Traveling through ancient times: daily life on the run

Chapter 380: The Depression of Blackwater City

Setting off again and returning to the carriage, Luo Yu's heart was pounding.

Having heard Zhu Jinyou's sweet words so many times, she originally thought she would be immune to them all, but she never expected that he would hesitate to say more. While walking on the road, he secretly held her hand. The tenderness of his fingers intertwined with hers made her feel a little warm in her heart.

Along the way, the two of them held hands tacitly without saying anything.

As he thought about it, Luo Yu felt his heart beating faster and faster and he became very panicked.

Qin Bingrui listened to the uneasy turning sounds inside the carriage, frowning slightly. He suppressed his curiosity and asked, "Sister Luo Yu, do you want to recite the Diamond Sutra? It will calm your mind."

Luo Yu sat up and sighed: "Am I really exaggerating like that?"

"What on earth did that bastard Zhu Jinyou do to make my sister so uneasy?"

"He gave me a dress. It was the same one I wore last time in Shanzhou City. It was very expensive."

"Hasn't it been several days?"

"Yes, now that I think about it carefully, he didn't leave at all that day. Instead, he followed Xia Liang and me silently all the way."

"so what?"

Qin Bingrui scoffed. What was there to be moved by such effortless flirting? It was just a petty trick, a despicable ploy designed to trick young girls. He hadn't expected that even Sister Luo Yu, at her age, couldn't handle such manipulation. The human emotional world was truly unfathomable.

After a moment of silence, Luo Yu suddenly realized: "Yeah, so what?"

"If he becomes the emperor, with three thousand concubines in his harem, would you want to be the queen?"

Luo Yu chuckled.

"Why would I think about all this? But if he expresses his feelings to me and really likes me, then I can't let him do two things at once."

"He's not saying it now, perhaps because he's worried about your future, which is actually a good thing. Promises made too casually are somewhat unreliable. The adult world itself is complicated."

Luo Yu sighed, not knowing where she had gone wrong. She clearly hadn't thought of putting too much thought into anyone. One really shouldn't be too calculating, let alone exploiting other people's emotions; it would ultimately backfire on them.

As they continued on their journey, Luo Yu no longer focused on the web of love he had woven.

At noon on the sixth day, we arrived at Blackwater City.

Blackwater City is just like its name, like an abandoned city. Originally, there was a Yan family army guarding the border, and people from all over the country came here to do business in an endless stream. However, half a month ago, nomadic tribes frequently came to make trouble. Many people were afraid of war and fled as far away as possible with their belongings. With fewer people, naturally fewer people came to do business. Now, only a few big merchants who sought wealth and status in dangerous situations remained here. After all, with so many soldiers stationed here, they still need food, clothing and other necessities.

Now the entire city, except for a few locals, is full of soldiers stationed on the border.

When Qin Bingrui's Wangzhou Army and Southwestern Baipu Army entered the city, Yan Yang, the general of the Yan family army, personally went out of the city to welcome them. Who would have thought that a few women would go to the battlefield and bring the dying emperor to this desolate desert in the northwest.

When Yan Xuan saw his father waiting for the emperor outside the city gate, he rode his horse to the carriage window and whispered to Xia Liang in the carriage: "The general in the front who looks so majestic is my father."

Xia Liang lifted the curtain and took a look. The man was about forty-five or forty-six years old, with dark skin, tall and strong. His expression was very majestic and full of murderous intent.

"Your father looks even more fierce than your brother."

Yan Xuan chuckled. If there was one person in the family he feared most, it would be his father, whom he had rarely met. From childhood to adulthood, he had seen his father only a handful of times, and the most he'd ever spoken to him was his father asking him what books he'd read, urging him to practice martial arts, and to respect his grandparents.

Therefore, he didn't know his father very well.

When the troops stopped, General Yan was about to salute the emperor's carriage when Xia Liang came out from behind the curtain and shouted, "Stop saluting! The emperor is fast asleep. Don't wake him up."

The gate they entered was the southeast gate of Heishui City, and the northwest gate was the main battlefield for defending against nomadic tribes.

General Yan was speechless for a moment, and the deputy general next to him reminded him: "General, this woman is the girl that Second Young Master Yan likes."

Only then did General Yan see Yan Xuan, who was riding on the horse next to the dragon chariot with a gloomy face. This brat always had this expression on his face that made him want a beating every time he saw him.

The gate was opened, and everyone stepped aside to salute. The team slowly entered the city. When Xia Liang's carriage passed by General Yan, he opened the window, pulled the curtain aside, and waved to General Yan.

"Hello, General Yan. My name is Xia Cao, the tenacious grass that grows in summer."

Yan Xuan was startled, and immediately dismounted from his horse. He whispered beside General Yan, "Dad, this is Miss Xia, who specializes in treating the emperor."

General Yan looked up at the girl with an exceptionally bright smile. She was indeed different from ordinary girls. She was like a ball of bright sunshine, and the entire Blackwater City seemed to be illuminated by her.

After the dragon chariot entered the city, General Yan scolded Yan Xuan in a low voice: "What are you standing here for? Hurry up and follow them. Do you want a girl to go through this alone?"

"Hey, okay!"

When Qin Bingrui's carriage arrived at the city gate, he saw General Yan and greeted him: "You are General Yan, right? Yan Xuan looks quite similar to you! Haha."

General Yan's deputy general, who had seen Qin Bingrui before, introduced her: "She is the woman in Miss Xia's group. I heard she is very capable in battle."

Luo Yu heard Qin Bingrui's voice and lifted the curtain.

Seeing General Yan with a dignified look on his face, she smiled and nodded to him.

"My humble self, Qin Luosheng, greets General Yan!"

General Yan thought, this woman is the only normal one. Why can't his stupid son be attracted to this normal girl?

The deputy continued, "It was this woman who caused the dragon to burn down the Queen Mother's bedroom."

General Yan remained silent.

After watching the team enter the city, Prince Ning's team followed slowly.

After the accommodations were arranged, the three girls and Eunuch Gao were arranged to live with the emperor in a large house with three courtyards. The emperor was assigned to the main room, while Eunuch Gao and the maids were assigned to the side rooms. Qin Bingrui and Luo Yu and Xia Liang were assigned to the east and west wing rooms respectively.

Zhu Jinyou then lived in the house next door.

There are few people in Blackwater City, and there are not many households living on the streets. The streets are extremely quiet, and there are not many places to go if you want to walk around.

Several businesses sell clothes and food. Even the only tavern is run by a local. There is a boss and a waiter. The boss and his wife are also the cooks and accountants. The business is neither good nor bad.

Although there are not many people coming and going, Blackwater City has a high level of security awareness, and there are soldiers patrolling almost every street.

While Qin Bingrui was eating, he curiously asked the waiter, "The city is patrolled every day. Is it because spies might come in?"

The waiter knew they were all nobles, so he spoke frankly: "It's not just spies. Those foreigners sometimes disguise themselves as locals and come into the city to rob and plunder. Whether it's food or money, they won't let go. Oh, and I heard they even specialize in robbing beautiful girls."

After hearing this, Qin Bingrui said disdainfully: "If we're going to fight a war, we should fight it seriously. Why do we have to do such despicable things?"

Zhu Jinyou snorted coldly and explained to him: "They are several major tribes that have formed an alliance to invade. There are always some small tribes that are unwilling to obey the arrangements and prefer to act privately."

Qin Bingrui smiled slyly: "Oh, they call this guerrilla warfare, infiltrating the enemy's interior. We might as well learn from it."

Luo Yu kindly reminded him: "As for nomadic people, you should know that they have no fixed place to stay."

Although they said this, as soon as Luo Yu and Qin Bingrui looked at each other, they came up with a bunch of plans.