"Hey, hey! Anyone needing help, come this way! We’re running out of hands! If you wait any longer, even higher pay won’t get you anyone!"
"No haggling, sir! Look around, where do you think we are? That slope gets steeper with each pass, and the roads are muddy. Save your bargaining for the merchants in Lianping Prefecture. We’re just poor laborers trying to make a living."
They saw a large round boulder as tall as a man squatting by the roadside, carved with the words "Longwei Slope."
Huo Shu's convoy had just arrived beside the boulder when they spotted a bustling crowd at the foot of the slope from afar.
An uninformed observer might have mistaken it for a small market, with the sounds of haggling rising and falling in waves.
"Master, we've reached the boundary of Longwei Slope. Would you like to hire laborers to help cross Longwei Slope?"
"We have strong draft livestock that can carry a lot of goods and get you across in one go."
Before Huo Shu and his group could even approach to see what was happening, someone had already stepped forward.
"This slope is steep, and with yesterday's rain, the road is nothing but slippery mud. Many merchant caravans have gotten stuck halfway."
Ge Liang exchanged a glance with Huo Shu before asking, "Who are you people?"
"We're farmers from nearby. Hearing that caravans and travelers were getting stuck here, unable to cross, we brought our own livestock to help. Master, traveling merchants like yourselves have it tough—damaged goods from unfamiliar roads are one thing, but what's worse is that this area isn't very safe, with bandits appearing after dark."
"Since it's not yet spring plowing season, we're idle anyway. Might as well lend a hand, earn a bit of loose silver, and accumulate some merit and blessings."
The man, dressed as a farmer, spoke earnestly, as if genuinely helpful.
"If you cross now while it's still early, you won't have to camp here and risk running into bandits."
Huo Shu cut straight to the point: "How much?"
"Two taels per donkey, three taels for an ox."
Ge Liang burst out laughing at the price.
The rest of the group was stunned—charging two or three taels just to haul goods once was daylight robbery.
A couple of trips like this, and they wouldn't even need to farm for half a year.
Ge Liang said, "We're just a small caravan, running a modest business. We can't afford your livestock. Hiring three or five would mean this whole trip was for nothing."
"The sky's getting dark. If you can't cross this slope, and you can't see the road at night. Whether you tumble into a ditch or run into bandists—well, who knows?"
The man's honest and kind demeanor vanished as he flicked his sleeves, adopting a shameless tone:
"If the masters don't want to hire our livestock and think they know this terrain better, fine. But let me warn you, if your donkeys or oxen run out of strength halfway and you come crawling back, the price won't be the same."
Without waiting for Huo Shu's group to respond, the man turned and swaggered off, clearly confident that merchants passing through would eventually come begging.
Huo Shu halted the convoy: "Repack the goods."
"The mountain path is muddy and rugged. Unload everything from the carts and strap them directly onto the livestock."
Everyone hurriedly dismounted and followed Huo Shu's orders.
Ji Taoyu also stepped down from the carriage, walking on foot to lighten the livestock' burden.
With the goods loaded onto the livestock, the group began ascending the slope.
Longwei Slope wasn't as steep as the locals made it out to be, but after the rain, loose rocks and collapsed earth had been trampled into thick mud by travelers and livestock, making the road treacherous.
Each step required tremendous effort to pull their feet free from the clinging muck, turning even this modest slope into a grueling challenge.
Though the livestock walked more steadily than humans, their heavy loads slowed progress to a crawl.
Everyone watched the path and their livestock nervously, hearts in their throats.
This was Ji Taoyu's first time on such a difficult road. Huo Shu gripped his hand tightly, practically dragging him along.
Head bowed, staring at the muddy path, Ji Taoyu wondered if taking off his shoes would make walking easier—though he knew it would only make him slip more and didn't dare try.
Fellow travelers trudged past, sweating and straining.
Noticing a much smaller figure among them, many couldn't help but steal glances.
Ji Taoyu had been bundled up earlier, but climbing the slope made him shed his cloak, revealing his face.
People were surprised to see such a fair and delicate-looking young ger on this brutal road. Even with their hearts in their throats, their eyes kept drifting toward him.
Huo Shu frowned, suddenly gripping Ji Taoyu's waist and hoisting him onto his back.
Before Ji Taoyu could process why he was being carried, his arms instinctively tightened around Huo Shu's shoulders. He whispered, "What are you doing? I'm not tired, I can still walk!"
Besides, everyone was moving slowly. He didn't feel like a burden.
Huo Shu didn't answer, merely pressing Ji Taoyu's head against his neck. "Don't talk. You'll fall."
"Move, you stubborn mule!"
"Believe me, I'll whip you to death!"
The crack of a whip against flesh rang sharply across the mountain path. The livestock let out a muffled cry.
Tian Fu and the others saw a traveler ahead lashing his donkey, leaving bloody streaks across its hide. The stench of blood mixed with wet earth was nauseating.
Halfway up the slope, the donkey, dragging four massive crates, refused to budge despite the whipping, infuriating its master:
"Once we're past this slope, I'll slaughter you myself!"
As if understanding, the donkey suddenly bolted wildly forward.
Screams erupted.
"The donkey's gone mad! Get out of the way!"
A crashing sound followed, then a series of collisions, ending with a heavy thud—silence.
"The donkey fell off the cliff!"
The man who had been whipping it stood gaping, then rushed forward—only to slip and fall face-first in the mud.
Scrambling up, he stumbled to the cliff's edge. "No no no!"
He slapped his thighs, hopping and cursing at the cliff's edge: "Damn beast! My goods!"
Huo Shu's group moved closer to inspect the scene. The donkey lay at the base of the cliff—not a fatal drop, but the fall with its load had shattered its bones.
Crates lay in splinters, herbs and tools scattered everywhere.
"I told you this slope was bad. Had to pinch pennies, and now you've lost big."
A local leading his own livestock past tossed out the jab.
Not that the locals at the slope's foot were entirely to blame—many who refused to pay for help found their livestock balking halfway up, too exhausted to continue.
Tian Fu and the others witnessed this disaster firsthand and couldn't help but take a deep breath, turning their gaze to their own livestock.
Seeing the donkeys still steadily carrying their loads without showing any signs of laziness, they finally relaxed.
The group spent nearly two hours finally crossing Longwei Slope safely.
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