"W-Where is this? Where are we going?"
Sitting up straight, Gu Mo looked around and found himself on a shabby wooden carriage. Two horses were pulling the cart on a rugged path in the mountains, moving neither fast nor slow. He wasn’t sure if it was the roughness of the road or the poor quality of the cart, but the whole thing seemed like it would fall apart at any moment...
"This... I’m not quite sure where this is either, can’t really name such a place..."
Hearing this, Fujikichiro, who was driving the cart ahead, paused and looked up at the sky thoughtfully, scratching his head with a sheepish chuckle. Despite often traveling far and wide, familiar with many places, it was impossible to know them all, especially in this era, in this world.
The mountains and forests marked the boundary between the human and monster worlds. The scale and prosperity of human civilization were not enough to cover every corner of the world. Whether it be towns or villages, they were merely black dots on a white sheet of paper, with the majority being untamed and undeveloped wilderness beyond that.
Like the current situation, he knew this road could connect two places... but he had no idea about the places in between. After all, whether he or the villagers taking this path, were merely passing through without any interest in the area.
In such a ghostly place, crying out for help from the heavens won’t work, the earth is unresponsive. Apart from Demon Ghosts, only bandits and horse thieves with no other options might show up... Demon Ghosts probably wouldn’t be interested in naming this place. As for any bandits that might be around, if encountered, why not ask them?
Fujikichiro shook his head, gave a light flick of the whip on the two inferior horses ahead, then turned back smilingly saying, "But of course, we’re heading to Mino. We set off early this morning, and we’ve been traveling the whole day now. But don’t worry, it’s not that far. We should arrive by tomorrow afternoon..."
"To... to Mino? And we’ve been on the road all day..."
Gu Mo opened his mouth, looking at the surrounding primeval forest and the silhouette of the distant mountain range under the night sky.
Although he had somewhat expected it, upon confirmation, he felt all turned upside down... He turned his head, glancing at the rugged mountain road behind, being steadily swallowed by the darkness outside the lantern-lit range on either side of the cart.
How far is this from the Thirteen Sakura Village...
"Right! Didn’t you agree at the time?" Fujikichiro said earnestly without turning his head, "Moreover, the plan was to take brother Gu Mo to see a doctor in Mino. After all, considering your condition... cough, cough, we had to travel overnight."
This was why it was so urgent, moving with thunderous speed.
Hidechika finally made up her mind but couldn’t just leave the unconscious Gu Mo behind, so she took him along.
I didn’t say I agreed; I meant Ah Xiu could take a look... Gu Mo opened his mouth again, wanting to say something, but sighed hopelessly, feeling it was too late to change anything and no point in adding trouble.
"What’s wrong? Brother Gu Mo, is there a problem?"
Fujikichiro, upon hearing his sigh, turned back nervously, "Just hang in there a bit longer, or do you want to lie down and rest? We still have a stretch to go, or should we stop somewhere up ahead to rest?"
He wasn’t sure what was happening, but from his heart, he didn’t want anything to happen to his future partner, like dying before achieving anything...
"No, it’s really nothing, I’m just... just too tired before..." Gu Mo shook his head repeatedly, still unsure how to explain his condition.
Nevertheless, Fujikichiro insisted on finding a place to stop ahead, thinking the mountain road was too rough, and the cart too bumpy, suggesting a rest before continuing. Besides, the horses needed a good rest too.
Watching the discussion between the two, a black-haired girl quietly sat behind on the cart without a word.
Her posture was poised, unaffected by the cart’s bumpiness, as if sitting kneeling in meditation in her backyard, exuding a peaceful vibe... Moving like thunderbolt, still like a quiet virgin, perhaps that’s the saying.
Her gaze was firmly fixed on someone...
Honestly, Hidechika had been worried the entire day about this peculiar person, fearing something might be wrong. Earlier that morning, soon after she woke, he fainted outright and could not be awakened no matter what. If not for his steady breathing, she might have thought he was dead.
But now it seemed, did he just nap?
Even she found it speechless. But contemplating seriously, maybe... it was the consequence of his Hand Washing Secret Technique?
She came to this judgment.
Ending the argument with Fujikichiro, Gu Mo wearily turned back, catching the contemplative gaze of the black-haired girl, swiftly averting his eyes, feeling his cheeks warm slightly. This was a sign of guilt, unable to face the person involved.