Chapter 19: Over the Mountain
The constables busied themselves for half a day, and Yu Luo’s family of three was last in line. They waited for a long while but no one came to tie them with ropes.
Only after the people in front were divided into three groups and all tied up did the constables behind shout for the three to follow. Only then did they realize they were being treated specially again!
“Commander Wu, why aren’t they being tied up?”
When Yu Xiaoxuan turned his head, he saw the free family of three following behind—while he dressed in prisoner uniforms bound like beasts of burden—and felt a surge of shame.
Although he knew Wu Dahai favored them, seeing Yu Luo’s family moving freely without restraints stirred jealousy in him, and he indignantly demanded.
“Must I be the one to question you?” As soon as Wu Dahai’s words fell, he immediately cracked his whip on Yu Xiaoxuan!
And Wu Dahai did not hold back at all—he deliberately lashed Yu Xiaoxuan’s legs!
The whip struck Yu Xiaoxuan’s inadequately clothed legs; having already sustained internal injuries, when had Yu Xiaoxuan ever suffered such a beating? With that blow, two bloodstains immediately appeared on his trousers; even his not-so-thick pants were split by two cuts!
Yu Xiaoxuan cried out in pain so fiercely that he could no longer feel the pain in his chest; his leg injury burned so intensely that tears streamed down his face!
Chang Huilan hurriedly rushed to support him, but aside from soothing him, there was little she could do.
“Whoever dares to talk nonsense again will not just receive a whipping next time—move out!”
At Wu Dahai’s order, everyone, each with their own thoughts, pressed forward.
The new arrivals from the second branch of the Yu family, full of doubts, also followed along, not forgetting to glance back at the uniquely treated family of three.
“Father, Mother, Commander Wu sure has spirit.”
“Don’t mention it. Since he’s taking care of us, we shouldn’t trouble him. Hurry up and follow.”
When it comes to bribery, everyone has their own ways—but Wu Dahai’s actions this time truly made Yu Luo both happy and face the reality.
Strength really matters. It wasn’t just because her mother had treated him that Wu Dahai was kind to her family; it was also largely because he was awed by her mother’s medical skills.
That enormous backpack rested on Yu Haojie, yet he seemed to move with the agility of a sprinter, showing no sign of fatigue.
Following behind him, Ye Jiamai looked worriedly at her husband’s thin frame—beside her, her expression was one of disbelief and wonder. “Father, is it really not heavy?”
In truth, the backpack contained two cotton quilts—the items inside had all been stored in Yu Luo’s system space.
Even after trekking until the afternoon along difficult, narrow paths, Yu Luo was somewhat worried about her father.
“It’s not heavy; even though these two quilts weigh about twenty jin together, I somehow can’t feel a bit of their weight—maybe it’s because of some inherent divine strength.”
Yu Luo: “……”
“Hold on, gentlemen. Let me find out the mountain road to Jianghe Town—through which mountain do we climb?”
Looking at the clusters of large mountains blocking the view in the distance, everyone felt like they might as well wish for death.
Just then, two woodcutters approached from the front. Wanting to take a shortcut, Wu Dahai hurriedly stepped forward to block the two and inquired.
“Officers, why don’t you take the water route or the official road? There are jackals, tigers, and leopards in these mountains, not to mention other wild beasts. Although taking the mountain road to Jianghe Town would be much shorter, it’s also dangerous.”
One of the woodcutters, with evident concern, looked at the group. He explained that sometimes when a prisoner convoy passed through their village, many people chose the water route.
“The court has regulations that forbid taking the water route or the official road—these prisoners are somewhat special.”
Wu Dahai, hearing the woodcutters’ concerns, patiently explained the situation. Upon hearing this, the two woodcutters nodded: “In that case, follow that mountain: go up the mountain and head northwest. There’s a narrow path up the mountain, but you must hurry and try not to spend the night there. If you really encounter a wolf pack, it would be disastrous.”
Wu Dahai looked toward the mountain peak indicated by the woodcutters, nodded, thanked them, and then led a large group onward.
“Hurry up—climb over that mountain ahead before night falls. Otherwise, if you spend the night in the mountains and encounter danger, it could cost you your lives.”
Before long, the constables’ urging voices rang out again. After having walked for most of the day, the Yu family felt their feet blistered and bleeding. When they looked up at the mountain across from them, they wished they could just crash headlong into a tree to end it all!
“Xiao Luo, are you alright? Should I carry you for a while?”
Yu Luo’s body, having never done heavy labor before—even though she bought new thick-soled cotton shoes yesterday, which had been very comfortable—now had aching soles. It was only the first day relying on their own legs, and she was already suffering so much. She couldn’t imagine how she would manage for the next month or two.
Looking at Ye Jiamai, who was even more panting and dragging her legs as she slowly advanced, Yu Luo gritted her teeth and said resolutely, “We’re about to climb the mountain. Father, you just protect Mother; I can hold on.”
Yu Haojie, while protecting Ye Jiamai who clutched a stick, mocked those pampered Yu family members with disdain.
“Alright, this is just the first day—it’s definitely hard now, but once we get used to this intensity, it should become easier. Let’s consider it as training our bodies. Look at those legitimate ones ahead—each of them has been whipped so many times, and by the time we reach the wild lands, they’ll probably be so tough from all that flogging.”
Yu Zhengqing had it the worst—he still had to carry the injured matriarch Chen. If he hadn’t trained in martial arts since childhood, he wouldn’t have been able to hold on at all. If his two sons hadn’t been injured internally, at least someone could have taken their place; but with both needing support, he had no one to rely on.
After about an hour, they finally reached the mountain ridge they had to cross. The mountain wasn’t very high, but even in winter it was covered with lush vegetation; pine and cypress trees dominated large stretches, and there were narrow paths up the mountain. They had expected to climb over this seemingly low mountain before nightfall, but to their dismay, the mountain was bottomless. Even upon reaching the summit, the path continued onward—and it was still just mountains…
“Commander Wu, are we taking the wrong road?”
It was nearly pitch black now. Why were we still heading northwest without seeing any way down the mountain?
Wu Dahai, also panting heavily from a day’s march, felt his legs weakening.
But since transporting prisoners was on a strict time limit, if he didn’t deliver them by the designated time, he certainly wouldn’t be able to account for it when he returned.
“The villagers say this is the road. Don’t worry—tonight, luckily, we can still see the stars to guide us. Otherwise, if we camp in these mountains, we risk encountering jackals, tigers, or leopards. We’re so exhausted—how will we manage then?”
After Wu Dahai finished speaking, he bellowed at the group again and continued onward.
