The Great Song Dynasty: You were put in charge of teaching, and you produced a whole bunch of prime

At first, she held on with sheer willpower. But soon, she experienced what despair truly meant.

The mountain path was rugged and uneven, full of rocks and tree roots. Wearing her worn-out cloth shoes, she stumbled along, almost falling several times.

Before long, the soles of my feet started to burn, as if I were stepping on a knife's edge.

There were also a lot of mosquitoes in the woods, buzzing around her and biting her fair skin, leaving several itchy and painful welts.

To make matters worse, she was hungry and thirsty. The dry rations she had that morning were completely insufficient, and her stomach was already growling. Her throat was so dry it felt like it was on fire.

She watched Niu Aihua walking briskly ahead, as if she were strolling through her own backyard, not even breaking a sweat. Zhao Lingjun felt both envious and aggrieved.

"Miss Niu...Miss Niu, let's...let's rest for a bit..." Finally, after tripping over a tree root once again, Zhao Lingjun could no longer hold on and sat down on the ground, panting heavily.

Niu Aihua stopped and looked back at her, her brows furrowing slightly. "Your Highness, you're too slow. At this rate, we won't arrive before dark."

"I...I can't walk anymore..." Zhao Lingjun's eyes reddened, and tears almost fell. Her feet ached, her body itched, and she was hungry and thirsty; all her grievances welled up at once.

Niu Aihua came back, squatted down in front of her, and carefully examined her feet. Zhao Lingjun's ankles were already somewhat red and swollen.

"You can't do it like this." Niu Aihua shook her head, then did something that left Zhao Lingjun dumbfounded.

She turned around, her back to Zhao Lingjun, and patted her shoulder: "Get on, I'll carry you."

"Huh?" Zhao Lingjun was stunned. "This...this won't do! You're a girl..."

"I am also a martial artist," Niu Aihua said firmly. "Hurry up, don't waste time."

Zhao Lingjun hesitated for a moment, but finally gritted his teeth and climbed onto Niu Aihua's back.

Niu Aihua's shoulders weren't broad; in fact, they were rather thin, but she was exceptionally steady. With a single effort, she lifted Zhao Lingjun steadily onto her back and continued walking, her pace not slowing down at all.

Lying on Niu Aihua's back, smelling the faint scent of sweat and sunshine on her body, Zhao Lingjun's feelings were complicated.

As a princess of the Song Dynasty, it was shameful to be carried by another girl through the mountains. But at the same time, she felt an unprecedented sense of security.

"Thank you, Miss Niu," she said softly.

"You're welcome. The headmaster asked me to take care of you." Niu Aihua's voice came from the front, muffled.

"Why...why do you listen to the headmaster so much?" Zhao Lingjun couldn't help but ask curiously.

"The headmaster gave me meat to eat." Niu Aihua's answer was simple and direct.

Zhao Lingjun: "..."

This reason is truly simple and unpretentious.

The two walked in silence for a while, then Zhao Lingjun couldn't help but ask again, "Miss Niu, are you... are you hungry?"

"Hungry."

"So what do we do?"

"Bear with it." After saying that, Niu Aihua suddenly stopped and sniffed the air.

"It smells like water." Her eyes lit up, and she ran in one direction with Zhao Lingjun on her back.

Sure enough, they hadn't run far when they found a clear stream.

Zhao Lingjun was overjoyed. She jumped off Niu Aihua's back, no longer caring about princess etiquette, and ran to the stream, scooping up water with her hands and drinking it in large gulps.

The cool, sweet stream water flowed down my throat, and I felt completely revitalized.

Niu Aihua also drank some water, then her eyes scanned the stream. Suddenly, her gaze sharpened, and she pounced like a cheetah, her hands flashing into the water.

When she lifted it up again, she had two plump, lively fish in her hands.

Zhao Lingjun was completely dumbfounded.

Niu Aihua skillfully stunned the fish with a sharp stone, then scaled and gutted it in one swift motion. Next, she gathered some dry firewood and, imitating Jiang Lin, started a fire by rubbing sticks together. This time, it took her a bit more effort, but she successfully got a fire going.

She skewered the cleaned fish with branches and grilled it over the fire. Soon, an enticing aroma of meat wafted out.

Zhao Lingjun's stomach growled even louder. Looking at the golden-brown, juicy fish, her mouth watered.

"Okay, eat up." Niu Aihua handed her a grilled fish.

Zhao Lingjun didn't even care that it was hot; she took it and wolfed it down. Although there were no seasonings added, only the natural flavor of the fish, she felt that it was the most delicious thing she had ever eaten in her life.

Having eaten and drunk his fill, Zhao Lingjun felt much of his strength restored and was filled with energy again.

Looking at Niu Aihua, who was taking small bites of fish beside her, she suddenly realized that this seemingly cold girl was actually quite cute.

"Miss Niu, let's go quickly. I can walk by myself this time," Zhao Lingjun said.

Niu Aihua glanced at her and nodded.

The two set off again. This time, Zhao Lingjun's steps were noticeably lighter. She no longer complained about being tired; she simply gritted her teeth and followed Niu Aihua's steps, one by one.

As the sun slowly began to set, when they finally climbed over the small hill and saw the official road below, Zhao Lingjun was so excited that she almost cried.

Not far from the official road, a huge, crooked willow tree with lush branches and leaves stood quietly.

We've arrived at the military post station.