Fortune Across the World

Chapter 46: The Uphill Journey on Persistence Path (Part 3)

Lu Weixi felt a surge of disgust and stepped back, frowning. Qing'er was about to rush forward to protect her mistress, but Ding Qiyu beat her to it. Ding Qiyu stepped in front of Lu Weixi, grabbing Tan Gongzi's outstretched arm. With a smile that didn't reach her eyes, she said, "Since the young master needs someone to carry him, you must be quite frail. How could we trouble you? I'll take it for her." With that, she released his arm, causing him to stagger. Turning to Lu Weixi, she gave a gentle smile and took the bundle from her hands, hanging it around her own neck.

Tan Gongzi steadied himself, suppressing his anger. He quickly assessed that he had never seen this person before. Despite her impressive demeanor, she carried bags upon bags and didn't seem like a noble. After all, there weren't many nobles in Da Qian that he hadn't met. With a sneer, he asked, "And who might you be to meddle in my affairs?"

Ding Qiyu opened her mouth to retort but was interrupted by Lu Weixi's soft voice, "I'm tired. Let's rest for a while before continuing. Better than sharing the road with irrelevant people."

Ding Qiyu looked into Lu Weixi's eyes, seeing her serious gaze. The gentle light in her eyes was different from before, softening Ding Qiyu's heart instantly. Noticing the thin sweat on her pale face, her heart ached even more. Her focus was entirely on Lu Weixi, leaving no room to deal with the rude young master. She nodded quickly, "Alright, let's take a break." She escorted Lu Weixi to a nearby platform, spread a cloth, and sat her down, ignoring Tan Gongzi entirely. Lu Weiming and Qing'er followed suit, completely disregarding him.

Tan Gongzi was seething, glaring at them with malice, but didn't dare to confront them directly. After all, General Lu's status in Da Qian was no less than his father's. All he could do was curse them under his breath and plan to deal with them later, climbing back onto his servant's back to leave.

Meanwhile, Ding Qiyu was still concerned about Lu Weixi's condition. She handed her a small water pouch, frowning with worry, "Weixi, are you not feeling well?"

Ding Qiyu's meticulous care and concern were comforting to Lu Weixi, erasing all her earlier displeasure caused by Tan Gongzi. She shook her head as she accepted the water pouch, "I'm fine, just a bit tired. I'll be okay after resting."

"Then let's rest a little longer, until everyone regains their strength. We're not in a hurry anyway." Ding Qiyu felt slightly relieved, setting down the heaviest bundle temporarily, leaving the small bundle and the qin case that was difficult to remove. She was resolute in not letting Weixi carry anything again. Even an outsider couldn't bear to see Weixi carrying luggage up the mountain, yet she had overlooked it for so long—she deserved a scolding!

"Hmph, that guy is as annoying as ever!" Lu Weiming suddenly exclaimed, breaking the brief silence.

Ding Qiyu sat beside him, curious, "Who is that gilded fool?"

Lu Weiming burst into laughter at the nickname, "Pfft, hahaha! That's fitting! He really is a gilded fool, might as well plaster silver all over his face!"

Seeing Lu Weiming laugh so hard, Ding Qiyu's curiosity grew. Raising her water pouch, she raised an eyebrow and pressed, "So, who is he?"

"He's the only son of Chancellor Tan Shenglin, Tan Yu," Lu Weixi answered for Lu Weiming.

Ding Qiyu, in the middle of drinking water, choked instantly, "!! Cough, cough, cough... Did I hear right? Chamber pot? Hahaha, cough, cough..." The name, said so earnestly by Weixi, struck her as hilarious. Ding Qiyu couldn't stop laughing, though it left her coughing.

Lu Weixi was puzzled by Ding Qiyu's reaction. Seeing her cough so hard, she moved closer, took the water pouch from Ding Qiyu's hands, set it aside, and hesitantly patted her back to help her catch her breath.