CHAPTER 82: CHAPTER 82: THE WAY HE GLARED AT HER WAS LIKE HE WANTED TO DEVOUR HER

Pei Shu’er looked up at Tang Zan after speaking, meeting Tang Zan’s dark eyes.

Tang Zan shifted his gaze elsewhere.

Pei Shu’er said, "Try walking once, see if it’s still slippery?"

Tang Zan could now manage without crutches, though he still walked with a limp.

So Pei Shu’er handed him a walking stick instead.

"Use this along with the ice claws, it will be much better."

In the snow, this way of walking was indeed much better than using crutches.

Pei Shu’er smiled, "Let’s go back and rest."

Everyone was awakened by the cold in the middle of the night and looked outside to find heavy snowflakes drifting down.

Many people huddled closer to the fire, shivering from the cold, their noses turning red from the frost.

Looking at the people following the third family, several lay under one quilt, looking quite warm.

Even if they wanted to snuggle up with the third family’s people, they had no extra quilts and could only shiver themselves to sleep.

Early the next morning, when the government officer emerged from the carriage, he saw the mountains covered in thick white snow.

The snow was even thicker than the day before, with no sign of the blizzard stopping.

Lu Qing exhaled as he gazed ahead.

"Winter has set in, we need to reach Gulan Mountain quickly, or the road ahead will become harder."

So everyone trudged through the heavy snow, as more snow gathered on the road.

Many slipped along the way, but everyone was puzzled why Tang Zan, with his severe limp, never fell.

Moreover, he walked fast and steadily, gone was the clumsy use of crutches, and just using a walking stick, he maneuvered gracefully compared to the others slipping all over the place.

People curiously watched Tang Zan, and those who were observant noticed the ice claws on Tang Zan’s feet, wearing faces of deep concern.

The key was, these ice claws seemed very secure, even when the ground was loose and he slipped a bit, they quickly gripped tightly, keeping him stable.

They were indeed a great tool for walking in the snow.

Some planned to observe more, while others cleverly approached Pei Shu’er to buy them.

Pei Shu’er sold only two pairs and didn’t sell any more.

However, each pair sold at an extremely high price of forty taels of silver.

The buyers gladly paid, considering how dangerous the snow mountain was with such steep slopes; one’s life at risk, eighty taels of silver was trivial in comparison.

The third family’s people also struggled to walk steadily, so Pei Shu’er took out a few more pairs and gave them to those following her.

Thinking these were treasures Pei Shu’er sold for forty taels of silver, everyone felt touched to the point of tears, almost willing to give their lives to Pei Shu’er.

They gratefully put them on immediately, feeling the snow mountain wasn’t so hard to climb after all.

Thus, those from the third family walking steadily became a peculiar sight within the group.

Tang Peixiao approached with a smile and said to Pei Shu’er, "Shu’er, do you have any more of these?"

Pei Shu’er replied reluctantly, "I don’t have many left."

She actually had plenty of these in her stash, but saying she had a lot would raise suspicion.

Tang Peixiao asked, "How many more pairs do you have?"

Pei Shu’er answered, "Second Uncle, only six pairs are left."

Tang Peixiao said, "Forty taels of silver per pair, sell us six pairs. Here’s two hundred and forty taels of silver."

He knew Pei Shu’er’s price, so he wouldn’t let her take a loss.

Pei Shu’er put on a troubled face but ended up refunding forty taels to the second family, as a gesture for the Tang Family.

Otherwise, selling to relatives at full price would lead to gossip.

Technically, Pei Shu’er gained quite a lot from selling goods along the way.

The fur coats and shoes she bought at the market earlier netted her about 100 taels of silver, and the mountain bandit goods that Tang Zan found were considered hers as well.

Yinxing and the others voluntarily turned in what they had; she sold those odd items for a total of a thousand taels of silver.

Additionally, when helping with medical issues, she charged fees from those she deemed unnecessary to take under her wing, between ten and twenty taels at a time.

Thus, she had earned fifteen hundred taels of silver on the journey, in small change.

This kind of silver stored in a money bag would look quite impressive when it came time to bribe the officials.

Others inquired about the ice claws from Pei Shu’er as well, but Pei Shu’er said they were sold out, and everyone left disappointed.

Onward, they kept falling and getting back up, as the mountain steepened, the falls became more serious.

They regretted their earlier hesitation, which led to such a loss.

After traveling a bit further, Lu Qing showed his first smile in days.

He pointed to a vast plain below the cliff, surrounded by mountains with a huge river in the middle, although now frozen.

"Once down the snow mountain, we’re almost there."

Lu Qing led everyone downward; the descent was even more challenging.

Some fell and broke their hands and feet.

Everyone looked enviously at the ice claws on the third family’s feet, with a heartache of envy.

The place seemed close, but the difficulty of the snow mountain meant it would still take two more days of travel.

Upon reaching an open area, the government officer banged the gong, signaling everyone to rest.

At night, while Pei Shu’er was sleeping, she heard a faint noise around her.

Initially ignoring it, she opened her eyes upon sensing the sound approaching them.

Without stirring, she looked towards the source of the sound.

Several people creeping towards them, holding long spears, wore fierce expressions.

Pei Shu’er sensed these people were likely targeting their belongings.

With the exile destination nearing, everyone was readying resources for life post-arrival, either to bribe the officials or for survival.

Stealing supplies seemed the way to go; Pei Shu’er had the most, with silvery treasures and peculiar items that made people drool.

Pei Shu’er discreetly nudged Tang Zan in the bed next to her.

Tang Zan was also listening to the sounds around, awaiting a chance to deal with these men.

Suddenly feeling Pei Shu’er’s hand reach into his quilt, her familiar soft touch startled him; he turned sharply to look at Pei Shu’er, meeting her determined gaze.

Pei Shu’er mouthed silently, "Thieves."

In case Tang Zan couldn’t read her lips in the dim light, Pei Shu’er used her hand to write on the back of Tang Zan’s hand.

Tang Zan felt a tingle shooting up his spine from where she traced; his eyes darkened.

Tang Zan grasped Pei Shu’er’s restless hand to stop her from moving any further.