugged Zhanyue tighter, her body pressed close to his back, her mouth near his ear, her breath like orchids. “Or should we switch? I’ll carry you? I’ll be your horse?”

Zhanyue felt her fragrant breath on his face and was quite speechless. Her carrying him? Him riding her? Probably not that kind of riding.

“What are you thinking? Don’t have any bad ideas,” Huang Xueqing seemed to realize she had said something ambiguous. “By the way, Divine Son brother, if we’re like this, won’t little sister Baizhi and little sister Holy Maiden be angry if they knew?”

“......”

After a long journey of bantering with Huang Xueqing, Zhanyue finally saw other people. It was a group of people in tattered clothes, about seventeen or eighteen of them, looking like refugees.