The road branched into two. Two different groups of people walked further and further away from each other in opposite directions.
However, neither Jiang Mian nor Xiao Jingcheng knew that after the commoners of Dongli Town had followed Xiao Wuchen for a while, they suddenly stopped.
Xiao Wuchen turned around. Just as he was about to send someone to inquire what was going on, he heard someone in the crowd suddenly say:
"Everyone, if it weren't for His Highness the Crown Prince this time, we might have been washed away by the flood. It can be said that without His Highness the Crown Prince, there would be no us. Our lives were saved by His Highness the Crown Prince. But His Highness the Crown Prince is in a coma because of us. Now that we're separating, we haven't even had the chance to say 'thank you' and 'see you again' to His Highness the Crown Prince."
"Are you all really willing to just watch His Highness the Crown Prince leave like this?"
The man asked those around him. Everyone fell silent, their faces showing reluctance.
"But Doctor Jiang said that only in this way can His Highness the Crown Prince be saved," someone said. "What else can we do?"
Suddenly, someone said, "How about we kneel down to see His Highness the Crown Prince off? It can be regarded as repaying His Highness the Crown Prince for saving our lives."
This proposal was quickly responded to by the crowd. Ignoring Xiao Wuchen who was still there, they really knelt down on both knees in the direction where Xiao Jingcheng had left.
"God, you've seen it too. His Highness the Crown Prince is a man of true feelings, brave and resourceful. You must bless him to travel safely all the way, find a cure for his illness soon, and wake up."
"His Highness the Crown Prince has boundless merits. From now on, I pray that he will be free from illness and disaster, ascend to the throne, and live a long life."
The crowd murmured their own prayers, kowtowing one after another. Even when their foreheads were skinned and blood oozed out, they didn't stop.
Xiao Wuchen was greatly shocked as he watched the large number of commoners kneeling and kowtowing in front of him. He looked into the distance, his expression complicated.
This time, having won the trust of the Crown Prince and being entrusted with the important task of rescuing the commoners of Dongli Town, he had fully demonstrated his talents.
He had been waiting in the mountains for Xiao Jingcheng to return, waiting to thank Xiao Jingcheng in person and then discuss with him how to resettle the commoners of Dongli Town. But who would have thought that the one he waited for was Xiao Jingcheng, who was injured and in a coma.
If it had been in the past, he might have gloated. But after this incident, all that was left in his heart was worry and regret. He no longer had any grudges or defenses against Xiao Jingcheng.
Who could say that if it were him, he could do what Xiao Jingcheng did and put himself in danger to save more people?
Over the years, he had been living in the shadow of Xiao Yixuan. The idea of seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages would only make him choose to save a small number of people and abandon more, so as to obtain greater benefits.
But now, he had realized a truth.
Only by giving one's whole heart can one gain more sincere hearts. If one only cares about the immediate interests, all one can get is only a moment of peace. How can one win true support?
No matter how gentle, elegant, diligent and benevolent Xiao Yixuan pretended to be, he couldn't hide his selfish nature!
How could such a person be worthy of his following?
He said sincerely in a low voice, "Elder Brother Crown Prince, I also wish you a speedy recovery. I will protect Dongli Town for you. If you can still fight for the world one day, I am willing to follow you and pave the way for you to ascend the throne."
Xiao Wuchen didn't stop the commoners. He led the soldiers to guard them on one side. He didn't lead everyone to continue moving forward until the two carriages could no longer be seen at the end of the road and the commoners voluntarily got up and left.
The distance from Qianren Mountain to Dongli Town was not too close. In the past, it would take half a day to get there by ox cart. Now, traveling on foot, they made slow progress.
Everyone had stayed on the mountain for nearly half a month, as if isolated from the world. Although they often learned about the outside situation from the spies, it was still not as good as seeing it with their own eyes.
When they walked to the low-lying areas, they could clearly see the traces of being soaked by the flood. From time to time, they could also see some floating logs and broken furniture that had been soaked and rotted by the water. Presumably, they had been washed down from upstream.
Among them, there were also the corpses of some animals, including cattle, sheep, chickens, ducks and geese. The gentle breeze blew the stench of the rotting corpses, and everyone frowned and covered their noses.
Everyone agreed that the decision to stay on the mountain for a few more days was right. If they had gone down the mountain immediately after the rain stopped, they might really have contracted the epidemic.
Although it smelled bad now, the scorching sun could kill the disease. After the land had been exposed to the sun for a few days, it had become much safer.
Everyone walked and stopped. After noon, they found a shady place to rest and eat. When the shadow of Dongli Town finally appeared in front of them, it was almost evening.
After that, Xiao Wuchen didn't let everyone go any further.
"It will take time to clean the mud and sweep the houses when we get back to the town. But it's almost sunset. It's inconvenient to move around after dark. We'll camp outside the town tonight and go back to the town tomorrow."
"The weather is fine and hot now. The soldiers will guard around for everyone. You can rest assured. There's no need to worry about your personal safety."
Zhao Hu also stepped forward, patting his chest and saying, "Your Highness the Prince of Ning, we can also guard for everyone."
The thugs behind him nodded in agreement one after another.
Just as Zhao Hu finished speaking, there came many barks in the distance. Xiao Wuchen looked in the direction of the sound. The dogs ran out of the woods by the roadside and scattered on both sides of the crowd, as if protecting everyone.
Xiao Wuchen knew that these dogs listened to Xiao Jingcheng very much. He hadn't seen them on the way back and thought they had left with Xiao Jingcheng. He didn't expect them to come back and choose to protect Dongli Town and the villagers.
Xiao Wuchen smiled slightly and nodded, saying, "Okay. My soldiers will be on guard in the first half of the night, and you will be on guard in the second half. We'll take turns."
Xiao Wuchen was a prince. He had also contributed a lot this time. Everyone had seen his dedication to the commoners, so they had no objections to his decision. Immediately, they each found a flat place, sat down on the ground, and began to look for firewood to set up the pot and start a fire to cook.
Before long, the sky gradually darkened. Smoke was rising all around, and the aroma of food filled the air.
Xiao Wuchen was sitting on a rock, thinking about what to do tomorrow, when suddenly a timid voice rang in his ear:
"Y-your Highness the Prince of Ning, this is the rabbit roasted by my mother. P-please have some."
Xiao Wuchen came back to his senses. In front of him stood a little girl about eight years old.
The little girl was dirty, and her cheeks were sunken. But her eyes looking at him were full of expectation.
This was the kindness from the commoners of Dongli Town.
Xiao Wuchen took it and rubbed the little girl's hair. "Thank your mother for me."
The little girl ran away happily. Xiao Wuchen took a bite of the rabbit meat. The deliciousness of the food made him squint his eyes in satisfaction.
On the other side, the commoners of Dongli Town were sitting together, whispering about something. Qi Wen was among them.