Despite successfully evading this wave of zombie hordes, Gu Qingcheng harbored a vague premonition of unease.
They had only been navigating on the water for a short while before encountering such a large-scale zombie tide. It was certain they would encounter more zombie hordes of varying sizes in the future.
During the extreme cold, more than half of the population had perished, and most survivors were too weak to deal with the frozen corpses.
Furthermore, the extreme cold provided ideal conditions for preserving bodies. Therefore, many corpses remained in their original state before thawing.
Even the frozen dead within Jinsha City, though handled by Prince Xia’s men, were merely placed in large pits outside the city and buried en masse.
Now, even Jinsha City was submerged. Once the soft soil became waterlogged, the previously rigid frozen corpses would absorb moisture, and as temperatures rose, they would decompose, their internal organs expanding, causing them to float to the surface like balloons.
The thought of such a scene sent shivers down Gu Qingcheng's spine, making her scalp tingle.
However, she did not wish to discuss it further with her mother and suppressed this worry for the time being.
Yet, her fleeting expression of worry did not escape Gu Zhaobei's notice.
At this moment, Hu Lanfang began boiling a pot of kumquat lemon tea. The tea had just come to a boil.
She took out four clean glass cups, poured a cup for each person, and said:
"Drink this tea, it's refreshing and whets the appetite. That foul stench earlier truly disgusted me."
Gu Qingcheng apologized, "Mother, the defense system only activates upon receiving an attack signal; it's not operational all day.
So, when the first wave of stench arrived, the defense system detected the odor and could react by activating the internal ventilation system.
But before it could fully respond, some of the stench had already leaked through and been absorbed by us."
"It's alright, drinking the tea will help," Hu Lanfang said, holding her tea. She drank half a cup in one go, relishing the warmth, and smacked her lips contentedly, "Fresh vitamin C, everyone drink up."
Mi Guo always felt there were many things he couldn't quite grasp when listening to the family of three chat. For instance, what was fresh vitamin C? He hadn't formed a concept for it in his mind, so it felt incredibly novel and curious.
Perhaps it was an immortal elixir!
Gu Qingcheng, following her mother's words, drank more than half a cup of the hot water.
The boat was now sailing at a steady pace on the water. The current was swift, and the water surface was unobstructed, revealing no buildings. Only the trees that had once grown tall now had their treetops exposed above the water, looking like clumps of bushes planted in the water.
Just as everyone had relaxed slightly after drinking the hot tea, a loud gong suddenly sounded.
Everyone on the boat turned their heads in the direction of the sound and were astounded. A boat traveling at a considerable speed was approaching them from behind.
Seeing them turn, the people on the other boat waved and shouted loudly, clearly signaling them to stop.
What caught Gu Qingcheng's unwavering gaze was the peculiar design of the approaching vessel. It had two sets of oars on each side of the lower hull. By rowing simultaneously, they could achieve rapid speed, much faster than ordinary boats.
If their boat were to accelerate now, with the other vessel so close, it would likely be difficult to outrun them.
"Oh no, it's Prince Xia's men."
Gu Zhaobei's expression changed as he recognized the flag on the boat.
Hu Lanfang’s face also darkened upon seeing this.
"What's going on? He's truly a persistent nuisance, we encounter him everywhere."
"Mother, don't be agitated. Let's see why they are looking for Father first."
Although Da Peng and Xiao Peng had mentioned heavy casualties in the military camp, no one could underestimate Prince Xia's power.
Considering the coal and gold resources he controlled in Jinsha Mountain, it was understandable that Prince Xia, after years of accumulation, was incredibly wealthy and possessed formidable resources.
"Yes, remain calm and composed, and we'll deal with whatever comes," Gu Zhaobei reassured his wife.
"Doctor Gu, Doctor Gu, this is Prince Xia's boat. Please stop, we've been looking for you for a long time."
The pursuing boat shouted desperately.
Gu Zhaobei could no longer pretend not to notice.
After all, in the eyes of these people, their boat’s appearance was identical to boats of this era, so Gu Zhaobei wasn't worried about them discovering any discrepancies.
Thus, he asked his daughter to stop the boat and said:
"Let's see what they want after all their effort in finding me."
"Yes, they seem quite anxious. If it wasn't something particularly important, they wouldn't have come all this way for you," Hu Lanfang muttered.
Gu Qingcheng brought the boat to a halt.
The opposing boat also stopped and slowly approached theirs, then extended a wooden ladder between the two vessels, inviting Gu Zhaobei to board.
Gu Zhaobei tested the wooden bridge; it was quite stable. He then prepared to cross.
The person on the other side was a military officer in his early twenties, who stated that Prince Xia wished to invite Doctor Gu aboard for a discussion.
Gu Zhaobei was unwilling to let them onto their own boat, so he readily agreed and boarded the other vessel.
Gu Qingcheng wanted to accompany him but was refused by Gu Zhaobei.
He went alone.
However, before stepping onto the ladder, Gu Zhaobei quietly said to his daughter:
"If anything feels wrong, you all just leave. You can find a way to rescue me later."
Gu Qingcheng blinked and said nothing. To avoid worrying her father, she nodded.
After Gu Zhaobei boarded the other boat, he began speaking with the officer. They were at a distance, and their conversation was inaudible. The family could only wait anxiously on their own boat.
After a while, Gu Zhaobei reappeared on the deck of the other vessel and called out to his family on their boat:
"Prince Xia is ill and wishes for me to examine him. I will be accompanying them."
"Where are we going?" Gu Qingcheng asked, confused.
"You can just follow our boat. I've already spoken to the officials here and arranged for you to travel together," Gu Zhaobei replied.
Gu Zhaobei knew his family wouldn't want to be separated, and since the other party seemed sincere and showed no hostility, he allowed them to follow. Besides, their large, highly defensive boat could make a quick escape if necessary.
Gu Qingcheng piloted the yacht, keeping pace behind Prince Xia's large vessel.
The large ship was heading towards Jinsha Mountain. Gu Qingcheng had initially worried if they would stop at their previous docking spot, where there were still uncollected corpses.
However, the direction the ship was heading seemed different. She had landed on the southern side of the mountain, while the large ship was heading north.
The wealthy were indeed different, capable of handling any unexpected situation.
On the northern side of the mountain, a recessed valley formed an excellent natural harbor. The water flow here was very gentle, almost stagnant, allowing ships to dock easily.
Upon their arrival, they saw the thirty to forty boats they had spotted outside Jinsha City quietly anchored in the harbor.
Flags bearing Prince Xia's insignia were also erected all over the surrounding mountains.