My Fulang is a Delicate Flower Chapter 124

Chapter 124 Extra (10) The Story of Da Taohe

The carriage traveled forward for over an hour. The dark, heavy clouds showed no intention of dispersing; instead, they gathered even more tightly.

The visible distance gradually shortened. Raindrops mixed within the gray fog, light and quiet with little presence. Unnoticed, the person riding on horseback had a layer of frost-like moisture coating their hair.

Huo Anding crossed his long legs, dangling them outside the carriage, gazing contentedly at the mule following behind in the rain.

This young master's large carriage was truly good. Not only was the outer plank long and flat, but there was also a rain awning overhead.

If it were a sunny day, how comfortable it would be to chew on a blade of grass and bask in the warm, radiant sunlight.

He withdrew his gaze and swept a glance at the tightly closed curtain behind him.

If he hadn't seen the person inside earlier, he would have thought the carriage was empty. It had been far too quiet the entire journey.

"This year's spring cold is truly frigid. I thought it was only cold in Tongzhou, but I didn't expect Baojing to be this cold too."

Huo Anding rubbed his slender hands together, leaning back slightly. He controlled his voice to a moderate volume as he struck up a conversation with the coachman beside him: "If I had known about the weather here, I would have brought more clothing."

The coachman was an old man with a very kind face. He glanced at Huo Anding, gave a slight smile, and politely replied in a soft, low voice: "Young gentleman's attire is indeed a bit thin."

"My teacher said that being well-fed and warm easily makes one's will weak. I took it as a warning, hence my simple, thin clothing. I didn't expect to fear the cold so much. Knowledge from paper is shallow after all. This trip out has given me a new understanding. Perhaps only after being well-fed and warm can one build willpower."

The old man smiled and replied: "Young gentleman is a studious person."

Huo Anding saw the coachman's replies were distant and indifferent, the servant seemed to resemble his master.

He didn't mind and asked again: "I wonder how much longer until we reach Baojing."

"It should take another two days."

"Will you be setting up camp along the way when it gets dark?"

"Indeed."

"Can I trouble you again then?"

The coachman said: "That will be up to the young master."

"Then what is the young master's name?"

Huo Anding turned and spoke directly to the tightly closed carriage curtain: "Young master, what is your name?"

The carriage was deathly quiet, without even a rustle from the curtain.

Huo Anding turned to look at the old man and blinked.

The old man responded with a smile: "The young master is probably resting."

Huo Anding considered this, but it had been almost an hour already, and he still wasn't rested enough?

So quiet, wasn't he afraid his mouth would go stale from disuse?

The surrounding fog grew visibly thicker and grayer. Earlier, he could still enjoy the spring scenery along the way, but now the flowers and grass were shrouded in gray, and looking into the distance, all was white fog. Beyond two zhang, one couldn't distinguish between people and animals.

This made the journey even more dull and tedious, making it hard for him not to entertain thoughts of bothering the person inside the carriage.

Huo Anding raised his eyebrows lightly. His hand slipped past his waist, and instantly a small stone appeared in his palm. His gaze fell upon the horse in front.

He wondered if the young master would remain as still as pond water if the horse were startled and this steady carriage jolted.

"Watch out!"

However, before he could finish his thought, the carriage suddenly lurched forward heavily.

Huo Anding hooked one arm around the carriage post, steadying his body which was about to be thrown forward by the momentum.

He frowned, immediately scanning the side path in the fog with alertness.

The stone originally intended for mischief hadn't fulfilled its purpose and still lay innocently in his palm.

"Young master, are you alright?"

The coachman tightened the reins, stopping the horse, and first called out to the person in the carriage.

"What happened."

That clear, cold voice sounded again from inside the carriage.

"The horse suddenly stumbled. Let Qin Guan check what's wrong first."

Before the servant from the front could come and report what was wrong with the horse, a group of burly men suddenly emerged from the rain and fog.

"Oh no! Protect the young master!"

The group approaching from the front didn't even offer a word or explanation, they actually raised their blades and charged to attack.

Amid the chaos of men and horses thrown into disarray, Huo Anding raised his eyebrows. The world had been peaceful for over a decade, how could such vicious people still emerge in the local areas?

"What are they doing?"

"Young gentleman, quickly find a place to hide."

The previously kind-faced old man pulled a long blade from a hidden compartment under the carriage, his eyes now fierce.

Seeing the young man still sitting dumbly on the carriage, he couldn't help but pull him: "Why are you still sitting here dazed?"

Although the situation was urgent, they didn't want a frail scholar to suffer an undeserved disaster.

"Oh, oh. Then you must be careful, uncle!"

Huo Anding hurriedly acknowledged, then tightly hugged the small bundle in his arms. Instead of jumping off the carriage to escape in the chaos, he scrambled inside through the curtain.

"Hey!"

The old man frowned anxiously: "Where are you going!"

He didn't know if this young scholar was frightened into confusion or naturally foolish. Why run into the carriage at such a critical moment? As if hiding inside meant he couldn't see others, and others couldn't see him.

There was no time to pull him out now, he had to jump off the carriage first to guard beside it.

As soon as Huo Anding crawled into the carriage, he immediately smelled a scent of cold tea, light, refreshing, and heartening.

The interior of the carriage was much larger than an ordinary carriage. A soft couch was placed at the back for resting, and a delicate square table was set in the front for tea, with a charcoal stove underneath.

However, this wasn't the time to admire the spaciousness and exquisite design of the carriage.

He crawled in and found himself directly meeting the gaze of the young man sitting in the center of the carriage. Seeing him up close, he realized this person was even better looking than from a distance.

Those eyebrows and eyes, as if drawn with ink, were exquisitely delicate. Yet, his cold temperament made him appear quite aloof and superior. The whole person carried a chill aloofness that kept others at a thousand miles' distance, making one dare not look a second time.

But Huo Anding, having grown up watching his father—with his own cold, stern face—be deeply affectionate with his little father and show him utmost care and attention, felt not the slightest retreat in the face of such a cold person. Instead, he found it particularly familiar and close.

"What are you coming in here for?"

Huo Anding swallowed and chuckled, hugging his bundle as he crawled to the young man's side and curled up into a ball: "I came to protect you."

The young man looked down at the person shrinking beside him, hugging his bundle as if wanting to hide his face inside. His face, whether naturally pale or blanched from fear by the commotion outside, resembled a lump of white dough. What protection could he possibly offer?

His long eyebrows slightly furrowed. He originally intended to tell this uninvited person to get out of the carriage. But lifting a corner of the curtain, he glimpsed the fierce fighting outside, the clashing of weapons grating on the ears. Seeing this frail scholar so terrified, he temporarily let it be.

"Young master, who are these people?"

The young man glanced sideways at Huo Anding upon hearing this, seeing him crane his neck to also check the situation outside.

"I don't know."

"Then who are you, young master? Could they be here to assassinate you?"

"Just like in the storybooks! Enemies spending heavily to hire assassins, killers pursuing for thousands of miles, ambushing in secret!"

The young man frowned: "You, a scholar, read such things?"

Huo Anding blinked: "This... could also be considered wide reading."

The young man withdrew his gaze, determined to write a letter to his elder brother, suggesting the Ministry of Rites carefully consider the examination and evaluation for scholars, so not just anyone could easily pass the imperial exams and obtain an official rank.

Seeing the young man fall silent again, Huo Anding asked: "Young master, what is your name?"

"My name is Huo Anding. And yours?"

Seeing the young man's face grow colder, Huo Anding pursed his lips: "Do you eat cilantro?"

"Young master was kind enough to give me a ride. When we reach Baojing, I'll treat you to a meal."

The young man: "..."

"You should first see if you can make it to Baojing alive."