Chapter 63 Tread the snow for traces Ⅲ

　　Within a month of leaving Beici County, He Muxian found herself seeing her own wanted poster in Yue territory. It was odd that the Five Uncle had not even returned to Tianshun County, let alone issued a warrant. There were definitely hidden reasons and intrigues at play.

　　Seeing Zhou Ge's wanted poster was expected, but seeing her own was beyond comprehension. She briefly pondered the matter and concluded that it must have been Qing Hu's doing. No one else had a grudge against her, and no one else hated Zhou Ge as much as he did.

　　She leaped to the ground, sword in hand, and intercepted the police officers who were about to barge into the courtyard.

　　"The person you're looking for is here!"

　　The leader saw her and carefully compared her with the portrait, confirming that it was indeed her. He retreated several steps in fright, exclaiming, "You... You... You're He Muxian?"

　　"Yes, I am. My name is unchanged and my seat unmoved!"

　　"Oh my goodness! Guys, we're screwed. Let's run!"

　　The men who had pretended to be police officers had originally intended to extort something or gain some benefit by arresting the fugitives. But they never expected to encounter the person in the portrait herself. All five of them knew their limitations and understood that engaging in a fight with the daughter of the governor of Beici County in Shaowen would be tantamount to suicide. They dared not stay any longer and ran away as fast as their legs could carry them, cursing themselves for not having four legs and wishing their parents had given them an extra pair.

　　He Muxian found the situation amusing and couldn't help but laugh even harder when she picked up the wanted poster. The document in her hand was clearly fake and not issued by the left National Master's Mansion.

　　Just as she was about to turn and head back, Han Lao Han, trembling in fear, asked in a shaky voice, "Heroine... Are you really a fugitive?"

　　"It's fake."

　　"No way, it looks so much like you..."

　　"I said the wanted poster is fake. Do you understand?"

　　"No, I don't believe it. Let me see it."

　　She handed the document to Han Lao Han, and the old man's face paled with shock after reading it.

　　"There's a gourd mark on it. It must be issued by Master Gou. You... You... The document is fake? Heroine, I can't keep you here any longer..."

　　He Muxian took the document again and indeed saw a gourd mark drawn on it.

　　"Who is Master Gou?"

　　"Gou Shouting, the leader of Goujia Town. The nearby dozen or so towns all rely on him. Heroine, my place is too small to accommodate you. Please leave..."

　　After inquiring about Gou Shouting, who had issued the fake warrant, He Muxian deemed it necessary to make a trip to Goujia Town.

　　"Where is Goujia Town?"

　　"To the northeast. Heroine, please go quickly. I beg you to leave."

　　"Alright, I won't make it difficult for you." After saying that, she headed to the side courtyard, packed her things, and rode away on her horse.

　　In Yue, winters are particularly cold. During the day, it's tolerable, but at night, the north wind hits like a whip, stinging like branches.

　　He Muxian, a noblewoman of high status, found herself stranded in this bitter cold, struggling to adapt. After walking for over two hours, she found it increasingly unbearable.

　　Suddenly, she saw sparks flickering and smoke rising from a nearby cave entrance. Excited, she quickly led her horse inside, tying it up, and ventured into the cave without saying a word.

　　Inside, a gust of wind suddenly blew, and two objects flew towards her. She quickly drew her sword and deflected them, realizing they were clay darts.

　　A voice rang out from within the cave, "Who's there?"

　　"A passerby seeking shelter," she replied.

　　The voice recognized her, "Are you Miss He, the daughter of the governor of Beici County?"

　　"Yes, it's me. Kind sir, please show yourself," she said, cautiously drawing her sword, ready for any confrontation.

　　A moment later, a figure emerged from the cave. "Miss He, do you remember me? I'm Yu Huawen from Yuxu Town."

　　The memory of the fighting tournament came flooding back to her. "So it's you, Mr. Yu. What brings you here?"

　　Yu Huawen politely asked, "Miss He, are you here to apprehend someone?" He then produced a wrinkled wanted poster. "Please, come inside."

　　She noticed that they were the only two people in the cave.

　　"Mr. Yu, how did you come to be here?" she asked again.

　　"I'm heading home. Let's talk inside," he said, leading her into the cave to escape the cold. He relit the fire and briefly recounted his story to dispel her doubts.

　　On that day, he had been defeated in the tournament by Dong Tianzhen and returned to his inn to pack his things. As he was about to leave, he was drawn to the fight between Shen Huan and Dong Tianzhen and stopped to watch. It was then that he heard He Muxian speak, and he recognized her voice today.

　　He was on his way back to Yuxu Town and had found no place to rest, so he decided to stay in the cave overnight. Little did he expect to encounter the daughter of the governor of Beici County.

　　He Muxian inquired, "So, Mr. Yu, you witnessed the entire fight?"

　　"Yes, indeed. Shen Huan fought exceptionally well, deserving of his position as the police leader. And Zhou Ge, I didn't expect him to be so skilled in martial arts. Where did you find such capable men, Miss He?"

　　"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Did you see who injured Wen Yan?"

　　"Wen Yan? Oh, the one with the fan? Yes, I saw it."

　　"Who hurt him?"

　　"Miss He, don't you know? I thought you were going to pursue her to Zhuanyou Mountain."

　　He Muxian's face darkened. "You mean Xia Yue?"

　　"Yes, it was her. Didn't you see? Well, it was chaotic back then, and everyone was fighting their own battles. Who had time to pay attention to her?"

　　"Are you sure, Mr. Yu?" He Muxian gritted her teeth.

　　"Absolutely sure. But don't expect me to testify. None of you families are ones to mess with, and even if we could, we wouldn't want to."

　　At this point, it was clear as day. He Muxian felt a surge of anger. She thought, Qing Hu, how could you harm our family to such an extent? Don't you fear that the Holy Monarch will punish you for being an unfilial descendant?

　　"Thank you for being honest with me," she said.

　　"It's nothing, just telling the truth. It's just sad for Zhou Ge, a good man wrongly accused. left National Master won't let him go easily. Also, why is your portrait on the wanted poster? I wonder if you offended someone and were framed by someone with ulterior motives."

　　"Did anyone else see what happened later?"

　　"Not just me, several other curious individuals saw it too. But who would dare to speak up? They're just like me, not wanting to get involved."

　　"Did you see Zhou Ge?"

　　"No, he was too fast for me to catch up."

　　He Muxian couldn't get any more useful information from him. After some deliberation, she decided to head to Goujia Town first.

　　He Muxian found the matter perplexing. Gou Shouting, the head of Goujia Town, had privately issued a wanted notice for Zhou Ge and himself.

　　There were three reasons for her confusion. First, she had never heard of any contact between Qing Hu and Gou Shouting. Second, Han Laokou referred to the master as "leader" instead of "martial arts", which suggested that he was probably unrelated to the Eighth Holy Family. Third, the wanted notice had been issued too quickly.

　　She continued to inquire about Goujia Town from Yu Huawen, who only knew that it was a large town with forty or fifty households and knew nothing else.

　　After asking all she wanted to know, He Muxian found a clean rock to lean against and rested for the night. She got up early the next morning and rode her horse to Goujia Town.

　　Little did He Muxian know that this decision would bring her more trouble and danger than the Cross Slope and the Martial Arts Tournament for Bride Selection.