And so Yao Chun mounted Zeng Mu's horse, and the two discussed their plans as they rode toward their destination.
The mountain range along the Chu Kingdom's border was extraordinarily long, its peaks extraordinarily high. One rose after another, with clouds suspended in the valleys like patches of snowy foam caught among green grass.
Traveling through mountains at such an altitude was no easy task.
Neither mules nor donkeys could be found here. Even running freely, an ordinary horse would exhaust itself before crossing two mountains in a day. Even a carefully raised and trained warhorse could cross no more than four peaks a day. Crossing this entire range of thirty peaks would take at least eight days.
Abyss cut that time in half, and the assistance of the Elemental Artifact halved it again. In less than two days and two nights, they emerged from the treacherous mountains and safely reached the border of the Wei State.
Along the way, apart from discussing their plans, the things Yao Chun said most often were:
"This Thousand-Mile Horse is such a joy to ride! It's like flying!"
"This Elemental Artifact feels like it's given me wings!"
Zeng Mu said nothing about this, though it made him question his own judgment. Apparently, he still had too little experience. Until now, he had never realized that the other man had such a keen interest in novelties. At least when they first met in the thatched cottage, his impression had been: "Mature, composed, a man of few words." That was what suited a spy.
During their conversations, Yao Chun said that once he finished his business in the Wei State, he would not return to Bear City. At least, he would not return to that little thatched cottage, even though he had spent seven years