Officially, Ci Wang was studying hard at the Ginkgo Sanctuary and Aunt Wine prepared food for her as usual that Yan Ping would personally deliver. Any chores were left to the new guardian dolls that Yan Ping was testing. It was the perfect cover, and nobody suspected anything when Gu Ying left for the Celestial Dragon Sect. They had to travel on horseback because it was harder to hide a carriage.
"We are far enough, young mistress. You can undo the invisibility talisman now."
Even if Gu Ying was a skilled rider, Anji was not. She had barely travelled long distances that required transportation, and it was her first ti riding with soone else on a horse. Her brothers and bodyguard made it look so easy. Now, she finally understood why they insisted she travel in the grandest carriage possible. Even her other horse riding experiences were not as rough as this.
"Gu Ying, my bottom hurts!" Anji winced. "Can we ride slower?"
The horse was a gentle mare. Yet, no matter how gentle the animal was, it ran the sa as others did on rough terrain.
"Apologies, young mistress," the Manchurian beauty slowed the mare to a trot. "People would suspect if we did not hurry."
Anji shook her head. It was not Gu Ying’s fault. Her bodyguard was doing as Anji requested. She wanted to return ho as soon as she could. However, she failed to consider her weak constitution because she felt stronger after climbing the redwood tree daily.
"The second young master prepared a carriage for your use when he received word that you were returning. We are stopping at the Eternal Night Valley briefly to switch modes of transport. Would you prefer to rest for a bit before continuing the rest of the journey?"
Even with the fastest horse speed, reaching the Eternal Night Valley would take two days. Mingsheng was still building a road, and Yan Ping cleaned up the outskirts of the Mystical Qilin Sect during the ti Anji spent training inside. It was very different from Anji’s mory a year ago. However, that did not an the journey would be smooth. Gu Ying was Anji’s only escort. The horse needed rest, even if Gu Ying could travel all night.
Weighing ti and her aching bottom, Anji opted for a slower travel pace instead of stopping. Her underdeveloped waist muscles and inner thighs hurt from balancing on the horse in front of Gu Ying. Even if she held onto the reins tightly, balancing her body upright on a galloping horse in a saddle took a lot of strength.
"Could you strap onto you instead?" Anji asked. "We can use so of my spare clothes to fashion a sling. I fear that at this rate, I will no longer be able to feel my legs."
Smiling lightly, Gu Ying listened to Anji’s suggestion. The clothing-fashioned sling was similar to the first aid bandaging she learned from Anji and Doctor He. However, instead of bundling a broken limb or a child, it worked like a safety harness with Anji strapped behind her securely. The extra room in front gave Gu Ying more control over the horse. Most importantly, with the cloth sling secured like a swing, Anji could nap on Gu Ying’s shoulder as she rode the horse if she felt tired. Her bottom was bruised, but it would not be broken by the ti they arrived at the Eternal Night Valley. For Anji, that was a major win.
With the new travel arrangent, Gu Ying inford her young mistress that they would be picking up speed. Anji, feeling comfortable in her cloth cocoon, approved. The speed pick-up felt slightly scary. Without a carriage, horses could go much faster. It was the first ti Anji had experienced it for herself. Although it was nothing as impressive as flying with her shifu on her staff, she welcod the new experience.
With nothing to stop them on a vast landscape with only one horse galloping, Anji could finally understand the type of happiness and freedom those who lived on the grassland experienced. Gu Ying was a skilled rider, and she was good with horses. With her capable bodyguard taking charge of the reins, Anji relaxed.
With enough ti to spare, Anji decided to ditate. Her shifu might have approved her ho leave. However, she had not forgotten to assign Anji howork. Ci Wang was still studying under the official reason for isolation. It would be odd if Anji did not make any progress under the rigorous training.
The ever-changing landscape outside the Mystical Qilin Sect had wildly fluctuating energy. Although Anji was still unfamiliar with the Seven Sound Mantra, she was improving at switching vibrations from stage to stage. The ultimate goal was to harmonise her energy with the environnt instinctively.
The soft humming from her back gave Gu Ying a sense of reassurance that her young mistress was not going to fall off. While Anji was occupied with her self-study, the Manchurian bodyguard stealthily increased the speed of the horse until they were travelling across the fields with only a cloud of dust behind them. Instead of expressing discomfort or squirming on her back, Anji was deeply focused on her ditation.
Judging by the sun’s position in the sky, arriving at the Eternal Night Valley might be possible sooner than anticipated. However, the real battle would only happen after Anji returned ho. Hearing from Anji what she wanted to tell her family, even Gu Ying had her reservations. Yet, it was not her place to comnt about Anji’s decision and proposal. Although the Manchurian bodyguard did not stay with the Zhao family for long, she understood their temperant enough. Zhao Mingfeng would not agree to her request. Once Anji returned to the Celestial Dragon Sect, they would be even more unwilling to let her return to the Mystical Qilin Sect, knowing what might happen if they let Anji go again.
There was no greater pain for a parent than losing a child they sacrificed so much to raise. Anji was the Celestial Dragon Sect’s blessing. Even if she were to die before she reached adulthood, nobody wanted to see her risk her hard-earned lifespan repeatedly. They were willing to accept an heiress who could never cultivate than risk her life for a silver of hope on total recovery.
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