Waiting

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

They wanted 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, a possessor of the Byakugan, no blizzard could possibly obstruct his vision.

The group traveled in fits and starts, struggling onward.

Along the way, Yizhe noticed someone watching them in secret, but he did not make a move.

The observers were not the final leader of the Red Ant Bandit Group, merely a few bandit scouts.

They had likely come to investigate the caravan's movements so they could notify their companions ahead and have them prepare.

"My lord, have some warm wine!"

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

The bottle was small enough to be grasped in one hand. It was narrow at the top and wide at the bottom, with a funnel-shaped mouth. Its body was entirely jade white, decorated with interwoven blue patterns.

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

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

"This wine must be no ordinary stuff, right? Even the packaging looks expensive!" He glanced at Qing Shi.

"That's right, my lord. You truly have a discerning eye!" Qing Shi eagerly flattered him.

"This is top-grade sake I bought when I last visited the Land of Hot Water! I could never bring myself to drink it, so I saved it until now!" As he spoke, Qing Shi looked reluctantly at the bottle in Yizhe's hand, wearing an expression of intense pain.

"It comes from the Land of Hot Water!" Yizhe sighed with feeling.

It was a very prosperous country with many hot springs. Its Hot Springs Ninja Village was also a peace-loving village, making it an excellent place for a vacation. Jiraiya had once said it was his favorite place to visit.

A place renowned for indulgence surely would not produce poor wine. Besides, Qing Shi had called it top-grade.

"You should keep it and drink it yourself!" Yizhe said with a light laugh, stuffing the bottle back into Qing Shi's robes.

"My lord looks down on my humble wine?" Qing Shi seemed somewhat dejected.

He had taken out fine wine that he himself had been unwilling to drink and offered it to someone, only to have it refused.

"No, no, no!"

"I think you misunderstood!" Yizhe hurriedly apologized, then added, "I don't drink because I'm not old enough to drink!"

"Besides, I've never drunk alcohol before. If I did, I might make a mistake; and with the Red Ant Bandit Group watching us from outside, even the slightest slip could bring disaster upon us!"

"I see!" Qing Shi agreed, indicating his understanding.

"May I ask how old you are this year, my lord? 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 handle your business!"

Yizhe refused to answer. He casually scooped up a handful of snow, watched it scatter from his hand in the wind, and 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 out—"

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

"Let's go!"

He kicked apart the snowballs piled before him, turned, and headed back. His white figure vanished into the howling snowstorm.

Once they were back on the road, Yizhe noticed that the Red Ant bandits came to spy on them far less frequently.

Perhaps it was because they were nearing Cold Wind Bridge!

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

The howling of the cold wind filled heaven and earth. Unless he shouted with all his strength, those behind him would not hear a thing.

"What is it, my lord?" Hearing the call, the fat caravan leader pulled his padded coat tight and trudged laboriously to the front.

Though he was somewhat displeased at being called out of the comfortable carriage into the freezing cold by Yizhe, he still forced a smile and came over.

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

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

Hearing this, Qing Shi wrapped his scarf tighter and hunched his neck. He pulled out a pocket watch, wiped its face, examined it carefully, and only then shouted, "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 use the terrain on the map to determine exactly where the caravan had reached.

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

The fat caravan leader's method of determining the caravan's position left Yizhe clicking his tongue in amazement.

He actually estimated their location through the relationship between speed and time. Compared to the usual method of judging one's position by terrain during travel, the fat caravan leader's ability was truly on another level.

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

"Then... can we reach it before nightfall?" Yizhe asked again.

"I'm afraid... ptoo..." Qing Shi had barely opened his mouth before windblown snow filled it. He spat it out, then said carefully, "I'm afraid it'll be difficult. Today's blizzard is too severe. Even if we speed up and make it there, the sky will probably already be dark!"

"We won't arrive until nightfall..." Yizhe looked up at the dim sky and sighed helplessly.

A great battle was brewing on Cold Wind Bridge, and it could no longer be avoided.

If they continued traveling like this and arrived after dark, a vicious battle would inevitably break out.

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

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

If they charged in while exhausted, the situation would likely turn disastrous.

"Tell everyone to slow down! We're not planning to reach 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 pace would, on one hand, preserve their strength and guard against possible surprise attacks. After all, they were already close to Cold Wind Bridge, and no one could guarantee that the Red Ant Bandit Group would not lose patience and strike early. On the other hand, it would ensure that everyone had enough strength and energy to face the enemy after encountering the Red Ant Bandit Group at Cold Wind Bridge.

Finally, when they were still over an hour away from Cold Wind Bridge, the caravan stopped and made camp on the spot.

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

"They're no longer advancing?"

"How long will it take them to reach here?" the chief asked loudly.

"About an hour!" the scout replied.

"Leave!" The middle-aged man waved his hand, dismissing the scout.

Smash—

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

The caravan's campsite was neither too far nor too close from here.

If he led men in a nighttime ambush, he would not only lose the advantages of being rested and familiar with the terrain, but he 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 ground his teeth in hatred and could not calm himself for a long time.

After thinking for a long while, the chief finally suppressed the restlessness in his heart and calmed down. He no longer considered launching an attack himself, instead focusing on resting and waiting for the coming battle.