Traveling with two people is certainly livelier than traveling alone, especially since Zhu Zan often seems like ten people in one.
Miss Jun had already gotten used to this kind of liveliness.
She had traveled with Zhu Zan once before, and back then even her master was rather noisy.
It was probably because of the loneliness, trying to scare her away on purpose, but it was also a form of self-expression.
As dusk blanketed the earth, Miss Jun reined in her horse and stopped, searching for a suitable spot.
"This place isn't right. Let's keep going ahead," Zhu Zan suggested from behind.
Miss Jun paid no attention to him and dismounted.
"Hey, you stubborn woman…" Zhu Zan started.
Miss Jun turned her head and glanced at him.
"Get down, make a fire, and prepare dinner," she instructed.
Zhu Zan raised his eyebrows while still on horseback.
"Finally decided to ask for my help?" he said with a hint of smugness. "But let's be clear first."
Miss Jun looked at him.
"Clear about what?" she asked.
Zhu Zan jumped off his horse and pointed at the sky, then the ground.
"Help comes in many forms. For example, leading the way," he began. "Or arranging meals and shelter, guarding against snakes and insects, finding medicine—that's just one kind of help. We better clarify which kinds you're asking for, and the price for each might differ."
Miss Jun chuckled at him.
"All of it," she declared, pointing at the sky, the ground, and then directly at Zhu Zan.
Zhu Zan quickly raised a hand to block her gestures.
"Don't point recklessly," he warned, stepping aside to dodge her fingertip. "Alright then, for everything, I'll give you a bundled rate—a flat ten thousand."
Miss Jun grinned narrowly.
"Second Little Zhu, are you still unclear about the situation right now?" she asked.
"What situation?" Zhu Zan eyed her cautiously. "And stop calling me Second Little Zhu."
"Your family still owes me money and favors, and here you are trying to talk business with me," she clicked her tongue and added, "You really are something else."
Zhu Zan froze, watching Miss Jun approach him, retreating one defensive step backward.
"You're the one who said it was business," he protested.
"I can say it, but you can't," Miss Jun retorted, stopping right in front of Zhu Zan. "Second Little Zhu, if you're helping, do your work properly without earning a single cent. If you don't want to help, then scram far away, and do it fast."
Such a crude woman!
Zhu Zan spat bitterly, mounted his horse, and galloped off in anger.
Miss Jun didn't react, simply turning back to let her horse eat and drink. After finishing that, she was about to gather firewood when the rhythmic sound of hoofbeats returned—Zhu Zan had ridden back, dragging half a tree behind him amidst flying dust.
Miss Jun glanced at him but said nothing.
Zhu Zan also kept silent, dismounted, took out a knife, and began chopping the tree into firewood with quick, sharp movements. Soon enough, a fire was kindled, and he unloaded two freshly hunted rabbits from his horse to prepare for roasting.
As the savory scent of roasting rabbit filled the air, Miss Jun suddenly voiced a remark from behind.
"Some things don't need to be said," Zhu Zan responded flatly without turning around, his voice emotionless.
"You…" Miss Jun started again.
Zhu Zan interrupted once more.
"Whether it's business or a favor, there's no need for thanks or politeness," he stated. "Everyone can just act naturally."
Miss Jun's footsteps approached from behind, and her hand patted his shoulder.
"Hey," she said, "You…"
Zhu Zan jumped back with a yelp.
"If you've got something to say, say it! Don't touch me—I sell my skills, not my body!" he grumbled angrily.
"No one would buy your skills either," Miss Jun rolled her eyes and replied impatiently. "You're too slow."
She pointed behind him with a gesture.
"What I meant was—since you're done with this, hurry up and set up the bedding."
Zhu Zan flushed with embarrassment.
"Can't you do it yourself?" he asked.
Miss Jun tilted her head with a playful smirk.
"I can't," she replied, cupping her face in both hands and blinking innocently at him. "I'm a delicate and dainty young lady."
A delicate and dainty young lady.
Only she could say such brazen nonsense.
Zhu Zan shivered and stomped away.
Miss Jun chuckled softly as she sat by the fire, her eyes on the rabbit skewered on a stick, while sounds of tree branches and leaves being arranged came from behind.
"Hey, this rabbit meat should be turned over now," she suddenly called out, "It's about to burn."
Zhu Zan tossed the wool mat from his horse onto the ground, gritted his teeth, and stormed over. He flipped the rabbit meat a few times, sprinkled salt on it, then stormed back to finish arranging the bedding.
Miss Jun suppressed her laughter as she lowered her head by the firelight, then raised her gaze toward the starry sky above.
The night grew deeper, the sky brighter.
This wasn't the first starry sky she had seen—she had shared such moments with her master, witnessed them while traveling alone, and watched them from the rooftops of the Prince Mansion.
But it had been a long time since she saw a night like this.
The stars remained unchanged, yet the people under them had drifted far.
The aroma of roasted rabbit wafted close, and something dark prodded dangerously near her face.
Miss Jun snapped back to reality.
Zhu Zan held out the roasted rabbit, looking down at her with a challenging gaze.
"Should I feed you?" he asked.
Miss Jun nodded without hesitation.
"Sure!" she replied, opening her mouth expectantly.
Zhu Zan let out an exasperated sigh.
"I give up," he muttered.
Miss Jun laughed heartily, took the roasted meat, while Zhu Zan grabbed his own portion and, avoiding her, sat by the horses to eat.
But that peace didn't last long.
"Zhu Zan, where's the water?"
"Zhu Zan, there's not enough meat!"
"Zhu Zan, do you have any fruit?"
"Why isn't there any? Earlier you passed an apricot tree…"
"Why don't you go pick some now…"
The girl's teasing voice, soft and whimsical, echoed unhurriedly.
Rather than making Zhu Zan happy, it grated on his nerves, causing him to grit his teeth harder and harder.
"Miss Jun! Are you done playing around?" he finally snapped.
Miss Jun paused, looked at him with a smile, and then unexpectedly nodded in seriousness.
Look at this petty man!
Zhu Zan angrily tossed a branch into the fire, too drained to head back to the horses. He slumped down right where he stood.
In this small space, if the girl decided to stir up trouble, even turning a blind eye wouldn't shield him from her antics.
"If you've got something to say, just say it! Could you stop being so childish? Fooling around like this serves no purpose!" Zhu Zan said seriously.
Miss Jun nodded with an obedient expression, her smile unyieldingly sweet.
Zhu Zan gave her a sidelong glance and picked up a stick to poke at the fire.
The wilderness at night finally yielded to a semblance of tranquility.
Beneath the starry sky, the fire flickered, the horses snorted softly, and the chirping of insects gradually crescendoed in the stillness.
For the first time, Zhu Zan found such quietness deeply pleasing.
"But there's one thing I want to say."
The soft voice of the girl once again broke the silence.
Zhu Zan looked her way. Under the firelight, the girl's expression matched the tone of her voice—gentle, composed, seated upright with a trace of solemnity.
Zhu Zan eyed her skeptically.
"Earlier, you called me 'Miss Jun,'" she carefully said. "Can you call me that again, just my name?"
Miss Jun.
Miss Jun.
The flickering firelight danced across Zhu Zan's face, highlighting his indignant expressions. Suddenly, he flung the stick into the flames.
"You! Don't push me too far!" he roared, bounding to his feet angrily and stomping away.
Miss Jun watched his retreating back.
"How am I pushing you?" she murmured.
She had only wanted to hear her old name called by an old acquaintance.
Her gaze lifted to the starry sky once more.
Things changed. So much that sometimes, even she barely knew who she was anymore.
.........…
"Zhu Zan."
Her voice rang out again, causing Zhu Zan to instinctively step back.
"What now?" he shouted.
"Nothing. I'm going to sleep," Miss Jun replied, wrapping herself in a cloak and heading toward the bedding.
Zhu Zan eyed her warily as she walked past.
"Sleep if you're sleeping! No need to announce it," he said.
"Of course, I have to say it. Remember to keep watch," she added politely. "Thanks for your hard work."
Such polite decorum… Zhu Zan thought, before suddenly letting out a groan.
"Aren't you the one with those impressive Hidden Weapons?" he demanded. "Set them up—they're deadly enough to keep both people and spirits away. What's the point of keeping watch?"
Miss Jun responded with a casual "Oh," settling herself onto the bedding.
"I used to set traps because I was alone. Now…" she said, looking at Zhu Zan with sincere astonishment and admiration, "Now I have you. With someone as capable as you, I feel at ease."
She had finally admitted his competence. Zhu Zan hummed in satisfaction, but then frowned—it felt right on the surface, yet something seemed off.
"..Making those traps and poisons is both expensive and troublesome. Better to save them unless absolutely necessary," she concluded.
Damn it! This woman!
She was utterly untrustworthy!
Zhu Zan let out a wailing cry, glaring at the girl who was now tugging her cloak tighter to sleep.
"Miss Jun! You truly are…"
"Hey, if we're keeping watch, it should be in shifts! Why should I do it all by myself?"
Miss Jun peeked out from under the cloak, her eyes sparkling like stars in the night sky.
"Why? Because you owe me, and I don't owe you," she replied softly.
There was no need for further discussion.
Zhu Zan had never felt so exhausted.
But why was he so tired?
He had spent three sleepless days chasing down the Jin thief. He had traversed these barren lands without food or water.
Not once did he feel anything resembling fatigue in those moments.
On this spring night, under such a gorgeous starry sky...
Why did he feel so drained right now?
He stared at the intricately embroidered cloak glowing under the firelight, the graceful figure of the girl beneath it, and her long, glossy black hair cascading out.
This was supposed to be a scene of beauty and endless imagination.
Zhu Zan couldn't help but claw at the air as though trying to tear apart this exasperating spring night.
Why wouldn't the night end? Why wouldn't the dawn break?
When would this torment finally come to an end?
************************
Raising my hand, I would like to request a day off as well.
I'm going for a physical checkup today, so I plan to write just one update.
Thanks? Final shot? Thanks for the reward Ling Jiu (*^__^*)
Thank you all.