The Concubine's Daughter Travels Through Time and Space and Takes the Road of Confrontation

"Hello, Madam, I am Yuan."

As soon as she finished speaking, Guan saw a woman in a green dress and a silver mask covering half of her face walk out from behind the tree. She had a slender figure, and even with half of her face covered, it was clear that she was quite pretty.

Yuan came closer and bowed. "It so happens that I have something to ask the master. I wonder if your wife would mind if I accompany you to meet the master."

Guan narrowed her eyes slightly. "If Aunt Yuan doesn't mind, then come with us. As expected, the old lady is right. The harem without the mistress is less disciplined. As a concubine, you don't stay in your own yard and come out to wander around during the day."

Yuan remained calm. "My mistress is kind and compassionate. She sympathizes with us and never imposes restrictions on us. I believe that good fortune will come to those who are lucky. My mistress will definitely be able to return safely. Then..." She glanced at the tray in Xiaoyu's hand. "Even if my mistress is too busy to take care of this matter of delivering the master's clothes, with Sister Yao and me here, it cannot be handed over to outsiders. It is against the rules."

"Sister, please forgive me. When I was in Gusu in the past, your wife and I often interacted and were as close as sisters. When I heard that she had suffered such a misfortune and her whereabouts were unknown, I felt very sad. I wanted to do my best to help her so that she could get through this ordeal. I didn't care about anything else." Guan was very sad. She couldn't help wiping her eyes when she spoke of the touching part.

Aunt Yao was deeply touched and could not help shedding a few tears. As for women's scheming, Yuan, who had studied it, was not moved at all.

She had to keep the things the lady gave her and wait for her to come back.

The team heading to Lianhua County added three more people, and after a long and arduous journey, they finally arrived in Lianze County by the evening of the second day. Lianze County was not large, just a medium-sized county town, with a city wall made of rammed earth. The guards at the city gate were dressed in ordinary clothes but were friendly. It was obvious that the local leader was governing well.

The county magistrate, Chang Qingnian, who was over thirty years old, had been waiting at the city gate early. He was overjoyed to see them and warmly invited them to the county government office to welcome them.

Lu Yun and Zhou Boli declined politely, and in the end only Lord Zhao attended the banquet alone.

Lu Yun planned to find the best inn in the city to stay, but was stopped by Zhou Boli. "The inn is simple. I happen to have a small house in the city. If you don't mind, you can stay in my house."

The house was indeed small, with only five bedrooms in the double-entry house, just enough for one person. Fortunately, Lord Zhao sent word that County Magistrate Chang had arranged accommodations for him, otherwise he would have had to stay at an inn.

Although the house was small, it was exquisitely constructed, fully furnished with everything from a high bed with soft pillows to a warm stove and fragrant hot water. Lu Yun took a comfortable hot bath, changed into the clothes Zhou Boli had sent, and declined Cai He's offer to braid her hair. Instead, Lu Yun piled it all up on top of her head, securing it with a gold hairpin and inserting a light pink peony at an angle.

It had been a long time since she had worn women's clothes. Lu Yun couldn't help but stand in front of a mirror as tall as a person and turn around. She found that her clothes fit her perfectly.

"Miss, the master has ordered me to invite you to the flower hall for dinner." The little maid walked into the room and said respectfully.

The flower hall was warm and cozy, and a delicious feast had been prepared long ago, including a variety of meat and vegetable dishes, as well as a steaming hot bowl of soup.

A young woman, wearing a madder-colored, double-breasted, stand-up collared long coat embroidered with a jade rabbit and cloud pattern, paired with an autumn-colored, gold-woven, folded skirt. A pink peony was pinned diagonally to her hair. She walked into the hall with a smile on her face. Her skin was as white as jade, her eyes clear, like the white cat her mother kept. She seemed taller after not seeing her for a few days, her slightly plump cheeks a touch of baby fat, a certain innocence and childishness that only a young girl could possess.

Thinking of her chubby appearance when she was a child, Zhou Boli held back his smile. He felt an urge to pinch her cheeks and rubbed them gently with his fingertips inside his sleeves.

Zhou Boli put down his chopsticks after taking a few bites, and naturally took a pair of serving chopsticks to start boiling meat for her.

Cai He was about to speak but stopped herself. The little maid standing beside her smiled and walked over to pull her away. "Sister, the kitchen has prepared hot soup and hot dishes for you. Come with me and enjoy them."

Lu Yun ate without even looking up. This mutton hotpot was really delicious. She would ask where it was bought from later and bring some for the chef to try when she left.

After having a full meal and a satisfying soup, Lu Yun felt a blush on her cheeks from the warmth. She covered her mouth and yawned slightly. She looked at Zhou Boli with tears in her eyes, "Mr. Zhou, do you know how far this place is from Panlong Mountain and how to get there?" She planned to go to Panlong Mountain tonight.

Zhou Boli lowered his eyes, and with his knuckles he lifted the teapot and poured a cup of tea for her and himself. After handing the cup to her, he said, "Panlong Mountain is far from human habitation. I heard there are bandits roaming around, and there's not much scenery to see. If you really want to go, I'll hire a guide tomorrow, and we can go together, okay?"

Lu Yun smiled and said, "Of course it would be great. Mr. Zhou, please tell me the route. If the journey is too long and inconvenient, then we don't have to go."

Zhou Boli nodded. "That's not a problem. Panlong Mountain is about twenty miles away from here. Starting from the west city gate and walking along the main road, it will take about half an hour to reach the destination. The roads are slippery in the snow, so please remember to put on more clothes to keep warm."

At five o'clock in the morning, the courtyard was silent. Lu Yun climbed out of bed in the dark and tiptoed to change her clothes. It was still dark outside and the cold air almost penetrated into her bones. Lu Yun exercised a few times, led a horse out of the stable, and walked towards the west gate.

The figure lurking in the dark carefully followed the person after he walked away.

Although they had already risen early, the vegetable farmers and fishmongers entering the city had already begun queuing at the city gate. Lu Yun dressed up as a young man and immediately jumped on his horse after leaving the city, put on his hood, and galloped westward.

After walking along the road for about half an hour, we finally arrived at the foot of Panlong Mountain. The flat road turned into a rugged and winding mountain road, submerged in the endless night.

Lu Yun got off the horse, held the torch in one hand, held the horse with the other and began to look around.

There are hillsides on both sides of the road, with dense bushes growing on the hillsides. Luzhou is located in the north, where the mountains are mostly rocky and have little vegetation. Although the bushes are dense, they cannot hide people, and the vegetation is intact with no signs of human trampling.

Lu Yun continued to go deeper, reaching a dangerous rapid. A cold wind blew through, making an eerie "woosh" sound. Lu Yun observed her surroundings intently. This place was open and the ground was clean. Apart from her own footprints and those of her horse, there were no traces left by others. Only dried bloodstains on the mountain wall indicated that a fight had taken place here.

All along the way, I gained nothing.

Although Lu Yun was disappointed, she was more calm. She found a place sheltered from the wind and tied the horse's reins to a tree. Lu Yun tried to review what had happened.

This place is not far from the official road, and there are often pedestrians coming and going during the day. The robbers wear masks to hide their tracks, so it is unlikely that they would choose to act during the day.

But given my mother's personality, she would not risk walking at night. In winter, the days are short and the nights are long. In order to arrive at the next destination on time, my mother would most likely choose to set out from the inn at the beginning of the morning. The sky at that time would be the same as it is now, with the morning light faintly visible on the horizon but the surroundings still dim.

If attacked, the dim environment could hide the enemy and also conceal one's own presence. Lu Yun noticed that on one side was a steep cliff that was difficult to climb, and on the other side was a dangerous shoal with rocks everywhere.

If it were me, I would choose to go down to the rocky beach. Lu Yun took a quick look and found a place that was easy to step on. After digging through the snow, she saw a clump of weeds that was much shorter than the ones on the edge, obviously because it was pressed down by a heavy object.