“Further ahead should be Luozhou.”
On the official road, He Xiuyuan was covered in dust. After taking a bite of his dry rations, he lowered his head to look at the map.
It had been ten days since he left Chang'an, and in these ten days, he had been heading straight for Luozhou, to the Hall of Hundred Flowers.
The Hall of Hundred Flowers is built within Luozhou, in Bibo Prefecture, beside the Luo River.
The entire Luozhou is extremely well-known within the Great Zhao Dynasty, whether it was during the previous Dynasty or the Great Zhao Dynasty, it has always been so.
This is because the Luo River within Luozhou is incredibly famous.
Compared to other rivers within the Great Zhao Dynasty, the Luo River appears exceptionally serene and graceful, like a gentle goddess. According to historical records, there has never been an instance of the Luo River overflowing.
Therefore, the common people who farm by the Luo River are much happier than those in other places.
It is just a pity that the Luo River originates from the Mount Shi Fang, and the terrain within the Mount Shi Fang is rugged, making it unsuitable for building fertile fields.
Thus, there are actually not many sections of land where water can be drawn from the Luo River to irrigate fertile fields.
If the terrain here could be slightly altered, then the grain produced in Luozhou would surely be much greater.
He Xiuyuan put away the map. After climbing a mountain peak, he stood at the summit.
At this moment, He Xiuyuan could see several large, elegant characters written on a boundary stone nearby.
“Luozhou!”
Once past this mountain, one would enter the territory of Luozhou.
And from here, one could overlook the Luozhou region ahead.
He Xiuyuan was not taking the official road; walking along the mountain path through these hills was somewhat faster than the official road.
However, this meant it would be more tiring, requiring him to climb many mountains.
But even so, many people still traveled this mountain path.
Next to the boundary stone on this mountain, there was also a pavilion built for people to rest.
When He Xiuyuan arrived on the mountain, he could see many travelers and merchants sitting and resting nearby.
There were even some porters among them.
These porters had dark skin, which was already peeling from sun exposure. Sweat streamed down them like waterfalls, and their faces were filled with the weathered look of prolonged exposure to wind and sun.
“Sirs, this mountain path is difficult to walk, why don’t you take the official road?”
Besides He Xiuyuan, there were other travelers nearby.
He Xiuyuan saw these porters carrying heavy loads, traversing mountains and ridges, which truly moved him.
Seeing this, he couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.
The porter carrying the load heard this, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and smiled honestly.
“It’s because some of the goods the shopkeepers want are very urgent, and we can’t take the official road. Taking this mountain path can save a few days.”
“People like us rely on this to earn some money, to buy clothes for our children.”
As the porter spoke, he let out a shout, then looked at the sky, his expression a bit anxious.
“Looking at the sky, I’m afraid it won’t be long before it rains. If your pace isn’t fast, young master, you should descend the mountain as soon as possible.”
“The path down the mountain is not easy to walk. If it rains, the ground will be slippery, and it will be very easy to fall. If you accidentally fall off the cliff, that would be terrible.”
Perhaps seeing He Xiuyuan express concern for him, the porter felt a sense of goodwill and immediately said this to He Xiuyuan.
As soon as these words were spoken, the other travelers nearby looked up at the sky and then spoke.
“Old brother, don’t talk nonsense. The midday sun is so strong, how could it possibly rain?”
“Yes, there isn’t a single cloud around, how could it rain?”
The others nearby, some were travelers on their way, looking like they were visiting relatives, while others looked like they were on business.
At this moment, looking at the clear sky, they all felt that it should not rain.
However, the porter shook his head upon hearing this, “People like us have been running back and forth in these mountains for countless years. The skill of reading the sky was learned from my father, and it’s basically never wrong.”
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe me, sirs, but if it rains later, don’t go down the mountain. Wait until the rain stops, then slowly descend bit by bit. The path down is truly difficult to walk.”
With that, the porter hurriedly picked up his load and headed down the mountain.
The items they carried were very valuable, and time was tight.
They needed to descend the mountain before it started to rain.
Otherwise, if it rained while they were carrying such heavy loads and they still wanted to go down the mountain, it would be very easy for accidents to happen.
The others heard this, and seeing that these porters were not even resting, rushing down the mountain, they thought that even though there were no clouds around, the other party had been walking this path for so many years. They thought about it and chose to trust him, immediately descending the mountain together.
He Xiuyuan had originally wanted to stay on the mountain peak to admire the scenery of Luozhou.
But now, hearing the porter say this, he thought about it and followed them down the mountain.
The porters’ pace was extremely fast. Although the mountain path was somewhat rugged, their feet landed very steadily with each step.
Under the scorching sun, in the dense jungle, everyone felt no cool breeze or shade, only stuffiness.
And when everyone reached halfway up the mountain, a gust of wind suddenly swept through, and then the sky abruptly darkened.
Dense, dark clouds instantly swept in from afar.
“Is it really going to rain?”
Upon noticing this, everyone immediately looked up.
The sweeping dark clouds brought strong winds that made everyone's clothes flap loudly. The strong wind brought a lot of coolness, but it also startled everyone.
If it really rained, walking down such a mountain path would be very dangerous.
And the porters were anxious now. Compared to the others, the goods they carried on their shoulders were their lifeblood.
The fact that they could get these goods from those shops, and that the shopkeepers were willing to let them carry these goods, was something passed down through their ancestors.
This was an invisible contract formed between them and the shopkeepers.
If there was a problem with the goods even once, it would be almost impossible for them to get this business again in the future.
And this was precisely their livelihood.
Seeing this, the porter quickened his pace even more, his face full of anxiety.
“Hurry up, we’re only halfway down. If we don’t hurry, I’m afraid we won’t be able to descend the mountain.”
The leading porters were walking very fast at this moment.
Falling behind them was a child who didn't look particularly old.
Although he was a child, perhaps due to years of labor, his muscles appeared extremely large, but his stature seemed a bit short.
Seeing his uncles ahead so anxious, his steps also quickened a bit at this moment.
However, without paying attention, as he stepped out with his right foot, he tripped on a protruding tree root, instantly losing his balance, and he and his goods tumbled towards the cliff below.