Springtime Farming: A Happy Wife At Home

Chapter 1468: Going through the Black Tiger Forest

Editor: Henyee Translations

The verdant trees sprouted from the earth and merged into an endless forest.

After half a day of travel, when they were still five or six miles from the Black Tiger Forest, everyone gazed up and could already discern the dark forest looming ahead.

In Qiao Xuan’s keen eyes, the view was crystal clear.

The massive ancient tree stood incomparably tall and was as black as a mountain, exuding an intensely ominous aura. The ambient temperature appeared to have instinctively dropped by a few degrees.

This was the Black Tiger Forest, the sole route back to the Great Qin Empire. To traverse it, one needed to cross dozens of kilometers.

Although it was only three o’clock in the afternoon, no instructions were necessary. Everyone had already halted very deliberately. They had no intention of entering the forest today. They would camp on the outskirts for the night and depart early the next morning. There was no need to push through the Black Tiger Forest in a single stretch.

In such an environment, with its complexity and limited visibility, and set within a wilderness that stretched for hundreds of miles, they couldn’t predict what dangers might lie ahead.

Leaving aside the marauding bandits and thieves on the grasslands, encountering a formidable group of wild beasts could be equally deadly.

That night, Qiao Xuan, Shao Yunduan, Sun Bai, and Sun Qian had a restless night.

This was an ideal place for an ambush. If the Fourth Prince and his associates had indeed dispatched operatives, they wouldn’t have overlooked this prime opportunity.

The next day, the group arose at the crack of dawn. They swiftly prepared a simple meal and packed their tents. These were deftly loaded onto the carriages, and they set out before the sun’s ascent.

Sun Bai and Sun Qian dispatched five scouts to reconnoiter the path. Leading the way was a squad of fifty guards. Over a hundred individuals divided into groups to bring up the rear, while the rest of the guards followed the rest of the party.

“No matter what happens, do not disembark from the wagons unless Ah-Ye is present. Remember my words!” Shao Yunduan grasped Qiao Xuan’s hands and reiterated his warning before they departed.

Qiao Xuan smiled and nodded obediently.

As for whether she would follow his instructions, that would depend on the circumstances.

This part of the forest proved exceedingly challenging to traverse, as it saw very few visitors on ordinary days. Even the caravans traveling between Great Qin and Qingdi made only one or two trips during the period from mid-spring to late summer. Consequently, the rampant vegetation and creeping vines had grown at an accelerated pace. Given the absence of passersby for an extended period, the path that had been somewhat discernible was now engulfed by the overgrowth.

They had numerous carriages in their convoy, and aside from Qiao Xuan and her companions, most of them carried an assortment of supplies.

Moreover, their journey to Qingdi wasn’t a simple one. They needed to bring along some local specialties, particularly precious herbs, gemstones, jades, furs, felt carpets, and more. Some of these items had been purchased, while others were gifts from Qingdi to the Emperor and tokens for Shao Yunduan. This explained the presence of 60 carriages in the group.

Shao Yunduan had issued strict instructions, specifying that each person was only allowed to purchase a limited number of items.

Otherwise, it was conceivable that the number of carriages would double. @@novelbin@@

After all, the various gemstones like rubies, sapphires, tourmaline, malachite, jade, turquoise, cat’s eye jewelry, lapis lazuli, and others were exceptionally affordable in Qingdi. The leather goods were even more reasonably priced. Once these items were transported back to the capital, their value would increase by at least five to ten times.

Even Qiao Xuan had acquired a considerable number of gemstones, discreetly storing them in her spatial pocket. She had even procured several high-quality diamonds.