Chapter 163: Forced Marriage

  No matter whether the information provided by Philip is accurate or not, at least there is a clue now, and it's much better than letting Duoduo run to the chaotic eastern region alone.

  However, as Philip said, the magical kiss of the yam may exist in the Zakku tribe on the Wildfire Plains. From the Imperial City of Osgilia to the northwest border of the Wildfire Plains, a journey of thousands of kilometers, if walking at this slow pace, when Shaya came to the Imperial City before, he walked for nearly two months!

  This time back, anyway, the appointment did not specify a specific deadline, and there was also Yulia, a pregnant woman in the team, who couldn't stand the bumps. Originally, Xia Ya planned to walk slowly, even if it took two or three months, it didn't matter.

  It can't be done now.

  After all, Momo's magical trial had a deadline for completing the task: one hundred days!

  It's been ten days since I received the task at the Magic Association, which means there are only three months left. In these three months, Xīn Xū must rush to the Wildfire Plains, find the tribe of the upper people, locate the magical herb Mó Wěn Xiāng Yù, and then hurry back to the Imperial City's Magic Association to register and complete the task. If I continue at the previous slow pace, it will be absolutely impossible to make it on time.

  The dog family discussed it and decided to split into two teams. Xia Ya led Duoduo, Philippe, and Sharuba, a group of four, each equipped with two horses, rushing ahead to the Wildfire Plains. The rest were led by Avfreca, who brought the original Wolf Tooth Wu Ten team, plus the thoughtful military supplier Kato, and the attendant Soite, protecting Yulia along the way.

  With Afreeca's military strength, Kato's finesse, and Soite's care, it should be enough to protect Julia on this journey.

  After parting ways, Xia Ya and four others set off first.

  They sped along the road, hastening their journey northwestward. If they missed a place to stay, they would simply sleep under the stars in the wilderness. After all, Shaya was once a hunter in the mountains and forests, and Sharlba was a seasoned cavalryman from the Rodoria Cavalry Regiment, so they were already accustomed to the hardships of rapid marching. As for Dororo, although he couldn't keep up, everyone was hurrying along to help him, so even if it was tough, he could only grit his teeth and persevere.

  It was that Philip, who didn't make a sound all the way, and stayed with Xia Ya and others to eat wind and sleep in dew, but he didn't even hum a tune, didn't show any signs of fatigue, didn't reveal his emotions, got up early and worked late, yet never fell behind. Even when camping outdoors, things like setting up tents, lighting fires, and feeding horses, he was surprisingly skilled at them.

  Originally, Xia Ya remembered that this guy was always dressed up, with his beard neatly trimmed, looking like a noble, and in her heart, she had some contempt for this flashy but useless guy. But this time, traveling together, she couldn't help but feel slightly surprised: it turned out that this guy could also endure hardship, and wasn't as incompetent as she had previously thought.

  Philip's original strength was actually quite good, and if compared, his strength before he got injured was even higher than Xia Ya's. Xia Ya defeating him in the Imperial City Arena had some special reasons behind it. Philip took the initiative first, thinking that he wasn't Xia Ya's opponent, but then Xia Ya launched a fierce and unreasonable attack, overwhelming Philip with sheer momentum. It was like the saying "random punches killing the master", and as a result, Philip fell into Xia Ya's hands.

  Otherwise, a guy who has already reached the level of a high-ranking martial artist, how can he be so incompetent?

  On this road, Xia Ya really had a few tongue-tied glances at Philip. After rushing for four days and walking over 2,000 miles, even the battle-hardened Sharba was somewhat unbearable. However, Philip remained silent, his face not hiding his fatigue, but his eyes grew brighter!

  Those eyes that originally always had a hint of cunning gradually wiped away a bit of their former shallowness, and added a few hints of firmness.

  "Perhaps, after being at a loss, one can start anew." On the fourth day of pursuit, everyone finally stopped to rest and reorganize; otherwise, even if people could endure it, the horses couldn't. With two horses per person, they had been running day and night without stopping, resting only for a few hours each day. Even Summer's high-quality warhorses were starting to show signs of exhaustion.

  Here is the translation:

  That afternoon, everyone arrived at a small village and stopped. Xia Ya looked up at the sky, patted the sweaty horse's back, and said loudly, "Let's stay here for the night and rest. We'll continue on our journey tomorrow!" Duo Duo Luo let out a sigh of relief when he heard this. He was the weakest among them, and if they continued to rush like this, he feared that he would collapse before they even reached Ye Huo Yuan.

  When Xia Ya said "rest for the night", Duo Duo Luo was so moved that he almost shed tears. But then he saw Xia Ya glance at him with a mocking gaze, and quickly forced a smile, saying: "What's wrong... sir? I'm not afraid of hardship, it's just that we can still hold on, but if the horses collapse from exhaustion..." Xia Ya chuckled and said, "You also know how to care for horses? I think this town isn't too small, maybe we can even buy some horses. Later, when we find a hotel to rest, you go ask around in town to see if there are any horse sellers. Your two horses seem quite useless... your riding skills are terrible, you don't know how to take care of the horses' strength while traveling. We're all walking the same road, but your horses are the most exhausted."

  Duo Duo Luo didn't dare retort on his face, but in his heart, he thought: I'm a magician! When my magic improves in the future, I can just use a wind spell to fly tens of miles away! Riding horses? Ha!

  The town was indeed not large, with only a few hundred households, and the only inn in the town was located at the eastern intersection, facing a small square. After asking around, they found that although there were horse-drawn carriages in the town, they were only suitable for short distances, which made it easier for Dorothy to decide to stay at the inn with everyone else. However, when assigning rooms, Shaya hesitated slightly, and Dorothy and Sharuba shared one room, while she stayed with Philip in another.

  When he heard the decision, Philip's eyebrows moved slightly, but he didn't say anything. After Shayah and he returned to the room together, he was straightforward and frank, saying "I'll tell you frankly, I'm not quite at ease with this guy either, he's cunning and unpredictable, whether it's Dororo or Sharuba, neither of them can be trusted to live with him. Sharuba is simple-minded and straightforward, I'm afraid he'll be deceived by you."

  "Duoduo is indeed somewhat refined, but his strength is far inferior to yours. So, I'll just have to keep an eye on you." Philip listened and fell silent for a moment, then bowed to Xia Ya and said in a low voice, "Thank you, sir, for speaking the truth. I understand in my heart and won't have any other thoughts." He paused and smiled bitterly, "I'm now a person at the end of his rope, to put it pitifully, following you guys together is actually safer for me. If I were alone, those guys might not give up and catch up with me, and I'd be dead for sure."

  Xia Ya listened to this and stared at Philip intently, but looking at him like that, the guy's face was completely calm, without any sign of pretending.

  Philip met Xia's gaze, his tone somewhat obscure: "Sir, I know about the past grievances, you have some disdain for me. After escaping from the Imperial City this time, like a stray dog who has lost its home, only in the past two days have I come to understand many things. Alas, in those years when I was struggling to make a living, I also experienced such days of wind and rain. In my early years, I started my career by leading a group of brothers as bodyguards for a merchant group, doing mercenary work for several years. At that time, although life was bitter and poor, but everyone got along without any intrigue or scheming. Every day was just practicing martial arts, rushing to get somewhere, and when we had free time, we would drink wine, eat meat, and gamble with a few coins, it felt like heaven."

  Later on, I gradually made a name for myself and had some money, so I wanted power. Originally, my old brothers were all distant from me, and over time, I didn't even have one true brother by my side. This time when something happened to me, that white-eyed wolf of a bastard betrayed me. Except for a few loyal subordinates who followed me for many years, the other leaders of the Wu Shi Tuan actually didn't stand up for me. Among them were two or three old men who had been with me for over ten years since we were mercenaries together. "Hmph! As soon as they betrayed me, they really did!"

  "Xia Ya pouted: 'Oh, so you're still holding a grudge?'"

  Philip smiled wryly. "There's no resentment left, sir. Perhaps you won't believe it, but I've figured it out over the past few days. We Byzantines have an old saying: 'The eggplant you plant won't grow into a pumpkin.' The trouble I sowed myself, how I behaved in my daily life, naturally influenced those below me to follow suit. After this incident, the business I'd built up over more than ten years is gone, vanished into thin air. My reputation and status are completely ruined. From now on, the best outcome would be for me to take the savings I've accumulated over the years, find a place where no one knows me, and hide out there, waiting to die."

  And I've done many bad things over the years, at least a dozen or so. There are also six or seven official enemies who have been wronged by me, like Ah Lei Ka Te, and if they were to meet me, I'm afraid my fate would be even more miserable than falling into the hands of those traitors. These past two days, following you on this journey, since I've already fallen to this point, I don't need to think about it anymore. Every day is just traveling and suffering, although my body is tired, but my heart is clear. I actually think that these days are not bad, at least I've gained a bit of simplicity.

  Xia Ya sneered and glanced at Fei Xingping with a slanted gaze, "You've had enough of being a wolf, occasionally living the life of an ox. You're just saying this now, I believe you're sincere for the moment, but as for long-term, it depends on your future performance. People, after experiencing glory and tasting that flavor, are probably unable to endure loneliness afterwards."

  Xia Ya wouldn't easily believe Philip just because of his few words, and she still had some guard against this guy in her heart.

  The four of them rested well in the inn, and next door, Sharuba and Dodoro fell asleep as soon as they entered their room, snoring loudly in no time, even Dodoro slept like a dead pig.

  Xia Ya was after all physically strong, originally wanted to go call the two up to go eat, but heard snoring sounds like thunder outside the door, smiled and gave up, pulled Philip to come to the hotel front to eat.

  The inns in this small town don't have much good food either. The inn is extremely small, with no staff at all, only the boss himself busy, fortunately, the town is too small and there are few merchants and travelers coming and going, so business is not booming. For example, today, there is only Xia Ya's group of guests staying in this inn.

  The innkeeper wore a hemp robe, but wore a leather apron hat. His face was wrinkled like a knife cut, and he should have been smiling when doing this business, welcoming guests, but the innkeeper had a gloomy face, standing in front of Xia Ya, waiting for him with a humble and depressed expression.

  This dinner was originally simple and rough, with a small plate of boiled green beans, a few pieces of dry bread, and a plate of meat sauce soup.

  It seemed that the boss had something on his mind, as this dinner was not well prepared. The beans were half-cooked, the bread was burnt, and a plate of meat soup even forgot to add salt. Xia Ya only took one bite, her face turned unpleasant, she slapped the table and shouted: "Boss, come here!"

  The old boss was originally still sitting there with his hands propping up his chin, staring blankly at the door. As soon as he heard Xia Ya's angry shout, he was startled and hurried over to apologize: "Old master, what are your orders?"

  Although he was forcing a smile on his face, the painful expression in his wrinkles could not be concealed.

  Xia Ya slammed the spoon heavily on the table and shouted: "What kind of swill is this! Are you afraid I won't pay?!"

  After finishing speaking, he took out a silver coin from his bosom and heavily slapped it on the table. In this small town, one silver coin was enough for a family to eat for one or two months.

  The old boss saw the silver coins on the table, but showed no joy, only furrowed his brow and bowed repeatedly:

  "Sorry, sorry sir, this dish isn't cooked well, I'll go back and redo it."

  After finishing, he quickly picked up the plates on the table and turned to go inside. However, after taking two steps, his mind was uneasy, and one foot bumped into the leg of a nearby table. Suddenly, there was a loud crash as he fell to the ground, and the two plates in his hands shattered loudly onto the floor, with dishes splattered everywhere.

  Xia Ya furrowed her brow tightly, finally letting out a sigh. She put down the thing she was holding and pressed it onto the table beside her, frowning as she said, "Sit down! I think you're also quite laughable, being so flustered and anxious. Did something happen to you?"

  The boss's expression suddenly changed, and he looked out the door, a hint of despair flashing in his eyes.

  "There's nothing, nothing at all." (Watching online, computer station)

  "My god! How dare you spout such nonsense!" Xia Ya was furious, and with a loud slap, he slammed his hand onto the table beside him. The tabletop shattered instantly, splintering into a thousand pieces!

  The boss was startled and looked up at Xia Ya, seemingly surprised, but then shook his head: "No, no, sir, please don't hit my desk."

  Xia Ya was about to say something, but Philip walked up beside him, pulled Xia Ya's arm, and smiled slightly as he looked at the boss. "Ah, it seems like you have some difficulties," he said slowly. "Don't be afraid, just speak out, maybe it'll turn out to be a good thing." Do you know who this old gentleman standing in front of you is?" The boss shook his head in confusion.

  Philip gave Shay a "don't worry" glance, puffed out his chest and said loudly, "This is General Shay of the military, our lord has a quick temper but a kind heart, he loves to fight for justice. He's a famous expert in the military, last time we fought against the Odin people, those fierce Odin warriors were killed by him, not one hundred but eighty! No matter how ferocious the Odin madmen are, our lord can kill them with just one hand. And now our lord is a high-ranking official, if you have any grievances, speak up now and our lord might help you out." The innkeeper's eyes widened instantly, his originally confused gaze suddenly gained some vitality, he looked at Shay with a hint of hope in his eyes, but soon the spark in his eyes dimmed again. He let out a long sigh, shook his head and said "No, no way, Lord Shay, you look like someone with skills, but I'm afraid it's still not possible." What?" Shay frowned, looked at Philip and suddenly pretended to be angry, jumped up and pulled out a dagger from his boot, stabbed it into the wall beside him with a loud thud. He glared and shouted "You! I asked you kindly and you're being evasive! If you don't speak up now, I'll ignore whatever troubles you have, if you anger me, I'll burn down this broken shop of yours!" The innkeeper's face turned pale, his whole body trembling, he quickly fell to the ground, shouting "Ah, spare my life!"

  "Scared, huh? Speak quickly!" Xia Ya grunted and sat down with a stern face.

  The boss let out a sigh and stood before Xia Ya with his hands tied behind his back, stuttering as he spoke.

  "This gentleman, although you are an officer, but after all, it's just a passing by, the things here, I'm afraid you can't manage." The boss said this, Xia Ya glared over, scaring him to shrink his head, and hurriedly continued "Our town is called Jiajiao Town, because our town, if you go out of the town and walk left for 50 miles, it's Jinjiao City...if you walk right for 50 miles, it's Yinjiao City."

  "Our town is located between two cities, and it's a new town that has only been established for nearly thirty years. For many years, the division of jurisdiction has been chaotic, and this town itself has a small population, no resources, and doesn't produce grain or wealth. There's also a big trouble nearby, so the defense commanders of both cities don't want to manage us. Over time, this place became a lawless land, and even the local garrison didn't care about us. In the past, tax officials would come every month to collect taxes, but later they stopped collecting taxes altogether." "Huh? You'd think that's possible?" Xia Ya listened with amusement: "Unclear jurisdiction, local garrison not caring, that's not surprising. But not even collecting taxes? That's rare. Since they don't collect taxes, I think this place will become lively soon, and many people will want to move here to escape taxes."

  "Who's moving in?" The boss glared, then sighed and said, "No one has moved in, but over the past two years, many families have left. Anyone who had a way out has moved away." "What's going on here?" The boss smiled wryly and pointed outside to a distant place, "It's because we have a scourge here!" He paused, then let out a long sigh and said slowly, "Not far from this town, about ten miles or so, there's a mountain called Tongjiao Mountain." Xia Ya couldn't help but chuckle when she heard this, "You have Golden Horn City on the left, Silver Horn City on the right, and Copper Horn Mountain nearby. No wonder this town is called Jiajiao Town!" The boss shook his head, "This name has been used for many years. On that Copper Horn Mountain, there's a black tribe. Many years ago, a group of mercenary warriors came and occupied the mountain. At first, we thought they were a mercenary tribe, but later we discovered they were a gang of horse thieves. No one knows where they came from. The leader of that group was an old man with exceptional skills. It's said that the defense commanders of Golden Horn City and Silver Horn City both led troops to attack them, but were defeated. Those defense officials were afraid of being blamed by their superiors, so they deliberately covered up the incident. And it's said that the leader of the horse thieves was a formidable person. Legend has it that many years ago, the two city defense commanders received a box of gold coins on their pillows one morning, along with a letter! The letter was written by the leader of the horse thieves himself! Can you imagine? Those two commanders were terrified, thinking that if he could sneak into their bedrooms at night and leave them gifts, what if next time he came to take their lives instead?"

  From then on, the commander of the two cities' garrison did not dare to provoke those people again. Every year, he would receive a sum of money sent by the horse thieves and turn a blind eye to them, even covering for them when asked by his superiors.

  As a result, our small town has almost become the backyard of these horse bandits. However, these guys come to the town every now and then to buy some necessities, as well as grains and meat, all of which are purchased in the town. To say that from before, our place was much more lively than it is now. At that time, several wealthy families in the town made a living by selling grain and daily necessities to these horse bandits. Later on, this group of people even drove away the tax officials who came here every month to collect taxes. It's said that they bribed the guards of the two cities with a sum of money, so our small town hasn't paid taxes for many years." Xia Ya heard this and couldn't help but laugh: "So it seems that these horse bandits are actually good people."

  "I didn't cheat you guys, I even gave you business to do, and in the end, I even helped you get tax exemption."

  "Alas!" The inn owner sighed. "If it were years ago, it would have been like that. But what I said earlier was about the old leader of this group. It's said that the old leader passed away a few years ago due to illness, and now the one in charge is the young leader. However, this young leader is not as good as his father, far from it. As a result, after only three years as the leader, he has done dozens of bad things, causing our town to be in chaos every day, with everyone living in fear. These past three years have been truly disastrous! The old leader was still somewhat decent towards us, but this 'young leader' is much more tyrannical and overbearing."

  As the owner spoke, he seemed to have a belly full of bitter water: "Two years ago, when the young leader first took power, in the spring, he built a dam on the small river at the entrance of our town, saying he wanted to store water and build a swimming pool. But with little rainfall, our farmland lacked water, so we sent people to plead with the 'young leader' to open up the dam. He agreed, but when they dug it open, they dug too much, releasing too much water at once, causing the river downstream to flood both banks of the fields, resulting in a 50% reduction in grain harvest that year. But we didn't have enough food ourselves, so where would we sell it to them? The young leader then personally led his men into our town, going from door to door collecting grain, and as a result, over 20 households moved away that year."

  The second year, the "Little Headscarf Man" came to the town and said he had found a way for everyone to make money. He somehow managed to get over 100 tree saplings from somewhere in the south, saying they were a type of fruit tree that would bear fruit in autumn after being planted, and that the fruit could be sold for a good price.

  But the saplings are too expensive, we can't afford not to buy them! The little leader said that after planting the trees and selling the fruit in the future, they would have to hand over half of the money to them. No one here has ever seen this before, no one dares to plant it, so buying saplings is like contributing to these people for peace of mind. But this little leader won't give up, he actually brought people to the town, setting up stalls door-to-door, forcing us to flatten our farmland and plant those trees.

  In less than two months, all the saplings withered and died, which delayed the farming season. That year, the grain harvest was poor again, and our town lost one-third of its households.

  This year is even more miserable. In the past, when the bandits did things, they would at most harm the fields and crops, and in the end, we would just have to pay some compensation, grit our teeth, and still be able to make a living. But this year, the "little leader" made an announcement, saying that he wants to get married, and not only him, but also many of the male and female bandits, including those who are still single, want to marry locals in our town, ordering all households in our town to line up their young men and women for them to choose. This is simply a case of forced abduction! This incident has caused almost half of the households in our town to leave, and anyone with any means has packed up and run away.

  Here is the translation:

  "Speaking of which, the inn owner cried with a sad face. "Others may be fine, at most they would be looked down upon by some petty thief or bandit leader who took a liking to their daughter, or maybe even married off one of their daughters to a bandit's son. But I'm doomed! That young leader, I don't know how he set his sights on my child! Under duress, he insisted on forming an alliance with my family through marriage! My poor child is only 18 this year! After being coerced by the young leader, she's been hiding in her room every day, waking up from nightmares every night. The wedding date has already been set, and tonight, the young leader will be coming to take her away!"

  After finishing speaking, the inn owner burst into loud wailing, beating his chest and pounding his head, crying until he was out of breath.

  Xia Ya heard this, also furious, slammed his fist on the table and shouted "You damn bastard! This occupying territory, teasing good families thing, mom's, I haven't even had a chance to do it yet, but this horse thief is living more comfortably than me! It's too infuriating!"

  Just as he was saying this, he suddenly realized something was off and quickly changed his tone, sternly shouting "I am an official of the Song Dynasty! How can I let such evil deeds go unpunished?! You can rest assured, I will take care of this matter! When is that scoundrel Ma coming to receive the bride? If I don't break both legs of that rascal, I'll be a son of yours!"

  The boss cried with a sad face "It's almost time for the bus"

  Just as he finished speaking, a sudden sound of horseshoes came from the street outside the gate, and it seemed that there were dozens of horses! The sound was coming from afar, and amidst the wind, there were also loud shouts and cries, showing off their arrogance.

  The hotel owner's face turned pale and fearful upon hearing this, and he trembled as he said "Ah! Come come come, get in!!"

  Hearing this, Xia Ya burst out laughing and said "Alright! I've been feeling suffocated these past two days too. Let's use these family rules to pass the time!"

  After finishing speaking, he pushed the hotel owner and said "You go hide in the back first!"

  "Hey, mister, are you going to do something or not?" The innkeeper sighed. "Although this young leader isn't a good person, his skills are even better than the old leader's! I heard that even the two city guards from nearby cities can't beat him together!"

  Cut!

  Xia Ya sneered, what can this poor and remote little thief head do? I've even met Heisting!

  He pushed his boss and said "Stop talking nonsense, hurry up and hide!"

  After finishing speaking, he walked over in big strides, moved a chair to block the entrance, and stood there with an air of importance. Philip frowned and went over to stand beside Shaya.

  Outside the gate, on the long street, a group of horsemen came galloping like a whirlwind sweeping away the clouds, and suddenly stopped in front of the inn. For a moment, people shouted and horses neighed, and it was quite impressive! Looking at these guys, they were all robust and fierce, and among them, a black high-headed fine horse jumped down from the horseback, and a sturdy and majestic figure emerged!

  Xia Ya couldn't help but secretly exclaim: What a **!

  This man's physique is robust, almost a size larger than Shalba the giant barbarian next to Xia Ya, and a head taller!!

  Shoulders as wide as a mountain! Tiger back bear waist! Flipping over and jumping off the horse, a head of brown curly hair scattered, revealing a wild nature, square face, wide chin, facial contours angular and clear, two horizontal stripes on each cheek, supporting this face like a tiger's head and lion's head!

  A suit of rhinoceros skin armor, painted blood red, with two wide short-handled battle axes crossed behind his back! Such a robust man, standing in front of people, without saying a word, naturally gives people a sense of shock as if they were facing a mountain peak!

  Only to see this man, like a bear or tiger, walking with big strides to the entrance of the inn, saw Xia Ya sitting at the door, and his face showed a burst of anger, using a thick and hoarse voice to shout loudly "What's going on! Where is the boss? Come out!!"

  Xia Wu sneered and struck a pose, about to say something like "You're courting death, you thief..."

  As a result, the second sentence of this horse thief boss directly shook our Xia Ya old master off his chair!

  "Boss! Hurry up and bring out your son! I've come to pick up my new husband!!"

  Bang!

  Xia Ya fell down with one fart!

  The boss's son? The new husband?!

  Xia Ya turned her head and stared at the person in front of her as if she had seen a ghost.

  "What?! You! You're a girl?!"