The carriage was lined with thick mattresses, and the charcoal in the brazier glowed a fiery red. Song Anhao lay buried deep within the quilts, fast asleep.
The snow on the road, nearly half an inch deep, slowed the carriage's progress. As they passed through the Fourth Mountain and neared their intended resting point, another carriage appeared ahead, sending sprays of slush and snow flying toward the roadside.
The Yan family's driver gritted his teeth, forcing his frozen hands and face to keep moving as he incessantly snapped the reins.
Yan Fengnian sat inside the cozy, warm carriage. Every time the speed dropped even slightly, he would begin to urge the driver on.
"Faster! We must enter the city before dawn."
The verdict had come down yesterday. Any later, and his son would be hauled away.
Shivering with cold, the driver failed to notice the carriage approaching from the opposite direction in the distance. Song Jinzhao slowed down, but seeing that the other party was actually accelerating, she decisively pulled her carriage to the side of the road and stopped.
Song Gaoli, following behind, couldn't see what was ahead. Seeing Song Jinzhao stop, he followed suit and pulled over.
The official road was just wide enough for two carriages to pass side-by-side. The Yan family carriage was driving right down the middle of the road. Once the driver noticed the carriage parked at the side, he frantically pulled the reins to slow down and veer away.
However, the snowy ground was slick, and they were going much too fast. The horses couldn't find their footing and skidded straight toward Song Jinzhao and her group.
The driver waved his arms and screamed, "Get out of the way!"
Hearing the commotion, Song Gaoli craned his neck to look forward. When he saw the out-of-control carriage barreling toward them, his expression shifted instantly.
He twisted his wrists, rapidly turning his carriage's direction, and shouted at the top of his lungs to Song Jinzhao, "Sister Jinzhao, run! They’re going to hit us!"
At such a high speed, the carriage would surely be smashed to pieces upon impact.
Song Jinzhao gripped her Lingyun Spear and stood up on the carriage frame. The cold wind whipped at the rabbit-fur hat on her head, and the stray black hairs blowing across her brow felt icy cold.
"It’s too late."
There were mountains on both sides of the road; there was nowhere to hide.
Turning the horse around wouldn't give them enough time to pick up speed and dodge, so she decided to force the other carriage to a halt instead.
The freezing wind blew the carriage curtain open, and the warmth inside vanished in an instant. Song Shixue pulled Song Anhao close, preparing to jump out at a moment's notice.
The other driver used every ounce of his strength, but seeing that he still couldn't pull the horses back, despair began to take hold.
Inside the carriage, Yan Fengnian was being tossed about. He gripped the bench beneath him and roared, "You useless waste! Stop the horses now!"
The driver bit his lip, his throat tight as he verged on tears.
Hurry, hurry, hurry—all he knew was how to hurry. Well, look at them now. They were about to hurry themselves right into the grave.
Song Jinzhao thrust the tip of her spear into the snow and used the momentum to vault several meters through the air, landing squarely on the back of the lead horse.
She grabbed the leather harness with her right hand and pulled back with all the power in her arm.
The horse’s front hooves reared up into the air, reaching an almost vertical angle.
The Lingyun Spear carved a twenty-centimeter-deep furrow into the ground as Song Jinzhao used the strength in her legs to force the horse to a dead stop.
The carriage behind them, propelled by its own momentum, slammed into the stone cliff with a thunderous crash, splitting right down the middle.
Yan Fengnian was thrown out, but Song Jinzhao caught him with the shaft of her spear.
After the driver was set down by his collar, his legs gave way, and he collapsed onto the ground, gasping for air in sheer terror.
"Driving so fast in a snowstorm without looking at the road... are you in such a hurry to meet your—" Catching sight of Yan Fengnian's face, Song Jinzhao abruptly pulled back her spear.
Yan Fengnian, who hadn't quite landed yet, fell flat on his face in the snow.
Qingshuang had previously found someone to draw a portrait of Yan Baoyi's father and had shown it to Song Jinzhao. This man was none other than Yan Fengnian, Yan Baoyi’s father.
It truly was a small world for enemies.
There was no convoy of cloth being escorted behind them, so it seemed he had learned of his son being thrown into prison and was rushing back to save his life.
Since he was here, the Yan family's cargo convoy shouldn't be far off—perhaps they were in Nankou Town.
The task she had previously instructed Qingshuang to handle could now be dealt with by her own hand.
His backside aching from the fall, Yan Fengnian stood up and pointed an accusing finger at Song Jinzhao. "You girl! Not only did you wreck my carriage, but you nearly killed me! Are you trying to take my life?"
Song Jinzhao pulled the corners of her mouth down and said coldly, "You’re too heavy; I couldn't hold you up." If she could take his life, she certainly would; it would be better than letting him come back for revenge later.
"You were driving too fast and weren't watching the road. You were distracted and nearly hit my carriage. I haven't even settled the score with you, and I saved your life to boot. Instead of being grateful, you turn around and bite the hand that feeds you. You're just like the dog that bit Lu Dongbin—totally incapable of recognizing a person’s good intentions. You deserved that fall."
Yan Fengnian was left speechless by Song Jinzhao’s retort. He could only glare hatefully at his driver. "Useless thing! You can't even drive a carriage properly. When we get back, I’m selling you off!"
The driver knelt in the snow, kowtowing repeatedly. The slush made his head wet and filthy.
"Please, Master, have mercy! It was my fault, I’ll never do it again!"
Song Jinzhao had no interest in dealing with the master and servant. She turned back to her carriage, preparing to drive away.
She had to reach Nankou Town before dark to see if their goods were there.
Song Gaoli, having turned his horse around, quickly followed.
Seeing them about to leave, Yan Fengnian stepped out to block Song Jinzhao’s carriage.
He pulled a banknote from his robe and commanded haughtily, "Here is a hundred taels. I’m buying your carriage. My horse is yours."
Song Jinzhao looked straight ahead, completely indifferent.
"Not selling."
He was just like Yan Baoyi, with his eyes on the top of his head. Let him ride his horse back through the freezing night wind then.
Yan Fengnian gritted his teeth and pulled out another hundred taels. "If you won't sell, someone else will."
He thrust the two hundred taels worth of banknotes in front of Song Gaoli. "Two hundred taels. Sell me your carriage."
Song Gaoli’s mouth twitched awkwardly as he pointed ahead. "I’m just the driver. The carriage isn't mine."
Song Qiming pulled back the curtain and said expressionlessly, "Don't talk about two hundred taels. If you upset my sister, we wouldn't sell it for twenty thousand."
Watching the back of the carriage disappear heartlessly into the distance, Yan Fengnian closed his eyes in frustration, the two banknotes in his hand feeling light and useless.
The driver asked in a small voice, "Master... should we go back to Nankou Town to find another carriage before continuing?"
Yan Fengnian kicked him. "How much time would we waste going back and forth? Take off your padded coat and give it to me. You’ll ride the horse and carry me."
The driver’s face went deathly pale. Riding a horse was cold enough as it was, and now his coat was being taken? Was he meant to freeze to death?
