Su Muqing only realized this after turning the corner. A group of people were already sitting by the haystack.
As Su Muqing approached, they all looked up and watched her warily.
One of them, upon seeing Su Muqing's face, showed a moment of surprise. Then, their expression returned to normal.
Su Muqing was also sizing up the people in front of her...
A woman who looked to be in her thirties or forties, an old man with a white beard, an old man without a beard, and several young people.
There was also a person lying halfway amongst them. However, that person was covered by a cloak, with their entire head concealed, so Su Muqing couldn't see their face. Based on their build, it seemed to be a man.
Looking at the group of peculiar individuals, Su Muqing, drawing from her years of experience watching TV and reading novels, analyzed that these people were likely disguised as refugees!
Although they were dressed as refugees, appearing dirty all over, the oppressive aura they exuded, their neatly trimmed fingernails, the dirt deliberately smeared on their faces, and the shoes they wore, all indicated that they were not ordinary people.
The strangest was the person in the middle. In such hot weather, they were covered so tightly. Lying under the scorching sun, were they a fugitive pursued by the law? Even if they needed to hide their identity, they didn't need to go to such lengths, did they? Weren't they afraid of getting heat rash?
"Little girl, what is it?" the woman asked, seeing Su Muqing staring at them.
Su Muqing didn't think much of it and casually said, "You'll get heatstroke if you stay in the sun like this. You should use a piece of cloth to block it!"
Hearing her words, the woman smiled at her. "Thank you for your concern, girl. We've just arrived here. We'll rest for a bit before continuing our journey. Are you looking for someone here?"
"No, no. I took a wrong turn. I'll be going back now." Su Muqing waved her hand and then turned to run back.
"Old Xu, this is the girl I was telling you about just now. What do you think? Does she resemble her?" the woman asked the beardless old man beside her. She was Zhou Lifang, the woman who had previously found Su Muqing familiar.
Xu Fu narrowed his eyes. "She does bear about seventy to eighty percent resemblance..."
"Miss Chu's daughter was abducted by villains when she was only a few months old. Now, thirteen years have passed. I don't know if she's still alive. When I saw this girl today, I thought she was of a similar age and bore a striking resemblance to Madam Chu, which made me wonder if she might be the lost daughter of the Chu family?"
"The current Chu family... alas! It doesn't matter anymore. The most important thing now is to find the person with great destiny that Master Zhi Kong spoke of. Young Master has suffered too much on this journey. If we don't find this person this time, I fear for Young Master..."
So what if she is? So what if she isn't? Young Master's current situation makes finding the Chu family's daughter no longer important.
Xu Fu smoothed the cloak on the person in the middle again, slowly pulling back the hood that covered their face, revealing a pale, breathtakingly beautiful face.
His eyebrows were light yellow, his lips were pale white, almost purplish, and his entire face was devoid of any color, instead tinged with a faint bluish hue.
His brows were sharp, his eyelashes curled and dense, his eye lines were narrow and slanted upwards at the outer corners, his nose bridge was high, his lips were as if carved by a knife, and his features were perfectly proportioned.
Even with such a slightly peculiar complexion, it did not detract from his exceptional looks at all! Instead, it added a touch of wicked charm and allure to his handsome face.
It looked like Mother Nuwa personally sculpted him, not the mass-produced kind. He was absolutely stunning!
If Su Muqing were to see this face, she would surely scream in her heart. Compared to the idols she was obsessed with in her previous life, he was leagues more handsome!
If he were a modern male celebrity, Su Muqing would definitely go crazy for him, be wild for him, and crash against walls for him!
It was just that he looked like a dead person now! What a shame!
Madam Zhou wiped the tears from her eyes. "Young Master will be alright. The Master said that the person with great destiny destined to meet Young Master has already appeared. As long as we head south, we will surely meet him within a month! Then Young Master will be saved!"
Madam Zhou believed every word of Master Zhi Kong. When Young Master was poisoned, they tried every means but couldn't improve his condition at all.
If it weren't for Master Zhi Kong's full effort to save him with half of his cultivation, and his self-sacrifice of his lifespan to use forbidden techniques to find a way to save him, Young Master would have long since departed to the west...
Xu Fu looked at the man lying on the ground, his eyes filled with heartache. If Master Zhi Kong hadn't said that Young Master's destined person had to be found with Young Master accompanying them, and no one else could substitute, he would never have allowed Young Master to suffer this hardship!
In fact, he was not confident about finding that person, or whether Young Master could ultimately be saved. Traveling like this, searching for someone they had never met, with no portrait, no clues, just a poem with an unclear meaning – it was like looking for a needle in a haystack!
Tender green hidden in fortunate jade,
Wood breaks through earth to emerge.
Returning to startle all present,
Visitors possess many special abilities.
Where is this person with great destiny and special abilities?
Xu Fu sighed for a moment before instructing Madam Zhou to prepare food. "Alas... let's hope so. Prepare some food for us. We'll eat and then set off. Also, boil some porridge to take along, in case Young Master wakes up on the road and can eat something."
Then, he ordered, "Leng Feng, Leng Yan, you two will be responsible for the rear guard. If anything goes wrong, remember to conceal Young Master's tracks. We will leave signals for you along the way. After you've handled everything, meet us outside Siyang Prefecture."
"Yes, your subordinate obeys." Leng Feng and Leng Yan quietly received the order.
Following Xu Fu's instructions, the group went about their tasks.
Meanwhile, Su Muqing returned to the vicinity of the ruined temple. She intended to find a less crowded spot to take out some meat.
However, looking around, there was no less crowded spot! People were everywhere in groups.
Judging by their appearance, Su Muqing was certain that as soon as she took out the meat, it would be snatched up immediately!
Su Muqing even felt that some people were already drooling at her. Did they want to eat human flesh?
She could only sheepishly return to the ruined temple. The little milk bun was still asleep, and Su Cuiping was fanning him, guarding him.
"Where did you go? You disappeared in the blink of an eye."
"Come here..." Su Muqing beckoned Su Cuiping.
"What... mmmph... mmmph! Delicious... What is this?" As Su Cuiping opened her mouth, Su Muqing stuffed something into it. It was sweet and slippery.
"Shh! Be quiet. This was given to me by the person who saved me. Here's a piece for you to try." Su Muqing winked at her.
Su Cuiping grinned, revealing her dark brown teeth. "Thank you. It's so sweet!"
Su Muqing rolled her eyes at her black-toothed smile. "Your teeth, lick them clean quickly."
Su Cuiping quickly covered her mouth with her hands, slowly savoring the taste in her mouth.
Seeing everyone around staring at them with curious eyes, Su Muqing hugged her brother and went with Su Cuiping to where Wang Shi was cooking.
Wang Shi and her sisters-in-law were making more coarse flatbreads to take with them, so they had come early.