Ye Wanmian remembered that she had asked Dahuang to keep an eye on Jiang Zhiqing's situation. The appearance of Sangsheng and Curly made her heart sink suddenly.
Could something have happened to her mother?!
She hurriedly chased after the three dogs out of Dog Alley. When she recognized that the direction they were heading was west of the town instead of east, Ye Wanmian couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. Only then did she realize that she was sweating cold.
Although it had nothing to do with Jiang Zhiqing, Dahuang was acting strangely. Ye Wanmian still lifted her feet and continued to chase after them.
At this time, Ye Wanmian found that there were also many commoners around her rushing forward just like herself. There were also panicked discussions from the commoners ringing in her ears.
"Who would have thought such a thing would happen in broad daylight! It's really terrifying!"
"Quick, let's go and take a look!"
What was going on?
Ye Wanmian's doubts increased instead of decreasing. Moreover, the closer she got, the clearer the barking of dogs she heard in her ears. And it wasn't just one dog barking, but...
Lots and lots of dogs!
The barking was chilling, and an inexplicable uneasiness welled up in her heart.
"Dahuang!" Ye Wanmian called out in a hurry, but the yellow dog in front seemed not to hear and just rushed forward.
At this moment, Xiao Jingcheng didn't care about Ye Wanmian behind him at all. He followed Sangsheng and Curly's footsteps and came to the area near the Mulberry River.
The barking of dogs was continuous there at this time, and the bank was full of on - looking commoners. Everyone was whispering about something in a low voice, and the atmosphere was very solemn.
Squeezing through the gaps in the crowd, his vision suddenly opened up. A river appeared in front of him, but Xiao Jingcheng's attention was immediately attracted by the scene on the riverside. His pupils shrank violently in shock.
—There were several dogs surrounding a figure on the beach. The dogs were barking non - stop, surrounding the figure in the middle. The wind blew across the river, bringing with it an indescribable stench. Many on - looking commoners behind retched.
Xiao Jingcheng had been on the battlefield, and he was all too familiar with that stench.
What was surrounded by the dogs in the middle was a corpse!
As if sensing his arrival, the dogs surrounding the corpse separated to both sides, making way for him, so Xiao Jingcheng could see more clearly.
The corpse should have been soaking in the river for a long time. The body had swollen several times, making the clothes it was wearing bulge. The face of the corpse was facing the riverside. The face, rotted by the river water, was full of wounds and was completely unrecognizable.
However, the clothes on the corpse were exactly the same as those Xiao Jingcheng was wearing when he was attacked and fell off the cliff. And the right foot of the corpse was bare, only the left boot remained, which was also very familiar to Xiao Jingcheng.
Could this... Could this be his own body?!
Xiao Jingcheng stared blankly at the bloated, stinking corpse with an unrecognizable face surrounded by the dogs in the middle. He felt dizzy and his limbs turned cold.
Sangsheng came up and let out a "whimper" sound in Xiao Jingcheng's ear.
The corpse was discovered by one of Sangsheng's dog subordinates. After they stole the boot from Bu Hua, they had been searching in the town for several days following the remaining smell on the boot, but they found no clues.
Early this morning, this corpse floated to the surface and was washed onto the beach by the river. The smell was detected by the dogs foraging nearby, and they immediately reported it to Sangsheng.
Xiao Jingcheng suddenly came to his senses and subconsciously took a step back.
Found based on the boot in Bu Hua's hand?
No, it couldn't be. How could this be his own body?
Was he really dead?
Could he never go back?!
He didn't believe it!
"Get out of the way!"
"What are you all standing around for? The government is handling a case. Idle people, get out of the way quickly!"
There were a series of scolding sounds from behind. The guards patrolling the town had rushed over after getting the news.
The sudden discovery of a rotted corpse in the town was a big deal. Whether this matter was related to the incident of the crown prince being attacked and missing or not, it was worthy of attention.
Ye Wanmian didn't expect to see a corpse after following the yellow dog. When she smelled the stench of the corpse, she covered her mouth tightly. Seeing the guards rushing towards the corpse at this moment, she quickly called out to the seemingly stunned yellow dog on the beach:
"Dahuang, come back quickly!"
The guards who rushed over also noticed the barking dogs on the beach. They immediately drew out their sabers from their waists. Xiao Jingcheng suddenly came to his senses, raised his head and let out a long howl. The dogs gathered on the beach immediately scattered in all directions, making the guards miss their targets. And Xiao Jingcheng also leaped back to the bank and hid behind Ye Wanmian.
Although this scene was also astonishing, the guards didn't have the mood to care about the dogs at this time. They stepped forward and found the corpse on the beach. The leading guard's face changed greatly and immediately said:
"Quick, go and invite His Highness the King of Xuan quickly! The clothes on this corpse seem to be those of His Highness the Crown Prince!"
Although the on - looking crowd on the bank was driven away, they didn't leave but just stepped back a little. The crowd was crowded together, all standing on tiptoe and looking in that direction. Hearing what the guard said, there was an immediate uproar at the scene.
"What? Wearing the Crown Prince's clothes? Then isn't it the Crown Prince?"
"Who would have thought that the Crown Prince was really in our Dongli Town..."
"But how did the Crown Prince die?"
Xiao Jingcheng had extremely good hearing and naturally heard all the discussions. He subconsciously turned his head to look at Ye Wanmian's face.
She hated him so much. If she knew he was "dead", she must be very happy, right?
Thinking of this, a dull pain came from his heart.
However, to his surprise, the girl was covering her mouth with her hand at this moment, her eyes were wide open. Apart from disbelief, there was no other emotion in her eyes.
At this moment, Ye Wanmian was just as surprised as the commoners around her, or even more shocked.
Although every time she thought of that past event, there was only hatred in her heart, but now that she suddenly heard the news of his death and saw a corpse wearing his clothes with her own eyes, the first reaction that popped up in her mind was -
This couldn't be true.
He was the crown prince of a country, the master of the Eastern Palace, second only to the emperor. How could he die so easily?
Realizing that it might be the corpse of the crown prince, the scene became several times more lively than before. Ye Wanmian was only in a daze for a moment before she was squeezed out by the pushing crowd and almost fell to the ground.
The next moment, a hand supported her. Behind her came Xiao Yixuan's voice: "Are you okay?"
Ye Wanmian was startled. She found that Xiao Yixuan and Bu Hua had already arrived. She quickly broke free from the hand that was supporting her, took a step back to the side, and knelt down to salute: "This commoner woman pays respects to Your Highness the King."
Xiao Yixuan noticed her alienation. He twirled his fingers. Whether it was intentional or not, he asked her: "What happened here? Why are there so many people gathered here?"
Ye Wanmian glanced at him and murmured in her heart that he clearly came here after learning that there was a corpse, but in front of so many people, she still replied:
"A corpse was found on the beach. Someone recognized that the clothes on the corpse... seem to be those of the Crown Prince."
"What did you say?"
Xiao Yixuan's face suddenly changed. He no longer cared about Ye Wanmian and immediately led his men to push through the crowd and rushed towards the beach.