Chapter 62 Tread the snow for traces Ⅱ

　　Unable to find what she was looking for and with the evening chill setting in, He Muxian took shelter in a random household of a small trader.

　　The next morning, she ate dry food on the road while walking. By noon, she arrived at a tiny village. So small was the village that it only had five households, and the locals called it five Village. All the residents were hunters.

　　She stopped at one of the houses to ask for hot water and a meal. While chatting with the locals, she inquired about anyone who might have resembled Zhou Ge passing through.

　　The hunter spoke candidly, saying they had not seen anyone like that.

　　After resting for a while, she prepared to continue her journey. Suddenly, a group emerged from the yard of the neighboring house.

　　The two houses were not far apart, about five hundred meters.

　　As the group approached her, she could see their true faces.

　　Four horses rode by, and on each horse sat a woman. All of them had clear and delicate features. They wore similar clothes, which seemed familiar to her. They had light ribbons wrapped around their arms, fur-lined cloaks, and feather-patterned belts. Each held a short sword.

　　The four women seemed to be wandering aimlessly.

　　He Muxian racked her brain, and finally, she remembered something.

　　She thought, "Aren't these the Yu Wu Dancers from Zhuanyou Mountain? Why are they not staying on the mountain but wandering here?"

　　She guessed that someone had probably paid them to serve.

　　But then she thought again and realized it didn't quite make sense. In her memory, Zhuanyou Mountain was about a fifteen-day journey from here. It was rare for them to travel such a long distance for business.

　　She decided to ignore the Yu Wu Dancers and let them pass.

　　She remounted her horse and continued her search for Zhou Ge.

　　Within four hours, she encountered another group of Yu Wu Dancers, also four in number. Then, to her surprise, she saw a third group, but this one had five girls. Among them, a particularly beautiful one walked in the center.

　　At the end of the group, someone was driving a carriage, which was covered so tightly that its contents were invisible.

　　Curious, He Muxian approached and asked, "Excuse me, ladies, where are you headed?"

　　As someone spoke to them, the women on the horses stopped their mounts one after another. They all looked at her and whispered to each other for a moment. They came to the conclusion that, despite her formal attire, she might be a colleague from somewhere else, or she wouldn't have approached them.

　　The woman in the front rode up to her and spoke in a gentle voice, "Sister, we're heading to Shaowen Tianshun. Would you like to join us and see what it's like?"

　　He Muxian felt displeased. She thought, "Really, anyone can mistake me for one of you? How did you even come to that conclusion?"

　　Upon hearing that they were going to Tianshun, she understood. There were plenty of lecherous men there, including Yu Pingnian. And there were also high-ranking officials, perhaps some of them had a whim to indulge.

　　"I see. Thank you for the information."

　　"Won't you join us?"

　　"I still have to look for someone."

　　"You're still searching? Sister, you must be tired." With that, she threw her two small pieces of guopigao.

　　Without further conversation, He Muxian continued her journey, eating the guopigao as she rode.

　　As the sky gradually darkened, He Muxian led her horse towards a house with a lighted lantern.

　　As she walked, a sobbing sound caught her ear. Following the sound, she found an old man sitting on the ground, weeping.

　　Assuming he had encountered some difficulties, she tossed a few copper coins as she passed by.

　　Upon seeing the money, the old man cried louder, saying, "I'll never have the chance to spend it. It's useless to me. I'm still going to die..." And he threatened to hang himself.

　　He Muxian knew he wouldn't really do it. If he truly wanted to hang himself, he would have already done so.

　　With the intention of offering help, she asked, "Uncle, what's the matter? Why are you so upset?"

　　"It's my daughter-in-law. She's not a good person..."

　　"What happened?"

　　As she inquired, the old man began to sob and tell his story.

　　His surname was Han, and he was fifty-seven years old. He was a humble farmer. His wife had passed away due to illness, and he had only one son named Han Bao, nineteen years old. He considered Han Bao a late-life blessing.

　　Han Lao Han had been raising his son alone and had been eager to find a suitable wife for him. However, with nearby women either married or too young, he had been unable to find the right match.

　　Three months ago, his son had unexpectedly brought home a woman named Feng, eighteen years old, whose age matched his son's. At first, seeing the young couple deeply in love, the old man had been very satisfied.

　　But after living together for over a month, he discovered that his daughter-in-law was not as upright as he had thought. She always had a grudge against him and was constantly scheming to evict him from his own home.

　　Han Bao was deeply dissatisfied with this and had frequently argued with her.

　　When her husband was at home, Feng behaved obediently. But whenever he left for work, the old man struggled even to get a meal.

　　Over time, the thought of hanging himself had become a constant torment for Han Lao Han.

　　Perhaps the pain of the rope was too much, or perhaps he lacked the courage, but he could never quite bring himself to make the decision.

　　Upon hearing his story, He Muxian said, "I have an idea. If you follow my advice, your daughter-in-law will surely become filial towards you."

　　"Really?"

　　"Just tell her that you have gold and silver, but they can only have it after you die."

　　Han Lao Han wiped away his tears and straightened his clothes.

　　"Oh, Heroine, that's a brilliant idea! There's no place for you to stay in this desolate area. Why don't you come to my house for a cup of hot tea?"

　　He Muxian thought it was a good idea and followed the old man to his house.

　　Han Lao Han's home was not too poor. It consisted of three small courtyards - one in front, one in the back, and one on the side. Each courtyard had a row of small rooms, making it slightly better than the average farmer's home.

　　Knocking on the door ring, he called out, "Open the door! Open the door!"

　　Soon, a voice came from inside, and with a "creak," the door opened, revealing Han Bao.

　　"Dad, you're finally back. She... she's..."

　　"This is a passing heroine who has come to stay the night. Quickly, tell your wife to prepare a room and some food and drink."

　　"Food and drink... and an empty room?"

　　"What are you hesitating about? Don't you think she'll pay?"

　　"Yes, yes... Please, heroine, come in."

　　He Muxian found the situation amusing and didn't say much. She entered the side courtyard, tied her horse to a post, and made her way to an empty room.

　　The space was small but neatly kept. There was a stone-lined charcoal fire pit in the vestibule, perfect for warming up.

　　Not long after, Feng brought in a meal, tea, and helped lay out the bedding. She wasn't stingy and gave her two silver coins. Delighted, Feng returned to the back courtyard.

　　He Muxian settled in the side courtyard, ignoring whatever chatter ensued.

　　About four hours later, as she was sleeping soundly on the bed, suddenly there was a knock at the gate.

　　"Open the door! Open up!"

　　Han Lao Han hurriedly opened the gate, stepping out.

　　Outside stood four burly men, all armed with knives and swords. Two of them held torches, while a man who seemed to be the leader stood in front.

　　The leader didn't mince words: "Are you Han Lao Han?"

　　"Yes... Who are you looking for?"

　　The leader held up a portrait: "Have you seen these people?"

　　With the torchlight, Han Lao Han examined the portrait, which showed a man and a woman. He didn't recognize the man, but the woman looked eerily similar to the heroine he had encountered tonight.

　　"Ah... Who are they?"

　　"Wanted fugitives."

　　"And you are...?"

　　"We're police officers hunting fugitives. Have you seen these two people in the portrait?"

　　"He... He..."

　　"What about him? Anyone who provides useful information can receive a reward of five silver coins!"

　　"Really?"

　　"What are you babbling about? Have you seen them or not? You're stuttering, you must be hiding fugitives. Brothers, search the house!"

　　Overhearing the commotion, He Muxian hopped onto the courtyard wall to observe. Under the torchlight, she saw the portrait of a man and a woman. The woman was undoubtedly herself, and the man looked strikingly similar to Zhou Ge.

　　She thought to herself with a sinking heart, "How did I get wanted so quickly?"