Chapter 1131: Shock Along the Way

At this time, Ma and the others no longer looked like the savages they once were; their bodies had become robust, and from the inside out, they looked quite spirited, very much like Huaxia people.

Because conditions were relatively poor, there certainly weren't any independent bathhouses, but hygiene had to be paid attention to; while the worms in their bellies couldn't be purged, they couldn't be allowed to catch other diseases.

Thus, a large bathhouse was built early on, a row of wooden houses that could all be used for bathing; every ten days or so, everyone would go in for a wash, as bathing every day was truly a bit difficult and impossible to achieve—even Baifeng might not be able to do it.

However, the matter of washing hands diligently—washing before meals and after using the latrine—could not be neglected in the slightest; from adults to children, everyone was strictly observing it, and in this nearly one year of time, their good habits had been cultivated.

Ma himself did not know that he was about to leave home and go on a long journey again, following Yishang and the others to the Golden Autumn Gathering, but this time, he was going as a Huaxia person; perhaps he would even be able to encounter some familiar tribe.

Changle and the others were also traveling incessantly every day; apart from the people transporting supplies they had encountered the first time, they had not met anyone else until they reached the location of the first Construction Team, where they finally saw a sufficient number of people.

The Construction Team was basically composed of Laborers from the Xuanyuan Tribe, but most of them did not know Changle, though they had heard of his great name; after all, whether in Huaxia or the Xuanyuan Tribe, Changle was a famous person.

The person in charge of the Construction Team warmly received Changle, Princess Consort Ayuduo, Yishang, and the others, holding a welcome banquet for Changle and his group at the construction site, though it could also be considered a farewell, as they could not stay too long—they could only stay here for one day.

"Prince, after leaving here, there is a very long stretch of bad road; we have only simply dug out the places that were blocking the way, but the roadbed has not been paved yet, nor has it been compacted, so it is not easy to walk on."

Changle was indifferent: "It's fine, it's fine; it's not far anyway, and you have several more Construction Teams ahead, right? I can manage with a stretch of good road followed by a stretch of bad road."

"It is just hard on the Prince, having to personally go to inspect the Western Development Group, and I didn't expect it either—the Prince is actually married; I didn't receive the news and wasn't able to come to celebrate; it must have been especially lively at the time."

Yishang said with a grin: "That goes without saying; the whole country was celebrating at the time, and we even had two days off—it was so lively. It's just that you all still have to work hard here, but that's nothing; it's almost Winter, and once you finish repairing the road, you can go home and take your vacation, taking all your leave for the year at once—that would be truly comfortable."

"General Yishang, you say that, but we aren't here to enjoy that leave; we just wanted to celebrate the Prince's wedding. Such an event is too rare; not being able to see it is a great regret."

Immediately, the person in charge glanced lightly at Ayuduo, feeling a bit curious: "This... whose daughter is the Princess Consort? Why do I feel like I don't recognize her?"

At this time, Ayuduo was already wearing Huaxia clothing, not the set from her Jiuli tribe, because Changle had said that since they were going out this time, the temperature might drop soon and it would be quite cold, so it was better to wear Huaxia clothing; the two sets she had from the Jiuli tribe were a bit too thin, and the new set made for her was truly too luxurious—wearing it out would be a waste and not suitable for travel.

Ayuduo introduced herself: "I am from the Jiuli, not from Huaxia."

"Jiuli? I've never heard of it; which tribe is this?"

Yishang explained: "A large tribe in the east, very powerful too; she is also a Princess of the Jiuli, and her status is a very good match for our Prince."

The person in charge was surprised and immediately lowered his voice: "Speak a little quieter here; don't let irrelevant people hear. There are too many people from the Xuanyuan Tribe here, and this matter of the Prince's marriage is considered a secret, after all—the Princess Consort's identity is a bit too..."

Changle comforted the person in charge: "No need to fear; the entire Xuanyuan Tribe knows about this matter. It is nothing if these Laborers know; there is no need to be afraid, just speak as you will."

"They actually know? How do they know? This, this!!"

"Because the two of us met in the Xuanyuan Tribe," Changle said lightly, but it left the person in charge terrified.

The person in charge dared not listen to any more details and could only hastily end the topic; he was terrified that if such news were to spread, there would be problems, and then it would be bad if it were traced back to him in the end, even if it was the Prince who said it himself.

Because there were no houses here for Changle to stay in, everyone lived in Tents, and with many people and mixed eyes, they only stayed briefly; after catching their breath, they continued on their way.

According to the person in charge, further ahead, there were places to set up camp everywhere because they had basically leveled the road surface and connected it to the area of the next Construction Team; it just hadn't been compacted yet, but movement would not be obstructed.

Thus, they moved forward again, and after the sky turned dark, they found a place to set up camp and rest; after repeating this a few times, Changle and the others finally reached the location of the last Construction Team, where there were quite a few acquaintances, such as Zao.

Zao was also very cordial upon seeing Changle; he had not expected that Changle would actually come to such a far place himself, but after hearing Changle explain his mission, Zao also believed that this was a matter only Changle could handle—only with Changle going personally could Baifeng trust it the most, and Changle possessed sufficiently rich knowledge to completely solve some of the problems encountered by the Western Development Group.

At the same time, he also expressed shock at Changle's marriage and offered his congratulations, but Zao was, after all, a Count; in such a situation, he had to give a gift to Changle, and with him not being there, he had no idea if his family had given Changle a gift, or if they had given enough.

So, in the gap between conversations, he quietly pulled Yishang aside to ask: "General Yishang, do you know if my family sent a congratulatory gift when the Prince got married?"

Yishang patted Zao's shoulder lightly and gave him a look of affirmation: "Rest assured, no one was left out; everyone gave one. That sort of thing can certainly be handled well."