The news was more shocking than the thunder and lightning in the sky. Immediately, wails and cries echoed across the mountain.
Although the villagers of Dongli Town had evacuated, there was still a glimmer of hope in their hearts. They thought the flood wouldn't be too severe and would at most submerge half of their houses. However, the surging flood from upstream was now powerful enough to destroy everything.
It was the home they had lived in for decades!
"The water - canal was in good condition. How could it be damaged? This must be a warning from heaven. Something extraordinary must be happening," someone said.
"Damn sky! We've been living peacefully. Why do you torture us like this!" Another person cursed.
Some people immediately knelt on the ground, clasped their hands in front of their chests, and kowtowed towards the sky.
"We're lucky that His Highness the Crown Prince reminded us to evacuate last night. If it weren't for him, we would have been washed away by the flood by now," one person said gratefully.
"Yes, thanks to the Crown Prince. Before, there were rumors that the Crown Prince bullied the common people, colluded with corrupt officials, extorted the people's fat and cream, and abducted women. They said he was a heinous person and deserved to die. But if it weren't for him this time, God knows how many people in Dongli Town would have died..."
Jiang Mian finally managed to recover from the shock. She grabbed a person and urgently asked, "Xiao Jing... Where's the Crown Prince? Have you seen him?"
Li Zhao also stared intently at that person. The person shook his head and replied, "Your subordinate... I haven't seen His Highness the Crown Prince."
Jiang Mian's heart immediately tightened.
He hadn't returned for such a long time, and even the guards hadn't seen him. Could something have happened to Xiao Jingcheng?
Xiao Wuchen took a deep breath and said, "Okay, I see. Go back and rest first."
The news brought by the guard cast a darker shadow over everyone.
Jiang Mian followed Li Zhao back to the cave. Her eyebrows were tightly knitted, and her lips were pursed into a straight line.
Seeing her like this, Li Zhao sighed silently in his heart.
"Didn't a Taoist priest say that he has a purple aura and can turn bad luck into good? Don't worry. He must be fine," Li Zhao comforted.
"But..." Jiang Mian instinctively wanted to say something but then closed her mouth again.
But the yellow talisman on him had already lost its effect, and Xiao Yixuan and Taoist Yuanqi had used evil magic against him. Who knew how much of his purple aura was left?
Regardless of whether Xiao Jingcheng would appear or not, life had to go on.
After waiting anxiously on the mountain for most of the day, Jiang Mian took the second pot of medicinal soup she had boiled to the patients.
She squatted beside a woman, reached out to touch her forehead, and let out a sigh of relief. She smiled and said, "Great. The fever has subsided."
Although she was smiling, her eyebrows were still tightly knitted, looking worried.
The woman couldn't help but ask, "Doctor Jiang, are you worried about His Highness the Crown Prince?"
Mo Zhizhang had asked the same question before. At this moment, Jiang Mian had to admit it.
Well, she was indeed worried about him.
Even raising a dog could develop feelings, not to mention a person she had spent some time with.
Moreover, her dog Dahuang was still in his hands. He had promised to return Dahuang to her unharmed.
Jiang Mian nodded and said, "Yes. He saved so many of our lives. I hope he can return safely."
The woman also said, "I also hope His Highness the Crown Prince can be safe."
"Before, I thought the emperor and the crown prince were far away from us. It didn't matter who the emperor was. It had nothing to do with us."
"But now, I think if His Highness the Crown Prince becomes the emperor, our lives will definitely be better than before."
Jiang Mian had to admit that although she had suffered some hardships because of Xiao Jingcheng at first, looking beyond that, wasn't he a good crown prince?
If he hadn't been framed and hunted down, if King Mu hadn't seized the throne, Xiao Jingcheng would surely have ascended to the throne.
But now that King Mu had replaced Xiao Jingcheng's father and become the new emperor of the Great Sheng Dynasty, could Xiao Jingcheng still be the crown prince?
Jiang Mian pulled the corner of her lips into a smile. She stroked the hair of the child in the woman's arms and said, "Yes, he will."
The rain was pouring down heavily. In the blink of an eye, it was getting dark again, and night was approaching.
The villagers of Dongli Town on Qianren Mountain had gone from initial panic to the relief of surviving the natural disaster. Now, looking at the rain outside, they had become numb.
When would this rain finally stop?
But what was even more worrying was that Dongli Town had now turned into a vast expanse of water, and no one knew when the flood would recede. Were they going to hide in the mountains forever?
But if they left, wouldn't they become refugees?
Having a home meant having a household registration. But becoming a refugee meant that their original household registration would no longer be valid. If there was a town that would accept them, it would be okay. But if not, they would only fall from good citizens to slaves, and their lives would be even harder than before.
If only His Highness the Crown Prince were here...
This was the thought that came to the minds of the villagers of Dongli Town.
When Jiang Mian returned to the cave where Li Zhao was hiding, she found that Jiang Zhiqing had woken up.
The sedative that Jiang Zhiqing had taken had worn off. She woke up groggily and immediately found that she had been moved to a new place. The strange environment made her extremely panicked. She cowered back in fear. Li Zhao immediately stepped forward and hugged her to comfort her.
With Li Zhao there, Jiang Zhiqing's out - of - control emotions quickly calmed down. So when she saw Jiang Mian, she seemed quite calm and even reached out her hand with a smile and said, "Child, child..."
Jiang Mian stepped forward and touched Jiang Zhiqing's hands and cheeks, showing her affection. But her eyes kept looking at Li Zhao, as if she had something to say.
Taking advantage of the moment when Jiang Zhiqing was looking down at the stones in her hand, Li Zhao asked, "Mujin, do you have something to say?"
"Dad, I..." Jiang Mian bit her lower lip. "I want to go and find Dahuang."
She originally wanted to say that she wanted to find out Xiao Jingcheng's whereabouts, but the words turned into talking about Dahuang at the last moment.
A father knows his daughter best. Li Zhao had already seen through her thoughts. He said firmly, "No. The flood has submerged Dongli Town. It's a vast expanse of water everywhere. It's so dangerous outside. I can't let you take such a big risk for a dog."
"Moreover, the patients here still need you. Can you bear to leave them alone?"
"Dahuang is not an ordinary dog. I raised it myself. It's like my child," Jiang Mian argued desperately. "I'll be very careful. I won't let anything happen to myself."
Li Zhao's face darkened. "No..."
Vaguely, the barking of dogs could be heard outside. Jiang Mian's originally low - spirited mood immediately lifted. Before Li Zhao could say anything, she got up and rushed out.
"Mujin, take an umbrella. Don't get wet in the rain!" Li Zhao said urgently. Mo Zhizhang picked up the dripping umbrella in the corner and said, "I'll go and have a look."
The rain wet Jiang Mian's hair and cheeks, but she didn't care. She just ran down the mountain as fast as she could.
The barking of dogs was getting more and more distinct. It sounded like not just one dog, but two, three, four...
Was Xiao Jingcheng back?!