"Quick, quick! It's going to rain. Hurry home and collect the laundry!"
"I've got a lot of dried fruits out to dry at home. Please let the rain hold off for a while. Don't let the things get wet!"
On the streets of Yunfu County, pedestrians were in a hurry, all rushing home to tidy up the things they had left out to dry. No one paid attention to these two unremarkable carriages, nor did they know who was sitting inside.
The carriages stopped outside an inn named Fuying.
The curtain was lifted, and a girl emerged from the carriage first, followed closely by a very tall man.
After jumping off the carriage, the girl immediately turned around and reached out her hand to the man behind, looking concerned.
"Big brother, be careful. Let me help you."
The man was clearly tall and upright, but his body swayed unsteadily, looking as if he was seriously ill, as if a gust of wind could blow him down. Just as he was about to reach out his hand to the girl, another man of similar height came up from behind, grabbed his hand and supported his shoulder, smiling.
"Big brother, don't trouble little sister. Let me do it. Otherwise, if big brother suddenly faints again, little sister's small frame won't be able to support you."
From the carriage behind, a man and a woman got out. They were affectionate in their postures and looked like a middle - aged couple.
Besides them, there was also a man with a goatee, looking slovenly and somewhat lecherous.
To others, these people's faces were blurred and not clearly visible, so they just took a glance and then looked away.
These people were Jiang Mian, Xiao Jingcheng, Li Zhao and the others.
Having been intercepted by Mo Zhizhang from getting close to Jiang Mian, Xiao Jingcheng was extremely annoyed. However, his current state after waking up was little different from that of a seriously ill person, and he really didn't have the strength to resist Mo Zhizhang. He could only be held back and let Mo Zhizhang help him out of the carriage aggrievedly.
Watching the backs of the two men acting like "deep - brotherly - love", Jiang Mian covered her mouth and secretly laughed. Then, as if remembering something, she lifted the curtain and looked into the carriage.
Dahuang was curled up in the corner, snoring loudly. Even the commotion they made didn't wake it up.
But thinking of how bravely it had scouted the way and hunted for them all the way, Jiang Mian smiled, went up and picked it up, full of affection.
Dahuang was getting fatter and heavier. In a few more days, she might not be able to pick it up anymore.
The group entered the inn. As usual, they asked for three upper - class rooms. Jiang Mian and Jiang Zhiqing would share one, Li Zhao and Mo Zhizhang another, and Xiao Jingcheng and Taoist Yuanzheng the third.
Supported by Mo Zhizhang, Xiao Jingcheng entered the room, already sweating profusely from the exertion.
After sitting down on the bed, he couldn't hold on any longer and slumped softly on the cushion, gasping for breath.
Jiang Mian carried Dahuang into the room too. After putting the sleeping yellow dog down, she quickly took out a handkerchief and stepped forward to wipe the sweat off Xiao Jingcheng's forehead.
"Hold on a little longer. Now that we're in Chenzhou, we're safe. After resting here for two days, we can head to the capital. Once we're in the capital, I can find my master to take a look at you."
Xiao Jingcheng looked at her tenderly. "Okay. With the Taoist priest here, there's nothing serious. You should go back and settle down first. Have a good rest."
Jiang Mian didn't think much about it. She really needed to go back to the room to pack her luggage. She nodded and was about to get up and leave. Seeing her bend down to pick up Dahuang, Xiao Jingcheng coughed twice forcefully and said,
"Just let it stay here. With me and the Taoist priest around, there's no need to worry about it running around."
So Jiang Mian didn't take the yellow dog away.
After Jiang Mian left, Mo Zhizhang said meaningfully, "Big brother really loves this dog. It's like it's a part of the family."
Xiao Jingcheng looked at him.
Those smiling peach - blossom eyes seemed affectionate to everyone, but he could see scrutiny and coldness in them.
"Little brother has been puzzled all the way. Why does Dahuang always fall into a deep sleep whenever big brother wakes up?"
Xiao Jingcheng's heart skipped a beat, and his mind raced to come up with a way to deal with this.
It had been another one and a half months since they left Guangdu County. Every time Xiao Jingcheng woke up, he needed the support of the purple qi. But since the second day they left Guangdu County, Xiao Jingcheng had noticed that the purple qi was gathering faster and faster. In about four or five days, the purple qi would be thick enough to support him to wake up for a short while.
When he woke up before, they were on the road. Even if the yellow dog was sleeping, it wasn't that noticeable.
But this time, Xiao Jingcheng had gathered enough purple qi and woke up for a longer time, and Mo Zhizhang immediately noticed something was wrong.
He was also very depressed about why Dahuang always fell asleep whenever he returned to his body. But obviously, this wasn't the time to expose himself.
First, he looked blank. "Really? I didn't notice that. It's really a coincidence."
Then he immediately smiled. "By the way, thank you, second brother, for taking care of me just now. I'm sure you're tired too. Go back and rest quickly."
He said it so naturally, as if he was really grateful to Mo Zhizhang.
Humph, who's your second brother.
The smile on Mo Zhizhang's face faded a bit, and he turned around and left.
After his figure disappeared, Xiao Jingcheng gave a soft snort.
Huh, trying to expose him? Who can't be disgusting to whom.
Taoist Yuanzheng had seen a lot of the drama of the two men's open and secret struggles for Jiang Mian's attention along the way. Now he was sitting there with his legs crossed, watching the show. After Mo Zhizhang left, Xiao Jingcheng looked at him, grinding his teeth.
"Can't you think of a way to stop this stupid dog from falling asleep every time?"
Taoist Yuanzheng stroked his goatee and smiled. "Dahuang always falls asleep when Your Highness wakes up because its body is used to having two souls in one body. When Your Highness suddenly leaves its body, its body will always feel a bit unaccustomed."
"However, Your Highness needn't worry. As long as it gets enough sleep, it will be able to control its own body."
But for Dahuang to get enough sleep, Xiao Jingcheng had to stay awake for a longer time, which would require a large amount of purple qi.
Xiao Jingcheng looked down at his body.
There were chains made of condensed purple qi wrapped around him. Those chains were like snakes coiled on his body, and these "snakes" were being consumed at a visible speed.
Fortunately, this time, in order to stay awake for a longer time, he had patiently accumulated the purple qi for almost half a month.
In Chenzhou, it was the territory of Emperor Beisheng, his uncle.
Thanks to the effect of the yellow talismans, no one could recognize their identities or detect their whereabouts along the way, so the journey had been very smooth.
But he knew in his heart that coming to Emperor Beisheng's territory didn't mean they were safe.
Along the way, every time they stopped in a city, he would use Dahuang's body to inquire about the news in the capital everywhere in the city.
He confirmed again and again.
His mother had really committed suicide when his uncle occupied the imperial palace.
His mother was dead, and his father had declared himself emperor in the south of the Yangtze River, challenging his uncle.
How could his uncle, who used to be like a father and a teacher to him, tolerate him?
But...
He was determined to kill those crazy father - and - son pair with his own hands and ask them in person why.
No matter what it took!