AWB Chapter 572 A Break
Chapter 572 A Break
Late at night.
The wind outside the post station was stronger than it had been at dusk, blowing straight in from the open fields. It made the oil lamp under the eaves flicker a few times, the flame dimming slightly inside the lampshade before slowly returning to its original position.
Only a few scattered candles remained in the hall, casting a dim, yellowish light that projected the shadows of everyone onto the mottled earthen walls, swaying slightly with the flickering flames.
Qin Mu sat by the window, a cup of tea that had gone cold in front of him, his gaze fixed on the wilderness outside the window, swallowed by the night.
Jiang Zhaoyue sat opposite him, holding a cup of hot tea in her hands.
Footsteps echoed down the stairs. Han Xin'er came down from upstairs and found a chair by the window to sit down.
Lin Xiaolu also came down, carrying the small dark blue bundle, and sat down next to Han Xin'er.
Chen Ruoyao did not go downstairs.
Yunluan stood at the doorway, leaning against the doorframe, her hand on the hilt of her sword, her gaze sweeping across the night-shrouded wilderness.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, a cacophony of footsteps and sporadic shouts came from outside the post station.
The sound of horses' hooves pounding on the gravel, mixed with rough laughter and curses, gradually approached from afar.
A group of about five or six people stopped at the entrance of the post station. They were dressed in short clothes of various colors, with their chests open and knives or short sticks at their waists.
The leader was a tall, burly man with an old scar that ran diagonally from his brow bone to his chin, which was particularly noticeable under the dim light.
He dismounted, his boots slamming onto the blue brick floor. His gaze swept over Yunluan standing at the doorway, paused for a moment, and then swept over the hall behind her.
Then he grinned, revealing a set of teeth stained yellow by tobacco and alcohol: "Wow, this is going to be lively tonight."
Without waiting for anyone's response, he strode across the threshold, his boots making a dull thud on the wooden planks.
The people behind him followed him in single file, and someone closed the door behind them with a soft thud.
The burly man's gaze swept across the lobby, landing on Han Xin'er, then on Lin Xiaolu, and finally on Jiang Zhaoyue, lingering for a moment in each direction.
He walked to an empty table and sat down, putting his feet on the surface, the dry mud from his boots falling onto the wooden planks with a soft rustling sound. "Where are these young ladies going?"
No one answered.
He didn't mind, picked up the bowl of wine on the table, took a sip, and then put the bowl down: "Traveling is not safe these days. If you ladies don't mind, why don't you stay for a few days before you leave, so that I can show you some hospitality?"
His men next to him started laughing.
Yunluan walked over from the doorway.
She walked past the tables, past the area illuminated by the candlelight, and stood beside the burly man.
The burly man turned his head to the side, as if he wanted to say something.
The moment he opened his mouth, Yunluan's sword moved.
The dark silver blade slid out of its sheath without a sound or pause, like a beam of light emanating from a candle flame itself.
The sword cut into his neck from the left and slid out from the right, with a precise angle and a narrow, deep cut.
The burly man's expression remained unchanged, as if he was waiting for something.
Then his head slid off his shoulder and landed on the table with a thud, knocking over the bowl and spilling wine all over the floor, which dripped down the edge of the table.
He remained seated for a moment, then slumped to one side and crashed to the floor with a heavy thud.
The lobby fell silent for a moment.
The remaining people were stunned.
Someone had already pulled out half a knife, but stopped in mid-air, as if hesitating whether to continue pulling or put it down.
Some people had already stood up, but their feet didn't move, as if they were nailed to the spot.
Yunluan did not stop.
She walked past the table, the sword flashing again in the candlelight, and a thin line appeared on the neck of the second person.
He looked down at his chest, then looked up again, as if to say something, but before he could utter a sound, his body went limp.
The third.
the fourth.
When Yunluan sheathed her sword, not a single drop of blood stained the blade.
Several more corpses lay on the ground, some lying on the table, others slumped over the threshold, as if they had stopped before they could even run away.
The remaining people had already run out of the post station. They smashed open the door, and the night wind rushed in, causing the candlelight to flicker violently.
Yunluan stood at the door, glanced at the receding figure in the night, and, confirming that there was no sign of it returning, closed the door. The latch slid into its slot with a very soft "click".
She went back to the lobby and dragged the corpses out of the backyard one by one.
After waiting for a while, she returned. There was no blood on her hands; it was as if she had just gone to pour a glass of water.
She walked to the door, sat down against the wall, and placed the sword on her lap.
Qin Mu remained seated by the window; the night outside was still the same, and the wind was still blowing.
He picked up the now-cold tea, took a sip, and put the cup down: "Let's rest. We have to travel tomorrow."
He stood up and walked towards the stairs.
Jiang Zhaoyue put down her teacup and stood up as well.
Han Xin'er loosened her grip, stood up from the chair, glanced at Lin Xiaolu, and said, "Let's go."
Lin Xiaolu nodded and stood up, clutching her bundle.
The inn returned to silence, with only the soft whistling of the wind through the cracks in the door and the occasional chirping of insects.
The night was deeper.
The wind was still blowing outside the post station, rushing straight in from the open fields, making the oil lamp under the eaves sway a few times.
The candles in the hall had been changed once, and the dim light cast the shadows of everyone on the earthen wall, swaying slightly with the flickering flames.
Qin Mu remained seated by the window, holding the cup of hot tea that had already been refilled twice.
His gaze fell on the wilderness outside the window, swallowed by the night, as if he were looking at something new, or perhaps he simply didn't want to go to sleep.
Jiang Zhaoyue sat opposite him, holding a cup of tea in her hands. She didn't drink it, but just held it, as if using the warmth to dispel the chill of the autumn night.
She followed Qin Mu's gaze and glanced out the window. The night outside was pitch black, and she couldn't see anything. "Is Young Master still watching the wind?"
Qin Mu withdrew his gaze: "The wind in the Northern Wilderness is indeed quite different from that in the Northern Border."
He took a sip of tea and put down the cup. "The wind in the North is dry and hard, like sandpaper. The wind in the Northern Wilderness..." He paused, "I haven't been to the Northern Wilderness yet, so I don't know what the wind is like there."
Jiang Zhaoyue smiled slightly: "Then you should really enjoy this trip, young master."
Qin Mu nodded: "Of course."
Footsteps echoed down the stairs.
Han Xin'er came downstairs, carrying an empty bowl in her hand, and put it down by the counter.
She saw Qin Mu still sitting by the window, paused slightly, then walked to another chair by the window and sat down, softly calling out, "Young Master."
Qin Mu responded, "Why aren't you asleep yet?"
Han Xin'er said, "I can't sleep, so I've come down to sit for a while."
Lin Xiaolu also came down, still holding that dark blue little bundle in her arms.
She sat down next to Han Xin'er, glanced up at Qin Mu, and asked, "Young Master, haven't you rested either?"
Qin Mu said, "We're watching the wind."
Lin Xiaolu followed his gaze to the window, but couldn't see anything. She looked away and asked, "Is the wind in Beimang different from the wind in the Northern Border?"
Qin Mu said, "I haven't arrived in Northern Mang yet, so I don't know what the winds are like there. But it will be soon."
As the group was talking, another set of footsteps came from upstairs, heavier than before, carrying a hint of hesitation after careful consideration.
Xu Fenghua came downstairs.
She was dressed in a plain-colored dress with a thin cloak over it, and her steps were slow, as if she had hesitated about whether to get down.
She walked into the lobby, her gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Qin Mu's face.
She lowered her head slightly and softened her voice: "Young Master."
Qin Mu glanced at her: "Still not resting?"
Xu Fenghua sat down in the chair next to him, placing her hands folded on her knees: "I can't sleep."
She didn't say why she couldn't sleep, and no one asked her why.
She simply sat down quietly, like someone who had finally found a place to sit.
Yin Sutang also came down from the corner.
She always sat in the seat closest to the wall, like a vine that was used to growing in the shade.
There was a cup of tea in front of her that had gone cold, but she didn't drink it.
Her gaze was fixed on the night outside the window, unfocused, as if she were thinking about something far away.
Qin Mu glanced at her: "Elder Yin, you told me before that there are several routes in Northern Mang that can bypass the checkpoints?"
Yin Sutang's body twitched slightly, as if she had been gently pulled out of some deep thoughts.
She nodded slightly, her voice neither too loud nor too soft: "Yes."
She paused for a moment, as if reconfirming every detail of the route in her mind: "After passing Sunset Plain, there is an old road that follows the valley. That road is two days longer than the official road, but there are no checkpoints along the way, and no one will question you."
She paused, then continued, "The road is difficult to travel; some sections are mostly buried by sandstorms, requiring someone to scout ahead before you can pass. I... traveled it once many years ago. Back then, the road was still passable; I don't know if it's still passable now."
Qin Mu listened and nodded, as if he were hearing something he expected: "As long as there's a road, that's fine."
Yin Sutang glanced at him: "Young Master, aren't you afraid that road is a dead end?"
Qin Mu smiled and said, "If you die, you can take another path."
Xu Fenghua sat beside her, listening quietly.
She remained silent, her gaze lowered, fixed on her clasped hands.
She didn't know if Qin Mu really wanted to go to Northern Mang, or if he was just using "going to Northern Mang" as an excuse to do something else.
Han Xin'er and Lin Xiaolu sat by the window, not participating in the conversation.
Han Xin'er held the grass stem in her hand, which had already formed the rudimentary shape of a grasshopper.
Lin Xiaolu sat quietly to the side, her gaze sometimes falling on Qin Mu, sometimes on the window, as if she was thinking about something that had not yet fully taken shape.
The candlelight in the lobby flickered again.
Qin Mu gently placed the empty teacup on the table, the teacup making a short, crisp sound as it touched the surface: "You should all get some rest."
Everyone responded and stood up.
Han Xin'er put away the grass stem, and Lin Xiaolu stood up while holding her bundle.
Xu Fenghua also stood up, bowed slightly, and then turned and walked towards the stairs.
Yin Sutang's figure in the corner also moved, like a blade of grass gently swaying in the wind in the dark, silently going upstairs along the wall.
Qin Mu sat alone by the window. The candlelight flickered beside him, stretching his shadow on the wall for a moment before returning to its original position.
He looked up at the blurry line where the night met the earth outside the window. The tea in his cup was empty. He stood up and put the empty cup back on the table.