Waiting

Early the next morning, while the sky was still dim, Yizhe and his group set out on their journey.

They hoped to reach Cold Wind Bridge before nightfall.

The wind and snow grew ever fiercer, reducing an ordinary person's visibility to less than five meters.

Of course, for Yizhe, who possessed the Byakugan, no amount of wind or snow could possibly block his vision.

The group traveled in fits and starts, struggling onward.

Along the way, Yizhe discovered that someone was secretly watching them, but he did not make a move.

They were not the Red Ant Bandit Group's final leader, merely a few bandit scouts.

Presumably, they had come to investigate the caravan's movements so they could notify their companions ahead and prepare them at any time.

"Sir, have some hot wine!"

During a rest break, Qing Shi squeezed over to Yizhe's side, pulled a wine bottle from his robes, and offered it ingratiatingly.

The bottle was not large enough to require more than one hand to hold. It was narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, with a funnel-shaped mouth. Its body was jade white throughout, patterned with alternating blue designs.

One look was enough to tell that it was no ordinary wine!

"This is..." Yizhe curiously accepted the porcelain bottle.

"This wine must not be ordinary, right? The packaging alone looks quite expensive!" He glanced at Qing Shi.

"That is correct, sir. You truly have a discerning eye!" Qing Shi eagerly flattered him.

"I bought this top-grade sake on my last trip to the Land of Hot Water! I could never bear to drink it, so I kept it until now!" As he spoke, Qing Shi gave the bottle in Yizhe's hands an extremely reluctant look, as though it pained him terribly.

"Produced in the Land of Hot Water..." Yizhe sighed with feeling.

It was a very prosperous land with many hot springs. Yugakure there was also a village that loved peace, making it an excellent place for a vacation. Jiraiya had once said it was his favorite place to visit.

A place famed for pleasure and enjoyment surely could not produce bad wine. Besides, Qing Shi had called it top-grade.

"You should keep it for yourself." Yizhe chuckled, stuffing the bottle back into Qing Shi's arms.

"Does sir look down on my humble wine?" Qing Shi looked somewhat dejected.

He had taken out such fine wine, which he himself had been unwilling to drink, to give away, yet the other party would not even accept it.

"No, no, no!"

"I think you've misunderstood." Yizhe hurriedly apologized, then added, "I don't drink because I'm underage, so I can't drink alcohol!"

"Besides, I've never drunk before. If I drank for the first time now, I might cause trouble; moreover, the Red Ant Bandit Group is watching us from outside. The slightest mistake could bring disaster upon us!"

"So that's how it is!" Qing Shi echoed, indicating his understanding.

"May I ask how old you are this year, sir? You're actually still too young to drink?" Qing Shi asked curiously.

He carefully examined Yizhe. The boy looked fourteen or fifteen, not like someone who had yet to reach drinking age.

"Enough, stop asking! Go take care of your work!"

Yizhe refused to answer. He casually scooped up a handful of snow, watching it scatter in the wind from his palm as he played by himself, no longer paying attention to the fat steward beside him.

Seeing this, Qing Shi could only walk away slowly and helplessly.

"Set off—"

Before long, Yizhe had piled a row of snowballs beside him when the fat leader's shout ordering the group to depart rang out.

"Let's go!"

He kicked apart the snowballs piled before him, then turned and headed back. His white figure vanished into the wind and snow filling the sky.

Once they resumed their journey, Yizhe noticed that the Red Ant bandits came to spy on them far less often.

Perhaps it was because they were nearing Cold Wind Bridge!

"Leader Qing Shi!" Yizhe shouted at the top of his lungs.

The howling cold wind filled the entire world. Unless he shouted with all his strength, those behind him could not hear a thing.

"What is it, sir?" Hearing the call, the fat leader clutched his padded coat tight and laboriously made his way to the front.

Though he was somewhat displeased at being called out from the comfortable carriage into the bitter cold by Yizhe, he still approached with a forced smile.

"How far are we from Cold Wind Bridge?" Yizhe asked loudly, turning his back to the wind.

He had never been here before. Though he knew from the map that there was a large bridge ahead called Cold Wind Bridge, Yizhe did not know the actual distance.

After hearing this, Qing Shi wrapped his scarf tighter, shrank his neck, took a pocket watch from his pocket, wiped its glass, and studied it carefully before shouting, "We've already traveled for six hours. At this pace, we're not far from Cold Wind Bridge!"

As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but snow, making it difficult to judge the terrain. Thus, Yizhe could not determine exactly where the caravan was based on the terrain shown on the map.

The only reason they had not lost their way in this vast snowy wilderness was the compass pointing their direction.

And the fat leader's method of judging the caravan's position made Yizhe marvel even more.

He actually used the relationship between speed and time to estimate their location. Compared to the usual practice of determining one's position from the terrain during travel, the fat leader's abilities truly stood far above the rest.

It was impossible not to see him in a new light!

"Then... can we get there before dark?" Yizhe asked again.

"I'm afraid... ptoo..." Qing Shi had only just opened his mouth when wind and snow filled it. He spat it out before cautiously saying, "I'm afraid that will be difficult. Today's blizzard is too severe. Even if we speed up and arrive there, it will probably already be dark!"

"So we won't arrive until nightfall..." Yizhe looked up at the gloomy sky helplessly.

A great battle was brewing at Cold Wind Bridge, and there was no avoiding it.

If they hurried on and arrived after dark, a fierce battle would inevitably break out.

But he had no experience fighting at night, which troubled him.

Moreover, judging from the Red Ant Bandit Group's situation, they had certainly already been waiting at Cold Wind Bridge, rested and ready.

If they rushed in headlong while exhausted, things would likely go very badly.

"Tell everyone to slow down! We won't be reaching Cold Wind Bridge today!" Yizhe told Qing Shi loudly.

"That works too!" As someone who made his living on the road, Qing Shi quickly understood Yizhe's intentions.

Slowing their advance would, on one hand, preserve their strength and guard against a possible ambush. After all, they were already nearing Cold Wind Bridge, and no one could guarantee that the Red Ant Bandit Group would not lose patience and attack early. On the other hand, it would ensure that everyone had enough strength and focus to face the enemy after encountering the Red Ant Bandit Group at Cold Wind Bridge.

In the end, when they were still more than an hour away from Cold Wind Bridge, the caravan stopped and made camp where they were.

"Chief, the caravan has set up camp. They are no longer advancing!" At a camp on Cold Wind Bridge, a scout dressed in white reported to a tall middle-aged man.

"They're no longer advancing?"

"How far are they from here?" the chief asked loudly.

"About an hour away!" the scout responded.

"Leave!" The middle-aged man waved his hand and dismissed the scout.

Smash—

After his subordinate left, the chief furiously smashed the wine cup beside him.

The caravan's camp was neither too far nor too close from this place.

If he led his men in a nighttime raid, he would not only lose the advantages of being rested and familiar with the terrain, but would also be at a disadvantage due to the disparity in their numbers.

Yet as he watched his enemies rest peacefully not far away, he gritted his teeth with hatred and could not calm himself for a long time.

After thinking for a long while, the chief finally suppressed the agitation in his heart and calmed down. He stopped considering a proactive attack, focused on resting and recuperating, and waited for the coming battle.