Chapter 23: A Stick of Incense on the Head

In modern times, gold was already worth several hundred yuan per gram, let alone in this turbulent era.

Xiao Ranshu was so excited that she started digging for gold with her bare hands.

One, two…

In total, she dug out four pieces!

They weren’t very big. Xiao Ranshu weighed them in her hand—each gold ingot was probably less than fifteen grams?

But it was still a windfall!

Xiao Ranshu rushed into the house to find a cloth bag and placed the gold ingots and silver together.

She hugged the money bag to her chest, so happy she could kiss it!

Overnight, she had become a wealthy woman.

She had to go to the city—she must!

Time to spend!

She immediately started making plans, even taking the rare effort to observe the angle of the sun to estimate the time.

How long would it take to go to the city and back?

It was already noon—would she make it in time?

When Zhang Da Niang arrived today, she noticed that the Fairy was in an especially good mood, so she didn’t mention the death in the village—it was Lao Qian, and it was bad luck.

Xiao Ranshu finally waited for someone to arrive and asked, “I remember there’s a carriage?”

It was brought by the kind-hearted Qiu Yue.

Zhang Da Niang quickly nodded, “It’s tied up in my backyard. I’ve been feeding it grass every day. Is the Fairy planning to go out?”

Xiao Ranshu: “Which city is closest to Lingshan Village?”

Zhang Da Niang: “Rong City. It’s thirty li to the north.”

Xiao Ranshu estimated: leaving at noon, thirty li by carriage…

Ugh!

She couldn’t calculate it!

Not to mention the speed of the carriage, she didn’t even know how much jolting she could tolerate—speed was a complete unknown.

Xiao Ranshu simply gave up on calculating. At worst, she could stay overnight at an inn in Rong City.

She had plenty of money now!

Zhang Da Niang: “When does the Fairy plan to leave? If you set out today, you might not make it back by nightfall. The roads are dangerous at night, especially the mountain paths. Why not stay in Rong City for the night? Have a meal and head over slowly in the afternoon?”

Xiao Ranshu made the decision: “That’s settled.”

Zhang Da Niang was truly reliable.

Zhang Da Niang: “Then I’ll hurry and make some food. Have you been to Rong City before? Let Lao Zhao and Tiezhu accompany you as your drivers!”

Xiao Ranshu thought for a moment and nodded in agreement.

She had self-awareness—entering an unfamiliar city in an unfamiliar era with gold and silver on her was practically asking for trouble.

Having the Zhao father and son accompany her would make things much safer.

White Flame stood up, its eyes clearly expressing that it wanted to go too.

“No.” Xiao Ranshu patted White Flame’s head. “It’s not convenient to bring you.”

Although White Flame had the face of a Husky, it had the body of a large wolfhound. Bringing it into the city could easily cause trouble.

And those eyes were too blue—she was afraid someone might try to steal her dog.

Xiao Ranshu just wanted to spend money, not attract any trouble.

White Flame seemed anxious, letting out whimpers of protest.

Xiao Ranshu’s face hardened. “No means no.”

White Flame’s dog face even showed a look of anxiety.

Zhang Da Niang laughed, “Don’t worry, White Flame. With those two accompanying her, nothing will go wrong.”

Xiao Ranshu patted the dog’s head again. “Be good. Stay here and guard the house. Don’t let any strangers in, understand?”

White Flame was silent for a moment, then suddenly rushed into the main room, grabbed the Eternal Flame Incense with its mouth, and kept trying to shove it into its master’s hand.

Xiao Ranshu: “?”

What did this mean?

Was it telling her to take this incense with her?

That made sense.

This incense belonged to the Original Owner, and the fact that it burned endlessly was quite peculiar.

She took the incense and thought about where to put it. What if it set her clothes on fire?

She instinctively tried to bend it with her fingers and found that the incense was so hard it couldn’t be broken.

Xiao Ranshu had a sudden flash of inspiration and decided to use the incense stick as a slender hairpin, inserting it into her hair.

White Flame’s mouth twitched.

He could understand using it as a hairpin, but who would stick it straight up like that?

A skyward incense stick?

The incense stood upright on Xiao Ranshu’s head, leaving a trail of smoke wherever she went.

It looked quite bizarre!

Zhang Da Niang was also taken aback when she saw the incense on the Fairy’s head.

Ah, the Fairy truly is the Fairy.

So unconventional!

Lunch was ready.

Zhang Da Niang hurriedly left to feed the two horses pulling the carriage, lest they refuse to move halfway.

Xiao Ranshu leisurely ate her meal and fed White Flame two large bowls before starting to pack.

She realized she didn’t have much to bring; the Original Owner was truly like a cultivator, with minimal material desires.

She had only two sets of clothes, both mourning white.

There was a veil, indicating the Original Owner knew her face could cause trouble.

But Xiao Ranshu had used it to wash her face…

As a socially anxious person venturing into the city for the first time, she didn’t even have the means to disguise herself. In the past, she would have cosplayed as a frog!

In the end, she shook out the veil, draped it over her bamboo hat, and burned a hole to let the incense stick poke through. As long as it covered her face, it would do.

Finally ready to set off, Xiao Ranshu felt a mix of panic and excitement.

White Flame had also finished his two large bowls of food, almost to the point of vomiting.

At his level of cultivation, did he really need to eat grains?

Creak—

Xiao Ranshu pushed open the courtyard gate, but after taking just two steps, she froze in place.

Beneath the veil, her face turned pale.

She had almost forgotten—the stone steps down the mountain were right next to a cliff!

No guardrails! And they were narrow!

From above, she could see the entire village. Falling would mean certain death, and the whole village would witness it.

Her fear of heights was about to make her faint.

This wouldn’t do, especially at night. It would be pitch black, and one misstep could be fatal.

Xiao Ranshu held her forehead, her legs trembling as she realized the house on the mountaintop was surrounded by cliffs—the village in front and the mountains behind. Isolated and dangerous.

She cursed again—the Original Owner must have been insane to choose to live here!

Just then, White Flame stepped forward, standing on the cliffside edge of the stone steps and looking back at her.

His deep blue eyes were firm, exuding a sense of security.

Xiao Ranshu praised, “Good dog.”

With White Flame on the outer side, she felt less afraid.

Zhang Da Niang’s suggestion to stay overnight in Rong City was wise. Who would have thought it would take Xiao Ranshu two hours just to descend the mountain?

Her physical condition was far from ideal!

When she finally stepped onto the last stone step, even White Flame breathed a sigh of relief.

At the foot of the mountain.

Lao Zhao and Zhao Tiezhu had been waiting with the carriage for some time, showing no signs of impatience. But when they saw Xiao Ranshu appear with an incense stick on her head, both father and son were dumbfounded.

The scene fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.

Xiao Ranshu, being socially anxious and not one for words, also froze.

It was Old Village Chief Wang Chunyi, who had come to see her off, who broke the silence: “Tiezhu, help the Fairy!”

Zhao Tiezhu quickly placed a step stool on the ground. He had seen this in the city—young masters and ladies always used them to board carriages. He imitated it perfectly.

Xiao Ranshu climbed into the carriage and waved at White Flame: “Go home. Remember to come down the mountain to pick me up tomorrow.”

Without White Flame, she wouldn’t dare walk those stone steps.

White Flame watched the carriage disappear into the distance, wanting to follow secretly, but was shocked to find he couldn’t leave the village!

It was as if an invisible barrier prevented him from stepping beyond its boundaries.

White Flame was not only shocked but also held Xiao Ranshu in the utmost admiration.

Which deity is the true form of our lord?

His words carry such immense power!

Fortunately, it had marked the incense with its divine sense, so our lord cannot be lost.