nycdaug Chapter 132 Passing through Xianyang and Entering Mawei
Chapter 132 Passing through Xianyang and Entering Mawei
After leaving Chang'an, Li Mao and his entourage continued along the road.
We crossed streams, passed through dense forests, and also passed through several villages.
Without exception, everyone in the village said they had never seen the group of people fleeing.
This is understandable. Li Longji would have been extremely cautious on his escape route and wouldn't have easily spoken to the villagers. — If someone in the village had made contact with Shi Siming and betrayed him, his life would be in grave danger.
Li Mao knew Li Longji's suspicious nature and completely put himself in his shoes.
After that, they searched every cave in the mountains, but still could not find Li Longji and the others.
"Your Highness, it's not here either."
After searching an abandoned temple outside Xianyang, Guo Ziyi said to Li Mao with disappointment, wiping the sweat from his brow, his eyes filled with exhaustion. Even without his words, Li Mao knew that he was questioning whether their journey to Mawei Post Station had been the right choice.
Li Mao quickly comforted him, "Ziyi, now that we've come this far, there's no reason to give up halfway. I think the general direction is correct. Think about it, they've been away from Chang'an for so long, they should have gone far away by now."
Upon hearing this, Guo Ziyi finally felt a glimmer of hope again.
He nodded heavily, then called the soldiers to continue their journey.
Now that we've been out of the city for quite some time and have been traveling for several days, everyone is exhausted. So Li Mao waved his hand and said, "Today we won't be operating in the wilderness; let's all go to Xianyang City to rest."
Only then did cheers, long absent from the soldiers' ears, rise.
Li Mao also targeted the beggars' gathering place at the gate of Chang'an.
—What if his adoptive father suddenly had a whim and became one of the beggars?
However, Li Longji and others were not among the beggars.
Just as Li Mao was about to leave, he suddenly noticed a little beggar huddled in a corner, covered in dirt, with a hint of fear in his eyes. He looked only five or six years old, disheveled and in a very sorry state.
Several stray dogs surrounded him, their eyes gleaming as they stared at the steamed bun in his hand.
"Stop for a moment," Li Mao immediately ordered the people around him, "Take this child with you. A six-year-old child can't survive long as a beggar on his own. He must have just started wandering. Let's see if we can get any information out of him."
Several soldiers chased away the stray dog, picked up the little beggar, and brought him back to their unit. The little beggar struggled a few times at first, but calmed down after being soothed by Li Mao's gentle gaze.
A group of people found an inn in Xianyang City and stayed there temporarily.
I ordered some hot noodle soup and rice dishes, and also warmed up a few pots of wine.
They've been working so hard outside these days, and Li Mao is generously giving them "benefits."
At the dinner table, Li Mao would occasionally turn his head to look at the little beggar.
Looking at the child, an idea suddenly came to him.
He then said to Guo Ziyi, "Ziyi, this search isn't going to work. If someone captures them, they'll definitely hide when they see us soldiers. Why don't we try a different approach? We can disguise ourselves and blend in with the civilians to see if we can find any clues?"
Guo Ziyi was taken aback for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded and said, "Good idea! We'll change into civilian clothes and pretend to be a merchant caravan. After all, Mawei Post Station is an important trading post, so it's reasonable for us to disguise ourselves as merchants, isn't it?"
Li Mao nodded and ordered his men to prepare merchant clothing for all the soldiers to change into.
While changing the little beggar's clothes, Li Mao asked, "What's your name? Along the way, have you seen... a group of people? The leader is quite old, an old man. Beside him is a tall, strong young man, along with several refined-looking young men and two pretty girls?"
But the little beggar was afraid and didn't answer, only shaking his head repeatedly.
Li Mao wasn't angry; he understood the child was timid and terrified after the accident. Then he discovered that the little beggar, despite his disheveled appearance, was actually a girl.
After shedding its filth, it looked pretty and cute.
"This child is actually a little girl!" Li Mao and Guo Ziyi exchanged a glance and exclaimed in surprise.
The girl finally said timidly, "I...I'm called Nannan."
Li Mao smiled and said, "Since she's a girl, let her dress up as my daughter; that will make it more real. Nannan, from now on, when we travel, call me Father, and I will protect you."
After helping the girl change into beautiful clothes, Li Mao took her hand and walked out of the inn room, saying to everyone, "From now on, this is my daughter. She will come with me on my journey. Please do not neglect her."
Everyone smiled, feeling that this would make their "caravan" more realistic.
The little girl nestled obediently beside Li Mao, no longer as frightened as before.
The team set off again the following day.
A group of people dressed as merchants were driving a carriage on the road to Mawei Post Station. Li Mao was the merchant among them, leading a young daughter. He looked very wealthy, and no one would recognize him as the once valiant Prince Shou who had repelled Shi Siming's army.
Along the way, other caravans also traveled with them.
Guo Ziyi, driving the carriage, asked casually, "Fellow travelers, you frequently travel this route. Did you see a group of strange-looking people the other day? The leader was quite old, accompanied by a handsome young man and two pretty girls..."
Without exception, the answer was that they had never seen it before.
They set up camp nearby the night before they were to enter Mawei Post Station.
The little girl, Nannan, who had been nestled in Li Mao's arms, suddenly looked towards the depths of the mountains and forests, trembling and looking very frightened.
"Nannan, what's wrong?" Li Mao noticed her unusual behavior and asked alertly.
The little girl hugged him tightly, her childish voice trembling as she said, "Mountain...bandits...scared!"
Li Mao immediately seized on the key point and asked, "Nannan, you've been here before? You know there are bandits on this mountain, right? Do you remember what the bandits look like and where they came from?"
Nannan shook her head, crying. She was only six years old and couldn't remember many things clearly.
All she knew was that this place was terrifying, and she needed to run quickly; only by leaving this place could she be safe...
"Nannan! Don't be afraid!" Li Mao tried his best to comfort the girl in his arms, saying, "No matter what happened in this godforsaken place before, I'm here now, you don't have to worry about anything. I will protect you, sleep, sleep."
The little girl finally drifted off to sleep, a tear still clinging to her cheek.
The moment he coaxed the girl to sleep, Li Mao's expression turned cold.
He handed the child to his attendant and then got up and walked toward Guo Ziyi.
He whispered, "Ziyi, be careful. Nannan acted very strangely just now. I suspect there are bandits or robbers causing trouble here. It's very dangerous."