The words finally came from Huo Shu’s lips. "Is he alive or dead now?"
Uncle Fan hurriedly said, "He’s here!"
Then, cautiously, he asked, "After you left, he often thought of you. Would you like to see him?"
Huo Shu gave no answer.
Uncle Fan, taking his silence as refusal, turned to fetch the man anyway.
"Forget it."
"After all these years, he must have thought me dead. We’re leaving soon—no need for this."
"He never believed you were dead. When the northern war ended, he asked everywhere for news of you."
"If he knew you were alive—"
Before Uncle Fan could finish, a voice called from the stables: "Brother Huo! We’re ready here!"
Huo Shu withdrew his gaze and clasped his hands toward Uncle Fan. "Uncle Fan, till we meet again."
Uncle Fan opened his mouth, wanting to say more, but seeing Huo Shu’s resolute expression, he held back.
Instead, he smiled and said, "A-Shu, safe travels."
Huo Shu nodded. "Take care."
Then, he took Ji Taoyu by the hand and strode away.
Ji Taoyu glanced back at Uncle Fan, who still stood rooted in place.
He felt their departure was somewhat abrupt, yet he didn’t know how to stop Huo Shu’s decision.
The wheels creaked, and hooves kicked up dust.
The large procession moved along the road, vast and imposing.
Uncle Fan watched the departing group, his gaze long and melancholy.
His emotions were too tangled for words, standing in the wind like a century-old withered tree.
"Uncle Fan, there you are! I’ve been looking for you!"
A voice cutting through the wind snapped him out of his thoughts: "There’s a colt refusing to eat, come take a look before the foreman finds out, or A-Shou will get another beating."
Uncle Fan snapped back to attention, his expression tightening. "Since when hasn’t it been eating?"
"Since this morning."
Uncle Fan hurried back to the stables, the sound of whips and curses already carrying from afar.
Both men’s hearts clenched as they rushed forward, only to see the foreman swinging a whip sharp enough to split skin, the gust of wind from its swing sending a chill down their spines—let alone the pain if it actually landed.
"You think you can slack off just because I took my eyes off you for a second? You’ve starved the damn horse! A colt like this costs at least ten taels! More than your worthless life is worth!"
"Since you’re so keen on lazing about, you can skip meals for the next few days!"
"Foreman, foreman, stop hitting him!"
The two quickly stepped in to intervene: "Colts losing their appetite is common, we’ll take care of the horse. Keep this up, and you’ll kill him!"
The foreman sneered. "Kill him? Only the rich and powerful have lives worth something. Trash like him? I could flay him alive today, and it wouldn’t matter. If he doesn’t rot in the stables, he’ll rot in some ditch."
The foreman struck out again, landing several more vicious lashes on the cowering figure—almost like he was enjoying the cruelty.
"Foreman! Boss Wei’s in a good mood today—he’s treating everyone to drinks! You coming or not?"
A shout from the distance finally made the foreman stop.
He spat on the ground. "Consider yourself lucky today. If that colt dies, you’re out, and the rest of you with him."
"Bunch of troublemakers sticking together just because you know each other. Tomorrow, I’m splitting you up into different stables, let’s see how you’ll keep defying me then."
Still cursing, the foreman coiled his whip and left for the drinks.
Uncle Fan and the man who’d fetched him rushed forward.
"A-Shou, are you alright?"
The man huddled in the corner had his coarse clothes torn open by the whip, the lashes leaving bruised and bleeding wounds across his skin, staining the fabric dark red.
"I’m fine."
But his eyes were rimmed with red. "How much longer do we live like this...worse than livestock?"
"If we don’t starve to death out here, we’ll just be beaten to death by these heartless bastards."
Uncle Fan looked at Huo Shou, hugging his knees with a numb expression, and felt a pang of sorrow.
"Uncle Fan, maybe we should leave. The other day, I ran into some folks sent to different stables—none of them came out unscathed either."
The man said, "Even iron skin and steel bones would break under this torment. Might as well beg in the city."
Uncle Fan wrestled with the thought, his brow deeply furrowed.
After a moment, he gripped the silent man’s hand. "A-Shou, maybe we should—"
____
"Good heavens, riding this horse is downright terrifying! A beast worth dozens of taels sure has more pride than mules or donkeys, its price speaks for itself!"
"I’ve never seen so many horses in my life, lined up like they’re marching off to war."
The group walked on either side, herding the horses in the middle.
Everyone chattered excitedly about the horses, itching to try riding them along the way.
Ge Liang figured it wouldn’t hurt to let them learn—once they could all ride, they’d move faster and manage the herd more easily.
With dozens of horses on the road, they took up half the path. Horses, unlike oxen or donkeys, still carried a wild streak and weren’t so easily tamed.
Inside the carriage, Ji Taoyu glanced out the window at Huo Shu atop his horse.
His gaze was fixed ahead, his expression as indifferent as ever—yet his white-knuckled grip on the reins betrayed his tension.
Since leaving the stables, he hadn’t spoken a word. Even amid the lively chatter, he remained silent.
To others, he might’ve seemed no different—but to Ji Taoyu, who shared his days and nights, the change was unmistakable.
Ji Taoyu withdrew his gaze and sighed softly, leaning back in the carriage.
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