Early in the morning, the moment Ziling opened her eyes, she met Gong Mohan’s gaze.
Those dark eyes seemed strangely… resentful.
Just as she was wondering why, Gong Mohan deliberately moved his injured leg slightly.
Only then did Ziling suddenly remember.
Sticking out her tongue awkwardly, she said, “Um… I was too tired last night and forgot to check your leg. Tonight—tonight I’ll definitely treat your injury.”
Gong Mohan merely gave a soft snort and said nothing more.
At that moment, the guards began distributing food.
As expected, it was still the same black, coarse buns. But unlike before, today there was no water ration at all.
Clearly, even the guards themselves were running low on water. Naturally, they would never waste such precious supplies on prisoners anymore.
Ziling secretly pulled some pastries from her bundle and distributed them to her family, telling them to hide the food in their sleeves while eating.
Little Ying’er happily munched on the pastries like a satisfied kitten. She never once questioned where her sister-in-law kept getting such delicious things.
But Gong Hao and Gong Mohan were both full of curiosity and suspicion.
Gong Hao increasingly felt that his sister-in-law’s bundle resembled some magical treasure chest capable of producing anything.
Meanwhile, Gong Mohan frowned deeply.
The taste of these pastries…
It was exactly the same as the pastries from the General’s Manor.
The cook who made desserts for their household had served them for years. Gong Mohan knew that flavor all too well.
Ziling then took out another water pouch from her bundle and quietly let her family drink while keeping their backs turned from the others.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to share water with other people.
She simply had no way to explain where the water came from.
In such a chaotic environment filled with all kinds of people, exposing herself too much would only invite disaster.
“Hurry up and move!” the guards shouted. “If we don’t find water today, nobody will drink tonight either!”
Soon, the convoy resumed its journey.
The blazing sun hung overhead while the ground beneath their feet burned with heat. Everyone’s steps grew heavier and slower.
Even the guards themselves were nearly out of water now, so naturally the prisoners received nothing.
As she walked, Ziling carefully observed the surrounding terrain, searching for any signs that might indicate nearby water sources.
Fortunately, now that they had the wheelbarrow, Gong Hao no longer needed to carry Gong Mohan on his back. Pushing him was much easier.
Along the roadside, Ziling casually gathered herbs whenever she spotted them—mosquito-repelling herbs, herbs to stop bleeding, herbs for clearing heat and toxins…
Basically, she picked anything potentially useful.
After another two hours of walking, the guards finally allowed everyone to stop and rest inside a forest.
Judging by the situation, there would not even be black buns distributed at noon today.
Some hungry prisoners immediately scattered through the woods hoping to find something edible.
Ziling also wanted to look around nearby, though not for food.
She wanted to see whether there might be water somewhere in the area.
At once, Gong Mohan spoke.
“Let Gong Hao go. He’s a boy.”
After pushing the cart all morning, Gong Hao’s legs already ached terribly. He had barely sat down before hearing his elder brother suddenly volunteer him.
Though miserable, he still obediently prepared to stand up.
Ziling raised an eyebrow toward Gong Mohan.
“You’re worried about me?”
“The Gong family still has men,” Gong Mohan replied proudly. “There’s no reason for a woman to handle everything.”
Ziling glanced at Gong Hao and snorted.
“He’s just a little brat. That doesn’t count as a man. I’ll go myself. You all stay here and don’t move around.”
Then she bent slightly toward Ying’er.
“Little Ying’er, your big brother isn’t behaving. Help me watch him, alright? Sister-in-law will go find something tasty for you.”
After speaking, she turned and headed deeper into the forest.
Behind her, Gong Mohan sat there glaring coldly at her retreating back.
Their mother silently watched her son.
Her eldest son had always been exceptional, but normally he was cold and distant, the type who kept strangers away. Yet now she was actually seeing him repeatedly lose against this girl.
Clearly… he had truly fallen for her.
Once Ziling reached a secluded area deep within the forest, she immediately flashed into her space.
Earlier along the road, she had casually gathered some herb seeds specifically to try planting them here.
She wanted to see whether the space spirit’s claims were true.
The moment she entered the spiritual herb garden, every breath felt refreshing and comfortable. All the exhaustion from the journey vanished completely.
The spiritual energy within the space flowed like a clear spring through her body, nourishing every cell and rapidly restoring her strength.
Ziling busied herself for quite some time before finally planting all the herbs.
Looking over the planted rows, she thought that next time she absolutely needed to find fruit and vegetable seeds as well.
After all, it had already been several days since she last ate fresh vegetables.
Finally, she filled a water pouch with spiritual spring water, planning to use it later that night to clean Gong Mohan’s wounds and test whether the enhanced spring water worked even better.
Then she exited the space.
To avoid suspicion, she casually pulled a few ordinary herbs from the ground before walking back.
But after only a short distance, she suddenly heard the sharp crack of a whip ahead—followed by guards shouting curses angrily.
Ziling’s heart skipped violently.
Immediately, she hurried forward at a run.