At this point, forget about the talisman, even Zhu Yu couldn’t help but feel a little curious. She wondered why those people had been following them along the way without doing anything.

She knew these people definitely didn’t have good intentions. They were definitely planning to make a move on them; they were just waiting for the right opportunity. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

This was also what intrigued her.

A remote little town the previous day, a shabby little inn, a moonless and windy night, all these together seemed like the perfect opportunity to strike in the dark.

Yet they surprisingly stayed put...

Could it be that those people guessed they would be on guard, so they wanted to wait until they couldn’t hold their vigilance any longer, then launch a surprise attack?

This doubt did not trouble Zhu Yu for too long. They continued traveling toward Lan Country for another two days. The surroundings gradually changed from vast open plains to rolling hills and mountains. The large farmlands gave way to dense forests.

The talisman has always been very vigilant, adjusting the pace of travel, determined to spend each night in an inn in town, never staying in the wilderness.

And those who followed them in the shadows were equally patient, never recklessly coming too close.

Finally, after traveling for another half a day, while they were taking a short rest in an open area, the talisman brought a water bag over to Lu Qing and Zhu Yu.

"Sir, Second Sir, those people... seem to have stopped." While pouring water for them, he whispered to them.

"What’s ahead?" Lu Qing asked.

"Ahead, I remember there’s a manor, the residents of which are not many, sparsely populated, and the area is not very peaceful. In the past, mountain bandits roamed the surrounding mountains. The court once sent people to exterminate the bandits, but without much success. It seems there hasn’t been any news of bandit activity since." The talisman replied.

Zhu Yu thoughtfully looked at Lu Qing. Lu Qing passed her the water and then instructed the talisman, "Let’s go check out that manor and see why those people stopped but are not making a move."

After resting briefly, the four of them headed towards the manor and arrived in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.

Zhu Yu, having heard the talisman’s words earlier, thought the place might be somewhat desolate and dilapidated. But upon arriving at the manor, she was surprised.

This was hardly a sparsely populated manor; it seemed even more bustling and prosperous than the small town they had stayed in before.

Even in places close to the Capital, Zhu Yu had never seen a manor this lively.

It was just a manor, yet their carriage passed by butcher shops, blacksmiths, small taverns, and cloth shops—all were readily available.

There were quite a few people coming and going on the road, and they rarely saw old people or small children, and even women were almost non-existent.

As they passed by, many stopped to watch the carriage move along, without surprise or curiosity, nor any wariness of strangers entering the manor, just unabashed scrutiny and observation.

Even though Zhu Yu wore men’s clothing for convenience when traveling, when she pushed open the window to look out, the staring eyes made her feel a bit uneasy.

A manor with no old men, no old women, no women, and no children, yet had taverns and eateries during broad daylight; grown men loitered idly around...

Zhu Yu looked beyond those scrutinizing them, further away.

In the distance were fields interspersed between houses and courtyards.

The Double Ninth Festival just passed; outside the Capital, the crops in the fields were still not fully harvested. Along the way, when passing fields, one could always see farmers busy at work.

But nothing was in these fields except for some wild grasses.

No elders, no children, no crops, no seedlings... This couldn’t possibly be a manor!

Zhu Yu glanced at houses and courtyards that looked no different from ordinary farmhouses, now turned into taverns and eateries, and felt a vague suspicion—the mountain bandits who previously ran havoc outside probably weren’t wiped out, but instead found a new, less noticeable "camp."

As for the original, lesser number of residents on this manor... Zhu Yu didn’t dare guess any further.

She hoped her suspicion was wrong, but the greedy eyes cast upon them, like wolves eyeing a fat piece of meat, made it hard for her to dismiss her own guess.

The talisman deliberately had the carriage move at an unhurried pace. Zhu Yu pulled the window curtain back slightly, leaving a small gap to look out, even if only parts of the scene.

Soon she noticed that those people in the manor, despite dressing as farmers, each had a knife at their waist.

By this point, Zhu Yu had thoroughly figured it out.

First, it was confirmed that the manor had been occupied by mountain bandits, turning into a thieves’ den disguised as a manor.

Secondly, those who had been following them all the way and then suddenly stopped outside the manor likely had the idea of using another’s knife to kill. They wanted the mountain bandits to do the killing.

Or, they would take an opportunity to sneak in later, attack the four of them, kill them, and then blame it on the mountain bandits.

After all, the demoted Prince Xiaoyao, Lu Qing, bringing his wife and attendants, if killed in such a desolate place, it would clearly be an intentional act when the news reached the Capital. Who knows if Emperor Jin would inquire into it?

But if Lu Qing and his people were said to have wandered off and unfortunately stumbled into a bandit lair, robbed and killed, it wouldn’t be something worthy of deep investigation.

"What should we do?" Having figured it out, Zhu Yu was silent for a moment before asking Lu Qing.

Lu Qing smiled, "I think you can guess what I want to do."

Zhu Yu raised an eyebrow and smiled, pulling the curtain in front and said to the talisman, "Find an inn, let’s settle down!

I think you’re getting rusty, being cooped up for so long; maybe today you’ll have a chance to stretch."

The talisman immediately looked delighted, nodding quickly, "Alright, Second Sir, I just saw a place with an inn’s flag from afar and was just about to ask you and Sir about it.

Now that you’ve spoken, let’s go lodge there!"