The morning sky was clear when Liang Yue stepped out of the cave. The air was cool. The wind brushed through the grass and carried the smell of wet earth from the stream.
"We leave today," she said.
Mo Chen was already awake, tying the last of their things into a bundle. He had cut a straight branch to use as a walking stick and had tightened the rope on his shoes.
He looked up. "North?"
"North," she confirmed. "The valley is not safe. The guards were too close yesterday. There should be a small village along the trade road in that direction. We can get more food there and listen for news."
"Will they recognize you?" he asked.
"Maybe," she said. "But it is better than waiting here for more men who want our bones."
He nodded. "Then we move."
They kicked dirt over the fire until no smoke rose. Liang Yue checked the inside of the cave one last time. There was nothing left that could point to them, only soot on the stone and the marks of their footsteps. Those would fade with time.
She adjusted the cloth that covered most of her burned cheek. It was an old piece of robe, cut and tied behind her head. It could not hide the scar completely, but it softened the first glance.
Mo Chen watched her. "Does it hurt?"
"The burn? No," she said. "I'm only hiding it because people talk too much when they see it."
"They will talk no matter what," he said.
She gave a short smile. "True. But I can choose what they talk about first."
They followed the stream for a while, using it as a guide. The ground sloped upward. The trees grew thinner as they approached a ridge. From there, the land dropped toward a distant road. Liang Yue saw a faint line where wheels had cut into the dirt, and small shapes that could be people or carts.
"There," she said. "The trade road."
Mo Chen narrowed his eyes. "Busy?"
"Not very," she said. "Good for us. Fewer eyes."
They walked in silence for some time. The sun rose higher. Their shadows stretched behind them. Liang Yue kept her steps even, not too fast. Her body was still weaker than she wanted, but the poison did not burn her veins as much as before. Every time she felt the old heaviness, she touched her pendant and focused on the warm center inside her chest. It responded, steady and calm.
Mo Chen noticed her hand move. "Pain again?"
"Less than before," she said. "The light is helping. I can feel it."
"Good," he said. "You need it more now. Villages have people. People have trouble."
"You sound very sure," she said.
He gave a small nod. "People hurt each other more than beasts do."
They reached the edge of the road by midday. The dirt was packed from wagon wheels and hooves. Small stones had been pushed to the sides. They stepped onto it and turned north.
After a while, the first cart rolled past them. The driver, an older man with a thin beard, slowed and stared. His eyes moved from Mo Chen's plain clothes to Liang Yue's half-covered face.
"You two from somewhere nearby?" he asked.
Liang Yue gave a small bow. "We're traveling to find work, Uncle. Is there a village ahead on this road?"
"Village?" The man scratched his chin. "There's Qinghe Village about an hour from here, if you walk. Not much there. Some fields, a small inn, one proper well. Why?"
"We need food and water," she said. "We can pay with work."
The man snorted. "Village folk don't refuse cheap labor. But you should be careful. There was talk of clan men asking questions two days ago. They were looking for a pair. One girl with a scarred face. One fool."
Mo Chen's eyes darkened. "Fool?"
The driver did not notice the change in tone. "Their word, not mine. One of them waved a silver tael around and said anyone who gave information would be rewarded. They came from the south."
Liang Yue kept her expression calm. "Did they find them?"
"Don't know," the man said. "I only heard this at the last stop. But if you two have nothing to do with that, you should still be careful. Clan business is never good for common folk." He flicked the reins. "Anyway, Qinghe Village is straight ahead. Stay on the road. When you reach the big locust tree, turn right."
"Thank you, Uncle," Liang Yue said.
He grunted and drove on.
When the cart was out of earshot, Mo Chen spoke quietly. "They're close."
"Yes," she said. "Closer than I expected."
"Do we still go to the village?" he asked.
"Yes," she said. "We cannot hide in the hills forever. We need information. We need food. We need to know how many people are looking for us."
He nodded once. "Then we go. If anyone looks too long, I'll remember their face."
They walked on.
Qinghe Village was small. Low houses with tiled roofs lined the main path. A few children played with a wooden hoop near a well. Women washed vegetables in big basins. The smell of soup and smoke drifted from an open-front stall.
When Liang Yue and Mo Chen entered, heads turned. Some villagers stared openly at their worn clothes and travel-worn shoes. A woman pulled her child closer and whispered something behind her hand. A boy pointed at Liang Yue's face covering until his mother smacked his arm and scolded him.
"Outsiders," someone muttered.
Mo Chen moved a little closer to Liang Yue, not enough to touch but near enough to block part of the view.
"There," she said quietly. She nodded toward a small stall under a faded cloth awning. A middle-aged man was arranging steamed buns and bowls of porridge on a low table. His clothes were simple but clean. His face looked tired, but his eyes were not cold.
They approached.
"Uncle," Liang Yue said politely. "Do you still have food to sell?"
The stall owner looked them over. "If you have coin, I have food."
She reached into her sleeve and pulled out two small copper coins. They were from the bundle the Liang family had thrown in with her things, likely by mistake. "We don't need much. Two bowls will be enough."
He seemed surprised by her calm tone. "Sit there," he said, pointing to a small bench. "I'll bring them."
They sat. Mo Chen kept his eyes on the crowd, watching who came and went. Liang Yue kept her posture relaxed, but inside she measured every expression aimed at them.
The stall owner soon placed two bowls of hot porridge in front of them and two small buns. Steam rose steadily.
"Eat while it's warm," he said. "Travelers shouldn't be picky."
"Thank you," Liang Yue said.
They ate slowly. The porridge was thin, but the warmth spread through her stomach and eased some of the tightness in her chest. Mo Chen finished his bowl quickly and then slowed down on the bun, making it last.
As they ate, a tall man in slightly better clothes than the villagers came to the stall. He carried a small wooden chest under one arm. His hair was tied with a strip of blue cloth. A thin scar traced down his chin. His eyes moved sharply over every person present.
"Boss Liu," he greeted the stall owner. "The usual."
"Traveling again, Merchant Han?" the stall owner asked with a small smile. "You barely rest."
"Trade doesn't rest," Merchant Han said. His gaze slid over the bowls, then stopped on Liang Yue's half-covered face and Mo Chen's plain, strong frame. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"New faces," he said.
Boss Liu shrugged. "Travelers. Paid for their food."
Merchant Han stepped closer. "Where are you two from?"
Liang Yue lifted her head slowly. "We're both from the south, Sir. We're looking for work."
"What kind of work?" he asked.
"Whatever people will pay for," she said. "Carrying, cleaning, simple things. I also know some medicine."
"Medicine?" His eyes lingered on her pendant for a moment. "Where did you learn it?"
"From an old doctor," she said. "Before he passed."
He looked unconvinced. "Many people claim to know medicine. Few do."
Mo Chen watched him quietly. His hand rested near his side, relaxed but ready.
As they spoke, a sudden cry broke out near the well.
"Help! My boy fainted! Someone help!"
Everyone turned. A woman knelt beside a child who had collapsed on the ground. His face was pale. His lips had a strange blue tint. A wooden bucket lay overturned next to him. Water spilled across the dirt.
"Not again," someone muttered. "Second child this week."
"The well is cursed," another said. "We should have listened to Old Zhang."
Boss Liu frowned. "Cursed or not, the boy is going to die if no one does anything."
Merchant Han's expression changed slightly. "They called a healer three days ago. He said it was a cold of the chest. Gave herbs. No change."
The mother sobbed. "Please, someone help him. Anyone."
Liang Yue stood. Her heart beat faster, but her mind was clear.
"I'll go," she said.
Mo Chen stood at the same time. "I'll come with you."
Merchant Han raised a brow. "You?"
"I said I know medicine," she answered. "If I do nothing and he dies, that will be on my conscience."
She walked toward the crowd. People parted reluctantly. Some stared with suspicion, others with faint hope. The mother looked up, tears on her face.
"Can you help him?" she asked.
"I will try," Liang Yue said.
She knelt beside the boy. His breathing was shallow. His fingers twitched now and then. A faint smell of something sharp and bitter clung to his clothes.
"Did he drink from the well?" she asked.
"Yes," the mother said. "He was helping fetch water. He took a sip when I wasn't looking. He collapsed after that."
"Has anyone else fallen sick after drinking?" Liang Yue asked, looking up at the crowd.
Two people nodded.
She checked the boy's pulse. It was weak but not gone. The blue tint on his lips and fingernails reminded her of something she had read in her previous life: signs of certain kinds of poisoning.
She looked at the overturned bucket. A thin film floated on the water still inside.
She lowered her voice. "This is not a simple illness. There is something in the water."
The mother gasped. "Poison?"
"Maybe from a plant or from something that fell into the well," Liang Yue said. "I can't say exactly yet. But if we wait, he will die."
"What can you do?" Merchant Han asked.
She looked at the boy. Then she touched her pendant under her clothes and breathed in slowly. The warmth answered at once. It spread from her chest to her arm, down into her hand.
"I'm going to try to cleanse his body," she said. "Please, hold him still."
Mo Chen moved behind the boy and gently held his shoulders. "I've got him."
Liang Yue placed her hand on the boy's chest. She focused on the light. She did not force it. She only pictured the poison washing away, step by step, like dust under flowing water.
The pendant grew warm. A faint white glow spread from her palm and sank into the child's body. The crowd gasped. Someone muttered a prayer. Another person took a step back in fear.
Merchant Han stared without blinking.
Liang Yue kept going until her fingertips tingled. Her breathing grew heavy. Sweat rolled down her back. She pulled her hand away only when she felt the light fade on its own.
For a long moment, nothing happened.
Then the boy coughed. Once, twice, then rolled onto his side and vomited a thick, dark liquid onto the ground. The smell was strong and sour.
The blue tint left his lips. His skin turned pink again. He cried weakly.
The mother cried louder and grabbed him. "You're alive… you're alive…"
The crowd burst into noise.
"She healed him."
"What was that light?"
"Is she a priestess?"
"No, I've never seen that kind of power before."
Mo Chen reached out and caught Liang Yue's arm as she swayed. "Careful."
"I'm fine," she said softly. Her head felt light, but the core of warmth in her chest was still there, only smaller. "Just tired."
The mother turned to her and bowed low. "Thank you. Thank you. I don't know how to repay you."
"You don't have to," Liang Yue said. "Just don't let anyone drink from that well until someone checks it properly. Boil water from the stream if you must."
Boss Liu stepped closer. "What did you see in the bucket?"
She pointed at the surface. "There is something oily floating there. That is not normal. It could be a poisonous plant that fell in, or something someone threw. Either way, until you clean the well, use something else."
Merchant Han watched every word.
After a moment, he spoke. "You said you learned medicine from an old doctor. Did he teach you that light too?"
"No," she said. "That is mine alone."
He studied her for a long time, then shifted his eyes to Mo Chen. "And you. Your stance when you held the boy was stable. Your reaction when she almost fell was fast. That is not how a fool moves."
Mo Chen's expression did not change, but his gaze darkened slightly. "People called me that because they did not want to know better."
Merchant Han held up his hands. "Easy. I'm only saying what I see. Travelers with strange powers and steady hands will draw attention. Not just mine."
"What kind of attention?" Liang Yue asked.
"Clan attention," he said quietly. "And sect attention."
The villagers started murmuring again. Someone said, "We don't want trouble with clans."
Boss Liu frowned. "They just saved a child."
"I know," Merchant Han said. "I also know that some clans don't like anything they can't control."
He reached into his chest and pulled out something small. A token. He did not show it fully to the others, only enough for Liang Yue to see a carved symbol.
"If you want to leave this village without more eyes on you, you should do it by night," he said. "The rumor about a scarred girl and a broken man reached here before you did. Your faces match too well."
"So you guessed," Liang Yue said.
He nodded. "I travel often. I listen. I put things together." He lowered his voice further. "I don't plan to sell you out. I am not that hungry for silver. But not everyone is the same."
She looked at him steadily. "Why tell us this?"
"Because people who heal children are good to keep on the road," he said. "There are always injuries, always sickness. I may need your help someday."
Mo Chen stepped slightly in front of her. "What do you want in return?"
"For now? Nothing," Merchant Han said. "Think of this as an investment. In three days, I will be leaving for the next town. If you are still alive and wish to travel faster, you can join my caravan and work for protection."
"And if we leave tonight?" Liang Yue asked.
"Then at least you won't walk into clan men who might arrive tomorrow," he said. "I saw a group of four in uniform outside the last town I passed. They were heading this way."
Liang Yue and Mo Chen exchanged a look.
She bowed slightly. "Thank you for the warning, Merchant Han."
Boss Liu spoke up. "At least stay long enough to eat properly. I'll give you more buns to take on the road. The village owes you for the boy."
She shook her head. "Food is enough thanks."
The mother of the child came forward again, still holding her son. "Please accept something. I don't have much, but…" She pulled off a simple bracelet from her wrist — a small string of cheap wooden beads. "For safety."
Liang Yue saw the hope in her eyes and did not refuse. She accepted the bracelet and tied it around her own wrist.
"I will treasure it," she said.
The woman sobbed again. "Bless you."
Later, when they sat back at the stall to finish their now-cool porridge, Mo Chen spoke first.
"We leave tonight," he said.
"Yes," Liang Yue said. "The clans are too close. If those men reach Qinghe and hear about what happened at the well, they will guess."
"Merchant Han," Mo Chen said. "Do you trust him?"
"I don't trust anyone fully," she said. "But I believe he is selfish in a way that can be predicted. He sees us as useful, not as prey. For now, that is enough."
Mo Chen nodded. "Then if we survive the next few days, we can decide whether to join his caravan."
She looked at him. "You sound very calm."
"So do you," he said.
She smiled faintly. "Maybe your calm is contagious."
He shook his head. "No. It's yours. I'm only copying it."
Boss Liu walked over and placed a cloth-wrapped bundle on the table. "Here. Three more buns and a bit of dried meat. Take them. I won't argue."
Liang Yue started to protest, but he stopped her with a look. "The boy is my neighbor's son. If he had died, his mother would have cried for years. You saved her from that. Let an old man do one small thing in return."
She bowed her head. "Thank you, Boss Liu."
He waved a hand. "Don't thank me. Just stay alive. If you pass through here again, I'll ask you to sit and tell me how far you've gone."
She smiled. "I hope we can."
As the sky darkened and the villagers went back to their homes, Liang Yue and Mo Chen moved to the edge of the village. They waited behind a small shed until most lights went out.
"The road will be empty soon," Mo Chen said.
"We travel until dawn," she said. "Then hide and rest during the day."
He tightened the straps on their bundle. "If we meet any patrols?"
"We don't let them see our faces," she said. "If they do, we run. If we cannot run…" She paused.
"I fight," Mo Chen finished.
She looked at him. His eyes were serious, his jaw firm. The dullness was almost completely gone now.
"You really are changing," she said softly.
"You changed me," he said. "And if anyone tries to take that away, I'll stop them."
She did not reply to that. Instead, she lifted her pendant and whispered a short prayer, asking for guidance, for strength, for a clear road.
Mo Chen watched her. "Does He hear?"
"Yes," she said. "I don't know what He will do, but He hears."
"Good," he said simply. "Then we are not only two people walking in the dark."
They stepped onto the road. Behind them, Qinghe Village grew quiet. Ahead of them, the path stretched into the night, empty for now.
Somewhere farther south, four riders in Liang Clan armor were already approaching, their horses moving at a steady pace.
They did not know yet that the people they were hunting were no longer weak.
End of Chapter 6 — The Road North