Going out? She was going to take him out?
Ever since he woke up, Xiao Jingcheng had been lingering between the backyard and the medical clinic in the front yard. He had never been able to step out of the main gate even once.
Qi Wen went out once every day to deliver the prepared pills to the patients, which made Xiao Jingcheng extremely envious.
He once tried to sneak out, but before he could go far, he was caught by Li Zhao brought by Dahuang and dragged back.
Don't be fooled by the fact that Li Zhao had a lame leg. He walked as fast as the wind and was very strong. Once caught by him, Xiao Jingcheng couldn't break free no matter how hard he tried.
Therefore, when he learned that Ye Wanmian was going to take him out tonight, he was overjoyed. His eyes sparkled as he jumped off the chair. "Going out! Going out!"
Ye Wanmian quickly stepped forward and covered his mouth, whispering, "Shh, keep it down. It's a secret."
Xiao Jingcheng nodded vigorously, and only then did Ye Wanmian let go.
She pointed at the clothes she had stuffed into his hands. "Change into them and come out. I'll wait for you outside."
Soon, Ye Wanmian, together with Dahuang and the "sticky candy" as tall as eight feet behind her, slipped out of the door under the cover of night.
The thirty roasted chickens were all prepared by Ye Wanmian to reward the dogs in the town.
If it hadn't been for them, with only her and Qi Wen's strength, they would never have been able to dig Xiao Jingcheng out of the coffin smoothly, let alone keep it a secret from员外 Chen and Xiao Yixuan.
Moreover, those dogs could be regarded as Xiao Jingcheng's saviors.
If the dogs hadn't been smart enough to destroy the runes on the tomb soil in time that night, perhaps, just as员外 Chen and Taoist Yuanqi had planned, the noble crown prince would have died in Dongli Town.
So it was only right to take him to see those dogs.
It was almost the end of the Hai hour. Most of the households in the town had gone to bed. It was quiet and dark outside, with only the moon and stars for illumination.
Dahuang wagged his tail and walked in front, his figure shuttling through the shadows of the houses.
Ye Wanmian and Xiao Jingcheng walked carefully behind Dahuang, trying to make as little noise as possible so as not to alert others and expose their whereabouts.
If you looked closely, you could see the figures of other dogs in the shadows along the walls. They moved nimbly and secretly, transmitting signals through the secret language only known to dogs.
Ye Wanmian knew that Dahuang had connections with the dogs in the town. She was quite experienced in relying on them to hide their tracks and avoid the guards, so she seemed very at ease.
To her surprise, Xiao Jingcheng behind her also breathed very lightly. He didn't act recklessly just because of his temporary amnesia.
If the light had been sufficient at this moment, she would have seen his expression.
Concentrated, vigilant, sharp... and cold.
Completely different from the one who had been dancing with excitement at the thought of going out just now.
She didn't know that the moment he stepped out of the yard, Xiao Jingcheng's ears twitched uncontrollably.
He heard all kinds of sounds.
The rustling of the leaves rubbing against each other in the wind, the sound of the ants crawling out of the mound and climbing over the wall roots, and the sound of the dogs' paws stepping on the puddles in the town.
At the same time, he also smelled more scents.
The stench of the mud, the musty smell from the always-damp wall roots, and the urine smell left by some immoral person.
And...
The faint fragrance of the girl in front of him.
The chaotic sounds and scents tortured Xiao Jingcheng, causing unbearable pain in his head. But he endured it and quietly adapted to these changes on his own initiative. Although his face turned a little pale and his steps became a little wobbly, he didn't stop.
There was nothing more painful and uncomfortable than being trapped in that dark and narrow space.
Finally, he got used to the changes in his body and understood the secret language used by the dogs when communicating.
To his surprise, he could understand these secret languages.
Seeing that the girl in front was about to step out of the corner, Xiao Jingcheng didn't think twice. He grabbed her wrist, pulled her back, and pulled her into his arms.
Ye Wanmian didn't expect Xiao Jingcheng behind her to suddenly reach out and pull her. She was so frightened that her eyes widened. She opened her mouth and was about to scream instinctively when the man's big palm covered her mouth and nose. He whispered in her ear, "Shh."
The next moment, the mansion they had just passed by lit up. Through the high courtyard wall, she heard the voices of people inside.
"You finished so early today. I haven't even had enough fun yet."
"I can't help it. I've been busy helping员外 Chen investigate the case of his youngest son's tomb being dug up recently. We've put in a lot of effort to find the thief, but we still haven't got a clue after working for several days. I'm almost exhausted."
"Humph, you're just not good enough. You always know how to make excuses. If you're like this again, I'll find someone else."
"How dare you!" The man was so angry that he didn't know what he did. Immediately, there came the girlish panting sound from that side. "Ouch, don't touch there, you devil. Hurry up and get out. Be careful your wife gets up in the middle of the night and looks for you."
The two stopped talking. Then the footsteps got closer and closer. With a creak, the closed door was opened. A short and fat man walked out. After closing the door, he hummed an out-of-tune song and actually walked towards Ye Wanmian and Xiao Jingcheng!
The footsteps were getting closer and closer. Ye Wanmian's eyes widened slightly. Her heart was pounding. The nervousness made her forget that she was being hugged around the waist by Xiao Jingcheng at the moment. She was lying in his arms.
Xiao Jingcheng covered her mouth, but his eyes were coldly fixed on the direction where the man was coming. He made a slight sound from his throat. In the darkness, a small yellow dog jumped out from the corner and ran past the short and fat man's leg.
Caught off guard by the impact on his leg, the man was greatly frightened and almost jumped up. He turned his head and saw it was a dog. He angrily picked up a stone from the ground and threw it at the dog, scolding,
"Where did this stinky dog come from? Get out of here!"
The dog barked and ran away with its tail between its legs. The man kept scolding and continued walking forward. He didn't notice at all that there were two people hiding in the shadow on his right side.
Hearing the footsteps getting farther and farther away, Ye Wanmian's pounding heart finally calmed down a little. At this moment, she also found that she was being tightly hugged by Xiao Jingcheng. She didn't know if it was because of the warmth from his body or because she had been frightened by the sudden situation just now, but a thin layer of sweat had broken out on her body. It was sticky and uncomfortable.
What annoyed her even more was that the man had been gone for a long time, but Xiao Jingcheng still didn't let her go. His palm was still covering her mouth and nose.
As the crown prince, besides learning to handle political affairs on weekdays, he also practiced martial arts. So his hands were very strong, and there were calluses on his palms. When they were pressed against Ye Wanmian's face, it was always hard to ignore.
For some reason, her heart started beating faster again. Ye Wanmian struggled hard, pushed the man's chest with both hands, and glared at him angrily.
People are gone. Aren't you going to let go yet?!