The horse galloped on the main road, but that didn't stop the riders from talking.
"How can you say that I'm foolish?" Zhu Zan spread his hands as he spoke, his posture steady on the horse.
Miss Jun turned back to look at him.
"Oh, and should I praise you for being smart then?" she said with raised eyebrows.
Anyway, he had already lost face, so what was there to fear? Zhu Zan remained unfazed.
"You could say that I am smart." He said, "At least I noticed your strange mood, didn't I?"
"You're the one with the strange mood." Miss Jun glared at him.
"Look, this is what's strange." Zhu Zan said, "You never used to be like this, you would speak your mind, admit to whatever was true. Be honest, are you saying one thing and meaning another?"
Miss Jun seemed somewhat speechless as she looked at him.
Zhu Zan wasn't done, he made a sound and pointed at her ear.
"Look, your ears are red." He shouted.
Miss Jun's whole face turned red with anger.
"I have always been like this, you just never looked." She sneered with her eyebrows raised, "Now you find it strange? Who's really at fault here?"
Fearing what was coming, Zhu Zan's mind suddenly went blank; he should have known better than to bring up the past.
And indeed, women always say one thing and mean another, claiming that they have moved on and look to the future is just a lie. You see, she still remembers.
Was she really like this before? He honestly hadn't noticed, and there was no denying it.
Zhu Zan blushed and was unable to say a word.
Miss Jun snorted, turned around, and urged her horse forward, feeling a bit smug now that she realized he had noticed her slip, feeling a bit nervous, but also thinking it funny that he mistook her lapse for a physical ailment.
How foolish.
She bit her lower lip to suppress a laugh, Zhu Zan followed quietly behind, not afraid of being discovered by him.
"Alright, it's my problem now."
Zhu Zan suddenly shouted, urging his horse to catch up again.
Miss Jun quickly composed herself, her gaze straight ahead.
"Good that you know." She said, "Don't blame others for your own problems, examine why you think it's different."
"That's simple." Zhu Zan said, "Because I like Chu Jiuling, I'm naturally more attentive. You weren't before, so of course, I didn't care then."
Those were some strange words; Miss Jun let out an "Oh," finding it very odd.
"Why do you like Chu Jiuling?" Since she found it odd, she couldn't help but ask, "You're not even acquainted, right?"
She actually asked about Chu Jiuling? Zhu Zan was somewhat flustered; he really did not want to discuss this with anyone.
"I like her because I like her, why does there have to be a reason?" He immediately replied, eager to end this topic quickly.
"You're not even acquainted." Miss Jun became more curious, and it became much easier to continue the conversation.
"Does familiarity matter for this kind of thing!" Zhu Zan glared, "I have many acquaintances, didn't I know you before? Does that mean I should like you?"
Miss Jun let out an "Oh," nodding her head.
Indeed, they had been dealing with each other since Runan, repeatedly entangled, coming and going, indeed very familiar, but at that time he really didn't like her, even deliberately estranging himself with disdain.
Their eyes met.
No, that's not right!
Like a thunderbolt in the sky, it startled both of them into a shiver.
Chu Jiuling is Miss Jun; they are not two people but one and the same.
"I understand, you actually like just a name." Miss Jun urgently said, as if any further delay would lead to trouble.
"You understand nothing." Zhu Zan flushed red, "I like the person, how was I supposed to recognize you with your change? If you'd said you were Chu Jiuling from the beginning, you think I wouldn't like you?"
He was still being reasonable; Miss Jun couldn't help but glared as well.
"If I said it from the start, would you have believed me?" she said.
Zhu Zan was speechless.
"No." He muttered.
At least he wasn't lying with his eyes open, Miss Jun snorted.
"You almost strangled me." She said, pointing to her neck.
This naturally referred to when she suddenly called his name in Runan.
Zhu Zan lowered his head intending to shuffle his feet, but realized he was riding a horse.
"You have to be reasonable, don't you?" He mumbled, "In that situation, if someone suddenly called you Chu Jiuling, wouldn't you do the same?"
If someone had suddenly called her Chu Jiuling back then, she would have poisoned him instantly, Miss Jun seriously thought about it.
"Of course not." She snorted.
Zhu Zan glanced at her.
"What more can I say." He spread his hands.
When a woman is being unreasonable, what can you do?
"So, you were wrong about this, weren't you?" Miss Jun said.
Zhu Zan let out a soft "Oh," suddenly feeling something strange.
"Which thing?" He asked, feeling even stranger, "What were we talking about?"
He looked at Miss Jun, and she looked back at him.
What were they talking about?
It seemed they were talking about him liking Chu Jiuling.
As if another thunderbolt rolled across a clear sky, Zhu Zan felt as if his entire body was smoking.
"Did I, did I say that?" He stammered.
"No, you didn't." Miss Jun looked at him seriously, then pointed forward, "Not far ahead is a relay station; weren't you always concerned about news from the northern lands? Go there and see if there's anything you need."
Zhu Zan looked forward and nodded, realizing it had been a while since they'd received any news from the northern lands. Could something have gone wrong? He furrowed his brows.
Miss Jun urged her horse forward swiftly; seeming to sense her mood, the horse's steps became light, and its hoofbeats almost inaudible, for fear of disturbing anything.
......
......
There was nothing significant in the northern lands; ever since the peace talks, it had been calm, especially in the areas near Baozhou, Xiongzhou, and Bazhou.
The Jurchen people had settled there without causing great disturbances, and the Zhou People who couldn't escape these areas during the turmoil were properly accommodated, without being bullied or enslaved. The peace made the previous fierce battles seem like a distant dream.
However, due to the proximity of these prefecture offices to the border, it wasn't the same as the past when Juma River and a century of conflict naturally formed a separation. Instead, these areas could be crossed in a single step, leading to occasional minor incidents.
At a fort in the northeast of Qizhou's An Country prefecture, over a dozen Zhou Soldiers tightly gripped their bows, looking nervously outside the fort.
Outside the fort, there were no warhorses to fear, only two elderly Jurchen men in fur robes.
They had no weapons and were not fierce-looking but were crying and repeatedly bowing towards the fort.
"Move along!" the general leading them shouted, waving his hand, raising his bow, "Border crossers will be executed without mercy."
The two Jurchen men muttered some unintelligible words, eventually fearing the gleaming bows atop the fort, shaking their heads and leaving reluctantly.
Watching them disappear from sight, those on the fort finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Zhang Zhicheng, what were they up to?" Supervisor Li, who came upon hearing the news, asked.
Zhang Zhicheng answered with some indifference.
"Two Jurchen herders said they lost a few sheep, saw them run into our city, and wanted to come in to search for them." He said.