northernbook Chapter 249 Pursuit
Chapter 249 Pursuit
The child was sleeping soundly. Xue Yunyao and Le Xi watched for a while, then walked to the middle of the yard accompanied by Nian Yao.
Xue Yunyao asked, "Sister, has my brother gone to the army?"
“You call me… never mind…” Nianyao gave up correcting her form of address. Xue Yunyao was indeed younger than her, and even if she was a stranger, it was only right for her to call her sister: “Your brother took your sister-in-law back to Mount Oulu.”
Xue Yunyao glanced at Lexi, then her eyes fell on the sword in Nianyao's hand: "Is this my brother's sword?"
Nianyao handed her the sword: "Yunting left the sword here, along with the longevity lock."
Xue Yunyao and Le Xi's expressions changed simultaneously. Le Xi snatched the sword and said urgently, "When did he leave? Why didn't you stop him, sister? I have to go find him."
Le Xi turned and left with her sword in her arms. Xue Yunyao hurriedly followed, not even having time to speak to Nian Yao.
Nianyao already felt uneasy, but after Qin Jiu comforted her for a few words, she forced herself to relax.
Now that Lexi and Xue Yunyao are so nervous, Nianyao's heart is in her throat again.
She caught up with Xue Yunyao: "Yunting said he would come back."
Xue Yunyao said, "Sister, this is the Dragon Soaring Sword, bestowed upon the Xue family ancestors by the Holy Ancestor. It was passed down through generations to my father, and when my brother was made a general, my father passed it on to him. This sword is more important than people..."
Is a sword more important than a person? Nianyao paused slightly; she understood the meaning of those words.
My father once said that when they were delivering goods for others, they were like a maritime security escort agency. The goods they were escorting were more important than themselves; as long as the person was there, the goods would be there too, and even if the person was gone, the goods would still be there.
Nianyao turned and went back to her room to get her sword. When she returned to Xianzhou Garden, Xue Yunyao and Lexi were nowhere to be seen. Luo An stood at the edge of Xianzhou Garden, looking out, and turned around when he heard footsteps.
Nianyao asked, "I'm going to Mount Oulu, will you come with me?"
Luo An said, "I'm not going, and you shouldn't go either."
Nianyao said, "Are we really going to send two girls, Lexi and Yunyao, all the way to Mount Oulu?"
Luo An coldly replied, "Xue Yunting is a young general, an extremely important figure. Many people are looking for him; one more won't make a difference."
That makes sense! Nianyao thought for a moment: "But he left through me. What if something really happens to him? How can I take responsibility? How can I explain it to his parents?"
Luo An said, "He's a grown man, he can come and go as he pleases, why should you take responsibility for him? You're so responsible, why aren't you responsible for me? Didn't you say you were going to the Northern Desert to find Jing Chen?"
Is this another attempt to pick a fight? Nianyao held back: "If you don't go, I'll go to Mobei to find An Jingchen for you after I come back from Oulu Mountain."
Is it absolutely necessary to go? Luo An said sarcastically, "Chief Xue truly has the world in his heart, traveling tirelessly from north to south."
Nianyao walked forward, and Luo An grabbed her wrist. Without thinking, Nianyao twisted her wrist outward and pushed Luo An away with a slap.
Caught off guard, Luo An was pushed back two steps, and his expression immediately turned sour.
Seeing that things were not going well, Nianyao took off running, shouting as she ran, "I'll be back soon."
Even if you travel non-stop, it would still take more than a month to go back and forth, so how could it be so fast?
When the three of them passed by the post station, Xue Yunyao wrote a letter to Su Wuming.
Nianyao asked curiously, "Why didn't you write it with your parents?"
Xue Yunyao said, "If we tell our parents directly, they will definitely be very angry and anxious. Don't worry, sister, Brother Wuming always has a lot of ideas."
The three chased after Xue Yunting all the way to Kunzhou, but still couldn't find him. They asked around along the way, and the people at the post stations all said they had never seen a young master with a girl.
The three of them ate lunch at a restaurant, sitting by the window. While waiting for their food, Nianyao kept rubbing the corners of her eyes. Her eyelids had been twitching for the past two days, first her left eye, then her right, and she wasn't sure if it meant bad luck or good fortune.
Xue Yunyao asked, "Did my brother go ahead of us or fall behind us?"
Le Xi said, "Who cares? Let's just go straight to Mount Oulu."
Nianyao lowered her hand, frowning slightly: "Yun Ting is strong and healthy, he should be able to walk faster than us. Hasn't Su Wuming sent any news? Shouldn't he have arranged for someone to meet us?"
They arrived in Kunzhou without sensing anything amiss. There was no one following or spying on them, and no one politely welcoming them or inviting them to dinner. Surely Su Wuming, who always has a plan, wouldn't have overlooked even this?
Le Xi analyzed, "Brother Yun Ting will pass through Kunzhou on his way to Mount Oulu. If he has been here before, the general stationed in Kunzhou will definitely escort him, and he will be fine. Unless he has never been here before."
Xue Yunyao breathed a sigh of relief: "Then they didn't come. We've been traveling day and night, so we're definitely faster than my brother and his men."
It sounded reasonable. But Nianyao felt something was off: "Anyway, let's hurry up and go."
Xue Yunyao had originally planned to explore Kunzhou, but after hearing Nianyao's suggestion, she could only say, "Sister, let's explore Kunzhou together after we return from Mount Oulu. I think it's so beautiful here, and the weather is great too."
Nianyao said, "Once we find Yunting, we'll have him take you to stay in Kunzhou for a while so you can have as much fun as you want."
Yun Yao, being young, smiled and said, "Yes, let my brother buy a house here. It's cold in Qinzhou in winter, so we can come here to spend the winter."
Nianyao originally wanted to go to Kunzhou Prefecture to find out the situation, but then she thought that no matter what Su Wuming had arranged, they had to go to Mount Oulu, so they might as well go directly there.
At the foot of Mount Oulu, the grass is lush and the cattle and sheep graze leisurely. A shepherd lies on the grass with a leaf in his mouth, and with a gentle blow, a melodious tune is produced.
Xue Yunting remembered the first time he brought Duan Mingzhu here. Duan Mingzhu rolled around on the grass, her eyes crinkling with laughter, like a simple and pure child.
When they first started climbing the mountain, Duan Mingzhu insisted on walking by herself. After climbing halfway up the mountain, she became noticeably cold, so Xue Yunting took off his coat and gave it to her.
Duan Mingzhu was wearing Xue Yunting's coat, like a child wearing an adult's clothes. The coat was too long and stepped on her feet, and Duan Mingzhu was also feeling tired, so she stopped and glanced at Xue Yunting.
Xue Yunting had always been half a step behind her, protecting her from behind. Now, he consciously squatted down in front of Duan Mingzhu.
Duan Mingzhu didn't stand on ceremony and let Xue Yunting carry her up the mountain. Xue Yunting carried her up the mountain without even breaking a sweat. Duan Mingzhu asked, "Yunting, aren't you tired at all?"
Xue Yunting said, "I was born a young general, and they still call me young general now. Actually, I started as a soldier and was granted the title of second-rank general by the emperor."
Duan Mingzhu wrapped her arms around his neck, her laughter ringing in his ears, her tone full of pride: "My Yunting has both a prestigious family background and real strength."
My Yunting! Xue Yunting's usually hardened heart softened instantly, becoming as tender as water.
They came to Mount Oulu twice, once alive and once dead. Xue Yunting carried Duan Mingzhu up the mountain, not feeling her weight at all.
As they walked until they reached the snow-covered area, Xue Yunting said softly, "Mingzhu, we're almost there."
Xue Yunting continued forward, steadily moving through the varying depths of snow, until his legs were completely submerged and he could no longer move.