Daily Intelligence System: Don't Kill Me, Honey!

Chapter 484: Chapter 164 Gu Qingfeng: Chen, Chen 94, you, how did you come here (please subscribe)

The night grew heavier, and all was silent on the official road leading to Mianshui County, where a group of riders pressed forward.

This group, covered in dust and plainly weary, had the look of travelers returning from a long journey.

”Cough, cough, cough...”

A bout of coughing arose, prompting everyone to turn their gaze toward the elder in their midst.

The old man now appeared rather pale, with dark circles beneath his eyes, and bloodshot orbs, the clear result of sleep deprivation.

Having ridden for an extended period, the elder’s lack of expert horsemanship was evident, as both his legs had been chafed raw. Now, each step his horse took brought more pain to his legs.

And yet, despite this, the old man had not once requested the cavalcade to slow down.

Cough, cough...

The elder coughed again, and two guards by his side said, ”Master Bai, perhaps we should stop and rest a bit.”

One of the guards spoke to Bai Wenjing.

Upon hearing this, Bai Wenjing gestured with his hand and said, ”We’re about to reach Mianshui County. Just bear with it a little longer, and we can enter the city tonight.”

Boom, boom, boom...

Bai Wenjing looked up at the sky and said, ”And look at the thundering sky; it looks like heavy rain is coming soon. Everyone should pick up the pace so we don’t get caught outside the city by the rain!”

Upon hearing this, several guards fell silent. These Twelve Guards were all Chen Jie’s trusted men and were native sons from Xiantao Town.

Bai Wenjing knew each of them and genuinely cared for them.

This old gentleman’s loyalty to the Hall Master was beyond question, having traveled thousands of miles to Shennong for medicine and upon meeting his old mentor An Desheng, their tearful embrace spoke to the depth of their bond. Yet, with such a profound friendship, the old man had not stayed to dine with Divine Doctor An.

Insisting steadfastly, ”We must not delay Jiu Si’s matters!”

Such dedication deserved to be remembered by the Hall Master for life!

And the guards, having witnessed it, also engraved it in their hearts, dare not forget it for a moment.

Doctor Bai’s inner thighs had been rubbed raw, staining his trouser legs red with fresh blood from riding, and due to prolonged exposure and harsh weather, his age and weakened body had succumbed to a chill.

Doctor Bai was now in the throes of a high fever.

But even so, he persisted, struggling through illness just as the well-trained guards did, completing the entire journey.

He even managed to arrive half a day early.

One could say Doctor Bai persevered purely on willpower, even suggesting he was securing the greatest advantage for his disciple.

Saving Liu Song meant Liu Laoguai owed Chen Jie a favor—which had to be repaid by helping Jiu Si, his own disciple.

Now old and less useful, there wasn’t much he could do to help his disciple, so he risked everything this time just for his disciple’s need.

”Cough, cough, what’s ahead, Chen Shu?”

Doctor Bai inquired of Chen Shu, who was the leader of the Twelve Guards. Xiao Hu was part of a different unit, not among the Guards.

Chen Jie had personally named each of the Twelve Guards, arranged in the order of the Chinese zodiac: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit...

Upon asked, Chen Shu replied, ”Ahead is Thirty Mile Inn, followed by Twenty Mile Inn, then Yang Family Town. After that, it’s our Xiantao Village, and then we can enter the city.”

Doctor Bai asked, ”How much further is it roughly?”

Chen Shu answered, ”It should be less than fifty miles!”

Hearing this, Doctor Bai nodded and said, ”Well then, let’s ask everyone to push on a bit harder. Let’s try to reach the city before the rain starts.”

Upon hearing these words, Chen Shu said, ”Master Bai, your health...”

”Cough, cough, it’s nothing; a bit of rest will set me right. I’m a doctor, I understand my own body.”

Hearing this, Chen Shu responded, ”If that’s the case, then we shall impose upon Master Bai further.”

Bai Wenjing said, ”Hehe, don’t worry, cough, cough, cough... Let’s go.”

With that, the group quickened their pace forward.

...

Outside Mianshui City, a horse galloped madly toward Yang Family Town—it was none other than Chen Jiusi.

Chen Jiusi had not delayed leaving the city by choice but by necessity, for Nan Batian had people watching him all day. Leaving the city early would have only alarmed them, which could have led them to change their plans or act prematurely, leaving Chen Jiusi no opportunity.

Therefore, he waited until nightfall when there was no more time for them to change their plans.

Only then did Chen Jie set his own plan in motion and leave the city to rescue them.

Moreover, according to his plan, departing from Mianshui County and arriving at Yang Family Town would time perfectly, preventing any mishaps.

All he needed was to safely retrieve his Master.

With that thought, Chen Jie vigorously spurred the prized horse beneath him, borrowed from Liu Laoguai, named Heilong—a magnificent steed.

It was originally prepared for Liu Song, but after the incident, the horse remained with Guild Cao. It fortuitously came to Chen Jie who was in need of one.

This Black Dragon was indeed swift; while not as fast as lightning, it was much quicker than Chen Jie’s other horses.

The only drawback was the cost of maintaining such a prized horse, which was too expensive for ordinary households.

This breed required the finest feed, which included soybeans.

In this era, soybeans were exceedingly precious, and common families could hardly afford them. Even in future centuries in China, soybeans would need to be imported.

In this era, the general yield per mu was fifty to sixty catties.

These soybeans were used for making tofu, soy paste, and soy sauce, serving too many purposes, which kept the prices high.

Such a prized horse needed at least five catties of soybeans a day, along with other top-quality feed, truly an expensive luxury.