As they set off again, Ning'er became even more spirited, as if she had gained a new appreciation for every blade of grass and tree along the roadside.
Her voice, speaking ahead, grew louder with each passing moment, making Yu'er restless in the carriage.
However, he was now ten years old, a proper young man, and could no longer share a horse with his sister. He truly regretted not having brought a horse of his own when they set out.
Fu Yu and Fang Shi noticed their eldest son's yearning but could do nothing to help him, so they pretended not to see.
Fu Xin'ci turned her head and saw her elder brother craning his neck to look at them. She beckoned to him.
This delighted Yu'er immensely. He immediately called out, "Father, stop the carriage! My sister wants me to come over."
"Whoa, slow down there."
Yu'er was remarkably quick. Before his father had even brought the carriage to a halt, he had already jumped down.
Watching their eldest son run over in a few strides, Fu Yu, the father, felt his heart burdened with endless worries.
"Ci'er, if you give your horse to Yu'er, what will you do?"
"I'll ride in the carriage with Mother."
After Fu Xin'ci spoke, she climbed into the carriage without waiting for a mounting block.
Seeing his sister give up her horse for him, Yu'er felt a pang of guilt.
But ultimately, he was a boy, and his desire to ride a horse ultimately overcame his slight remorse for his sister.
Fu Xin'ci didn't mind; riding in the carriage had its advantages.
Although the official road was not smooth, only slightly better than a washboard, Fu Xin'ci still reclined comfortably in the carriage, dozing off.
Seeing her daughter sleepy, Fang Shi also leaned back on the other side and closed her eyes.
As the family continued on their way, Qi He pointed to the mountain ridge ahead and said to Fu Yu, "Uncle, once we pass this mountain ridge, we'll be out of Yingzuoya's territory."
"Oh, I haven't traveled this road many times myself. If you hadn't said so, I wouldn't even know where we are."
"It's alright, this road is easy to remember. I guarantee that Uncle Fu will remember it after traveling it once."
"If it's really that easy to remember, that would be wonderful."
Yu'er looked around, spotting what seemed to be houses in the distance. He turned his head and asked Qi He, "Brother Qi, will we encounter any bad people nearby?"
"No, there are garrisons here, and patrol teams as well."
"Oh."
As they were talking, the sound of hooves approached from the opposite direction. Yu'er quietly pointed to a group of people in Ming dynasty soldier uniforms and asked Qi He, "Brother Qi, are those the patrol soldiers?"
"Yes."
While they were speaking, the patrol team rode up to them.
There were fifteen soldiers in this group, led by a young man in his mid-twenties. From a distance, his gaze was fixed on the two horses.
"Well now, those are good horses. Where are you from?" He was actually asking a question to which he already knew the answer. Coming from this direction, there was only one place: Yingzuoya.
Indeed, the middle-aged man driving the carriage replied with a smile, "We're from Yingzuoya."
"Oh." They all knew Yingzuoya.
The young leader said no more and intended to let them pass.
However, behind him, a soldier of similar age with a somewhat shifty appearance immediately noticed a fair-skinned young woman sitting in the carriage.
Her pale, fair face, as tender as freshly made tofu, instantly captivated him.
Qi He had been watching them the entire time. When that lecherous gaze fell upon Sister Fu, he was instantly enraged.
He reined in his horse and moved forward slightly, blocking the offensive gaze, and loudly announced his identity.
"I am Qi He from the Yingzuoya Garrison."
"Yingzuoya Garrison, Qi He?"
The young soldier repeated the name twice, then stared directly at Qi He.
The young man licked his lips and then asked uncertainly, "You are *that* Qi He?"
Qi He was somewhat confused by his question. "In our Yingzuoya, there's only one Qi He."
"I know."
Qi He really wanted to say, if you know, why are you asking like that?
"Uh, that, that Miss Fu..."
"She is my fiancée."
The shifty soldier, who had been about to speak, felt a chill run down his spine upon hearing their conversation.
Fu Xin'ci remained still inside the carriage, her gaze seeming to scrutinize and weigh their potential strength.
She truly disliked the way that soldier looked at people and wondered how much longer she could tolerate it.
Fortunately, Qi He remembered what his father had told him: Sister Fu was a legend among the garrisons in the Northern Frontier.
With this in mind, Qi He looked at the young man opposite him, whose eyes were gleaming, and said, "You know my fiancée?"
"No, no, I don't." Luo Xiaohu scratched his head, then blushing, signaled his men to clear the way.
Seeing this, Qi He clasped his hands and said, "Thank you."
After their group had gone, someone sidled up to Luo Xiaohu and whispered, "Captain, is that really Miss Fu in the carriage?"
"It should be. I only dared to glance, I didn't dare to look closely."
"I didn't dare to look either."
All of them now regretted not having gotten a good look at Miss Fu.
"My heavens." The shifty soldier almost punched himself in the mouth.
Hearing his exclamation, everyone turned to look at him.
"Gu San, were you about to be your usual foul-mouthed self just now?"
"No, no." Gu San dared not speak. He had been startled by the young woman's gaze.
Although the girl's eyes were not fierce, they seemed to pierce into the depths of a person's soul, exposing any hidden filth within.
But he dared not say this in front of everyone.
Miss Fu was like a deity in the hearts of the soldiers in the Northern Frontier. If he dared to desecrate her, he wouldn't be spared by the generals, let alone his companions.
Fortunately, these men were excitedly chattering about seeing Miss Fu and overlooked the unease in his eyes.
Otherwise, they would have ganged up on him.
"Hey, we'll have something to boast about when we get back today. We saw Miss Fu today."
"Yeah. I didn't expect Miss Fu to be so young; she seems younger than my own sister."
"Young, yes, but she's still Miss Fu. I heard from people who saw Miss Fu back then that she was just a little girl when they first saw her fighting the Tatars."
"Yes, I saw it too."
"Don't lie."
"I'm telling the truth. Back then, during that battle, we all thought we were doomed. The Tatars had firearms, and we were facing them, afraid to move."
"Then what happened?"
"Then Miss Fu descended from the heavens."