Chapter 32: Arrival at Beihuang City

The news reached Yuanhe County's yamen two days later.

At the County Magistrate's Residence.

The National Preceptor, who had only just barely recovered, was so angered that his wounds burst open again.

"You say they escaped the assassination?!"

Meng Feng raised a hand to wipe the cold sweat from his temple.

"Another wave of killers appeared on Qiling Mountain. For some unknown reason, the two sides started fighting, and the Cheng Family took the chance to escape."

Before his words had even faded, a clatter of crashing sounds rang out.

Followed by a bout of wild, violent coughing.

"Cough, cough, cough…"

The wound was aggravated, and another wave of cold sweat broke out.

Meng Feng hurriedly had someone bring fresh cold tea.

"Lord National Preceptor, please calm yourself."

The National Preceptor took a sip of tea and barely suppressed his fury, but his expression remained dark.

"A bunch of useless trash!"

Soon, he narrowed his eyes and said through gritted teeth.

"It doesn't matter. The garrison commander of Beihuang City has a blood feud with the Cheng Family. Even if the Cheng Family manages to reach Bei Huang alive, they won't have a single peaceful day!"

Then he turned to Meng Feng.

"Send news of the Cheng Family back to the Capital at once, and ask Your Majesty to decide!"

……

As carrier pigeons flew out of Yuanhe County one after another, the Cheng Family was hurrying along without a moment's rest.

Five more days passed, and the group finally crossed over Qiling Mountain.

"This is bizarre. Logically, the further north we go, the cooler it should get, right? Why is it still this hot?"

Feng Shan wiped away a stream of sweat, looked up at the blazing sun overhead, and said in utter exasperation.

He took out his waterskin, tipped his head back, and poured for a long moment — not a single drop came out.

"Boss Wu, spare some water, will ya?"

Wu Meng glanced at him helplessly and tossed the waterskin into his lap.

"Drink sparingly."

"And this is with you riding a horse. If you had to walk on your own, wouldn't you drink half a river dry?"

Feng Shan bared his teeth at him in a grin.

"You know me, Old Feng has no other flaw — just can't stand the heat."

The moment An Luo entered the Live Stream Room, she saw Zaituan's little face flushed red from the sun, listlessly slumped by the carriage window, blowing at the hot wind.

This won't do!

She hurried to the freezer at Bian Li Dian and grabbed a pile of popsicles.

She also found several lunch boxes, washed them clean, and dried them off.

"Boss, if you eat that many popsicles, aren't you afraid of getting a stomachache?"

Hearing the voice, An Luo looked up — it was the new shop assistant.

"Xiao Xiao, perfect timing. Help me take off these wrappers, put them in the lunch boxes, and fill up these few boxes."

After giving the instructions, An Luo hurried out to the street again and bought twenty portions of cold noodles and fifty roujiamo.

She also specifically told the vendor to make one portion without spice and with less seasoning, set aside separately for Zaituan.

Fearing Zaituan might choke on whole peanuts, she had them swapped for crushed peanuts.

Passing a fruit shop, she remembered Zaituan had eaten watermelon last time, so this time she'd buy him some grapes and lychees.

After hauling all of that onto the carriage, she ran back to Bian Li Dian to get the popsicles, and finally carried out a whole case of chilled mineral water.

Once everything was ready, An Luo reopened the Live Stream Room.

"Yu'an, clear the things off the table first. Elder Sister is sending you some things."

The little fellow's eyes lit up instantly at those words.

Obediently, he took down the tea, snacks, cups, and dishes from the table one by one.

He gazed expectantly at the air.

Hehe, Fairy Sister is sending good things again!

Seeing his actions, Cheng Old Madam and Meng Shi, the mother- and daughter-in-law, were just looking on in confusion.

Suddenly, a white halo of light appeared inside the carriage, and in the next instant, a bunch of things came tumbling out with a series of thuds.

The three of them: "!!!"

Staring at the temptingly colored noodles in those transparent boxes, and the buns steaming hot and dripping with oil, the three of them were stunned speechless for a good long while.

Having once experienced being crushed by a giant box falling from the sky, Xiao Yu'an now appeared far more composed.

He gave a small sniff with his little nose, his big eyes blinking on and off.

He could smell it.

It was something delicious — something wonderfully, wonderfully delicious!

The weather was too hot, and the little fellow had originally been a bit off his food. On top of having drunk quite a lot of water, he had even less appetite.

But now, catching this aroma, he actually felt hungry.

"Gurgle gurgle—"

That sound snapped the three of them out of their astonishment, and they all turned to look at him.

Yu'an's little face flushed red in an instant. Hugging his little belly, he squirmed shyly a couple of times, trying hard to act as if nothing had happened.

"N-no, it wasn't Yu'an."

The three people in the horse carriage and An Luo outside the screen pressed their lips together, holding back their laughter with all their might.

Afraid that if they laughed out loud, the little fellow's face would cook through.

An Luo cleared her throat.

"Yu'an, put away the pink and blue boxes first."

There's ice cream inside; once it melts, it won't be easy to share.

【Okay, Fairy Sister.】

The little fellow didn't ask why either, obediently putting them away.

Then he sat down properly, watching the ancestors beside him with eager, longing eyes.

Cheng Old Madam first bowed respectfully.

"Many thanks to the Immortal for bestowing food."

Then she looked at the boxes, her expression showing hesitation.

The material of these boxes was too unusual, too eye-catching.

"Qing Man, tell everyone to find a place to stop and rest. Say it's time to eat, and go get bowls."

Hearing this news, Feng Shan scratched the back of his head in some puzzlement.

"Time to eat? When was the food made?"

Wu Meng handed him a wooden bowl.

"Just eat when you're given food. Where do all these questions come from?"

"Fair point, haha."

Feng Shan held his bowl and grinned foolishly.

In the horse carriage, Meng Shi and Wang Shi, the two sisters-in-law, opened the lunch boxes, transferred the noodles inside into wooden bowls, and finally placed the roujiamo on top.

Two for each man, one for each woman; come back for more if it's not enough.

Wu Meng held his bowl, his heart full of astonishment.

It was actually noodles and buns made of white flour!

"Slurp slurp..."

"Boss Wu, why aren't you eating? These noodles are incredible—sour, spicy, slightly sweet, so refreshing! And these buns, crispy, salty, and fragrant—one bite and they crumble."

Hearing this, Wu Meng shook his head in self-mockery.

The words he'd just said to Feng Shan, he'd forgotten himself in the next moment.

After that, he stopped fussing and buried his head in eating.

In the horse carriage, Yu'an held his little bowl, taking one bite of cold noodles and one bite of roujiamo, eating with great relish. His big eyes narrowed into two slits, utterly content.

A meal of cold noodles with roujiamo left everyone thoroughly satisfied.

Looking at the packaging boxes in the horse carriage, An Luo was stumped.

Better just have Zaituan put them away and take them to the Modern Era to deal with.

At this moment, a message from customer service popped up.

Customer Service: We can provide a hazardous waste degradation service for you, dear~

: So how is it charged?

Customer Service: One point per use. For a monthly plan, it's 15 points per month, with a 20% discount for the first month, dear~

Shrewd merchant!

She only had three Feeding Times left; when would she need that many uses?

: Let's try one first to see the effect.

Then An Luo had Yu'an put away the plastic boxes and plastic bags. In the span of three seconds, the trash vanished without a trace.

Full and refreshed, the group rested briefly, then set off again with renewed energy.

After another three days of travel, crossing a stretch of wasteland, the group finally saw the plaque of Beihuang City.

The Cheng Family women's expressions were calm, even with a faint trace of worry between their brows.

In this city, who knew how many more people wanted their lives...

Feng Shan, on the other hand, excitedly grabbed Wu Meng in a bear hug.

Such a big fellow, a burly man with muscles all over, was now crying with tears and snot streaming down, crying like a child.

"Wuwu... Boss Wu, we've finally arrived. This trip was really not easy at all!"