Time Travel: The Best Doctor in Ancient Times

Chapter 661: Chapter 505: The Difficult Mountain Road from the Camp

Upon hearing this, Gu Changsheng couldn’t help but smile, ”Don’t flatter me so much; aren’t you afraid you’ll blow your Lady Changsheng away with your exaggerated praise?”

”Every word Yuan Bao says is true! Pure gold, without a drop of water added! Lady Changsheng, you really do have the aura of a great general!” Yuan Bao replied immediately upon hearing this.

Gu Changsheng smiled, shaking her head and continuing to walk forward, ”If it weren’t for my swollen ankle, I would have let you blow me away by now. We haven’t arrived at the Southern Border yet, and we’re not going to fight a war on our way to Jinchuan City, so where does this aura of a great general come from?”

Gu Changsheng looked up at the vast starry sky and spoke hesitantly, ”The best strategy is to defeat the enemy without fighting; our purpose this time is to negotiate passage. It would be best to avoid battle, after all, this is Lord Tan Nv’s homeland, and I don’t want to turn it into a river of blood with endless casualties!”

She owed Lord Tan Nv too many favors, and she had no way to repay them!

On her way to Jinchuan City, she only wished to negotiate, regardless of the cost; she hoped to peacefully obtain passage through the Land of Bashu!

”My lady, Lord Tan Nv is certain to wake up, so don’t worry!” Yuan Bao hastened to reassure her upon hearing her words.

He knew Lady Changsheng was always concerned about the people in Liuzhou City!

”Yes, she will definitely wake up. No matter what, I will awaken her from her eternal slumber!” Gu Changsheng said firmly, looking towards the dark night sky to the southwest and waving Yuan Bao over, ”Go prepare some raincoats.”

”Raincoats?” Yuan Bao was startled by her words, ”With the stars hanging high, it will surely be clear skies tomorrow. What do we need raincoats for?”

Gu Changsheng immediately laughed upon hearing this, ”Yuan Bao, you really have been pampered at home by your master. The Sichuan Road is hard, harder than ascending to heaven; The Sichuan Road is high, where one can pierce the clouds with only a hand. With cliffs thousands of feet high, this mountainous area has frequent rain and clouds, which you wouldn’t see in Jiangnan. Listen to me and go prepare the raincoats!”

Yuan Bao touched his nose awkwardly and responded.

Was he being looked down upon by Lady Changsheng? Was she mocking him for his lack of experience?

Well, indeed, he rarely followed his master to battle and mostly stayed in Liuzhou. It now seemed he had been overprotected,

The next morning, Gu Changsheng was woken up by Zhou Mu. Having to bleed frequently along the way, her lips inevitably looked a bit pale and dull.

A kiss, unexpectedly bestowed.

Gu Changsheng instinctively felt the warmth on her lips, the warm and familiar breath filling her nostrils.

This was a kiss without any romantic connotations, full of tenderness and deep affection!

”Don’t worry, evildoer. You’ll recover in a few days!” As soon as she steadied her breathing, Gu Changsheng hastily spoke.

She could see the deep concern in his tightly furrowed brows and profound eyes.

His strong, slender arms wrapped around her back, carefully helping her to sit up as if handling a fragile treasure, ”Sit up slowly!”

His cold admonition revealed that he was not in a good mood.

The loss of blood along the way, combined with the non-stop travel by night, meant that despite many blood-restoration medicines she took, Gu Changsheng couldn’t avoid showing signs of anemia.

Rising too quickly in the morning occasionally caused dizziness.

”Don’t worry, I’m fine!” Gu Changsheng, holding onto his hand to get up, looked at him as he carefully dressed her, a touch of warmth flashing in her eyes.

”The Sichuan Road is thousands of feet high, with many rainy days. Wear more clothes to avoid catching a cold!” Zhou Mu, after putting on a garment for her, picked up another and, after a thought, packed it into a nearby bag, ”I will hold onto it for you. We can add more clothes when it rains.”

”Alright!” Gu Changsheng nodded.

This man, this man seemed cold, but was always warming her heart with his actions in subtle ways!

Fortunately, she had already dispensed her blood to everyone in the entourage, so there was no longer a need for bloodletting.

She had timed it just right; in a few days, she would be able to recover.

After a simple breakfast, she saw that the Eight Hundred Dark Night Army was well-trained and needed no detailed instructions from her.

Having packed up everything, the two of them prepared to set off on the Sichuan Road!

”My lord and lady, please be careful on your journey!” Yhan Ting, along with a few commanders, looked at the departing pair with concern and spoke.

”Rest assured!” Gu Changsheng waved her hand, took the reins handed over by Zhou Mu, waved again, and mounted her horse.

Beyond the difficult path lay towering mountains!

Once they reached the foot of the mountain, they had to switch from riding to leading their horses slowly.

The mountain path meandered, with countless twists and turns. The land of Bashu, capable of being its own country, largely relied on such natural barriers!

Not far behind, heavy breathing could be heard faintly, trailing from afar, not too far but not too close either.

Gu Changsheng and Zhou Mu exchanged glances, amusement twinkling in their eyes.

With such heavy breathing and the clear sound of footsteps on the path, Gu Changsheng could turn around and still see the fat man trying to hide, leading a horse along the winding mountain road!

With such a large figure, such an obvious target, how self-assured must he be to think that neither she nor Zhou Mu would notice him?

”Yuan Bao, come catch up!” The further they went, the narrower the mountain path became, and it was impossible for people and horses to walk side by side. Gu Changsheng was worried Yuan Bao might lose his footing.

”Ah! Lady Changsheng, wait! This turn is a bit tight; let me suck in my stomach to squeeze through!” Stuck at a bend in the path, Yuan Bao waved his hand from afar and responded.

Gu Changsheng saw this and his face lightened with an even broader smile.

Yuan Bao, with a waist that was wider than that of the fine steed—such... such perfect roundness and smoothness indeed!

”Amitabha! Eunuch Yuan Bao, I told you not to eat so much dry food on the road!” Little Monk Bu Jie sat on the horse, a picture of benevolence with his kind eyes, though there was a hint of teasing in his gaze.

Now look, even passing a mountain road has become so difficult!

”You, Little Monk, have it easy since you’re not the one carrying the burden. With such a high mountain and such a distant journey, how could I get the energy to travel if I don’t eat my fill!” Yuan Bao retorted upon hearing him, instantly casting an envious and resentful look at the carefree Little Monk Bu Jie mounted on the horse. In haste and pride, he took a deep breath, and to everyone’s surprise, his well-rounded body somehow squeezed through the narrow mountain trail.

”Oh, my Heavenly Father, I’ve finally made it!” Yuan Bao massaged his belly and spoke with a face full of relief, pulling on the reins as the precious horse carrying Little Monk Bu Jie made its way along the winding mountain pathway...

Made its way... without any hindrances!

Yuan Bao witnessed this and felt deeply wounded on the inside!

The look in his eyes towards the horse’s belly was filled with blatant envy and resentment!

He! He had more trouble passing a mountain road than a horse! Really, when comparing people to horses, it’s clear who should be thrown away!

Gu Changsheng and Zhou Mu led their horses up the upper part of the mountain path, watching the scene with amusement and shaking their heads.

This Yuan Bao!

”My lord, Lady Changsheng...” Yuan Bao, leading his horse, arrived and stood behind them with his head bowed, his face awash with shame.

”Didn’t I tell you to stay at the camp? How did you sneak along?” Gu Changsheng looked at Yuan Bao with a smile and asked, ”And how come you brought Little Monk Bu Jie with you?”

Yuan Bao immediately raised his head, ”Lady Changsheng, didn’t you say that I was ignorant and had little experience? I simply had to follow and broaden my horizons!”

With that, Yuan Bao pointed at Little Monk Bu Jie and proudly said, ”And him! The Little Monk is really something. He’s a treasure for attracting fortune and warding off evil. Wherever my lord and lady go, he should be by your side. It was I who especially brought him here!”

And, incidentally, I followed along!

”Ridiculous!” Zhou Mu gave Yuan Bao a stern look and spoke in a deep voice.

Although Yuan Bao’s kung fu was not bad, his simplicity made him a liability. The journey to Jinchuan City was fraught with danger, and Zhou Mu did not want Yuan Bao to risk his life alongside him!

”Alright, since he’s here now, sending him back would only cause us worry. Let’s not delay any further. Follow and don’t hinder our progress!” Gu Changsheng reassured Zhou Mu with a glance and a smile, signaling him to continue onward.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Bao’s face broke into a wide smile.

Finally, he was allowed to follow! Seems like being relentlessly persistent and presenting a fait accompli really worked!

”Lady Changsheng, having Yuan Bao with you is definitely the right choice! I’m big and sturdy, so if anything happens, I can at least take a bullet or shield an arrow!”

Zhou Mu leading the way, Gu Changsheng in the middle, and Yuan Bao with Little Monk Bu Jie on horseback bringing up the rear, the group of four with three horses slowly made their way up the carved mountain path. Along the way, Yuan Bao’s mouth never stopped chattering.

”Well, I suppose I’ve finally found one advantage of being fat!” Gu Changsheng responded from up ahead, ”If we do run into any trouble, you’ll have to remember to shield me with your body.”

Yuan Bao as a shield? Come on, stop kidding.

Were she and Zhou Mu really that vulnerable?

Yuan Bao laughed upon hearing the comment, trotting along eagerly, ”Lady Changsheng, how on earth was this mountain path carved out? It’s so narrow, with cliffs on both sides. What an enormous effort this must have taken!”

Gu Changsheng looked up at the cloudy peaks of the mountain path and couldn’t help but muse, ”The creator works wonders beyond mortal crafting, and the feats of humans are truly astonishing!”

The Sichuan Road—every part of it seemed impossible, yet somebody managed to accomplish it!

In an era without explosives, the Sichuan Road embodied the sweat and blood of countless people. Gu Changsheng could hardly imagine it!

”Lady Changsheng, I feel like I could lose a couple of pounds just walking this path!”

”Ah! Lady Changsheng, look at that pine tree, it’s actually hanging upside down on the cliff!”

”Lady Changsheng, I brought lots and lots of dry food. Would you and my lord like some?”

Chatting away nonstop, Yuan Bao never paused for a moment. What a waste of saliva! Gu Changsheng watched him talking while munching on a crisp cake, and couldn’t help but feel embarrassed, ”Yuan Bao, I finally understand why you need to eat so much. Without a decent meal, I fear you wouldn’t have the energy to power the mechanical movement of that pair of jaws!”

”Err...” Yuan Bao became visibly awkward at the comment, quickly putting away the food in his hands.

Well then, he had been teased by Lady Changsheng again!

Halfway up the mountain, the weather suddenly changed, and a light rain began to fall, with the temperature dropping as well.

”The fragrance of March in the mortal world fades, and the peach blossoms in the mountain temple begin to bloom!” As Gu Changsheng put on the clothes handed to her by Zhou Mu and donned a raincoat, she remarked.

In truth, with her inner strength, even without extra clothing, she wouldn’t catch a cold. But Zhou Mu was so considerate that she couldn’t refuse!

After all, using inner strength to ward off the chill is not a sustainable solution.

”A hundred feet more and we’ll reach the suspension bridge and plank road. It’s guarded by Bashu experts. Everyone, be careful!” Zhou Mu spoke gravely.