TSWPF -Chapter 314 Desolation

The torrential rain lasted for about an hour before it finally began to ease. As soon as the rain stopped, Ah Huang woke Li Qingling and the others, then—whoosh—darted straight out.

It was going to find food for Ah Bai.

“Where did Ah Huang run off to?” Master Luo asked, watching Ah Huang disappear before turning to Liu Zhimou.

Liu Zhimou smiled. “Probably went to look for food.”

Master Luo stroked his beard, stepped outside to check the weather, then came back and said that it likely wouldn’t rain again for a while. They should set off early.

They needed to reach Ninghua County as soon as possible. Spending the night out in desolate mountains and wilderness made him uneasy.

Hearing this, Liu Zhimou nodded. “Alright, let’s depart.”

“We’re not waiting for Ah Huang?”

“No need to wait for it specifically. It can catch up,” Liu Zhimou said, shaking his head. If Ah Huang didn’t have the ability, how could it deserve the title King of the Mountains?

If it wanted to catch up, it would be an easy task.

Seeing that Liu Zhimou and the others weren’t worried, Master Luo nodded and waved for the guards to pack up their belongings and set off immediately.

As they were about to leave, Ah Bai let out several aoo-woo howls toward the depths of the forest. That single sound scared the horses so badly that they collapsed to their knees with a thud.

Fortunately, the guards were skilled. They jumped off in time as the horses fell.

Li Qingling laughed and patted Ah Bai’s head, telling it not to howl anymore. If it kept that up, they wouldn’t be able to travel at all.

Ah Bai faintly heard Ah Huang’s response from afar. Only then did it feel at ease. It nudged Li Qingling gently, signaling for them to go ahead—it would follow later.

There was no helping it. The horses were simply too timid. The moment they saw Ah Bai, they refused to move.

Li Qingling nodded and told it to be careful, then led Li Qingning and Liu Zhirou into the carriage.

Inside the carriage, Li Qingning poked her little head out to take a look. Not seeing Ah Bai, she asked worriedly whether it would catch up.

Li Qingling reached out and pulled her back in, telling her not to stick her head out—it was too dangerous.

“I know, Sister. I won’t do it again,” Li Qingning said, sticking out her tongue and sitting properly. “Will Ah Huang be able to find us? Can it really catch up? What if it gets lost? What if it can’t find us? That would be so pitiful…”

“Don’t worry. Ah Huang will definitely catch up,” Li Qingling said confidently. With an animal’s keen sense of smell, how could it not track them? She had full faith in Ah Huang.

Seeing her sister so confident, Li Qingning quietly let out a sigh of relief. She believed her sister—if she said it would be fine, then it would be.

“Sister, where will Ah Huang and Ah Bai stay when we get to Ninghua County?” she asked, worried they might not have a place and would be wronged.

Li Qingling patted her little head and teased that she was so young yet already worrying about so many things.

She was afraid this child thought too much, which wouldn’t be good for her.

Li Qingning puffed out her little chest. “Ah Huang and Ah Bai are family. Of course I have to care about where they live. I don’t care who gets wronged—my Ah Huang and Ah Bai must not!”

“Right now, I don’t know either. We’ll have to see once we get to Ninghua County,” Li Qingling replied. If they lived somewhere busy, Ah Huang and Ah Bai couldn’t stay in the house—it would be too easy for people to see them and panic.

“Alright then…” Li Qingning nodded helplessly, hoping Ah Huang and Ah Bai would be lucky enough to live at home.

Putting that aside, her attention quickly shifted elsewhere. Her little mouth started chattering nonstop to Li Qingling and the others.

Li Qingling was nearly driven to collapse by this child’s endless why, why, why.

Children’s curiosity was just too strong—and you couldn’t not answer them.

To give her own ears some peace, Li Qingling handed Li Qingning over to Liu Zhirou, asking her to teach her needlework.

The moment she heard the words needlework, Li Qingning instantly wilted. She closed her eyes and flopped against Li Qingling, saying she was sleepy and wanted to nap.

She felt she had a feud with needlework. Every time she learned it, her fingers ended up pricked all over. She really didn’t want her poor fingers to suffer anymore.

Who even decided that girls had to learn needlework? It was practically child abuse.

Seeing the little one leaning against her with eyes shut, Li Qingling lifted her head and exchanged a glance with Liu Zhirou. The two of them laughed silently.

She knew this method worked on this little sparrow. Every time needlework was mentioned, there would be endless excuses—this hurt, that hurt—anything to avoid learning.

Considering her young age, Li Qingling didn’t push her too hard. She planned to let her enjoy a couple more carefree years before slowly reining her in.

She didn’t need her needlework to be outstanding—just competent enough that no one could mock her.

Still, she worried whether she could ever tone down this tomboyish personality.

If only Ningning and Rourou’s personalities could be combined—one was too lively, the other too quiet. Just thinking about it gave her a headache.

“Stop reading. Come, lean on sister-in-law and sleep for a bit,” Li Qingling said, gently taking the book from Liu Zhirou’s hands and pulling her closer.

Judging by the time, they’d arrive in Ninghua County around when they woke up.

Liu Zhirou didn’t refuse. She softly hummed in agreement and closed her eyes while leaning against Li Qingling.

Once both children were asleep, Li Qingling leaned against the side of the carriage and rested as well.

Only by resting well and keeping her spirits up could she handle what lay ahead.

Meanwhile, on Liu Zhimou’s side, he was discussing matters concerning Ninghua County with Master Luo.

Master Luo lifted the carriage curtain and glanced outside. As far as the eye could see were lush green mountain ridges. He frowned—Ninghua County was even more desolate than he’d imagined, probably not even as good as Qingyang Town.

He sighed inwardly, lowered the curtain, and looked at Liu Zhimou. “The next few years will be a heavy burden for you.”

Liu Zhimou was mentally prepared. He knew a hard battle lay ahead. If he lost, his credibility with the Emperor would be gone…

Rubbing his temples, he gave a wry smile. “This is the path I chose. Even if I have to crawl, I’ll finish it. No matter how hard this battle is, I must carry it through.”

He would use every possible method to accomplish this posting.

Master Luo reached out and patted his shoulder, telling him not to rush—take it slowly.

This kind of work couldn’t be hurried. Haste bred mistakes. One had to move steadily, step by step, to go far.

Liu Zhimou nodded. He understood.

In a new territory, one couldn’t rush—it required gradual infiltration.

He had enough patience. He believed he would succeed and wouldn’t disappoint the Emperor.

Knowing Liu Zhimou had it clear in his mind, Master Luo pointed out several easily overlooked details, reminding him to be meticulous and not make mistakes in small matters.

Often, major failures stemmed from minor issues. Thus, vigilance in small things was even more important.

Liu Zhimou nodded earnestly, fully agreeing.

They discussed this at length until the driver announced they were nearing Ninghua County.

Li Qingling heard this too. She asked the driver to stop briefly, jumped down, and ran toward the rear while whistling.

Moments later, Ah Huang came sprinting over.

Seeing its powerful, agile form, Li Qingling smiled. She hugged Ah Huang’s head and whispered instructions into its ear—telling it to take Ah Bai to live deep in the mountains for now. Once she settled things on her end, she’d go find them.

After all, they didn’t yet know what their residence would be like—its size or proximity to the mountains.

Everything needed to be prepared properly. They couldn’t move in rashly and cause trouble later.

Ah Huang let out a hum in response—no problem at all. With a flick of its tail and a shake of its big head, it dashed off.

“….” Li Qingling felt utterly helpless. Couldn’t it say something before running off? What was that supposed to mean?

Sighing, she quickly ran back to the carriage, climbed in, and continued onward.

After another half hour or so, they officially arrived at Ninghua County.

They hadn’t even gotten down when they were startled by the county deputy magistrate’s enthusiastic welcome.

Seeing the people standing before the carriage, Liu Zhimou and Master Luo exchanged a glance before slowly stepping down.

The deputy magistrate’s surname was Ma, given name Ming. With a beaming smile, he stepped forward and greeted them respectfully. “Lord Liu, Master Luo—your journey must have been tiring.”

Inwardly, he wondered whether this young magistrate truly had the ability to suppress the people in the city.

Looking at Liu Zhimou’s youthful face, he felt uneasy.

Truthfully, the locals were driven to desperation by poverty—unable to eat their fill or stay warm. Naturally, theft and petty crimes were rampant.

Liu Zhimou returned the greeting. Without waiting for Ma to continue, he asked him to lead them to their residence.

Ma was momentarily stunned, then quickly agreed, saying they could settle their belongings first and then eat—the banquet had already been prepared.

Liu Zhimou glanced at him and declined. They had been on the road too long and were exhausted. They needed to rest. As for the banquet, it should be canceled—there was no need for such extravagance.

“Lord Liu, how can that be?” Ma said hurriedly.

“How can it not?” Liu Zhimou countered.

Ma moved his lips, forcing a bitter smile. The banquet was ready—canceling it would be a waste.

Liu Zhimou waved his hand. Others could eat it instead. Another day, he would treat them to drinks.

Seeing Liu Zhimou’s firm stance, Ma didn’t dare say more. Lowering his head, he led them to the residence.

The estate wasn’t far from the yamen, located just behind it. However, it was rather run-down, clearly unoccupied for a long time.

Rubbing his hands together, Ma said apologetically, “Our county is poor. We don’t have the money to repair it. I hope Lord Liu and the others won’t mind.”