Chapter 1469 - 796: Central Pass (Double-Length)_2

Inside the carriage, only the rhythmic sound of the wheels on the ground remained. Donggong Ruoshu was already slumped in the corner, breathing evenly, deeply asleep.

Chen Yi's gaze swept past her sleeping face and landed on Yin Weiyin, who was sitting opposite, meditating with closed eyes. The female crown was sitting upright, her breathing long and steady, seemingly melding with the slight swaying of the carriage.

He extended a finger and gently tapped the back of her hand.

Yin Weiyin suddenly opened her eyes and quietly looked at Chen Yi.

"How long will it take to get from Emei to the Central Pass at our current pace?" Chen Yi asked, his voice not loud enough to wake the sleeping person.

Yin Weiyin's eyes moved slightly as if calculating silently. After a moment, her voice was low and calm: "If there are no significant delays along the way, it could be as fast as fifteen or sixteen days, or as slow as over a month."

"We still need to be quicker; today is the twenty-eighth of the first lunar month." Chen Yi looked out at the flowing night scene, his tone as if casually chatting, "When we reach the Central Pass, what month and day will it be?"

Yin Weiyin was silent for a moment.

She looked at Chen Yi's profile and said softly, "I know."

Chen Yi turned his head to meet her gaze.

The female crown met his eyes and said, "Are you thinking about my birthday?"

Chen Yi just smiled and said, "The Central Pass offers more variety."

"What's the need to celebrate specifically?"

Chen Yi glanced at the female crown, intentionally saying, "Fine, let's not celebrate then."

Yin Weiyin gently nodded, "Mm."

This calmness left Chen Yi momentarily stunned. What was happening to his Great Yin family... he didn't know that when he tapped her, she had already silently recited the Supreme Forget Love Technique.

Neither arrogant nor impatient, clear and bright.

The carriage fell back into silence. Only Donggong Ruoshu mumbled unconsciously, rubbed against the cushion, and fell back into a deep sleep. Yin Weiyin half-closed her eyes, looking meditative.

Chen Yi swept a glance over the two women, leaned back against the carriage wall, and remained silent for a moment.

After a while, he still couldn't hold back and said softly, "The seventh of the second lunar month is your birthday again."

If they could reach the Central Pass by the seventh, there would be more time and flexibility.

If it can be avoided, it should. Although these days, besides numbers with intentional meanings like three, seven, nine, and ten, birthdays are not much cared for, whether among high officials or common people.

Chen Yi lowered his eyes, pondering how to celebrate...

Perhaps the Kongming Lantern he hasn't given to Zhou Yitang yet, give it to her first?

But after thinking about it, he shook his head. He knew the little fox who knows the plan was still by Zhou Yitang's side, and for his Great Yin family, something special would be better.

"What do you want?" Chen Yi asked again.

Yin Weiyin silently recited the Supreme Forget Love Technique.

In such a question, if answered honestly, Yin Weiyin realized, Tingxue never truly responded, as the second lady was too cunning, knowing that by not responding, Chen Yi would feel a sense of guilt.

Now she borrowed a little strength from it.

Yin Weiyin lightly pointed out, "You're not really asking what I want, you're just trying to make up for yourself by being good to me."

The other side fell silent, as if swallowed into a deeper darkness.

In the past, even if the female crown knew, she was unwilling to point it out, but this time was different. His prideful nature, once gently poked, coupled with a bad mood, didn't wish ill on the woman, what could he do? He could only sulk in secret.

It had been a long time since Chen Yi had suffered a setback in front of her, and Yin Weiyin was in a great mood.

For a moment, the female crown saw him silent in the darkness for a long time and suddenly felt uneasy, then sighed softly, "Let's wait until we reach the Central Pass, I haven't thought about it yet."

It neither harmed his dignity nor spared him from backing down.

Inside, Chen Yi briefly lowered his gaze, feeling his moment of weakness was being utilized by Great Yin, but then considering, when had his Great Yin family ever been easy to deal with?

Enough, since her birthday is coming up, let it be her way.

......…

For several days, the carriage pressed on quickly without lingering to enjoy the local customs and scenery of Sichuan. The paper person was tireless, and the Prince Mansion's fine steed was robust, galloping as if flying. Moreover, Yin Weiyin occasionally placed a talisman on the shafts and saddle, causing the vermillion lines to shimmer with a faint glow during the rush, easing the carriage's weight, making their speed far superior to ordinary means.

The layered mountains of Northern Sichuan rapidly receded outside the window, shifting from dark green to light grey as the terrain gradually flattened. When the carriage's interior, with the moist humidity typical of Shu, was replaced by a drier air, Han Zhong lay ahead.

That midday, the carriage paused briefly. They'd reached the edge of the Han Zhong Plain, where the distant view offered a glimpse of the majestic, continuous silhouette of the Qinling Mountains, like a giant screen stretching across the horizon. The Central Pass, was just beyond that screen, very soon.

Donggong Ruoshu was the first to jump out of the carriage, stretching vigorously, her bones emitting a slight crisp sound. Despite being accustomed to the jostling, she still felt a bit stiff.

"Beyond there, is that the Qinling?" She pointed to the smudged blue in the distance.

Chen Yi also alighted, standing by the shaft, his gaze directed north, "Yes, beyond the Qinling, is the Central Pass."

From here northward, traversing Ziwugou or Tangluo Road in two days, or three to four days at a slower pace, would lead them into the Guanzhong Plain.

"There's still some leeway in time," Yin Weiyin remarked.

The word "leeway" she spoke softly, but Chen Yi heard it, he glanced at her, and the female crown was serene.

Some matters need not be spoken, yet both knew well.

Donggong Ruoshu hadn't paid attention to this, busy rubbing her knees and muttering, "My bones are nearly crumbling… hey, Chen Yi, once we're in the Central Pass, can we rest for a day? There's an old store in Chang'an with particularly...

Her words were cut off as Yin Weiyin, after divining, raised her eyes and said, "There's a market town thirty miles ahead, where we can replenish water and dry food. If you wish to try local cuisine, they should have it there too."

"Then let's rest there for an hour today, giving the horses a break," Chen Yi said.

Chen Yi patted the horse, which snorted affectionately and nuzzled his hand. Despite the constant rush and talismanic aid, this fine steed seemed utterly tireless.

Donggong Ruoshu, hearing this, perked up, counting on her fingers: "Lamb stew, saozi noodles, pot helmets… doesn't Han Zhong have rice noodles too? Ah, as long as it's hot, it's fine!"

An hour later, the carriage set off again.

Inside the carriage, Donggong Ruoshu, lifted by the anticipation of food, felt considerably more energetic and leaned towards the window to take in the scenery.

Yin Weiyin sat cross-legged again, but this time with an Eight Diagrams Plate spread over her knees, her fingertips tracing its intricate lines slowly.

For some reason, her divinations had been more accurate lately.

Not only in divination, but techniques involving fortune-changing, deity consultation, and feng shui investigation seemed more potent than before, though her cultivation progress was minimal due to less dual cultivation.

Though curious, considering her identity as the Taichua Goddess, as Yin Weiyin, and her exceptional understanding of Taihua Mountain over hundreds of years, it seemed reasonable enough.

She was about to divine.

To calculate who and what they might encounter upon entering the Central Pass, even if the Heavenly Secret was in chaos and the divination obscure, any glimpse of a general outline was better than rushing blindly into the Western Jin heartland.

Her breath slightly sank as the yin-yang fish at the center of the Eight Diagrams Plate seemed to come alive, beginning a slow rotation.

First, the dry trigram surged forth with an overpowering, albeit slightly unreal, magnificent yellow aura, shaped like an imperial canopy, but constantly invaded by fine black wisps like small snakes, causing the canopy to flicker between light and shadow, occasionally trembling.

"Purple Qi comes from the east, yet carries a sign of war, dragon and snake rising, beneath grandeur lies slaughter..."

It seems there is indeed unrest in the Central Pass.

Meanwhile, the red glow of the li trigram resisted fiercely, though suppressed by the water force of kan, it remained brilliant.

"Li's fire has momentum, yet is suppressed by kan, an anomaly in Dragon Qi, underlying currents stir..."

The unrest appears complex but hasn't fully formed, poised to rise.

Yin Weiyin focused her thought, seeking more clarity among the fuzzy scenes, where some people's silhouettes appeared slightly clearer—a few seemed clad in Daoist robes, wielding Tai Chi swords. She concentrated further for a better view...

This is...

Lu Ying?!