The sun was gradually setting. The sunlight cast on the two of them was no longer scorching or blinding but rather gentle.
The golden rays shone on Xiao Jingcheng, gilding his entire figure.
With his eyes closed in slumber, he resembled a statue carved from green jade. The sunlight softened his sharp and somewhat cold features.
Jiang Mian never would have thought that the once high - and - mighty man, who had looked down on her with cold disdain and decided her life, death, and destiny with a single word, would now be sitting beside her, needing her care.
Probably none of the girls in the capital who had once admired him could have imagined this either.
This time, he had been awake longer than before, lasting for three days. This indicated that the purple aura in his body was recovering well.
She had also heard about the Taoyuan Opera Troupe and the Dragon - Slaying Army. The people in the Taoyuan Opera Troupe were obviously the villagers from Dongli Town, and the leader of the Dragon - Slaying Army was clearly Xiao Wuchen.
It turned out that besides her, Xiao Wuchen and the villagers of Dongli Town were also working hard for Xiao Jingcheng. They spread his deeds and his deserved reputation, making the world aware of his existence and what kind of person he was.
Jiang Mian leaned over, carefully supporting Xiao Jingcheng, and laid his body flat so that he could sleep more comfortably.
With her hands propping on either side of her, noticing that his hair was a bit messy, Jiang Mian subconsciously reached out to tidy his hair.
Her eyes quietly fixed on the man's face. Her gaze slowly slid down from his eyebrows and finally landed on his lips.
Suddenly coming to her senses, she found that she was only half a palm's distance away from him.
A little closer, and she would have kissed him!
Sensing a pair of eyes staring at her, she turned her head and saw Dahuang lying beside her, staring at her intently with a wide - open mouth, as if very happy.
Jiang Mian quickly sat up straight, covering her mouth with her palm and coughing forcefully.
What was wrong with her just now?!
Why did she suddenly think that Xiao Jingcheng's lips looked so soft that she inexplicably wanted to take a bite!
"Dahuang, don't tell anyone about this, or I won't buy you roast chicken anymore!" Jiang Mian threatened. Then she quickly returned to the driver's seat of the carriage, with her back to the sleeping man inside, trying hard to calm her chaotic heartbeat.
Xiao Jingcheng never expected that when he returned to the body of the yellow dog and opened his eyes, he would see such a scene!
Jiang Mian - was actually bending over his body!
Was she trying to kiss him?!
Xiao Jingcheng was extremely excited. He even held his breath, afraid of disturbing Jiang Mian. But unexpectedly, she still sensed something was wrong and stopped halfway.
Seeing that she didn't continue, Xiao Jingcheng was very disappointed.
It was just a little bit, just a little bit and she would have kissed him.
It was a pity that Mo Zhizhang wasn't here. He really wanted Mo Zhizhang to see how much she cared about him and stop having ideas about her.
Jiang Mian sat outside, with her back to him. Although he couldn't see her expression clearly, her ears, red as if bleeding, betrayed her current mood. Xiao Jingcheng was overjoyed. He controlled the body of the yellow dog and burrowed into Jiang Mian's arms, nuzzling her.
The girl instinctively hugged him and reached out to ruffle the yellow dog's head, murmuring:
"There are so many beautiful sceneries in the world. If only the world could be peaceful and there would be no wars."
Xiao Jingcheng followed her gaze and looked at the distant fields. In Chenzhou, rice was widely planted, and the rice fields were now a golden expanse. It wouldn't be long before the harvest.
If at this time, his uncle and his father were to go to war, it would only bring suffering to the common people.
At this moment, both of them had the same thought in mind.
They hoped for long - term peace and prosperity in the world.
From this day on, Xiao Jingcheng fell into a deep slumber again. This time, Jiang Mian was no longer worried because she knew he would surely wake up.
The carriage traveled intermittently, stopping in two towns along the way. Finally, on the seventh day, they arrived in Luozhou.
As the carriage entered the territory of Luozhou, the scenery outside was very different from that in Chenzhou.
Buddhism thrived in Luozhou, so there was almost a temple on every mountain. As the carriage traveled through the mountains and forests, one could always see common people kowtowing step by step on the roadside, holding Buddhist beads and incense, sincerely praying.
Occasionally, one could also see one or two monks sitting under a big tree, preaching to the common people.
The carriage stopped at a tea shed by the roadside. Everyone got off the carriage to drink tea and take a rest. Twenty li further ahead, they would reach Luozhou City.
Returning to this old place, Li Zhao and Jiang Zhiqing were filled with emotions. They even felt a sense of uneasiness when approaching their hometown.
Since waking up on that small boat that year, Li Zhao had wandered around the Great Sheng, looking for Jiang Zhiqing's whereabouts and had never returned to Luozhou.
This place held too many memories, and those memories had become extremely heavy because of his survival alone, making Li Zhao afraid to recall, think deeply, or touch them.
Jiang Zhiqing had long noticed his abnormality. She placed her hand on the back of his hand: "My husband, don't blame yourself. You've never been wrong. The one who was wrong was the person who tried to replace you and seize the Li family."
Li Zhao held her hand tightly and took a deep breath: "I know. Don't worry. I'll try my best to adjust."
Over there, Jiang Mian took the yellow dog and walked under the shade of a tree, listening to the Buddhist sermon of a monk from Luozhou.
The monk's robe was gray and shabby, as if it had been washed countless times, and some parts were even coming apart at the seams. It was obvious that he was very poor.
After he finished his sermon, the common people stepped forward and wanted to give him some silver. He quickly waved his hand and put his hands together: "I'm preaching here to save all sentient beings and promote Buddhism. I don't want to amass wealth. If I accept it, I'll go against my original intention and defile Buddhism."
"If possible, if you could share a bite of food with me, I'll be content."
At this time, an old woman stepped forward and broke half of the pancake in her basket and gave it to him. He held the pancake and smiled very happily, as if he had made a fortune.
Jiang Mian was deep in thought.
A person appeared beside her. Taoist Yuanzheng stroked his vulgar goatee and said: "Little Doctor Jiang, do you have some insights?"
Jiang Mian asked: "Daoist, you're also a religious person. The ways of doing things of Taoism and Buddhism seem to be very different."
"Humph." Taoist Yuanzheng snorted softly, "What's different? Aren't they all for the sake of all sentient beings in the world?"
Jiang Mian said with a smile: "Daoist is right. They're all for the common people. Just like what Xiao Jingcheng once told me, whether a person is good or bad, if used in the right place, they can be beneficial to the common people."
"Little Doctor Jiang has great wisdom." Taoist Yuanzheng said meaningfully, "That's why Little Doctor Jiang has great blessings."
Jiang Mian and the others returned to the tea shed. Li Zhao had also finished the tea in his cup.
Under Jiang Mian's surprised gaze, he took off the yellow talisman around his neck that could conceal his appearance and identity and slowly stood up.
"Let's go. It's time to go home."