The fire was intense, but thankfully discovered early, so no one was injured.
Only the stables burned down, and the horses' feed was reduced to ashes. The loss of horses wasn't too significant; only two were injured, and neither belonged to the Li family.
The Li family's horses were warhorses, having served on the battlefield and seen action. The other horses were merely startled and quickly recovered.
The people at the post station grumbled, accusing the stable hands of negligence. With the dry weather, fires were easily started, and storing so much fodder was practically inviting disaster.
The minor official naturally tried to placate the guests, verbally abusing his subordinates.
Everyone dared not speak their minds. If it weren't for the superiors' orders, they wouldn't have dared to store so much fodder. When it came to credit, it all went to the superiors, but when something went wrong, they were the ones to take the blame.
After finally calming down the guests staying at the post station, they braved the wind to clean up the backyard.
Li Man'er, wrapped in her cloak, gazed at the fodder that had turned to ash.
"Miss, it's cold, you should go back inside!" Liu Ya's address of "Miss" was from the heart.
When she first returned to the manor, she thought Li Man'er didn't live up to her reputation, not being as overbearing and capricious as people outside claimed. Later, she felt Li Man'er was more capable than ordinary young ladies; she knew medicine and claimed she could cure the young master's illness, though whether it was true or not remained to be seen.
It wasn't until this journey away from the capital that Liu Ya truly felt Li Man'er was extraordinary and very capable.
She had disguised herself as a man, painting her face, neck, and hands a dark color, not even sparing her ears. Any exposed skin was made to look indistinguishable from a man's.
She had expected that Li Man'er would remove the color from her face while sleeping, but instead, she slept fully clothed and without washing her face, saying it was in case of emergencies.
Could it be that she had known something would happen in advance?
"Let's go!"
Only then did the two leave the backyard and return to the shop, heading directly to the second floor.
"Man'er, did you find anything out?" Li Nian hadn't rested and was waiting for her.
"Third Uncle." Li Man'er simply said, "I'm afraid this fire was deliberately set."
Li Wenchang, Li Shu's personal guard, also said, "Miss's thoughts align with mine. They don't seem to want to harm us, but rather to prevent us from reaching Mobei."
Setting fire to the stables primarily endangered the horses, with a much lower chance of people getting hurt.
"This is likely just a warning. There are probably more tactics waiting for us!"
Li Nian nodded and asked Li Man'er, "Are you scared?"
Li Man'er, however, smiled, "Uncle, you should rest early. We still have to travel tomorrow." She showed no hint of fear.
"Alright, you rest early too. Don't worry, I've added more guards. We will ensure your safety."
"Thank you, Third Uncle."
Li Man'er bowed her hands in greeting and left with Liu Ya.
Li Wenchang glanced at Li Nian, "Your subordinate takes his leave."
"Go and rest."
Thus, the first night away from the capital passed without incident.
The next day, after breakfast, the group set off as usual.
The convoy had entered the official road, heading west, and their speed had gradually increased.
Li Man'er was in the carriage, testing Li Qingyan on the key points of the incantation. This time, he recited them fluently and without error.
Li Man'er nodded in satisfaction. This was how a Xuan Yi Sect disciple should be.
"The key points you recited earlier were the general principles. This is the first chapter. You must memorize it within two days," Li Man'er said, taking a small booklet from her sleeve. "It's a bit long, but not a single word can be wrong. Do you understand?"
Li Qingyan nodded, "I have nothing else to do anyway, I'm sure I can memorize it."
"Not only memorize it, but also incorporate your own understanding. If there's anything you don't understand, ask me before resting at night. Remember not to circulate the energy yourself, to avoid qi deviation."
The Xuan Yi Sect had no such thing as qi deviation. Li Man'er said this simply to frighten Li Qingyan, to prevent him from practicing blindly and causing any unexpected trouble.
Li Qingyan was indeed scared. His little face straightened, "Big Brother, don't worry, I definitely won't."
Li Man'er nodded and knocked on the carriage door.
Liu Ya immediately rode her horse over, "Young Master?"
"Come in and give me your horse." She wanted some fresh air.
The carriage stopped. Liu Ya had to dismount and respectfully handed the reins to Li Man'er. "Young Master, be careful. My horse is a former warhorse and a bit harder to ride than ordinary horses."
Li Man'er, however, swung onto the horse without any pause. With a slight clench of her legs against the horse's belly, the horse reared up and galloped away.
Li Qingyan, peeking out the window, exclaimed enviously, "Big Sister is so amazing." In his excitement, he forgot to correct himself.
Liu Ya quickly got into the carriage and gently reminded him, "Young Master, be careful not to misidentify yourself."
"Oh, right." Li Qingyan obediently lowered the curtain. "I must remember." He truly envied his elder brother's ability to ride a horse.
Li Man'er, riding her horse to catch up with the front of the procession, felt quite happy. It was too stuffy inside the carriage; riding a horse was much more enjoyable.
Li Nian, seeing Li Man'er's agile movements, even while riding a warhorse that had seen battle, nodded with satisfaction.
Regardless of who taught his niece her skills, that person must have been a master, or rather, an immortal master!
They traveled all day, eating only dry rations and water for lunch. By evening, they finally reached a small town.
The town was not large, and there weren't many merchants coming and going. Perhaps due to the cold weather, the streets were deserted.
Li Nian chose to stay at the largest inn in town.
The innkeeper's face lit up at the sight of such important guests, busying himself diligently, afraid of not attending to them properly and losing this significant business.
After a day of riding, everyone was weary. The meals for the family heads were delivered to their rooms, while the guards ate in the main hall. After eating, they retired to their respective rooms to rest early.
This time, Li Man'er not only bathed and changed her clothes but also washed off the dark color from her face and hands.
It felt wonderful not to have foundation clinging to her face.
Liu Ya was very surprised to see this. "Why did Big Miss wash her face today?"
Li Man'er said, "Tonight is a propitious night. There will be no incidents."
Liu Ya frowned and asked cautiously, "You can also divine fortunes?"
Li Man'er lowered the bed curtain and chuckled, not answering her.
Liu Ya didn't ask further and went to rest on the bed in the outer room.
That night, Li family guards took turns on watch. Whether it was because the bandits were scared or for some other reason, as Li Man'er had predicted, the night passed peacefully and uneventfully until dawn.
When Liu Ya woke up the next day, Li Man'er had already finished her makeup, changed her clothes, and was tying her hair ribbon.
"Young Master, let me help you."
"No need. You can tidy yourself up." Li Man'er flicked the hair ribbon and pushed the door open to leave.
Liu Ya stared in astonishment, quickly put on her outer clothes, and chased after Li Man'er.