Chapter 270: People Change

"Are we not there yet? We should be arriving soon, right?"

Resting her head against the small window of the carriage, Shi Xiaoxiao stared blankly at the scenery outside the curtain.

The development of events had somewhat exceeded Shi Xiaoxiao's expectations.

No, to be honest, ever since that day, the things that happened afterward had repeatedly frayed Shi Xiaoxiao's fragile nerves.

That day, under the arrangements of the Second Prince, Shi Xiaoxiao successfully slipped out of Wentian City and set off toward Chongzhou City, where the Divine Path Sect was located.

To avoid being discovered by potential pursuers, they did not enter any cities along the way, nor did they use any teleportation arrays.

Although this greatly reduced the risk of exposure, it also allowed Shi Xiaoxiao, who had been pampered since childhood, to experience what a real life on the run was like.

"Is this the unrestrained and free life that the heroines and righteous warriors in those storybooks yearn for? Heh..."

In storybooks, they could fearlessly choose to oppose powerful authorities for the sake of their ideals, their country, or their love, and then embark on a life of exile without looking back.

The plot of rushing about in books makes one's blood boil; one would break into a cold sweat for them when they encounter danger, and clap and laugh when the protagonists enjoy themselves, wishing one could be the protagonist oneself.

But what if it were shifted to reality?

If such an opportunity really arose and one became a part of it, would these days really be as fascinating as they are in books?

Very fortunately, Shi Xiaoxiao had the good fortune to experience this matter.

She chose to rebel against her father and family for the sake of love, and with the help of a noble person, she set foot on the journey to find her lover.

From the perspective of an outsider, who wouldn't give her a thumbs up? Who wouldn't praise her as loyal and virtuous?

But if someone were to ask Shi Xiaoxiao for her opinion on this escape, she would only give one evaluation:

"This is truly terrible!"

Yes, absolutely terrible.

From the outside, it seemed she had succeeded, at least more than halfway.

But for the person involved, this was simply a nightmare.

The bumpiness of the journey aside, although the carriage provided by the Second Prince looked unremarkable on the outside, the interior equipment was top-notch, and the shock absorption was quite good.

But no matter how good the shock absorption was, it could not withstand traveling on rugged mountain roads all the time.

The jolting along this journey had almost numbed Shi Xiaoxiao; she never wanted to ride in a carriage again in her life.

As for other aspects, it was even harder to endure.

As long as a person is alive, they cannot avoid eating, drinking, and relieving themselves.

It didn't matter if the food and drink were poor; after all, this wasn't a sightseeing trip, so eating a little poorly was tolerable.

But relieving herself made this young lady somewhat break down.

Perhaps some friends are unaware, but in any world, beautiful young ladies need to use the restroom.

Sneaking off to relieve herself in the wilderness was already daunting enough, and having to worry about a wild animal darting out from somewhere while she was squatting was simply maddening.

If it weren't for the fact that the Second Prince's arrangements included female guards, and one of them helped keep watch, Shi Xiaoxiao feared she would have held it in until the very end.

Fortunately, those guards were not completely inhumane and still allowed her to wash up simply at some pools, avoiding the most desperate situations.

Moreover, compared to the tangible physical torture she endured, the greater problem was the mental pressure.

Intangible torture is the most lethal.

Ever since she began her escape, Shi Xiaoxiao had not had a good night's sleep.

She was always dreaming, having nightmares about being chased, and would always wake up in a start in the middle of the night, then lie with her eyes open until dawn.

Every day she lived in fear, unable to find peace for a single day, terrified that someone from her family would track her down and take her back home.

The previous tricks of prevarication could be used at most once; the second time, they would definitely be seen through.

Once she was caught and taken back, she would likely be forced directly into the bridal chamber...

No!

I absolutely do not want that kind of thing!

Therefore, no matter how difficult the journey of escape was, Shi Xiaoxiao never once thought of giving up.

If she were truly reduced to that point, she would rather die.

She kept gritting her teeth and persisting, never complaining once.

And Shi Xiaoxiao's attitude of not complaining gradually changed the guards' perception of her.

Originally, they only regarded Shi Xiaoxiao as a sheltered young lady from a noble family who had eloped for love and would sooner or later collapse when she couldn't take it anymore.

But now it seemed that while it was true she was sheltered and true that she had eloped for love, this young lady, who was not delicate at all, would likely persist to the end.

Perhaps it was initially for a certain man, but what was supporting her to this day was no longer just for the man.

She was striving for herself.

She wanted to escape the Shi family that imprisoned her!

Not just for him, but even more so for herself.

Swish.

Someone lifted the curtain and walked into the carriage, sitting down beside Shi Xiaoxiao.

"Miss Shi, you should sleep a little longer." Luo Yaning draped a coat over Shi Xiaoxiao and said in a low voice to the sleepy-eyed girl, "We are almost at Chongzhou City; the Shi family won't be able to catch up."

Luo Yaning was the leader of the guards arranged by Li Fengyao to escort Shi Xiaoxiao to the Divine Path Sect; although she was a woman, she wore a half-mask to cover her face all day, and her voice was low and hoarse due to an injury to her throat.

"Sister Luo..." Shi Xiaoxiao was stunned for a moment, shook her head to clear her thoughts, and forced a smile: "I'm fine, and I can't sleep anymore anyway. Besides, we are finally arriving."

She straightened her body and carefully observed the scenery outside the window.

Whether it was psychological or not, the scenery she had grown accustomed to seemed to finally show some differences.

"Eh?" Suddenly, Shi Xiaoxiao blinked, noticing that the team was different from before, with a few people missing. "Sister Luo, where are Brother Cheng and the others? Why is he gone?"

Could it be that an accident occurred while I was asleep?

"You mean Cheng Li'an? Him, I have already sent him ahead to report to the Divine Path Sect, and I have other arrangements for the others." Luo Yaning gave the anxious Shi Xiaoxiao a reassurance. "We will not enter the Divine Path Sect directly; that target is too obvious and will be discovered by those with ulterior motives."

"We will first go to Chongzhou City to find a place to settle down, and then have the Divine Path Sect send someone to bring you in; that way, there will be no risk of failure."

Splitting the forces?

Although she had no experience in wandering the world, at this moment, Shi Xiaoxiao still instinctively felt that this was not a very secure choice.

He who travels one hundred miles should count ninety as only half the journey.

The most difficult part is this final stretch of the journey.

But now, Luo Yaning had chosen to split the forces to act, this...

"Don't worry." Seeing that Shi Xiaoxiao was still somewhat worried, Luo Yaning smiled with a hoarse voice, "Rest assured, the location we agreed upon is very hidden; it is impossible for anyone to discover it."

"Then... alright." Although Shi Xiaoxiao still felt some unease in her heart, looking at Luo Yaning's confident appearance, she could only smile tactfully and close her mouth.

Living under someone else's roof, one still has to rely on them for care, so it is best not to be too talkative.

It was just that the unease in her heart was growing more and more intense.

"The feeling is not very good, I hope it is just my imagination..."

The carriage fell into silence once again, but this time Luo Yaning did not take the initiative to leave. After hesitating for a while, she took a deep breath and said slowly, "Miss Shi, there is something, I do not know if I should say it or not."

"Hm? Why so polite?" Upon seeing Luo Yaning hesitating and not leaving, Shi Xiaoxiao guessed that she must have something to say, and at this moment, she did not deliberately drag things out, "Sister Luo, please speak freely, there is no need to be polite."

As the only two women on this trip, the relationship between the two of them had changed from being strangers at the beginning to becoming friends across generations now.

Luo Yaning admired this Miss Shi, who was much stronger on the inside than she appeared on the outside.

Do not look at Luo Yaning's current appearance, which is like a cold-blooded and ruthless killer, but more than ten years ago, she was also an innocent and lively young girl, and she also once had the thought of sacrificing everything for love.

It is just a pity that the world plays tricks on people; her efforts and sacrifices eventually turned into a bubble, and she herself was seriously injured, her appearance ruined, and she would never dream such innocent dreams again.

Reality is just like this; many times, it is not the case that just because you alone are willing, you can head toward a perfect future.

Luo Yaning was close to Shi Xiaoxiao also because she saw the shadow of her former self in her, and felt some empathy.

Originally, Luo Yaning's mission was only to send Shi Xiaoxiao safely to the Divine Path Sect and then it would be over; there should not have been any other interference.

But perhaps because she did not want this girl to follow in her own footsteps, after hesitating for a long time, as the journey was about to end, she still could not help but speak up.

"Miss Shi, have you ever thought of a possibility?" Luo Yaning looked at Shi Xiaoxiao, clenched her fists, her fingernails digging hard into her palms, and spoke with difficulty, "When you see him, he might no longer be the person you knew back then."

!!!

"Sister Luo? You are..." Shi Xiaoxiao's eyes widened slightly; she did not expect that after hesitating for so long, what Luo Yaning would bring up was actually this matter.

In her impression, Luo Yaning did not seem like the type of person who would talk about such matters of romance.

"You mean to say, you are worried that Li Yiyi will have a change of heart?"

"... Yes."

"That is what I mean." The topic was opened, the most difficult step was already over, and Luo Yaning was much calmer as she said slowly, "Although I do not know how the feelings between you two are, I still must remind you: do not pin all your hopes on others."

Staring into Shi Xiaoxiao's eyes, Luo Yaning said in a deep voice:

"Do not think that I am being alarmist; this matter is something you must consider."

Li Yiyi would have a change of heart?

"He... would he?"

Before this, Shi Xiaoxiao had never considered this matter.

Shi Xiaoxiao had not changed, and had never thought about changing; judging others by herself, she had also never thought that there was a possibility of Li Yiyi having a change of heart.

"I am not trying to persuade you to give him up, I just want you to be more careful and not hand everything directly over to him." Luo Yaning stared tightly at Shi Xiaoxiao, as if she were looking at her past self, and said earnestly, "One should not have the intention to harm others, but one must have the intention to guard against them."

She said:

"People will change."

"You are a good girl, please do not repeat my mistakes."