Three days later, Qi Yihan finished dealing with all his affairs and could finally enter the mountains. He brought A Wu, A Jiu, and an elite team of ten. These people were all Qi Yihan's trusted secret guards, and their loyalty was unquestionable.
Li Man'er only brought A Si and Old Sun.
It was a bit pitiful, A Si was also Qi Yihan's person. Only Old Sun could barely be considered hers, and he was just a temporary worker. Once his ten-year term was up, she would have to let him go.
Li Nian, knowing that Li Man'er was going into Moluo Mountain, was also very worried and offered to bring some people for her.
"Third Uncle, it's not that I'm being polite with you, but the fewer people who know about this matter, the better. The Prince's actions are beyond reproach. If I bring your people, it would be more of a disadvantage."
Li Nian considered this and agreed. "Don't worry, no one knows about this matter at all. I won't tell anyone else either."
Li Man'er nodded. "Third Uncle, I will trouble you with the affairs of Mobei. Take care of yourself." When they returned, it would likely be the time for Old General Xiao to return to the capital. At that time, the vast Mobei City would be handed over to Li Nian.
A glint flashed in Li Nian's eyes, and he said with a hint of pride, "Don't worry, I will not make any mistakes here. I will guard it well."
"There's one more thing..." Li Man'er smiled meaningfully. "Please send someone to look after the Marquis. We can't let him die here, can we?"
Li Nian's old face turned red, and he mumbled, "Don't worry..." His tone lacked any confidence.
After finishing these arrangements, Li Man'er went to inventory the supplies.
There were sixteen of them in total. Besides medicine and weapons, they also needed to prepare a large amount of food, emergency supplies, first-aid items, and so on.
The path up the mountain was not easy. They could use horses to carry supplies at first, but later, they would have to rely on manpower to carry them up. Therefore, each person's carrying capacity was limited, and they could only pack essential items.
Fortunately, Li Man'er had a lot of these things in her spatial artifact. Although some items couldn't be taken out openly, having provisions made her feel more at ease. In a critical situation, saving lives was paramount, which was much better than having nothing.
"Miss Li, what are these sachets for?" A Wu, who was usually silent, spoke quite a bit when facing Li Man'er.
"These are to prevent poisonous insects and snakes. Although the weather is cold now, and most snakes, insects, rats, and ants won't come out, there might be unexpected situations. To be safe, I've put insect repellent medicine inside." Anyway, a sachet only weighed a little, and it was easy to hang it on one's waist.
A Wu nodded and said nothing, distributing the sachets.
A Jiu watched from a distance with cold eyes, showing no intention of approaching. Li Man'er acted as if she didn't see him, not making any attempt to interact with him.
A Si found an opportunity and slipped to A Jiu's side. "What's wrong with you?"
A Jiu turned his head. "What's wrong with me?"
"Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. A Jiu, because we are fellow disciples, I'll advise you to put away your thoughts."
"If you have that to say, you might as well go and advise that person to put away her inappropriate thoughts."
A Si was not as easygoing as A Qi. He advised her tactfully, "Which person are you referring to? You mean Miss Li? Hmph, what inappropriate thoughts does she have? The Prince and she are in love with each other. If you're blind, go see a doctor."
"What's it to you?" A Jiu, unable to argue with A Si, resorted to vulgar language.
A Si sneered. "Then what's it to you? Oh, I see. You're standing up for A Shuang. That's understandable. You grew up together, childhood sweethearts, so it's natural for you to speak up for her."
A Jiu's expression finally improved slightly upon hearing this, but what A Si said next almost made him explode.
"Miss Li comes from a prominent family. She is the legitimate daughter of the Li family. In terms of looks and martial arts, how is A Shuang comparable to her? Do you think A Shuang is a fairy? Then marry her yourself. If the Prince were interested in her, he would have taken her in long ago. Why would he avoid her like the plague and send her away?"
"You..."
A Si rolled his eyes. "You can't even assess your own worth, yet you dare to accuse others of having improper thoughts. I think the one with the most improper thoughts is the two of you."
"You..." A Jiu's veins bulged with anger, but he couldn't utter a single word.
A Si lowered his voice and warned him, "You'd better put away those thoughts of yours, or the Prince might not show any mercy."
A Si had already realized that the Prince treated Miss Li differently. In the future, the position of Princess Consort would undoubtedly belong to Li Man'er. It was ridiculous that A Jiu was still thinking of putting A Shuang in that position. Did she deserve it?
Seeing A Si's expression, A Jiu knew that she was belittling A Shuang in her heart, and he became unhappy again. "What's with that expression of yours? Why do you look down on A Shuang? We all risk our lives for the Prince, so there's no need to think this way, right?"
A Si snorted. Seeing that no one else was around, he said, "Only you think highly of her. Yes, you and I are both risking our lives for the Prince, that's true. But what about her? She wants to serve the Prince." With that, he left without looking back.
A Jiu was so angry he was jumping, but he was helpless.
A Wu emerged from the shadows, his face still expressionless. It was unknown how much he had heard.
"How long have you been here?" A Jiu was secretly alarmed, not expecting anyone else to be there.
"For a while."
That meant he had heard everything!
A Jiu immediately showed an angry expression. "A Wu, there's no need for the Prince to know about these things."
A Wu glanced at him faintly. "I'm not that bored."
"Alright..." A Jiu was very embarrassed, but he was also helpless. Since A Wu had heard it, he couldn't stop him if he wanted to tell the Prince.
In the afternoon, the group set off from Mobei and headed towards the Moluo Mountains.
Li Man'er and A Si yawned inside the carriage. The carriage swayed back and forth as it galloped, and the experience was truly mediocre.
It was worse than riding a horse!
A Si lifted the curtain and looked outside. Good heavens, the sky was gloomy, and sandstorms were rampant, making people look disheveled and filling their mouths with wind and sand.
A Si quickly lowered the curtain. "Miss, the weather outside is bad. Fortunately, we are in a carriage."
"Actually, I wanted to ride a horse, but your Prince wouldn't allow it."
"Isn't the Prince worried about you? We have to travel this road for two days! It's more comfortable to ride in a carriage."
Li Man'er yawned. "When we get to the mountain, we'll still have to walk on our own two feet. The carriage can't go up there."
"Hehe." A Si smiled. "That's still two days away. We'll take it one day at a time."
Li Man'er simply closed her eyes to rest, ignoring her.
A Si cautiously observed Li Man'er for a few moments. She found it a bit strange. For some reason, she felt that Li Man'er's mood had been quite low these past few days, giving off a sense of being distant.
Was she just overthinking things?