Mud splattered onto her light blue boots, staining the soft blue surface a yellowish-brown, but she didn't care and walked slowly forward: "Heng, has Dongfang Zhan done anything unusual these past few days?"
Dongfang Zhan's secret rendezvous with female guests at his wedding, and Li Youlan's naked display in the bridal chamber, were criticized as morally corrupt and indecent. Within half an hour, the news spread throughout the capital, becoming the talk of the town.
As Shen Lixue traveled by carriage, this was the topic that everyone, young and middle-aged, as well as the elderly in their seventies and eighties, talked about with great interest.
This time, Dongfang Zhan, Li Youlan, and even the entire Zhan King were infamous and disgraced.
A strong, powerful arm suddenly draped over her shoulder, pulling her slender body into a warm embrace. The faint scent of pine resin filled the air, and Dongfang Heng's deep voice sounded above her head:
"It's been raining for the past ten days. Whether it's civil or military officials or ordinary people in the capital, they've all basically stayed indoors. Dongfang Zhan hasn't found a suitable opportunity and has been very quiet. However, we shouldn't let our guard down. He's not the kind of person who sits and waits for death."
"I know." Dongfang Zhan is treacherous and cunning, and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. His reputation has been ruined, and he will never admit defeat easily.
"There's a puddle ahead, it's impassable. Let's go this way." Dongfang Heng put his arm around Shen Lixue and walked onto another narrow path. After taking only a few steps, a loud rumbling sound suddenly came from above.
"What's that sound?" Shen Lixue stopped and looked up. Something was rolling violently on the towering mountain, shaking the ground. Closer and closer, she could see that it was a series of stones of all sizes, mixed in with the thick, yellowish-brown soil, rolling down towards them with lightning speed.
Shen Lixue's pupils suddenly contracted: "This is... a mudslide..."
"Mudslide?" Dongfang Heng frowned, not understanding Shen Lixue's meaning.
"It's a landslide." Mudslide is a 21st-century term, which Dongfang Heng, an ancient person, didn't understand, so Shen Lixue used the most common name.
"Let's go!" Knowing the impact and power of the landslide, Dongfang Heng didn't linger as he watched the rolling boulders. He tightly embraced Shen Lixue's waist and quickly drifted away into the distance.
The moment the two landed on the tree, a torrent of mud and rocks surged past them, its immense force sweeping away all obstacles and rushing down the mountain, shaking the trees and trembling the ground.
Shen Lixue looked in the direction the mudslide was rapidly rolling down: "What place is that?"
Dongfang Heng stood on the tree, gazing into the distance, his dark eyes slightly narrowed: "It looks like a village."
"The village!" Shen Lixue exclaimed in surprise. The weather was already cold, there was not much to do in the fields, the roads were muddy after the rain, and most of the villagers were staying at home. If the rolling mudslide came down, it would bury the entire village.
"Zimo, notify the guards patrolling the city to come and rescue people." Dongfang Heng accompanied Shen Lixue to collect herbs. Apart from Zimo who was driving the carriage, they did not bring any guards. The mudslide had already reached the village at the foot of the mountain, burying at least a hundred people. With just the three of them, they were simply unable to rescue anyone.
"Yes!" Zi Mo lightly touched the ground with both feet, soared into the air, and sped towards the capital.
The mudslide had stopped flowing. Dongfang Heng carried Shen Lixue down from the tree and landed on the flat official road: "Let's go and take a look at the small village."
"Okay." Although the two of them were weak, they would help as much as they could.
The village was located at the foot of the mountain, completely buried by the mudslide. Almost all the houses collapsed, and as far as the eye could see, there were only rocks and wet soil, and not a single person in sight.
Looking at the large rocks scattered on the ground, Shen Lixue pondered where to start: "There's not a trace of human presence around here. I really don't know if anyone has survived."
Dongfang Heng looked around carefully: "This is the edge of the village, with few houses and few people. There are more people in the center, so there should be survivors."
"If we want to go in and rescue people, we must first clear a path through the mudslide. It's impossible for just the two of us to do that." The mudslide layer is very thick, and Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue don't have any tools. They simply can't clear a path in a short time.
"The help should be arriving soon." Dongfang Heng's magnetic voice was tinged with seriousness. The mudslide was too large and extremely destructive, requiring everyone to work together to save people.
Shen Lixue turned to look at the official road in the distance. A long, gray line was rapidly moving towards them. Gradually, the gray line got closer, and its general shape became vaguely visible: "That's... a horse?"
Dongfang Heng nodded, his dark eyes slightly deepening: "There are at least a hundred horses." The scale was large, and the horses were orderly, indicating that people were galloping at full speed, moving in unison, and galloping at similar speeds, indicating that they were well-trained: "They are soldiers who have come to the rescue."
"Zi Mo is quite fast." Shen Lixue's beautiful eyes were full of praise. In just half an hour, he had summoned the soldiers to help.
"Zi Mo's speed has always been very fast." A cold glint flashed in Dongfang Heng's obsidian-like eyes.
As the gray lines drew closer, Shen Lixue could see clearly that the riders were indeed Qingyan soldiers, and at the very front, besides Zi Mo, was their old nemesis, Dongfang Zhan.
Under the golden sunlight, Dongfang Zhan wore a deep blue cloak embroidered with exquisite cloud and sea patterns, and the hem was decorated with white auspicious cloud patterns. The scandals of the Zhan Prince's Mansion were known to everyone. When the servants and guards of the manor went out, they would be secretly pointed at and whispered about. His eyes were a little haggard, but there was no trace of despair.
"Prince An, Princess Consort." Dongfang Zhan's fast horse stopped in front of Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue, and he greeted them casually.
Dongfang Heng glanced at him but didn't say anything.
Shen Lixue's eyes darkened slightly, and she responded indifferently.
Dongfang Zhan wasn't angry. His gentle gaze fell on the heavy mudslide, and he suddenly froze: "The landslide is very serious. There must be many people trapped underneath. Quickly clear away the large rocks and mud."
"Yes." With their lives at stake, the soldiers dared not be negligent. Their eyes were serious as they all dismounted and rushed to the mudslide. Some used their shields as tools to shovel up piles of wet mud and throw them far away. Those without shields moved stones back and forth. When they encountered large stones, two or three of them would move them together. They were sweating profusely, but no one complained. The soldiers were working hard and quickly cleared a path leading directly to the village.
The soldiers searched carefully, rescuing mud-covered civilians from piles of mudslides. There were young men and women, young children, and elderly people in their fifties and sixties. Some were unconscious, some were seriously injured but conscious, and some were dead...
Dongfang Zhan stood aside, directing everything methodically. The injured and unconscious were placed together, and nearby doctors were called in to treat them. The dead were placed together, and preparations were made for their burial. His sharp eyes flashed with a strong sense of authority and confidence. Everything was arranged in an orderly manner, demonstrating the extraordinary command ability of King Zhan.
Shen Lixue frowned at Zi Mo: "There are so many patrolling soldiers in the city, why did you call Dongfang Zhan here?"
They had finally managed to suppress Dongfang Zhan, but if news of his actions in clearing the mudslide and rescuing the villagers spread, it would be very popular and could completely overshadow the previous scandals and make all their previous efforts futile.
Zi Mo looked guilty and cupped his hands, saying, "Your Highness, I met Prince Zhan on the official road back to the capital. I did not mean to ask him for help. I originally planned to bypass him to find someone in the capital. However, he saw the mud on my feet and guessed the truth. He found his way here on his own. I did not lead the way."
Dongfang Zhan is truly observant! However, something seems amiss.
Shen Lixue lowered her eyelids slightly: "How far is the official road from the capital from where you met?"
Zi Mo thought for a moment and said, "About twenty li."
Shen Lixue's gaze sharpened. "In other words, when you set off from the foot of the mountain back to the capital, Dongfang Zhan also led his soldiers out of the capital and came here."
Zi Mo hesitated for a moment: "About the same." His lightness skill was faster than a horse. The foot of the mountain was fifty miles from the capital. He used his lightness skill to fly thirty miles, which was about the same time as Dongfang Zhan riding a horse for twenty miles.
The soldiers led by Dongfang Zhan have been patrolling inside the city. Why are they running outside the city for no reason? And they've run for twenty miles. Something's not right!
Shen Lixue looked at the confident Dongfang Zhan, slowly stepped forward, and secretly probed: "Prince Zhan only took half an hour to get here from the capital. His speed is admirable."
Dongfang Zhan turned around and smiled politely: "You flatter me, Princess Consort. No matter how fast my horse is, it is impossible for it to travel fifty miles through the mud in half an hour. Zimo met me on the way back to the capital to report the news, which is why I was able to arrive in such a short time."