Carried into the Car, Xu Tinglan Was Stunned

Xiao Wu was already burning up from being held by Su Chen.

Now that Xu Tinglan had swept a glance over, the roots of her ears grew even hotter.

Subconsciously, she tried to struggle a little.

"Put me down, I can—"

Su Chen's arms tightened steadily.

"Don't move."

Xiao Wu froze instantly.

"It's not like I can't walk."

"You can walk, but you can't walk fast."

"Who says I—"

"You were swaying just a moment ago."

Su Chen looked down at her.

"What are you trying to prove now?"

Xiao Wu was choked into silence.

She hated being called out the most.

Yet, Su Chen was completely right.

She could only bite her lip and hum softly.

"Then remember this."

"I'm not staying up here because I want you to hold me."

Su Chen gave an "en" sound.

"I know."

"Why does that sound so dismissive?"

"Because your statement didn't have much credibility to begin with."

Xiao Wu's face turned even redder.

"Su Chen!"

Xu Tinglan stood to the side, watching the two of them quietly.

The wind blew through the stables, the scent of hay mingling with the night's chill, washing over them in waves.

She didn't urge them.

She simply handed over the reins.

"The carriage is an old model from the Internal Affairs Department."

"It looks unremarkable on the outside, but the axles and chassis have been modified."

"It isn't fast on the post roads, but it's steadier than a cargo wagon on side paths."

Su Chen didn't take the reins.

"You drive."

Xu Tinglan raised her eyes.

"Me?"

"You know the roads better than we do."

Su Chen's tone was calm.

"Besides, since you brought the carriage here, it means you want to go too."

Xu Tinglan was silent for two breaths, and surprisingly, she didn't deny it.

"Correct."

"I want to go as well."

"Then let's not waste time."

After Su Chen finished speaking, he carried Xiao Wu directly into the carriage.

Xiao Wu had originally thought he would set her down on the carriage floor.

But as soon as they entered the cabin, he simply sat down sideways, letting her land on his lap, his arms still firmly wrapped around her waist without loosening at all.

Xiao Wu felt completely numb.

"You, why aren't you letting go yet?"

"The carriage will jolt when it starts."

"Then just hold me steady!"

"I am supporting you right now."

"You call this supporting?"

"What else would you call it?"

Xiao Wu opened her mouth.

She really wanted to retort that this was called holding.

But she couldn't bring herself to say it.

Once said, the implication would be even more awkward.

She could only hold it in, her ears glowing red, and finally added viciously.

"You'd better not beg me to hold you back later."

Su Chen looked at her.

"Fine."

"Then I'll strive not to let go the entire way."

Xiao Wu felt like she was about to explode.

Just as she was about to glare at him, the carriage curtain suddenly swayed.

Xu Tinglan had already taken the driver's seat, her wrists flicking lightly, the reins snapping in the night air with a crisp sound.

"Sit tight."

The words fell.

The light carriage bolted forward.

This carriage was truly fast.

It wasn't the kind of fast that lunged forward, but a speed that skimmed the ground.

The wheels crushed over gravel, shaking violently, yet the carriage frame held firm, like a thin blade skimming across the earth.

As Xiao Wu was thrown backward, the hand at her waist tightened.

Her back slammed solidly into Su Chen's chest.

The carriage cabin was small.

She was so close she could even feel the rise and fall of Su Chen's chest.

She suddenly didn't dare to move.

Moving would only make it look like she was burrowing into his arms.

The sound of the wind outside grew tighter.

Xu Tinglan's voice drifted in from the front, not loud, but very clear.

"Ten miles out from West Salt Road, there is a fork."

"To the left is the Old Post Road; it's fast and crowded."

"To the right is the Desolate Ditch; it's shorter, but difficult to traverse."

"The abandoned stone path in the middle is rarely used, making it suitable for transferring cargo."

Su Chen asked.

"Which one do you think they'll take?"

"If they were only transporting ledgers, they would take the Post Road."

"If they are transporting people."

Xu Tinglan paused.

"High probability they take the Desolate Ditch."

Xiao Wu couldn't be bothered with her burning face anymore.

She sat up a little straighter.

"Why?"

"Because children cry."

Xu Tinglan's voice softened.

"There are no night patrols in the Desolate Ditch, nor any merchant caravans."

"Even if they make noise halfway, it's easy to muffle."

Xiao Wu's expression turned cold instantly.

She hated this the most.

Thinking of those two children still on the carriage, not knowing how tightly they were bound, the fire in her heart could not be suppressed.

"Then let's head straight for the Desolate Ditch."

"No rush."

Su Chen spoke.

"Chen Sun just said there were three vehicles and three routes."

"That's just stating the obvious."

Xiao Wu reacted immediately.

"It's a smokescreen."

"Correct."

Su Chen raised his hand, lifted a sliver of the carriage curtain, and looked out at the pitch-black road.

"Since they split up in advance, it means they didn't just want to evade pursuers."

"They also wanted to stall for time."

"Therefore, the most important thing isn't chasing fast."

"It's chasing accurately."

Xiao Wu nodded, her brows knitted tightly.

"Then how do we be accurate?"

Su Chen didn't answer immediately.

He simply raised his left hand.

The next second, a faint wisp of black soul power drifted from his palm, sliding along the edge of the carriage like a slender snake before vanishing into the night.

Xiao Wu's eyes lit up.

"You can use it like that?"

"Let's see."

Su Chen's tone was indifferent.

"That split-route sign Chen Sun held was stained with blood, as well as the grease and wood wax from human hands."

"As long as one of the three carriages has touched the same thing, I can pick up a direction."

Xu Tinglan, listening from the front, felt the reins in her hands falter for a moment.

She glanced back at the carriage curtain.

The person inside did not show his face.

Yet she could already imagine Su Chen's current appearance.

Quiet, cold, yet he had already cast his net.

A person like this, when still, is like a blade kept under pressure.

Once he truly moves, the situation will collapse very quickly.

The carriage surged forward for another stretch.

The night wind grew colder.

Gnarled old trees flashed by the roadside occasionally, looking like shadows lurking in the dark.

Suddenly, Su Chen's gaze shifted.

"Stop for a moment."

Xu Tinglan didn't ask; she pulled the reins directly.

The light carriage slid to the side of the road and came to a steady halt.

Xiao Wu looked up immediately.

"Did you find something?"

Su Chen released the curtain and carried her out of the carriage.

This time, Xiao Wu didn't even have time to say "I can get down myself" before her feet were already on the ground.

As soon as she stood steady, she saw Su Chen squat down, his fingers pressing against a small patch of broken grass by the roadside.

The grass had been crushed by carriage wheels.

There was also some mud that hadn't dried yet.

"Two carriages went this way."

"One heavy, one light."

"The heavy one left deep tracks and had narrow wheels; it looks like a cargo wagon."

"The light one is newer, with wax on the rims; it looks like a carriage swapped in temporarily."

Xu Tinglan also squatted down and took a look.

She could recognize the wheel tracks, but she couldn't discern them in such detail.

"Which carriage can we use to carry people?"

"Not yet."

Su Chen stood up, his gaze following the night road ahead.

"But someone has helped us divide the load."

Xiao Wu was stunned.

"Who?"

Su Chen raised his hand, pointing toward an old locust tree to the front right.

In the shadows of the tree, a horse was tethered.

The horse snorted uneasily, its hooves constantly scraping the ground.

Xiao Wu's eyes lit up instantly.

"Someone was here to provide support!"

The three of them immediately went over.

Beside the horse lay a person.

He was dressed in black, his chest caved in, his mouth stained with blood.

It looked as if he had been kicked down by someone and then struck a few more times for good measure.

Xiao Wu went over to take a look and nearly laughed out loud.

"Isn't this that thin-faced guard from Han Su's side?"

"How did he end up lying here?"

Xu Tinglan looked down for a moment.

"His name is Qi Kun."

"He is one of the peripheral dogs raised by Han Su."

Su Chen squatted down and reached out to check the man's breath.

"He's still alive."

Xiao Wu immediately perked up.

"That's perfect."

"I'll do the questioning."

She raised her foot and kicked the man in the calf.

"Wake up."

Qi Kun groaned in pain, his eyelids fluttering twice before he finally came to.

The first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was Xiao Wu.

Then, turning his head, he saw Su Chen and Xu Tinglan.

His face turned pale on the spot.

"You, you—"

"Forget the stuttering."

Xiao Wu squatted down, staring at him.

"Who beat you up like this?"

Qi Kun's lips trembled.

He didn't say anything.

Xiao Wu kicked him again without hesitation.

"Speak."

"If you don't, I'll kick your other ribs until they break too."

Qi Kun gasped in pain, finally unable to hold out any longer.

"It... it was the people from Chen Sun's side."

"They said I was useless, told me to leave the horse, and get lost."

Xiao Wu chuckled upon hearing this.

"You lot are quite quick to turn on each other."

Su Chen ignored the nonsense and went straight to the point.

"Which carriage is carrying the children?"

Qi Kun's expression stiffened.

Su Chen's eyes turned cold.

"Think carefully before you answer."

"Get one word wrong, and you aren't leaving tonight."

Qi Kun's Adam's apple bobbed, and in the end, he lowered his head.

"The one taking the Desolate Ditch route."

"The lead truck is a decoy; it's loaded with crates of ledgers."

"The one actually carrying the people is the low-canopy cart behind it."

Xiao Wu pressed him further.

"How many people?"

"One driver, two in the cart."

"The children were drugged, they should... they should still be unconscious."

As soon as those words left his lips, Xiao Wu's expression shifted instantly.

"Drugged?"

Her gaze turned ice-cold, and she stood up, ready to leave.

"Stop wasting time with him, let's go after them!"

Su Chen had already risen.

"Xu Tinglan, what's the fastest way to the Desolate Ditch?"

Xu Tinglan answered quickly.

"There's a path by a collapsed bridge half a mile ahead; light carriages can pass, but trucks can't."

"If we cut through there, we can intercept them."

"Let's go."

The light carriage set off once more.

This time, the whip in Xu Tinglan's hand was noticeably more ruthless.

The carriage seemed to fly, skimming just above the ground.

Xiao Wu sat inside, her thighs still aching, but her heart growing tighter by the second.

She gripped her sleeves, holding back twice, but couldn't help herself in the end.

"Su Chen."

"Hm?"

"Those two children... they'll be alright, right?"

Su Chen turned his head to look at her.

She was usually sharp-tongued, restless, and quick to anger.

But right now, the urgency in her eyes was impossible to hide.

Su Chen raised his hand, the back of his fingers brushing lightly against the Carrot Wooden Hairpin in her hair.

"I am here."

Just three words.

The heart that had been pulled taut in Xiao Wu's chest suddenly loosened a fraction.

She bit her lip and gave a low hum of acknowledgment.

Outside the carriage, the wind grew shriller.

The Desolate Ditch was near.

The terrain began to dip.

Xu Tinglan pulled hard on the reins, her voice dropping to a whisper.

"We're here."

Not far ahead, a low-canopy cart was stuck at the mouth of the ditch.

Two men stood by the cart.

One was cursing, while the other tugged at the reins.

From inside the cart, a muffled whimper, as if someone had been gagged, drifted out.