The efficiency of ancient civil servants was rather mediocre; just the exit procedures and handover took nearly half an hour.
Once the escorts had herded the exiled convicts out of the city in single file, they began urging everyone to quicken their pace.
Exile in ancient times was no joke—the routes were typically pre-planned by the authorities.
For their journey, they were headed to the extreme northern ice fields to aid in construction, covering a total distance of nearly five thousand li.
The escort officers had to strictly adhere to the schedule, passing through multiple relay stations where they were required to check in by designated deadlines.
Delayed arrivals could lead to unpredictable consequences.
Calculating a daily progress of fifty li, they had to complete the entire journey within a hundred days, making the timeline quite tight.
After all, ancient roads were patchwork—some sections repaired here, others there—mostly consisting of rough, uneven dirt paths, far from the smooth, modern highways. The journey involved traversing mountains, crossing gullies, climbing slopes, and fording streams, with complex and ever-changing conditions.
Thus, experienced escorts would push the exiled convicts to exceed their quotas from the very start, knowing that fatigue would only worsen later on. Whether they would survive to reach the destination was truly uncertain.
Before they had even covered two li, some ahead were already groaning in agony, incessantly complaining of the hardship.
Xin Nian paid no heed, appearing to keep her head down and obediently press on, while in reality, she silently absorbed the energy of nature.
The good news: this body was ethereal and pure, far more pleasantly surprising than she had imagined, absorbing external natural energy quite rapidly. Coupled with her over a decade of experience in cultivating supernatural powers, her energy circulation had already become somewhat proficient.
The bad news: the pampered young lady of the Duke Manor had been raised in luxury and never exercised. After just two li of brisk walking, her face was flushed, her legs trembled, and she was nearly breathless!
If she weren’t urgently absorbing energy and converting it for her own use, she might have already collapsed weakly, inviting the whips of the escorts…
What a plight!
Yet, this delicate young lady of the Duke Manor, only just past her coming-of-age ceremony, had encountered such misfortune. In modern times, she would be merely a middle school student—truly pitiable.
Xin Nian understood well. Before the apocalypse broke out in her previous life, she too had been a pampered little ancestor, indulging in food, fun, and leisure.
She had even been less cultured and refined than this young lady, a useless creature who hadn’t lifted a finger before university.
However, to survive, people were forced to grow step by step, just as she had.
With this thought, she felt an even deeper kinship with the original owner of this body.
The original owner had it worse than her; at least in her previous life, she had drifted carefree and leisurely until university.
As Xin Nian pondered, she focused on absorbing energy. With the continuous circulation of energy entering her body, her fatigue eased slightly.
Xie Ninglan occasionally glanced back at her daughter.
Noticing her daughter suddenly look up and give a slight nod, her heart swelled with joy.
Had she succeeded? Indeed, as expected of her daughter—in such a short time, she had already grasped the method of channeling energy into her body and smoothly adapted to this new form.
How powerful her daughter was, the whole family knew well.
Back then, it was her daughter who first discovered a better method for energy absorption and circulation, enabling their family to consistently remain in the top tier of supernatural power users worldwide.
Of course, her daughter’s supernatural powers advanced more rapidly than most, thanks also to her being an exceptionally rare healing-type ability user.
Her healing-type ability was highly unique—not only could she heal at will, but she could also assist others in accelerating their supernatural power cultivation.
The titles of “Strongest Healing and Spatial Abilities, Peak Dual-Type Ability User” were not self-proclaimed; they were honors bestowed by the World Supernatural Power Users Guild.
Now that her daughter had signaled that energy absorption and circulation were proceeding smoothly, her resurgence was merely a matter of time.
Xie Ninglan had unwavering confidence in her daughter. Although the entire family was unlucky enough to be exiled here, her daughter was exceptionally capable—sooner or later, they would escape this predicament.
With this thought calming her mind, Xie Ninglan followed her daughter’s example, lowering her head as she walked while secretly absorbing and circulating energy.
The natural energy here was remarkably abundant; it flowed into her body effortlessly, guided by her will.
After all, she had a lifetime of experience cultivating supernatural powers. Starting over now felt like child’s play, yielding twice the result with half the effort.
Xin Nian gradually realized that the more exhausted her body was, the more effective her supernatural power cultivation became.
Because her power needed to replenish her physical depletion like a steady stream, her body eventually developed a natural response, making energy absorption and circulation increasingly smooth.
Xie Ninglan also discovered this subtlety and quickly exchanged a few simple gestures with her husband, who kept glancing back at them.
Separated by some distance, the couple could only communicate through hand signals.
Xin Wenyuan, with his pampered physique, was already breathless after walking just a few miles and grew increasingly worried about his wife and daughter.
Now that his wife had signaled that absorbing and converting supernatural energy could aid physical recovery, he felt a wave of relief.
So far, the road out of the capital had been a smooth official route. What worried him was the upcoming dirt paths, which would only grow more treacherous and difficult.
He had to quickly adapt his weak, spoiled body—even if he couldn’t help, he mustn’t become a burden!
“Move faster! We must reach Shi Li Po by noon, or none of you will eat or rest!”
“Remember, any delays are your own doing. If you don’t arrive on time, you’ll have to make up for it with your meal and rest breaks!”
The head escort’s words immediately sparked a chorus of miserable groans.
Someone ahead cried out in despair, “Sir! How can we keep walking this afternoon if we’re starving?”
The escort sneered coldly, “That’s your problem! If you slow us down, you’ll bear the consequences. You’ll arrive at the next stop on time, even if it means going without food or water.”
“Grandmother, grandmother.” Xin Ruoyu’s slightly breathless voice rose.
The poor Old Madam had been walking for hours and could barely stay on her feet, swaying unsteadily.
Xin Ruoyu struggled to support her, nearly stumbling along with the elderly woman. Xie Ninglan hurried over, using her own body to prop them both up.
Xin Nian opened her eyes and quickly stepped forward, grasping her mother’s arm and pulling the Old Madam and Xin Ruoyu upright.
The four of them, along with Xin Mengxue from the third branch, were all chained together like grasshoppers on a string. If the Old Madam fell and wasn’t promptly supported, she would drag the others down, resulting in an embarrassing heap.
“Grandmother, how are you?” Xin Ruoyu asked tearfully, her voice filled with anxiety.
Xin Nian expressionlessly took the Old Madam’s hand, secretly checking her pulse.
Fortunately, it was just extreme fatigue—nothing serious. Having never exercised in her life, it was no surprise she was weakened by the sudden long trek.
In modern times, fifty-five would be considered middle-aged, with women in their seventies still dancing energetically in public squares every day.
But ancient noblewomen grew up riding in sedan chairs, carried up hills and down slopes, speaking in soft, breathy voices devoid of vitality—far from the energetic elderly women of the modern era.
The moment their group paused, two escorts charged over with whips, snarling, “What’s going on here? Not walking properly—are you asking for a lashing?”
Old Madam hastily clasped her hands in supplication, “Your Honor, please forgive me. This old woman is frail and moves slowly.”
The Escorts were boiling with rage. Without another word, one lashed his whip toward Yu Shi, “Dawdling and delaying our progress! I think you’re just looking for trouble.”