They had arrived heavy with worry and left light at heart; welcoming guests was a leisurely joy, but seeing them off often brought reluctance.
"Goodbye!"
"Goodbye!"
After bidding farewell to Aibo, Vise, and their families, the three left Sunset Glow Ferry and Cloud Ink Town behind. Their fine horses ran without pause toward Morgaya City, where they had come from.
The direct route back was a little over sixty li. If all went smoothly, they could arrive in the afternoon.
For some reason, however, a strong wind had risen early that morning. On foot, it would have been barely manageable, but on a galloping horse, even the rider could feel the powerful wind resistance. It would quickly drain the horses' stamina, pushing their arrival back from afternoon to dusk.
Kanni picked a leaf and used it to test the wind. It blew northeast, while they were headed northwest.
"What a strange wind," he said repeatedly. "Why does it bend like this? Is it trying to keep us from getting back early?"
"I know a shortcut. With this strange wind helping us, we should be able to get back sooner," Ma Linya suggested.
The two immediately asked about it. She briefly explained that rolling hills lay to the northwest, with the highest peak called Wheat-Awn Mountain. Skirting its foot on the way back to Morgaya City would make the journey a little over eighty li, somewhat longer than the direct route. But the strange wind could more than make up for that extra distance, saving them at least an hour compared with riding into it.
"What do you think?" Ma Linya asked them.
"I think it's worth a try. The sooner we get back, the better," Kanni agreed.
Seeing that both favored the idea, Zeng Mu nodded his assent.
They adjusted