Now, they could only swallow their knocked-out teeth and hide their broken arms in their sleeves, pretending as if nothing had happened, secretly sending people to inquire and search.
However, everyone was well aware that the thief who had silently swept away more than half of Lin’an Prefecture’s farmland was no ordinary person, and the chances of finding him were slim. Even if they found him, whether or not they had the ability to retrieve the stolen food from his hands was another matter altogether. Therefore, everyone was extremely disheartened and didn’t hold high hopes for recovering the food.
Those estate owners who had sold their grain were jumping for joy. Fortunately, they were far-sighted enough to timely get rid of their hoarded grain. Otherwise, wouldn’t they be the ones currently in physical pain and crying out in despair?
Look at these poor wretches, losing their minds. The sight was even somewhat amusing. Especially Li Tieji. He kept spitting out old blood, and now, he had become delirious, wielding a rusty kitchen knife in his hand, hacking at anyone he saw, and shouting ’return my rice grain’. Out of helplessness, his family had already locked him in the attic...
Last night, after they collected the food from the last manor, Cai Wei rode off on a white tiger from Lin’an Prefecture, heading straight north towards Qing County.
According to information reported by Brother Ying, she has already reached Qing County and is campground twenty miles outside the county’s outskirts. With three to five more days, she can reach Lingbei.
Lingbei was located in the northeast part of the Great Jin Nation. It was initially a part of the Great Jin Nation but had later been occupied by the Meng slaves and had become an independent small country, interlocking with Liaodan and the Great Jin, forming a triangular intersection. A large mountain stretching for dozens of miles served as the boundary. Over the years, they’ve lived respectively without any issues.
Cai Wei arrived in Qing County at dawn.
The temperature in Qing County was much lower than that in the capital. Although it was now nearing May, the weather was still quite chilly. Yesterday, while riding on the tiger’s back, Cai Wei almost froze stiff. She had to go back to the Space and found two Taoist robes left by Cihai Zhenren to wrap herself in before she could barely make it to her destination.
In order not to expose the white tiger, she sent it back to the Space before daybreak and entered the Space herself. When the daylight cleared, she came out of the Space and waited by the road for a while. When she was shivering from the cold, she spotted a passing carriage and hastily hitched a ride into town.
Sitting in the carriage was a corpulent woman in her thirties, properly dressed and amiable. Upon seeing Cai Wei’s light garments, she handed her a cloak to keep warm.
At this moment, Cai Wei was still wearing the light blue, flowerless adornment silk beizi and the pearl-coloured soft yarn Moonlight Skirt that she wore at the hunt. Although it was lightweight and delicate, the people here were still wearing thick padded clothes and fur-lined cloaks.
"Many thanks, Madam!"
Cai Wei politely thanked the Madam.
The Madam laughed and said, "It’s good for a young lady to like to dress up, but it’s also crucial to look out for proper measures. Don’t just dress lightly for the sake of looking good. If you catch a cold, that would be a loss!"
Cai Wei knew that the Madam misunderstood her, but it didn’t feel right to explain that she had come from the capital to her, so she merely nodded, obediently saying, "Thank you for your advice, Madam. I will remember."
"As long as you keep it in mind. You look like a good girl from a decent family, that’s why I’m offering some words of advice. I hope I’m not being too nagging..."
The Madam was friendly and chatted away with Cai Wei all the way. Through their conversation, Cai Wei learnt that the Madam’s surname was Cui and that she was the wife of the local County Magistrate. Early in the morning, she was on her way to deliver breakfast to King Qin’s Military Camp.