Snow blanketed the towering trees, icicles draping from their thick branches like frozen harps strung with glassy notes.
Lu Sheng sat inside the ox carriage. A small charcoal brazier rested before him, its steady glow releasing warmth that filled the narrow space. He wore loose black robes, his hair bound by a black ribbon, dark golden beads circling his wrist with a muted gleam.
Umbrella girl sat opposite him, both hands wrapped around a cup of hot milk tea. She was in Yingying mode. For quite some time now, Yingying had been in control of the body. Hongfang Bai seemed to have withdrawn entirely, no longer appearing before Lu Sheng, content to relay messages only through Yingying.
Lu Sheng lifted his own cup and took a light sip before turning slightly to peer through the window. Beyond the curtains, snowflakes drifted endlessly. The carriage wheels rolled over the white ground with crisp crunches, echoed by the steady tread of boots pressing into the snow.
“It’s already been five days since we left the Northern Lands. But this winter storm looks like it’s getting more severe,” Lu Sheng remarked calmly.
For this journey to the Central Plains, he had brought only Ning San and Xu Chui along with umbrella girl. These two were men he trusted, accustomed to carrying out his will without question.
The rest of the entourage consisted of servants, guards, and maidservants, several dozen in total. There were four carriages and a handful of horses. For the Number One Expert of the Northern Lands, it was a remarkably lean company.
He had no intention of notifying Shangyang Jiuli of this trip. This was a journey he meant to take on his own terms.
“What’s the gap between the Central Plains and the Northern Lands? Yingying, do you know?” Lu Sheng asked softly.
Yingying set her cup aside, pulled out a sheet of paper and a brush, and scribbled a few words before holding it up.
“The Central Plains is a giant lake, while the Northern Lands are a pond. Whether it’s resources, population, experts, or cities, the gap is vast.”
Lu Sheng raised an eyebrow. “That big a difference?” He paused briefly, then continued, “In other words, there are many experts there? How many are on Hongfang Bai’s level? Do you know?”
Yingying shook her head faintly. A moment later, she erased the words she had written and penned a new line.
“But sis is still powerful even in the Central Plains. Compared to the Nine Great Families there, she’s roughly equivalent to a weaker Family Head. However, the foundations of the Nine Great Families are extremely deep. The Family Heads aren’t necessarily their strongest experts; they’re merely the ones who manage the families.”
“I see…” Lu Sheng nodded slowly.
In terms of raw strength, he stood a notch above Hongfang Bai, though not by an overwhelming margin. At most, he was somewhere between the Lower Three Grades and the Middle Three Grades. The nine-grade hierarchy of the Snake realm spanned an enormous gulf of power, and the differences between the Lower, Middle, and Upper Three Grades were worlds apart.
As for what lay beyond the Nine-Headed Snake realm, even that remained unclear.
‘Looks like I’ll have to keep a low profile for now…’ Lu Sheng frowned inwardly.
Clang… clang… clang…
Suddenly, sharp metallic sounds echoed faintly through the snowy distance.
Lu Sheng reached out and drew back the curtain, peering through the swirling snow. Ahead, he could vaguely make out a group of carriages halted by the roadside. Someone among them was striking cymbals with force, the sound cutting through the cold air.
“What’s going on?” Xu Chui’s voice rang out. A guard immediately stepped forward to investigate.
The ox carriages rumbled on, slowly approaching the stranded group.
Before long, the guard returned and whispered his findings to Xu Chui and Ning San. After hearing the report, Ning San dismounted and walked over to Lu Sheng’s carriage.
“Young Master, there’s another caravan heading for the Central Plains. One of their carriage wheels broke down, and they’re hoping to borrow our carriages to travel together to the nearest city. They say they’re from Silver City and are willing to pay for the favor.”
“Oh?” Lu Sheng’s gaze drifted toward the group. It consisted of several horses pulling two carriages, escorted by a dozen or so armed men with bundles strapped across their backs. They were arranged protectively around a small cluster of women and children sheltered beneath umbrellas at the center of the formation.
“Let them board the empty ox carriage.”
On this journey to the Central Plains, Lu Sheng was traveling under the guise of a wealthy young master seeking to further his studies. In truth, that was not far from who he once had been. He had no fear of being exposed.
So long as he was not attacking, Lu Sheng could be considered rather peaceable by nature. He did not mind lending a hand, provided it brought him no inconvenience.
“Many thanks to our host.” From the distant carriage team, a muscular man clasped his fists in Lu Sheng’s direction.
Lu Sheng gave a slight nod, then lowered the curtain, leaving Xu Chui and Ning San to handle the arrangements. Should anything go awry, the two of them were more than capable of dealing with it.
The procession resumed its advance. The newly joined carriage team fell in behind Lu Sheng’s group, following at an unhurried pace.
By noon, the snowfall had thinned considerably. Patches of slush and shallow puddles formed across the road, each capped with a thin sheet of ice, gradually replacing the earlier blanket of white.
The servants soon set about making camp. The chosen site lay behind a small hill near the forest, its slope blocking the biting wind. In the cold air, the two carriage teams lit their fires and began preparing meals by the roadside amidst the trees.
Lu Sheng stepped down from his carriage and took a seat by one of the fires. Xu Chui oversaw patrol and sentry duty, while Ning San organized the men and assigned tasks.
Among the other carriage team, the most conspicuous figure was an aristocratic woman seated with two young girls. Standing at her side was their captain of the guard, the same muscular man who had earlier clasped his fists toward Lu Sheng.
The woman’s complexion was fair, her attire refined. She had delicate brows, large eyes, and a small mouth, and wore a flowing purple outfit that concealed much of her figure. Appearing to be around thirty years of age, she seemed recently married, bearing the quiet poise of a classic, refined town lady.
The two girls she led were close in age yet clearly different. The elder looked thirteen or fourteen, while the younger could not have been more than seven or eight. Both wore white cloaks, their eyes bright with curiosity as they studied Lu Sheng.
The younger girl was especially pretty, her features delicate and lively. She showed no fear of strangers at all. Her mother held her close, letting her warm herself quietly by the fire.
“Many thanks to Young Master for coming to our aid. My surname is Zhangrong. We were on our way to pay respects to our departed elders when our wheel broke halfway through the journey. It was sheer fortune that we encountered Young Master. Otherwise, who knows how long we might have waited before meeting another soul,” the woman said earnestly.
“Please, there’s no need to thank me,” Lu Sheng replied with a faint smile. “This road is usually safe and regularly patrolled. Even if you hadn’t met us, someone else would’ve passed by before long. Besides, you’ve already paid us, so think nothing of it.”
Just then, the pot of meat soup over the fire finished cooking. Servants hurried forward, adding dried shallots, soaked bamboo shoots, and neatly prepared vegetable bread. Rich aromas rose into the cold air as the large pot simmered.
Lu Sheng’s gaze fell on the meat bun clutched in the little girl’s hands. Smiling, he said, “If you don’t mind, why not come and share our food?”
By chance, these people were from the Central Plains. It might be a good opportunity to learn more about the situation there. Though he had heard accounts from sect disciples who had traveled to the Central Plains, their knowledge had been fragmentary at best.
“Thank you, thank you, but there’s no need. We’ve already eaten…” Ms. Zhangrong waved her hands repeatedly in refusal. Yet before she could finish, her little girl had already accepted a bowl of soup and begun eating with evident delight.
Seeing this, Ms. Zhangrong could only sigh, equal parts embarrassed and helpless.
The Zhang family she had married into was closely associated with a renowned luxury clothing house in Silver City. They owned vast estates and maintained a large household. Some family members served as officials, while others roamed the pugilistic world. In every sense, it was a family that seemed to have everything.
As the mistress of the household, Ms. Zhangrong had long lived a life of comfort, free from worry. Yet recently, a single matter had weighed heavily on her mind.
The Zhang family’s clothing business had run headlong into fierce competition. Pressed to the brink and trapped in a bottleneck, the family exhausted every possible solution, only to arrive at one inevitable conclusion: a marriage alliance.
Ms. Zhangrong herself was a victim of such an arrangement. The thought of forcing her eldest daughter to walk the same path filled her with revulsion. And so, under the pretense of paying respects to their ancestors, she brought her eldest daughter north, hoping to delay the matter and search for another way out.
She had given birth to her daughter, Zhang Ruoning, before she was twenty. Now fourteen, Zhang Ruoning possessed a pure, budding beauty. Her slender waist and graceful curves lent her a striking charm despite her youth. When she stood still, her long legs pressed neatly together, accentuating her refined bearing.
Rumors had already reached Ms. Zhangrong’s ears that the family elders intended to select Zhang Ruoning as the bargaining piece for the alliance.
From that moment on, she began to take her daughter’s future into her own hands. She was determined to find her a match who could bring her happiness, so that her child would not be condemned to relive her mother’s misfortune.
That resolve was the true reason behind this journey north.
What she had not expected was for their carriage wheel to break down on the way back.
Now, seated by the fire, Ms. Zhangrong quietly observed Lu Sheng. The young man before her was refined and handsome, his bearing calm and assured. Judging from his entourage alone, he was clearly no ordinary figure. Everything about him suggested background and influence.
An idea took shape in her mind.
While her daughter focused entirely on her soup, Ms. Zhangrong adopted a casual tone and spoke, “May I ask whether Young Master is heading to the Central Plains for studies, or to visit family? The journey takes at least half a month. It’s no easy road.”
Lu Sheng answered without hesitation. “For studies.” He paused slightly, then added, “I wonder what the current situation is like in the Central Plains? I’m bound for White Bell City.”
“White Bell City? What a coincidence. That’s my hometown.” Ms. Zhangrong smiled warmly. “Among the hundred cities of the Central Plains, White Bell City ranks tenth. I suppose Young Master is heading there to study at the White Bell Institute?”
“That’s exactly right.” Lu Sheng returned the smile. “But since I’m unfamiliar with the place, I can’t help feeling a little uneasy. Why don’t you tell me more about White Bell City?”
“Of course.” Ms. Zhangrong agreed without hesitation.
And so, as they rested along the way, the two of them exchanged information. Through Ms. Zhangrong, Lu Sheng gradually formed a clearer picture of what an average city in the Central Plains was like.
It was far more prosperous than he had imagined. White Bell City alone rivaled Mountain-Edge City in wealth, and there were many other metropolises that surpassed it by an even greater margin.
The royal court’s Spirit Tiger Army, numbering in the tens of thousands, stood guard over the hundred cities and kept order throughout the land. Within each region, vast Noble Families held dominion over the cities.
This structure was completely different from that of the Northern Lands. In the Central Plains, every Noble Family had its own representatives, individuals who wielded immense authority in their name.
Lu Sheng also learned about the Shangyang Family. In the eyes of ordinary mortals, it was simply one of many ancient families. Compared to other large merchant clans, it appeared unremarkable, with nothing particularly outstanding.
Ms. Zhangrong seemed pleased to grow closer to Lu Sheng, and the days passed quickly amid casual conversation and steady travel.
After they crossed a long stretch of snow-laden forest, the trees gradually shifted to a deep green. Fine snow clung between the branches like strips of white cloth, scattering into powder when disturbed.
At last, the carriages arrived safely and without incident at their first checkpoint, Rong Xin Pass.
By then, Ms. Zhangrong no longer required Lu Sheng’s escort. They located a shop owned by the Zhang family, spent some money to hire a new ox carriage, and continued on their way.
Before parting, she left Lu Sheng an address as a means of future contact.
Although she had learned during their conversations that Lu Sheng was already married, Ms. Zhangrong showed no sign of concern. In her mind, she had already begun to regard him as a potential match for her daughter.
After parting ways with Ms. Zhangrong, Lu Sheng led his entourage through Rong Xin Pass. Beyond the checkpoint, the road broadened noticeably, its surface smoother and easier to traverse. The oxen quickened their pace, and the carriages rolled forward without hindrance.
Five days later, the caravan reached its destination.
White Bell City.
At the city gates, Shangyang Jiuli’s men were already there, waiting for Lu Sheng’s arrival.
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