The Mute Girl was also stunned.
Back then, she had sneaked out with Princess Muling, and now, after so much time had passed, she never expected crossing the border would require these documents.
"Alright, we didn’t think this through properly. Thank you, officer." Jiu Yue smiled politely before turning back to the Mute Girl with a defeated expression as they returned to the carriage.
[What do we do now?] The Mute Girl was equally at a loss. [It’s my fault—I should’ve asked around beforehand.]
Jiu Yue waved her hand dismissively. "It’s fine. I didn’t expect this either."
Previously, they had only traveled within the borders of Tianqi and had never encountered any checks for travel permits.
The system helpfully reminded her, "This only applies when crossing nations. It’s a setting by the Main System."
Jiu Yue: "...Why didn’t you say so earlier?"
The system: "...You never asked."
An awkward silence fell between them.
After a strange pause, Jiu Yue snapped out of it and unfolded the map again, studying it intently.
There was no other choice—they had already reached the gates of Great Yan. Turning back now just to get a passport was out of the question.
Besides… even if she wanted to return, she wasn’t sure she could! The same requirements applied when entering Tianqi from Great Yan.
So Jiu Yue made up her mind—they would sneak across!
The map had been bought by the Mute Girl from a merchant back in Tianqi, but in Jiu Yue’s hands, it wasn’t just a simple collection of place names and directions.
"Stop shaking. Zoom in a bit more—isn’t there a path over there…?" Jiu Yue communicated telepathically with the system.
The system was converting the map into a real-time, three-dimensional projection in Jiu Yue’s mind.
"Can you see clearly now?" the system asked.
Jiu Yue smiled in satisfaction. "Good work. Let me take a closer look."
The city before them was called Bayu, backed by a mountain called Tiger’s Head. Jiu Yue soon spotted an unmarked trail leading toward it.
An idea struck her. She grinned at the Mute Girl and pointed at a spot on the map. "We’re going this way!"
The Mute Girl stared at the location—there was no marked route—but seeing Jiu Yue’s confident expression, she didn’t object.
So they turned back, moving out of the soldiers’ line of sight before quietly changing direction. After detouring eastward for a while, they indeed found a secluded path.
As dusk fell, it became the perfect time for covert maneuvers.
The Mute Girl had been handling the carriage all this time, and Jiu Yue knew it was out of consideration for her injuries. But after a few days, her wounds had mostly healed, so now Jiu Yue took the reins and urged the Mute Girl to rest inside.
"I’ll take over. We probably won’t find an inn tonight, so go lie down. Try to sleep if you can—if not, at least relax." Jiu Yue took the reins from her.
The Mute Girl watched her movements, reassured when she saw no hesitation.
Jiu Yue guided the horse with one hand, petted the dog with the other, and lit the lantern hanging at the front of the carriage.
The soft glow wasn’t too conspicuous, casting a gentle light along the quiet path.
As she studied the map, Jiu Yue chatted idly with the system.
"The task is to arrange a political marriage—what’s the completion criteria?" A thought occurred to her, and her expression darkened. "Don’t tell me I actually have to bear children???"
"..." The system’s metaphorical mouth twitched. "Don’t worry, the Main System is very considerate! If you really had children here, would you even want to return to the modern world?"
Jiu Yue couldn’t even imagine herself raising children in this place. She grimaced. "I don’t know… but I think for others, it’d probably be a fifty-fifty chance."
Parental bonds weren’t the same as romantic ones.
Here, you could fall in love and break up, marry and divorce—but once you had a child, you’d forever carry the identity of a mother.
"Exactly. The task doesn’t have such requirements," the system said proudly. "From what I know, we just need to successfully arrange the marriage. After that, a detection value will appear, and once it’s met, we can leave!"
Jiu Yue let out a relieved sigh.
"That’s good."
No children, no obligation to grow old with the marriage partner—everything else was trivial!
Jiu Yue sniffed, her spirits lifting with renewed hope for the future.
But then the dog in her lap suddenly barked fiercely, its gaze fixed warily on the woods to the right of the path, a low growl rumbling in its throat.
Jiu Yue patted its head soothingly, smirking. "Quiet now. We’re just passing through—no grudges, no reason for anyone to pick a fight, right?"
No sooner had she spoken than a loud laugh erupted from the trees.
"Hahaha… a mere woman, yet so bold!" The voice belonged to a burly man who now stepped into view, far more intimidating than even Mo Jin. He brandished a cleaver, blocking the road as he pointed at Jiu Yue. "We take money, not lives. Hand over your valuables, and you’re free to go!"
Jiu Yue glanced back at the Mute Girl inside the carriage—she had already dozed off during the bumpy ride.
Deliberately slowing the horse, Jiu Yue leisurely fished out a few silver pieces from her pouch and flicked them toward the bandit.
The coins struck the man’s joints with surprising force before clattering to the ground.
"Still not moving?" Jiu Yue crossed her arms lazily, not even sparing him a glance.
The bandit’s expression shifted—this woman had effortlessly hit his pressure points with pinpoint accuracy. She was far from harmless!
After years in this line of work, he knew when to back off.
Just as he was about to step aside, his companions, hidden in the woods, lost their patience.
"A few scraps of silver? You think we’re beggars?!" Another man stormed out, waving his blade. "Hand over everything you’ve got, or else—"
Jiu Yue arched a brow, amused. "Or else what?"
The man scoffed, looking down his nose at her. "Or else don’t blame us for being ruthless! Go ask around—no one passes this road without paying respects to the Tiger’s Head Gang!"
"Tiger’s Head Gang?" Jiu Yue’s smirk widened as she scanned the two before her, then glanced toward the hidden figures in the woods. She chuckled.
"How far is your hideout?" she asked casually.
"It’s about—" The man nearly answered before catching himself, scowling. "None of your business! Just hand over—mmph!"
The first bandit had heard enough.
Damn this idiot! Couldn’t he see this woman was out of their league?
Dropping his cleaver, the burly man clamped a hand over his companion’s mouth and forced an apologetic grin at Jiu Yue.
"Sorry about that, miss. He’s not right in the head—got a fever as a kid… Our mistake tonight. Here, take this as compensation." He tossed a heavy pouch of silver toward the carriage.
The burly man promptly stepped aside, "Take care, miss. Safe travels."
Jiu Yue weighed the silver in her hand and flashed the man a generous smile.
"Since that's the case, I'll do you a favor too." She waved her hand innocently. "We're all from the same world—just a misunderstanding. Let's forget what happened earlier."
The man felt a surge of relief, as if he'd stumbled upon good fortune.
"Yes, yes! Just a misunderstanding. Let's drop it," he said, nearly sighing in relief.
But then Jiu Yue tossed the silver back to him.
The man froze… Was this some kind of saintly mercy from the underworld? He must have hit the jackpot today!
Just as he was struggling to keep his composure, Jiu Yue added airily, "It's getting late, and I was just worrying about finding an inn… and then you fell right into my lap. Consider this silver our lodging fee. Lead the way, won’t you?"
The man: "…"
Ah… a black-hearted saint, then.
