After being reborn, I stole the female lead's cheat ability and raised the empress.

Chapter 92 Departure! Duzhou

Bingyang interrupted her sharply: "Sister Ying, don't be rude!"

Bingying said with dissatisfaction, "That's true. I will never betray my lover."

Xia Li smiled warmly: "Me too."

Bingying said crisply, "Then that person must be very happy."

“No, I’m a slave to money,” Ali replied calmly, with a hint of melancholy in her voice. “If only my money were as enough as my heart.”

Everyone: "..."

Seeing that things were about right, Xia Li announced, "Let's not delay any longer, let's set off immediately!"

Since last night, she has been feeling a chill down her back.

Instinct compels her to leave the capital as soon as possible.

Xia Li, along with Bing Yang, Bing Ying, and 20 other people she had chosen, headed to Duzhou.

She intentionally nurtured Bingying, constantly teaching her various kinds of knowledge along the way. In each place they visited, Xia Li would also take them to famous local shops for on-site inspections.

Today, they had just come out of a shop when they heard someone calling Xia Li's name.

"Xia Li! Xia Li!"

Xia Li looked towards the source of the sound and saw Zhou Yan'er leaning out of a discreet carriage, waving her arms at her. Then the curtain was drawn, and Zhou Yan'er got out of the carriage and ran straight towards Xia Li.

"Xia Li, Xia Li..."

Seeing her daughter's words and actions, Mrs. Zhou, who was in the car, frowned even more deeply and coughed a few times in a serious manner.

Zhou Yan'er quickly slowed down and glanced at Madam Zhou: "Mother, I'm going to say hello to my good friend."

With a hint of irritation, Madam Zhou corrected her demeanor: "Watch your words and actions!"

"Oh!" Zhou Yan'er pouted and, imitating a lady, walked towards Xia Li step by step.

Out of politeness and because of his good impression of Zhou Yan'er, Xia Li stopped to wait for her, but little did he know that this wait would lead to him meeting a fellow traveler.

They were on opposite sides of the same street, not far apart.

Zhou Yan'er hadn't taken more than a few steps when she saw the distance between them getting closer and closer, so she started running again, like a little butterfly flitting about. She called out loudly, "Xia Li..."

When Madam Zhou saw this scene from the window, she was furious. She thought, "That shameful thing! I shouldn't have agreed to take her out."

Forget it, I've ruined my main account, I'll go home and practice on my alt.

Thinking this, Madam Zhou urged the coachman to hurry up and leave: "This is so embarrassing, let's go!"

Zhou Yan'er didn't care at all, as if she was already used to her mother's actions. She ran up to Xia Li and stopped: "I missed you so much! Has anything interesting happened lately? Tell me about it."

Xia Li: "..."

Are you polite?

Under Xia Li's gaze, Zhou Yan'er realized she had misspoke and quickly tried to cover it up: "Ahem, I meant, where are you all headed?"

Xia Li looked at her with some concern: "We're going to Dushan, what about you? I saw that your mother seems to have left first..."

Zhou Yan'er didn't care at all: "Oh, it's okay, I can just go shopping by myself. But I'm going to Dushan anyway, let's go together."

Xia Li initially wanted to politely decline: "This... might not be convenient..."

"Oh, I have some money. I'll rent your carriage and travel with you. How about 30 taels of silver a day?"

Xia Li immediately greeted her with a smile: "Alright! Ahem, may I ask Miss Zhou why she wants to come with us?"

Zhou Yan'er smiled and took her arm: "Following you, there's bound to be some excitement."

Fine, Xia Li sighed and rubbed her forehead, resigned to her bad luck. Zhou Xianjing was her friend, and she should take care of her friend's cousin. It was rather unsafe for a girl to be out on her own.

So Zhou Yan'er joined Xia Li's team.

They continued their journey, stopping frequently, and it was several days later when they finally reached Dushan. During this time, Xia Li and Zhou Yan'er had become very good friends.

Duzhou is located in a high-altitude area, so it's a bit colder than other places. The group decided to buy some early winter clothes at a shop first.

They walked into the largest clothing store in the vicinity and immediately noticed that most of the clothes inside were white, and that all other clothes, regardless of color or style, had a touch of white on them.

The key point is that they feel many clothes would look better without the white embellishment.

There must be a demon in the abnormal situation.

Bingying looked at Xia Li, and seeing her nod, Bingying immediately smiled and stepped forward to ask, "Shopkeeper, why are almost all the clothes in this shop decorated with white?"

The shopkeeper was a kind middle-aged man. He smiled and stroked his beard before explaining, "See that tallest mountain over there? Its summit is covered in snow all year round and is called Snow God Mountain by the locals. The residents here all believe that they are children of the Snow God and are protected by him, so they love to wear white. If our locals' clothes don't have a bit of white on them, they won't sell."

Bingying's eyes showed a hint of respect: "So that's how it is. Seeing so many people in white, I believe the Snow Goddess must hold an extraordinary place in your hearts. I'd like to have the chance to pay my respects to the Snow Goddess as well."

Seeing the respect in Bingying's eyes, the shopkeeper's goodwill towards the group instantly increased, and he began to chatter.

"Of course! The people of Dushan are blessed by the Snow God, and we enjoy happiness, peace, health, and longevity. We all grew up listening to stories about the Snow God." The shopkeeper spoke of the Snow God with great pride.

And so, Bingying chatted with the shopkeeper while making her selections, using the opportunity to gather information.

"Judging from your accents, you're not locals. You probably want to move into the inner city, right? Let me tell you, the people of Duzhou City are very xenophobic. Although trade has improved in recent years, the people in the inner city still look down on outsiders. It will be difficult for them to accept you from the bottom of their hearts. If you want to stay here for a long time, I'm afraid..." The shopkeeper saw that they were carrying large bags and small packages and assumed that they wanted to settle down in Duzhou City.

After all, everyone knows that Duzhou is blessed with unique natural advantages; even the air it breathes is nourishing. People in Duzhou City can normally live to be over a hundred years old. Therefore, many people come here to settle down, and many people with health problems come here to recuperate.

Xia Li stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Thank you for informing me, shopkeeper. Please wrap up these 24 pieces of clothing that I just selected."

"This is a big customer!" The shopkeeper was delighted and then told them a very important piece of information: "The young lady is very generous. Let me tell you something else. Outsiders who want to enter Duzhou City have to find an old man surnamed Jin. As for other boats, they don't carry outsiders, and even if they do, the city gates won't be opened for them."

"Thank you, shopkeeper. May I ask where Mr. Jin is located?"

The innkeeper gave them directions, and after Xia Li and the others said goodbye, they headed towards the ferry.