The faint flickering of a fire was filtered through the forest in the southeast direction.

"Other travellers." When Zuiju saw them, she returned the matches and the lamp back into the bags. "I wonder what they're doing."

Pingting's bright eyes stared at the lights that seemed weak due to being shrouded by the forest. She lowered her voice, "This is a road that must be crossed when going from the capital to the Bei Mo borders."

The people who meant her harm clearly knew that Yun Chang, Dong Lin and Gui Le were not places where she could stay. The only possible place she could live was in Bei Mo.

If her traces had been lost at the capital, where else was a better place to ambush her than this road in the mountains?

The night was heavy.

"We must leave!" Zuiju urgently whispered back.

"This is an obstacle that must be dealt with sooner or later." Pingting slowly shook her head, a faint confidence in her lips. "Come with me."

The two quietly crept deeper into the forest. They crossed the lush forest between them until they were near to the many flickers of light they had seen on the mountainous road.

"That wench! How long do we still have'ta wait?"

Hearing their voices, Pingting and Zuiju instinctly lowered themselves, hiding in the bushes.

There were a few men lying and sitting around a campfire. Two or three jugs of alcohol and a few polished swords laid messily on the ground.

"Bandits?" Zuiju whispered softly in Pingting's ear.

Pingting gracefully raised an eyebrow, "Not necessarily."

The crisp sound of a foot snapping a twig suddenly came, causing the two to jump back in fright. They were too afraid to continue talking but continued to peep.

"Yah. Just how long do we 'ave to guard this damned road?"

The man who had his head tilted back exposed his throat to the jug of wine, appearing to be the boss of these people. He muttered, "Cut the crap. If we're to wait, then wait!"

"But we've 'been waiting 'ere every day. When are those two little wenches coming?" Said a scruffy-looking man with the face of a rat as he guarded the campfire.

Two little wenches?

Pingting and Zuiju's hearts thumped in understanding. They exchanged each other a look.

Another man sneezed and sat up. "I reckon, izza day away from capital to 'ere. No movement a'tall in the last three days. Betcha they haven't gone on this road so our waiting is pointless."

"I told you to cut the crap and patiently wait on!" The boss angrily threw away the empty jug. "Those bastards, useless tailing pieces of crap. How could they lose two little whores in the capital? We're the doomed ones, eating the north wind 'ere without a life. The Senior Official said this was a road that must be crossed when going from the capital to the Bei Mo borders and this was a task of utmost importance. If we can't complete it, we'll be eating da cold wind forever."

The man at the campfire lamented at the injustice. "Everyone says that little Bai slut is very cunning. Who knows what road she'd take?"

Zuiju couldn't move at all and tightly clutched onto Pingting's hand under the cover of the bushes.

"Not to worry. Sooner or later she will hit one of our people. The roads that must be crossed when heading to Dong Lin and Gui Le also have people waiting to ambush."

"Hehe..." The ratty-looking man's voice was sharp and high-pitched, very nasty sounding. "Though I do wish those two little sluts come 'ere. 'eard that Chu Beijie was driven crazy with lust for one of those whores. Even the Prince Consort thinks of her as a treasure. Betcha it's 'cos her skill in bed is amazing, good to die for."

The men all spluttered in evil laughter.

"True, I hope they come onto this road too and see whether she can make us feel so good to die, or we're the ones to make her feel so good to die."

"Haha, we'd better prepare a good line up so no feelings are hurt aye."

Their boss coldly warned them. "You can play with 'er however you like but don't kill 'er. If she's dead, go see the Senior Official with your heads looped off."

Pingting had always been spoiled by the Duke and Duchess in her youth. Even when she escaped or imprisoned, she had always been treated with respect. Listening to the group's foul language made her tremble with anger.

Zuiju could see Pingting was angry and gave her a look, beckoning for them to retreat.

But Pingting didn't move at all, her gaze fixed on the flames of fire.

That group of people energetically chattered away for a long time. Someone headed towards the forest when the firewood had already finished burning. Pingting and Zuiju didn't move at all. Their hearts threatened to jump out of their chests when they heard snapping twigs about ten feet away. It was dark in the forests but the bushes were dulled yellow. Thankfully it was densely packed. Pingting and Zuiju's clothing as well as the cloth on the bag were dark coloured, blending into the darkness of the night. That person walked around once, collecting a pile of branches and threw the pieces of wood one after the other into the fire.

The wood burned in the fire, producing the crisp crackling sounds.

"Time to swap shifts." The boss got up, looking particularly tall and burly. He kicked the sleeping man beside him, "You three, go guard the checkpoint ahead. Qi-boy, take the lookout post above. Nanfeng and you, go check the traps."

"I'll go now. Hehe, maybe the sluts are already in the traps, waiting to meet us!"

Another peal of laughter.

Qi-boy had just stood up, turning around to put out the fire. There was still a huge piece of something red behind them, appearing to be unroasted meat. Because of the coldness of the snow, raw meat could be stored for many days outside.

He whipped out a sharp knife and sliced a piece of frozen meat off. "Let's go."

Pingting realised they would pass through the bushes, meaning they were likely to discover their presence. She pulled Zuiju's hand and retreated without a word or sound.

The two found a place where the moonlight did not reach, squeezing behind several large boulders. Zuiju thought if it hadn't been for Pingting's sense of danger and if she lit the lamp, they would have met the enemies, resulting in torture worse than death. Her slightly heavier breathing had not yet relaxed when she whispered, "I never imagined Yaotian would be so heartless. Miss, what shall we do?"

Pingting also lowered her voice. "There is an ambush ahead, not to mention a lookout ahead and traps in the forest." She thought for a long time and opened her own bag. She took out a small box. "Spread this over your hands, feet and face."

Zuiju couldn't see what the little box contained in the moonlight, so she sniffed at it, realising what it was. These were the herbs Pingting had asked her to buy. Pingting had grinded it all into a powder and combined them with a strange oily substance. The bizzare paste that formed as a result was now placed in the little box.

Pingting herself also spread a lot on her own face and limbs. She explained, "This is to avoid hunting dogs."

"How does Miss know they have hunting dogs?"

"That man sliced off a large piece of meat before leaving. It's definitely for a hunting dog." Pingting returned the box after they had spread enough of the paste. She took out several more objects from the bag and arranged them on the floor.

The moonlight did not reach them, therefore Zuiju had no idea what she was fiddling with. In just three days in the capital, Pingting had spent eighty or ninety percent of the money Yaotian had given them, producing all sorts of odd things that Zuiju had no inkling of their purpose or origins. "Miss, why don't we head back to the capital and slowly lengthen the time? We'll go back the way we came and find somewhere to hide. It won't be too late to head to Bei Mo after they've disbanded."

"The sooner we get to Bei Mo, the safer we'll be. If we waste too much time, He Xia may quickly be aware of my escape and will send orders to capture me at all costs." In the darkness, Pingting's eyes flashed with pride like the piercing light of obsidian. Her voice turned cold, "Besides, how could I let go of such a rude group?"

Zuijuknew that Pingting was furious and secretly lamented.