High mountains, sheer cliffs, hidden drifting clouds.
The road from the Southern Wasteland to the Central Plains was perilous. Traveling merchants without money for water routes could only cross mountains and ridges step by step. The mountains were high and the paths steep; to cross peaks that pierced the clouds, they had to pass along dangerous paths carved into cliff faces. Above, below, and on one side lay mountain rock, while the other opened onto cliffs veiled in flying clouds and drifting mist. One careless step, and they would be smashed to pieces.
"Pick up the pace, everyone! Let's reach the mountaintop before dark and spend the night there!"
Someone at the head of the winding mountain road called out loudly. The slanting sunset dyed the cliff face fiery red, and echoes rolled through the mountains...
Halfway up, Bai Yujun leaned against the rock wall, bracing one foot against it as she watched the sunset. The path had been chiseled into the cliff face. It was rather interesting. She wondered whether any scholars or poets had left behind verses of sickly, self-indulgent lamentation.
She wore a gray fitted outfit. Coarse cloth was durable and resistant to dirt, perfect for travel. Her long hair was casually tied behind her head, and a blade of grass hung from her cherry-red lips as she watched the muleteers shout and urge their packhorses onward in boredom.
Now and then, a packhorse relieved itself, drawing laughter and curses from the men behind it. The more diligent ones simply used Wooden Sticks to sweep the dung off the cliff.
There were family members from a wealthy household in the convoy. Supposedly, they had spent many years at Gushan Market and were now returning home with their wives and children to acknowledge their ancestors. The journey was