"Nian, uh, Xiaoyu, you've arrived."
Seeing Nian Jiaojiao approach, the Qiu family head quickly corrected himself.
Nian Jiaojiao walked slowly to the carriage. The Qiu family head and Sister Qiu were already seated inside.
After she finished greeting them and got into the carriage, the coachwoman waved her whip, urging the horses forward.
Nian Jiaojiao was somewhat confused.
Previously, when traveling from Fengcheng to Qingzhou, Old Qiu had used his writings to ensure they reached their destination quickly.
Clearly, the distance from Qingzhou to the Royal City was much farther, yet Sister Qiu showed no intention of using any extraordinary powers.
Thus, Nian Jiaojiao spoke, asking:
"Grandmother Qiu, how far is the journey from Qingzhou to the Royal City?"
Qiu Hezi replied:
"There are only three of us in the carriage, Junior Sister Nian can relax. The person driving the carriage outside is also a junior sister from our miscellaneous studies sect, so there's no need to worry about secrets being leaked.
From Qingzhou to the Royal City, even Mother has to use her powers three times, so this time I brought Mother's writings."
Brought Old Qiu's writings?
As far as Nian Jiaojiao knew, extraordinary powers for moving objects had a time limit.
For instance, after writing on Xuan paper, the power of the characters would gradually weaken with the passage of time.
Her confusion was soon answered.
After the carriage drove out of the city, the sky outside had already darkened.
Gradually, Nian Jiaojiao clearly felt the carriage's speed continuously increasing.
A few minutes later, the carriage's speed was clearly not that of a normal carriage.
She gripped the handles that had clearly appeared inside the carriage, then looked across.
The Qiu family head opposite her had a contorted face, one hand tightly gripping the handle, the other clutching the seat, her body pressed against the carriage's side wall, as if afraid of being thrown out by inertia if she wasn't careful.
Nian Jiaojiao estimated that the speed was probably similar to the extreme speeds of racing cars in her previous life.
"Sister Qiu, what's going on with this carriage?"
Nian Jiaojiao shouted loudly, feeling the wind whistling past her ears.
Qiu Hezi laughed:
"Haha, Junior Sister Nian, this is what I said about Mother's writings taking effect. At this speed, we'll reach the outskirts of the Royal City in less than ten days..."
Nian Jiaojiao looked incredulous:
"This journey alone will take nearly a month round trip, so when can I return to Qingzhou?"
Why did she suddenly feel like she'd boarded a pirate ship?
Qiu Hezi looked a bit embarrassed, avoiding Nian Jiaojiao's gaze, and said:
"Oh, haha, Junior Sister Nian, I said you'd stay with the main branch of the Qiu family for two to three months, but I didn't factor in the other time."
Nian Jiaojiao stared at Qiu Hezi for a while, until the latter felt her skin crawl, then gritted her teeth and said:
"Fine, but that will be at an additional cost."
Qiu Hezi quickly replied:
"No problem, no problem."
Nian Jiaojiao closed her eyes, her mind in turmoil.
What to do...
She had only been away from home for a short while, and she was already starting to miss her husbands.
The first day of missing her husbands...
...
The next day.
Early morning.
Strong wind.
"Sister Qiu, this is the edge of Qingzhou. Let's get down and eat something."
The junior sister driving the carriage called out to the carriage interior.
The three of them alighted.
As Nian Jiaojiao passed the junior sister who had been driving the carriage, she thanked her:
"Thank you for your hard work."
The junior sister's eyes curved into crescent moons, and she said indifferently:
"It's nothing, it's because Sister Qiu is so generous!"
After speaking, she said to Nian Jiaojiao:
"According to Sister Qiu, your master hasn't been decided yet, but it will at least be someone of Old Qiu's caliber. So after you join, your seniority will definitely be higher than mine. Just call me Junior Sister."
Nian Jiaojiao complied readily:
"Junior Sister."
Nian Jiaojiao walked with the three for a while, the howling wind making it difficult for her to open her eyes.
Her waist-length hair danced wildly in the wind. At this moment, she couldn't help but sing in her heart:
Blow, blow, my pride and freedom.
Blow, but don't destroy my pure garden.
Let the wind blow, let it rage.
Unbreakable am I, with a future to envision.
As she sang in her heart, Nian Jiaojiao's expression became entranced.
At this moment, a voice suddenly called out to her:
"Junior Sister Nian, Junior Sister Nian, what's wrong?"
Nian Jiaojiao came back to her senses, opened her eyes, and saw the three people in front turning back, looking at her with strange expressions.
Nian Jiaojiao composed herself and strode forward against the strong wind.
"Nothing, I'm hungry. Let's go."
The three: ...
...
Because they were currently at the edge of Qingzhou, in a remote area.
The small town looked somewhat desolate, and the prosperity of the streets was even less than that of Shanshui Town.
Nian Jiaojiao remarked with some curiosity:
"I didn't expect Qingzhou to have such a place."
The Qiu family head, Qiu Shu, explained:
"Aunt Nian may not know, but we are about to enter the desert, so sparse population is normal.
This is the border between Qingzhou and Shazhou, with a complex mix of people. It would be best if Aunt Nian tries not to interfere with anything she sees later."
Nian Jiaojiao nodded:
"Understood."
As they spoke, the group arrived at a tea house.
Although it was just a tea house, it had over ten tables, and quite a few travelers were resting there.
Because there were people around, Nian Jiaojiao re-entered her role.
She entered the tea house first and called out to the waiter:
"Waiter!"
Just as the waiter finished serving a table, he heard the call. He slung a white, long handkerchief over his shoulder and replied:
"Coming!"
The waiter came to Nian Jiaojiao's table and asked, bending over:
"What would you like, esteemed guests?"
"Do you serve breakfast here?" Nian Jiaojiao asked.
She had seen quite a few dishes on other tables as she passed by.
After receiving an affirmative reply from the waiter, Nian Jiaojiao turned to Sister Qiu and asked:
"Grandmother, what would you like to eat?"
The waiter glanced at Qiu Hezi with some surprise at Nian Jiaojiao's address.
It seemed that both generations in this family married and had children early.
Truly enviable, with little age difference between generations, and both having daughters.
Qiu Hezi calmly said:
"Xiaoyu, you decide."
"Yes, Grandmother!"
Thus, Nian Jiaojiao ordered a table of the restaurant's signature dishes.
It's always a good idea to order the signature dishes when dining at a new establishment.
A table of steaming hot dishes was served. Nian Jiaojiao and the others ate while listening to the idle chatter of the people in the tea house.
At this time, in addition to passing travelers, the tea house was mostly filled with adventurers.
They made a living by trading in the rare items found in this desert.
"Sister Wang was amazing yesterday, do you know what Sister Wang found in the desert yesterday?"
"Could it be a giant worm?"
"That thing is even more formidable than a giant worm. Sister Wang found a nest of scorpions yesterday!"
"My goodness, Sister Wang is risking her life! How dare she touch that thing? A single sting from a scorpion's tail can kill an ox instantly. She even managed to find a whole nest!?"
"Isn't this 'fortune favors the bold'? Look, Sister Wang doesn't need to venture into the desert this year."
"...That's true."