There is a god in the sky

Chapter 423 Containment

"Giddy up..." A carriage sped along the official road.

Shen Lan and Li Ye took turns driving, day and night, and arrived at the canal wharf in just three days.

"Phew... I'll go book a boat. You wait in the carriage," Li Ye said, lifting the curtain.

There was a man and a corpse inside the carriage.

Although it was a corpse, it looked no different from a sleeping person.

At that time, Shen Lan asked Marquis Pingyang to bring Li Ge a drug that faked death, which was a secret recipe passed down through generations of the Shen family.

She never understood what the secret recipe that the Crown Prince had stolen was; she always thought that this was the Shen family's secret recipe.

Li Ge will need seven days to wake up after taking this medicine.

Shen Lan put away the syringe and pulled up Li Ge's sleeve.

Although he would wake up in seven days, Shen Lan was worried that his body was dehydrated, so she would give him an IV drip of sugar and saline solution every day.

Li Ye quickly returned and told Shen Lan, "The river is frozen upstream, and there are no boats going south from this dock. We have to go further south."

"Okay, let's go."

The wind and snow were heavy, and the roads were slippery. Li Ye said worriedly, "Let's find a place to rest for the night. I'm afraid your body can't take this much walking."

Shen Lan nodded, "Let's keep going and see where we can rent a secluded courtyard. We'll stay for a few days until Li Ge wakes up before we leave."

"Aren't you afraid of being pursued from behind?"

"We're quite far from the capital now, so no one should be looking for us. Let's take a detour and avoid the main city."

"it is good."

The carriage made its way to a small village before nightfall.

The village wasn't located beside the main road; it consisted of a dozen or so scattered houses, almost all thatched huts, and several houses had collapsed under the weight of the snow.

Li Ye went inside and walked around, then came out and said, "This village is deserted; there's not a single person here."

Shen Lan looked around and said, "They must have fled because of the snow disaster. The third house ahead should be alright. We can stay here for a few days."

They purchased some supplies along the way, enough for a few days' worth of food, but what they lacked most was firewood for heating.

The two of them worked together to carry Li Ge into the house. Most of the things inside had been moved out, but the bed board was still there.

Shen Lan rummaged through some old clothes and put them on the bed board, while Li Ye went out to collect firewood.

Before it got completely dark, Li Ye returned, carrying not only a bundle of firewood but also a wild rabbit.

"Luckily, we can have a better meal tonight."

Li Ye volunteered to help kill the rabbits, and Shen Lan took two thick cloaks from the carriage to cover the drafty windows, otherwise she probably wouldn't be able to sleep well at night.

Once the house warmed up, the two of them ate roasted rabbit.

He removed his wig, leaving his bald head covered with a cotton hat.

Leaving the capital felt like all the burdens had been lifted, and he no longer needed to play any role.

“We take turns sleeping at night, and Li Ge also has to keep an eye on things. I’m not really sure about this medicine; I’ve only tested it on animals.”

Li Ye wrung out a towel with hot water and used it to wipe Li Ge's hands and face.

His cold body was no different from a corpse. If Shen Lan hadn't been there, he wouldn't have believed that Li Ge would have woken up.

"It's amazing that time has such a remedy."

"I only have one, which I originally intended to keep for myself."

"If we leave like this, we'll still hold our official positions, so we should be fine, right?"

"Don't worry, Xiao Ji will take care of it."

Shen Lan was relieved, knowing that it wouldn't be long before Xiao Ji reported their deaths to the court.

After they leave, they may never return to the capital. It's time for them to change their names and start anew.

And my cousin, I don't know where he is now.

I slept soundly through the night without any dreams, only the howling of the cold wind.

The next morning, Shen Lan changed into men's clothing and said to Li Ye, "I need to go to the county town to buy some medicinal herbs to keep on hand, just in case."

Given Li Ge's condition, she absolutely dared not send him to the clinic; she could only buy the medicine herself.

On their way here, they passed through a county town, about twenty miles from this village, and a day would be enough for a round trip.

"Shall I go with you?"

"No need. Li Ge's health is more important; it must not be compromised."

"Okay, I'll wait for you here."

"If you get hungry, eat dry rations. I'll bring food back."

Their rations consisted of coarse, hard steamed buns and flatbreads, as hard as rocks, which could only be eaten after being soaked in water.

But when they were on their way, they had no choice.

Shen Lan rode into the city and saw several wanted posters posted at the city gate, including those of several martial arts figures who had murdered Magistrate Zhou.

Shen Lan actually knew that Qian Tai was just making up his appearance. If these people were seen individually, she might not be able to tell who they were, but when they appeared together, she guessed that they were Xiao Huzi's group.

This further confirms that it was Li Ge who lured them out of the capital.

When he wakes up, I really want to beat him up and ask him what he's thinking.

Did he think that dying alone was the best ending?

Once inside the city, it was bustling with noise.

After walking for a while, Shen Lan discovered a troupe of acrobats performing, which had gathered a large audience, three or four deep.

Shen Lan didn't go to see it, but instead asked someone for directions to the pharmacy and went straight there.

Shen Lan followed the instructions and turned to enter a small alley.

Under the gloomy weather, the alley was dark and damp, with piles of garbage in the corners, and it was long and smelly.

A skinny black cat darted out from the corner, bared its teeth at Shen Lan, and let out a hoarse meow.

Shen Lan tossed the small amount of dried meat she was carrying to it and continued walking forward.

For some reason, the cat followed us with a piece of jerky in its mouth.

"No need to follow anymore, there's no more meat."

"Meow……"

The black cat jumped onto a pile of trash and continued to hiss fiercely at her.

Shen Lan couldn't understand cat language and didn't have the ability to take it home to raise, so she had no choice but to turn around and leave.

A dart flew from a distance, and Shen Lan instinctively leaned back to avoid it.

When she straightened up, she saw several people standing in front of her.

"Sister Shen, it's been a long time."

The young man greeted her with a smile. If it weren't for the knife in her hand, Shen Lan would have felt a sense of nostalgia for meeting an old friend in a foreign land.

"What are you doing here?" she asked curiously.

"Sister Shen, I'm sorry, we just took on a job, and someone wants to kill you."

"Who? How much is the commission?"

A burly man shoved Xiao Huzi aside and stepped forward.

Shen Lan had never met him, but she could tell from his sharp eyes that he was ruthless.

"Enough with the nonsense, why aren't you making a move? My master has given you enough money to live a carefree life for the rest of your days. Remember, you have to be alive."

Shen Lan sneered: "How did you know I would come here? I only came here on a whim. Did you follow me all the way here?"

The burly man stepped forward and revealed his weapon: a pair of nunchucks.

"I'll tell you when you surrender."

Shen Lan assessed the possibility of escape, and when she saw a figure at the alley entrance behind her, she knew it was all over.

She raised her hands and sighed, "Fine, kill me or torture me, it's up to you."