The Reticent Blade-Chapter 65 - A Tour for Two

The sunlight in Northern Qiang seemed to be harsher than it was in the Ruen Dynasty.

Xue Qiming extended his left hand to shield his eyes, squinting around at the foreign land. His right hand rested on Xue Niang’s knee as the girl attentively wrapped layers of gauze around the wound on his right arm, remaining silent.

"Xue Niang?"

"Mm?" Xue Niang did not look at him, merely responding softly.

"What's wrong?" Xue Qiming asked cautiously, shifting his right hand.

"Don't move." Xue Niang grabbed his wrist and pressed it back down on her knee.

Both of them fell silent and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

She finished bandaging the man's injured forearm in silence and tied a bow on it.

"All done." Xue Niang gently patted the back of his hand.

"Uh, thank you."

Xue Qiming felt that Xue Niang seemed upset.

"Um... were you scared?"

Xue Niang shook her head, lowering her gaze as she tidied up the medicine at her feet.

"You're very brave," Xue Qiming commended as he gave a thumbs up, "You would fit right in the jianghu. If you start crying and whining when something happens, you might as well go home and take care of your family."

"I have no home. My parents are dead." Xue Niang cast a wordless glance at the uneasy man. "So what do I have to fear?"

"Uh... Let's set off." Xue Qiming turned his head, avoiding looking at the girl’s eyes.

"Mm, where to now?" The girl stood up, dusting off her butt as if nothing had happened.

Xue Qiming’s gaze turned northward, towards the heartland of Northern Qiang.

"Those three Northern Qiang kitties seem to be hiding a secret." Xue Qiming looked down and smiled invitingly at the girl. "Aren't you curious?"

The scorching sunlight of the northern country cast a broad shadow on the broad back of the man in front of her, shielding her from the blinding light. The man’s expression was hidden in the shadow, but she could imagine his ever-smiling face warmly reassuring her.

However, reality didn't live up to her daydreams.

"Boss, do you have any travel-ready horses?" Xue Qiming stood in front of a horse trader's shop outside the city, looking around the stable.

"Hey, what are you on about?" The horse trader came out and pointed to his stable. "Just look, isn't this horse of mine a great steed?"

"Uh... Can you pick a better one?" Xue Qiming unconsciously gulped and touched the gourd hanging on his waist.

In a moment, the trader brought out a large horse. The horse was tall and robust, and boasted a sleek, glossy brown coat that demonstrated the careful care it received. Its eyes even showed an air of arrogance.

"Heh, I have no need to brag about this beauty," the seller said proudly as he patted the horse's flank, "Within fifty miles, you won’t find one better than this..."

Xue Qiming ignored the seller’s rambling and walked directly to the brown horse, stroking its neck with a worried and apologetic expression on his face.

The brown horse turned to look at him, snorting disdainfully and blowing out a puff of white steam.

"Although it's not a Ferghana horse, this horse is not far off either. It can carry three or four people as it runs with ease..." The trader continued.

Xue Qiming first helped Xue Niang onto the horse’s back and then leaped onto it himself.

Crack!

It sounded like something snapped.

The brown horse stumbled on the spot, its four legs wobbling slightly. No matter how Xue Qiming urged, it did not move forward.

"Even if it carries three people, it can run like the wind—" The horse trader stared at his unsteady horse in disbelief. After a while, he said, "You... you’d better look for another steed."

Xue Qiming climbed down from the horse, looking apologetically at the trader, "Sorry, boss..."

The trader looked at Xue Qiming as if he had seen a ghost, then waved his hand and sighed, "Forget it, you see something new every day... I can only accept my loss."

The horse limped like it was doing a drunken dance as it was led back into the stable. It no longer exuded its previous arrogance, it would be a long time before it could run again.

A dejected Xue Qiming led Xue Niang back to the street, holding the gourd in his hand and weighing it with a look of helplessness.

Xue Niang tugged at the hem of his shirt and pointed to the street.

Xue Qiming looked in the direction she pointed and immediately smiled. He saw an old man selling firewood sitting on the yoke of an ox cart, slowly moving down the street.

Xue Qiming hurried up in a few quick steps, waving his hand and shouting, "Hey brother! Brother, wait up!"

The old man turned from the cart and saw a man dressed in Ruen Dynasty attire running towards him. He looked the man up and down, using the whip he used to drive the ox to hold off Xue Qiming.

He cursed, "What are you shouting for? How could I be your brother? I am a native of Northern Qiang!"

Xue Qiming smiled, "Yes, yes. Are you selling this cart?"

The old man raised his eyebrows. "I'll starve to death if I sell it! I need this cart to make a living!"

"Senior, be accommodating." Xue Qiming motioned to Xue Niang, who pulled out a stack of banknotes from her bosom and handed a few to Xue Qiming. "Senior, is this enough?"

The firewood seller took a sneak peek at the banknotes in Xue Qiming’s hand and curled his lips. "That's just enough to buy my firewood," he said, raising his whip and getting ready to leave.

"Hey, don't be like this, senior." Xue Qiming quickly stopped him and took another stack of banknotes from Xue Niang’s hand, stuffing it into the old man's hand. "How about this, senior, I’ll buy both your cart and your firewood, to make it convenient for you."

The old man calmly tucked the thick stack of banknotes into his sleeve, handed the whip to Xue Qiming, and said, "Alright, I’ll take a loss today and sell it to you at a discount."

Xue Qiming smiled but it looked like he was keeping himself from crying.

"You were swindled," Xue Niang said quietly.

"I know." Xue Qiming forced a smile as he led the ox cart to the roadside. He unloaded all the firewood from the cart.

Xue Niang watched Xue Qiming working hard and continued flatly, "So you spent 150 silver taels for this."

"I... I know." Xue Qiming wore a pained expression and his eyes twitched.

Xue Qiming patted the animal pulling the cart. "At least we have a cart now," he sighed, trying to comfort himself.

The beast of burden was a water buffalo, standing almost as tall as Xue Qiming. It was extraordinarily robust, with its black fur and sturdy horns, giving it an impressive presence.

"It's alright, we don’t have to walk anymore either." Xue Qiming helped Xue Niang onto the cart and wore the straw hat left by the old man.

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"Let’s set off," he decided with a crisp crack of the whip. The cute bow on his right arm fluttered in the wind.