The weather had been fine for several days. The muddy mountain paths had hardened a lot, making them much easier to traverse. Everyone supported one another, maintaining order as they slowly made their way down the mountain.
The descending procession was vast and quite spectacular.
None of the villagers who were eager to return home to rebuild their houses noticed that two people had quietly passed away in two of the mountain caves.
At the foot of the mountain, several carriages and ox - carts were parked. When they had come here in the heavy rain, it was these vehicles that had enabled them to evacuate smoothly. Now, looking at them again, everyone felt rather emotional.
"These carriages and ox - carts are the great heroes of our disaster - avoidance this time. Without them, we would never have been able to travel such a long distance in the rain," a villager said with deep feeling.
"Yes, yes. Just like the dogs, these oxen and horses should be well - taken care of! We must never slaughter them, or we'll surely be punished by heaven."
Hearing the simple conversation, Xiao Wuchen couldn't help but smile.
He raised his hand, and everyone stopped in their tracks at the foot of the mountain.
"Everyone, when we came here, it was raining heavily. It was impossible for people to move forward on foot. So that night, we used these ox - carts and carriages to make several round trips to evacuate everyone."
"Now, however, the weather has cleared up, and the situation is no longer urgent. We'll leave on foot, and I'll accompany everyone. We'll allocate two carriages to His Highness the Crown Prince. The rest will be used to transport the pregnant women and everyone's luggage. What do you all think?"
No one had expected that a prince like him would consult with them, and that he would even walk with them.
An older man said, "Your Highness's arrangement is most appropriate. We're naturally willing. It'll be good. We can enjoy the scenery along the way back."
The others echoed, "We'll advance and retreat together with His Highness the Crown Prince and His Highness the Prince of Ning."
Since there were no objections, everything was settled.
Xiao Jingcheng's body was immediately transferred by Zhao Hu and others to the most spacious carriage. Another slightly smaller one was led to the side, and the reins were placed in Mo Zhizhang's hands.
The pregnant women and the villagers with mobility issues got on the other carriages one by one, and the rest were used to load everyone's luggage. Another half - hour passed before everything was finally arranged properly.
Just as they were about to set off, a sharp - eyed villager noticed that the carriage carrying Xiao Jingcheng and Jiang Mian's carriage were parked at the other end of the road.
That direction... was not towards Dongli Town.
"Hey, Dr. Jiang, Mr. Li, Dr. Mo, and His Highness the Crown Prince, aren't they going back to Dongli Town with us?" he immediately asked.
Everyone's attention was immediately drawn to that direction, and they grew anxious.
"His Highness the Crown Prince and Dr. Jiang are leaving? No, no. His Highness the Crown Prince is our great benefactor. He's still in a coma. He can't leave!"
"Dr. Jiang is so skilled in medicine. Without her, if an epidemic breaks out when we get back to Dongli Town, what shall we do?"
Everyone started talking at once, their voices noisy. The situation was on the verge of getting out of control. Li Zhao was busy comforting Jiang Zhiqing and couldn't spare the energy to deal with others for a moment.
Jiang Mian knew that she had to give everyone an explanation. On a whim, she climbed onto a rock and raised her hand, signaling that she had something to say.
Seeing this, Xiao Jingcheng controlled the body of the yellow dog and jumped onto the rock with her. He raised his head and let out a long howl like a wolf.
With him taking the lead, Sang Biao and the other dogs also stretched their necks and howled. The noise temporarily drowned out the villagers' voices, and everyone instinctively fell silent and looked at Jiang Mian.
Xiao Jingcheng stopped howling contentedly, and the scene soon became quiet.
Jiang Mian gave an almost imperceptible nod to Xiao Wuchen behind the crowd, and then said,
"I know everyone is concerned about the Crown Prince's safety and wants him to go back to Dongli Town with us. I'm sure the Crown Prince is also reluctant to leave everyone."
"But the Crown Prince was seriously injured during the disaster - relief and is still in a coma. It's very bad for him if this continues. So, I plan to escort the Crown Prince back to the capital with my father and my uncle to find better doctors for treatment."
Jiang Mian slowly explained the reason for their departure, not mentioning what the Taoist Yuanzheng had said about the purple qi and the dragon vein.
After hearing this, everyone realized that Dongli Town was remote and underdeveloped. It was not a good thing for the Crown Prince to stay here.
Jiang Mian looked solemn and said, "Speaking of this, I must explain it to everyone today. The Crown Prince was previously hunted down. Someone used a fake corpse to pretend to be the Crown Prince and spread rumors unfavorable to him, intending to damage his reputation and make the world think that he would not be a wise emperor."
"After going through this disaster together, everyone should know the true character of the Crown Prince. He is a brave, resourceful, and kind - hearted person who cares about the people and all living beings." Jiang Mian's eyes welled up with tears, and her voice became more sincere.
The yellow dog raised its head and looked at her, and its tail behind it wagged uncontrollably.
Jiang Mian didn't notice the yellow dog's gaze. She took a deep breath and said, "The person behind this who wants to harm the Crown Prince is still hiding somewhere. If he knows that the Crown Prince is still alive, he will surely repeat his old tricks and hunt the Crown Prince down again."
"So, I hope everyone will not reveal the Crown Prince's whereabouts and movements to anyone. You must keep it a secret. Only in this way can the Crown Prince safely reach the capital and receive treatment."
Everyone now understood her intention. Immediately, someone said,
"Don't worry, Dr. Jiang. We will surely keep our mouths shut and won't reveal anything about the Crown Prince!"
"Yes, we swear here! If I reveal the slightest bit, let my whole family die a horrible death!"
"But... the Crown Prince has done so much for Dongli Town. If others don't know about it, isn't it unfair to him?" someone said hesitantly.
"Yes, doesn't this wipe out the Crown Prince's achievements?"
Jiang Mian shook her head. "No. What the Crown Prince has done during this disaster must be known to more people. We should not only talk about it but tell everyone we meet, spreading the news far and wide."
Hearing this, Li Zhao and Mo Zhizhang both looked at her.
The girl stood on the rock. The mountain wind blew through her body, her hair and sleeves fluttering in the wind, but her figure was as steady as a pine and bamboo.
The Taoist Yuanzheng smiled faintly, stroked his goatee, and nodded secretly.
Qi Wen seemed to think of something. His eyes rolled, and he echoed in the crowd, "Right. We'll do as Dr. Jiang said. We'll only publicize the Crown Prince's achievements but not tell others his whereabouts. This is also a way to protect His Highness the Crown Prince."