Chapter 51 : Male Charm

After traveling for more than ten days, the caravan entered Yongzhou territory. That day, they rested and replenished supplies at the Chamber of Commerce’s base before heading directly to Wucheng.

Song Ying changed into men’s clothing, took off her mask, and sat in front of the mirror, painting several hideous scars on her face using special paint.

Faer, who had gone from initial excitement to fatigue, had just woken up and rubbed her eyes. “Miss, why aren’t you wearing your mask?”

Song Ying replied, “Too much trouble.”

Xiaomi knocked on the door and shouted loudly, “Boss, Boss Chen is here!”

Song Ying and Faer quickly packed up, making sure they hadn’t left anything behind, then opened the door.

Chen Hong was smiling at first, but when he saw the ugly scars on Song Ying’s face, he was briefly stunned. Then he patted her on the shoulder and said sincerely, “Don’t worry, scars make a man more attractive.”

Song Ying joked, “Why don’t you try getting one too?”

Chen Hong chuckled. “I’m older than you. I won’t compete with you in charm.”

Song Ying: “Thanks for your kindness.”

Chen Hong: “Don’t mention it.”

Song Ying: “So, what brings you here?”

Chen Hong pulled out a list. “The third shopkeeper sent us to go shopping.”

Song Ying: “Alright.”

This journey had been quite fruitful for Song Ying. At each rest stop, she would explore the area and often found interesting things.

As they walked through the streets together, Song Ying looked at the slightly darkening sky and asked, “How long will it take to get to Wucheng from here?”

Chen Hong replied, “I asked the third shopkeeper. If we don’t stop, it’ll take four days.”

Song Ying: “Four days?”

Chen Hong: “Yongzhou is low-lying, and it’s the rainy season. The main road is hard to travel.”

Song Ying looked up at the sky again. “Is it going to rain today?”

Chen Hong: “Hard to say. The rain here comes and goes sometimes heavy, sometimes light. Sometimes it rains for days on end, sometimes just briefly.”

While they were chatting, the two arrived at a shop selling dry goods.

Chen Hong was busy negotiating with the shopkeeper while Song Ying looked around.

“Boss, what is this?” Song Ying asked, pointing to a bag of black beans in a white cloth sack on the ground.

The shopkeeper replied, “This is a local specialty of Yongzhou, called ‘blind beans.’ Boil them to dispel cold and dampness.”

Song Ying scooped up a small handful, brought it to her nose, and sniffed. “It smells like beans.”

Shopkeeper: “It’s good stuff especially during the rainy season. Cook more and eat more. It’s good for your health.”

Chen Hong glanced at the list and said, “Hey, shopkeeper, we’ll take these blind beans too.”

Song Ying asked, “Do they have blind beans in Wucheng?”

The shopkeeper sighed. “We’ve been harassed by Xiyue for years. Many villages that used to grow blind beans have been abandoned. Damn Xiyue, they’ve brought suffering to the people of Dayin!”

Song Ying: “So there are very few blind beans in Wucheng?”

Shopkeeper: “Now there are rumors of war breaking out with Xiyue. Those with connections in Wucheng have already fled.”

Song Ying asked, “Can you ship these blind beans directly to Wucheng?”

The shopkeeper quickly waved his hands in fear. “My lord, surely you jest. I’m just a small-time seller. Sending them is out of the question. These days, the farther west you go, the more bandits there are. No one would risk their life for such a small profit.”

Song Ying: “Is it really that dangerous?”

Shopkeeper: “Yes. I heard you’re planning to go to Wucheng, right? Then be careful. If you run into those people, flee if you can. They’ll kill without hesitation.”

Song Ying: “Thanks for the warning. We’ll be careful.”

After paying, Song Ying said to Chen Hong, “You go back first. I want to keep looking around.”

Chen Hong: “Are you going to the herbal medicine store? Well, since we’ve already bought everything, I’ll go with you.”

During their travels together, Chen Hong had already learned that every time they stopped in a town, Song Ying’s first destination was always the herbal medicine shop or a clinic.

They arrived at the largest herbal medicine shop in the area. Before they even got through the door, a dirty little beggar rushed up to them and knelt down.

“Kind uncle, please have mercy and spare some money.”

While others usually begged for food, he was straightforward.

Chen Hong asked, “What do you need money for?”

The little beggar, who looked only about eleven or twelve and appeared sickly, was answered by Song Ying, who simply took out a tael of silver and gave it to him. “Here.”

“Thank you, kind sir. I will never forget your kindness and generosity.”

Thinking of Huo Zhen, who once wanted to marry her just for a bun, Song Ying quickly said, “Don’t remember it just go buy what you need.”

The little beggar kowtowed in gratitude and hurried into the herbal medicine shop.

Chen Hong finally understood why the little beggar wanted money and said to Song Ying, “How did you know he was going to buy medicine?”

Song Ying replied, “If he were hungry, he would’ve said so directly. Since he asked for money, it’s obvious he needed to buy something more important than food.”

Chen Hong let out a long “Ohhh,” and said, “Hey, I was just about to ask. It’s not that I didn’t want to give it to him, it’s just that you were too fast.”

Song Ying: “I know. Let’s go in.”

Chen Hong: “Alright.”

Inside, Song Ying walked around and picked out some medicinal herbs. After asking a few questions, she decided to buy some to take with her.

“Can these herbs be grown elsewhere?”

The shopkeeper saw that Song Ying wasn’t just an ordinary buyer, so he replied, “It depends on the location. Areas with a lot of rain are suitable for growing them, the more humid, the better.”

Song Ying silently made a note of it. “Thank you.”

When they left the herbal medicine shop, the little beggar also came out, carrying some medicine in his arms.

“He doesn’t look like a local,” Chen Hong said.

Song Ying responded, “No. We’re headed to Wucheng.”

The little beggar said, “It’s dangerous to go to Wucheng. There was heavy rain a few days ago, and rocks from the mountain blocked the main road. If you want to go, you’ll need to take a detour.”

Chen Hong asked him in confusion, “How do you know that?” After all, the third shopkeeper hadn’t mentioned it.

The little beggar lifted his sallow face and wiped his nose. “If you don’t believe me, go ask at the city gate.”

Song Ying said, “We believe you. We have a friend in Wucheng, and we must get there. Do you know a faster route?”

The little beggar frowned. “I’m a good person. I’ll help you. Head south out of the city. The road’s a bit narrow, but it’s flat. Follow it to Cuihu Lake. If you turn left there, you can go straight to Wucheng it’ll take about three days. If you turn right, you’ll rejoin the official road, but that’ll add another day.”

“Is the road directly to Wucheng easy to travel?”

“As long as it doesn’t rain, it’s fine. But it’s easy to run into bandits.”

“Alright, I’ll make a note of that.” Song Ying took out another tael of silver and offered it to him.

The little beggar stepped back and said, “No, thank you.”

“Take it,” Song Ying said, pressing the silver into the little beggar’s hand before leaving with Chen Hong.

They went to see the third shopkeeper and told him about the blocked main road.

The third shopkeeper frowned. “I’ve heard the same thing. Some people are suggesting we wait, others say we should take a detour.”

Chen Hong asked, “Which direction is the detour?”

Third shopkeeper: “To the north.”

Chen Hong said, “But we met a little beggar…”

After hearing Chen Hong’s explanation, the third shopkeeper fell into deep thought.

Song Ying asked, “Are you worried we’ll run into bandits no matter which route we take?”

The third shopkeeper nodded. “It would be ideal if we could stick to the official road. But those smaller paths…”

Song Ying said, “We have military escorts now. If anyone dares rob us, they’re defying the imperial court, they’ll die.”

The third shopkeeper replied, “Even so, I still have to ensure everyone’s safety. It’s best if we can reach Wucheng without any loss. Please give me some time to think about it.”

Afterward, Chen Hong asked Song Ying, “Which route do you think is the safest for us?”

Song Ying replied, “I don’t know. Anyway, we’ll go with whatever the third shopkeeper decides. I still don’t believe anyone would be bold enough to rob an imperial caravan.”

But in the end, they really did encounter someone who wasn’t afraid to die.