Allure of a Country Maiden
Chapter 145 - 143: Encounter Danger

Chapter 145: Chapter 143: Encounter Danger

The group continued their journey towards the Imperial Capital. That day, a massive storm in the morning delayed them significantly, and it was increasingly unlikely they could reach the next Post Station via the official road before nightfall.

Xiao Fuzi knew of a shortcut to the next Post Station that could save them half an hour’s journey.

"However, there’s a stretch of this path that runs alongside a cliff. It is safe for people to walk and just wide enough for carriages to pass, but is dangerously zigzagging," he warned.

"Xiao Fuzi, have you driven the carriage through it?" Xiao’er looked around at the surrounding barren hills and wilderness, and thought she heard a wolf howling. Considering the laggards in their group, she decided taking the shortcut was the best option.

Staying outside overnight was definitely not an option. The mere howling of a wolf would likely cause their group to scream even louder!

The thought of those women’s piercing shrieks sent chills down her spine!

Without needing Xiao’er to say anything, they also had heard the wolf howl and were already eager to leave the wilderness. The wolf’s call was truly hair-raising!

"Let’s take the shortcut. I can’t stay in this ghostly place anymore," Mrs. Shen said in extreme fear. In her entire life, she would not even dare venture out to dig for wild vegetables at the foot of a mountain on her own.

Let alone spending the night in the wilderness, she simply could not! At the sound of a wolf howl, her legs began to tremble.

So, the caravan left the official road and embarked on the small path.

Of course, the shortcut was much rougher than the official road! The bumps along the way had the group, led by Mrs. Shen, grimacing in pain.

Regardless, they did not dare to request a halt for rest and chose to endure it instead.

The animal sounds along this stretch were terrifying!

Sitting in the carriage, Shen Chengyao was slightly concerned for his wife and daughters, who were all in one carriage. Mrs. Liu was also there, holding the restless Xi’er, barely over a year old.

If he needed to switch carriages, the other carriage would then be filled with only children. If anything were to happen, they could not handle the situation!

Shen Chengyao could only hope to get through this stretch as quickly as possible.

However, before they reached the cliffside path, they spotted two horse-riding figures returning from the same direction.

The leading figure, a kind-hearted man, offered a warning upon seeing their route, "Are you also planning on taking the shortcut to reach Sha County before nightfall?"

Xiao Fuzi courteously nodded in response, "Yes. Why have you two turned back?"

"Due to the heavy rain, part of that path has collapsed. It’s impossible to pass."

"What a coincidence. It seems we’ll have to camp here for the night, as I’ve heard wild beasts wander the path up ahead after dark."

"It indeed isn’t very safe. You better stay here overnight. We have an urgent matter to attend to, so we must travel by night. Excuse us!" With that, the two men bade them farewell and departed.

Xiao Fuzi, seeing that the two men were skilled martial artists, didn’t try to persuade them otherwise.

In this era, official roads often passed through hills and forests while those with villages on both sides were relatively rare, and even if they existed, the distance was quite short. Hence, very few people traveled by night due to safety concerns unless they were exceptionally skilled and fearless!

Hearing this, Xiao’er felt a desperate silence descend upon her. This was the first time she felt so wretched since her transmigration! Just earlier, Tian Bai had predicted a heavy rainfall tonight!

When it rains, it pours; a leaking roof coupled with a head-on storm. Truly, the hardships never cease!

Perhaps, being on a journey with people of poor moral quality, even her luck had turned sour! This was the first time she had been this unlucky in her current life and her past one combined!

Mrs. Shen adamantly refused to camp here for the night, insisting on pushing ahead as those two men did. Xiao’er felt that unless Mrs. Shen got taught a lesson, she would never learn. Anywhere they stopped would still be camping outdoors, so they decided to proceed.

Halfway down the road, the predicted heavy rain began, and they were forced to take shelter inside the carriages, for they couldn’t expect the coachmen to drive in such weather conditions.

Shen Chengyao and his three brothers squeezed into Xiao’er’s carriage, vacating one for the coachmen to escape the rain.

The rain had quickly stopped, but the weather was getting noticeably colder. At this moment, the surroundings were extremely quiet, so quiet that one could probably hear a pin drop.

Xiao’er felt the silence was unnaturally peaceful. Her sixth sense strongly warned her of danger!

"There are wolf packs around," Bai Tian timely reminded.

Damn! So many old, weak and unarmed people, in the event of a wolf pack, that would spell chaos!

At this moment, Xiao Fuzi also came to their carriage, "Marquis Shengping, it’s too quiet around, it’s not normal, there could be danger around."

"There are wolf packs." As soon as Xiao’er finished speaking, as if to confirm her words, a loud wolf howl resonated through the air.

"Ah..."

"Ah..."

"Ah...There are wolves..."

...

Screams immediately rose from the nearby carriages.

Upon hearing them, Xiao Fuzi’s face changed. He immediately took out a bamboo tube, pulled out the stopper, and released a distress signal.

In his heart, he lamented, he had accompanied his lord on this road countless times but had never encountered a wolf pack before. His lord, the Marquis Shengping, was surely blessed with luck!

"Men, grab your weapons. Women and children, squeeze into one carriage, don’t make a sound, do not come out!" Xiao Fuzi shouted out loud.

Mrs. Shen and the others covered their mouths, scared that they would scream. They quickly ran into the carriage where Mrs. Liu was.

Xiao’er stepped out of the carriage, holding a bow and arrow in her hand. The men took up hoes from under the carriage. Xiao’er then smeared the poisonous juice of the Ashoka flower on the hoes.

At that moment, wolves began to appear in the dark, their eyes glowing green, looking particularly terrifying.

Xiao’er felt she was really fated with wolf packs, encountering them once a year!

Weren’t wolf packs usually comprised of a few or about a dozen wolves? What on earth was happening, was this the entire forest’s worth of wolves gathered here?!

Initially, the wolf pack just stayed still some distance away, but then they all suddenly charged forward fiercely.

Despite cursing the wolves in her mind, Xiao’er remained calm and released an arrow from her hand. A wolf fell, and the other wolves howled even louder. Xiao’er quickly shot a second arrow, just as the wolves reached them.

Shen Chengyao, Xiao Fuzi, and the coachmen all fought the wolves with hoes.

Xiao’er also took up a horsewhip, smeared it with the poisonous juice of the Ashoka flower, and lashed it precisely at each wolf that charged at her! After being poisoned, the wolves soon fell and could not get up. But there were too many wolves in this pack, they could not be poisoned or killed straight away, mainly because the poison on the hoe could only kill a couple of wolves at most.

Xiao’er was close to Shen Chengyao and saw a wolf almost biting Shen Chengyao’s arm, hurriedly whipping it away.

This is not working, Xiao’er thought to herself.

She took out a bottle of the Ashoka flower’s poison, asking Shen Chengyao to help smear the horsewhips with the poison.

"Everyone, try to get closer to my father. Give your hoes to my father, take a whip and beat, those whips have poison on them," she said.

Xiao’er stayed by Shen Chengyao’s side, smearing poison on the whip while fending off the wolves attacking them.

Everyone listened to Xiao’er’s words and tried to move closer to them.

Just then, a wolf tried to jump into the carriage where Mrs. Liu and the others were. Mrs. Lan, who sat closest to the carriage curtain and had a clear view, was so scared that she instinctively grabbed Xi’er from Mrs. Liu’s lap and threw her out!

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