A man lay quietly in the carriage. Even with all the commotion outside, he didn't stir, indicating that he was truly unconscious.
Thanks to Taoist Yuanzheng secretly casting a spell behind them and muttering a few incantations, the group didn't examine Xiao Jingcheng's condition closely. They quickly shifted their gazes.
"What a pity for such a nice young man to end up like this," one of them sighed. "Fate is truly unfair."
The others sighed in agreement.
People always tend to feel sympathy for the misfortunes of others. From then on, the group no longer suspected Li Zhao and the others.
"Since we're all from Cangzhou, we're all family. Harmony brings wealth, harmony brings wealth."
Hearing this, Jiang Mian asked, "Are we still in Cangzhou?"
The leader replied, "That's right. Our village is called Jiaowei Village because its location is like the tip of an ox's horn. It belongs to Huyong Town, and Huyong Town is under the jurisdiction of Guangdu County."
Jiang Mian nodded thoughtfully.
She had never been to Jiaowei Village before. But she knew about Guangdu County. It was located at the western end of Cangzhou. Beyond it was Bianzhou, which bordered Chenzhou, the very route they were planning to take.
Although this route was a bit circuitous, it was much safer than traveling by water.
"How long does it take to get to the town from here?" Jiang Mian asked politely. "I wonder if we can still make it if we leave now?"
"That's impossible. It's already past noon. It takes a whole day to get to the town from here. That's why we rarely leave the village. When we really need to go to the town, we have to stay there overnight before we can come back," one of them explained.
"I didn't expect the town to be so far away. But we're running out of food. We must replenish our supplies," Jiang Mian sighed regretfully.
Jiang Zhiqing said, "Since it's so far to the town, I wonder if we could stay here for the night? We hunted a wild boar in the mountains. We can exchange the wild boar meat with you."
"Wild boar?! Really?!" The group was extremely shocked. Jiang Mian led them to the back of the carriage. Sure enough, they saw a dead wild boar tied to the back of the carriage.
"Wow, you're amazing! The wild boars in the mountains are very fierce. They often come down to the foothills and ruin our crops. They're really annoying!"
Jiang Mian stood with her hands on her hips, looking proud. "This was hunted by my big yellow dog. My big yellow is the bravest dog in the world."
Xiao Jingcheng, who was squatting at her feet, subconsciously puffed out his chest.
The group surrounded Big Yellow and gave him a thumbs - up, constantly praising him as a "good dog". Big Yellow wagged his tail wildly and looked even more proud.
The wild boar brought them closer. The villagers of Jiaowei Village said, "Since you fellow villagers are so sincere, you can stay here tonight. We're all from Cangzhou. Once you're here, you're family!"
Before Li Zhao and the others could react, one of them ran to the back of the group and shouted towards the village at the top of his lungs, "Folks, come out! We have guests in our village!"
Jiang Mian didn't expect them to make such a big fuss. She quickly glanced at Li Zhao. Li Zhao gave her a look to calm down and whispered, "Let's wait and see."
After the shouts, soon a large number of people gathered at the entrance of Jiaowei Village.
"These folks are from Dongli Town. There was a flood there some time ago, and their houses..."
The villager who had stopped Jiang Mian and the others earlier told the others about Li Zhao and the others' misfortunes.
"They're going north to seek refuge with their relatives. They passed by our Jiaowei Village today and want to stay here for the night. They even brought us a big wild boar. If any of you have spare rooms, please speak up. Don't let the guests sleep outside!"
So he had gathered the villagers to find accommodation for Jiang Mian and the others.
The villagers of Jiaowei Village were really simple - minded and hospitable.
The villagers naturally felt very sympathetic towards Jiang Mian and the others. Immediately, many of them spoke up.
"I have a spare room in my house. One person can stay there!"
"I also have a spare room. One of you can come to my house!"
"My house is more spacious. Two people can stay. It's just right for a couple."
In the end, Li Zhao and Jiang Zhiqing stayed in one family's house. Taoist Yuanzheng and Jiang Mian each stayed in different families. Xiao Jingcheng was still unconscious, so someone needed to take care of him. This task fell on Mo Zhizhang, so he and Xiao Jingcheng stayed in another family's house.
After everyone was settled, the villagers of Jiaowei Village worked together to unload the wild boar tied to the back of the carriage. They skinned it, drained the blood, removed the bones, and divided the meat. They were busy and in high spirits.
Some villagers even took the initiative to lead Jiang Mian and the others' carriage and horses to a safe place, fed the horses, and let them rest.
The family where Jiang Mian stayed had four members: an ordinary couple and two children, aged eight and six respectively.
When Jiang Mian was unpacking her luggage, the two children were lying on the doorframe, curiously staring at her.
Xiao Jingcheng, controlling the body of the yellow dog, closely followed Jiang Mian. Seeing the two children being sneaky, he bared his teeth and let out a low growl.
Jiang Mian turned around and saw the two little heads outside the door. She couldn't help but smile.
She walked to the door, bent down, and asked with a smile, "Little friends, did you come here for something?"
The two children glanced at each other. The older one said, "Sister, I heard that you hunted that big wild boar, right?"
Jiang Mian thought that the two children came for the wild boar. She nodded and said, "Of course. It was my big yellow dog that hunted it."
"Wow, your yellow dog is so amazing! We also want to raise a dog, but our parents won't agree," the two children said enviously. The younger one said in a childish voice, "Sister, can I touch your yellow dog?"
Jiang Mian looked at the yellow dog, which was sitting upright behind her, looking imposing. She smiled and said, "It depends on whether my big yellow is in a good mood today and is willing to let you touch him."
The two children looked at the yellow dog eagerly, hoping that it would be kind enough to let them touch it.
The yellow dog's fur was golden and fluffy, looking extremely soft.
This Jiang Mian was always causing him trouble.
He wasn't a dog. Even though he had to possess the yellow dog's body again, not just anyone could touch him.
Xiao Jingcheng snorted through his nose, turned around, jumped onto the bed, and lay down arrogantly.