As Yang Zijin was walking, she stepped on something. She had a look and found it was a dead puppy, so Yang Zijin couldn't help crying out.

"Are you alright, Your Highness?" Xu Qing heard her screaming and went over. He staggered as the road was tough.

He asked, "What happened, Your Highness?"

"Oh... I'm alright. I saw a dead puppy. Let's go on." Yang Zijin calmed down and cast another look to the puppy she had stepped on.

Xu Qing nodded, "Slow down, Your Highness. The water source is in the front."

"I know. I'm fine." Yang Zijin kept going forward.

As she went on, she felt a strange smell like a putrid smell. She had to put on the mask and reminded Xu Qing to wear the mask.

The smell went stronger as they went on.

Xu Qing pointed to the front, "Your Highness, it is there. We are almost there."

Xu Qing speeded up as he spoke.

He looked at the water source and paused.

Yang Zijin also went over.

There were two dead sows in the water, rotten. Their blood flew into the water and gave off a terrible smell.

Looking up, there were even some dead chickens and dogs lying at the entrance to the water.

Perhaps the flood washed them here.

Xu Qing nodded, "No wonder. No wonder Qianxi Village had the most infected patients. The problem turns out to be at the source of the water."

"We have to have some people clean this place to drink the water here." Yang Zijin said.

Xu Qing found a stick. He carefully went to the water source and picked the corpse of chicken and dogs out of the water.

Then he went along the water for a while and returned when he found nothing left in the water.

"How is it going?" Yang Zijin asked.

Xu Qing went up to Yang Zijin, "Your Highness, I have taken the dead chicken and dogs out of the water and didn't find anything else above. But we have to find other people to remove the sows."

"Fine. Let's go back to look for helpers." Yang Zijin looked at the rotten and stinking pigs.

Xu Qing nodded and they went back to Qianxi Village.

Runyu hadn't seen Yang Zijin before and was looking for her. When he saw Yang Zijin, he went over, "Where did you go? I didn't see you just now."

"Young Master Run, there was something serious, so I left with Community Head Xu for a while. Sorry to make you worry." Yang Zijin apologized.

She had forgotten about Runyu just then!

Yang Zijin added, "Young Master Run, I have something to tell Mo Li, so..."

"That's alright. Just go for him. Remember to tell me where you want to go next time." Runyu smiled at her.

Yang Zijin also smiled and nodded at him, and then began to look for Mo Li among the crowd.

Qiao Shu gritted her teeth as she saw the scene. She thought she could harm Yang Zijin as Shuo Ling wasn't here, but Yang Zijin had such a handsome protector!

It was impossible for her to harm Yang Zijin when Yang Zijin was alone, so she had to think of another way.

Mo Li was dealing with the corpse. Although the plague was controlled, severe patients infected early on didn't survive this.

"Put them all over here in a heap." Mo Li directed the soldiers.

Yang Zijin saw Mo Li in the distance and came to him, "Mo Li, come here. I have something to discuss with you."

Yang Zijin pulled Mo Li aside.

"What can I do for you, Your Highness? Please tell me." Mo Li went over with Yang Zijin and asked.

Yang Zijin told him, "Just then, I went to check the water source with the previous Community Head here. We found there are bodies of dead livestock stuck in the water. Qianxi Village is the first village that uses the water there, so it has more patients than in other places."

"You mean, the water source has been polluted, Your Highness?" Mo Li slightly frowned.

Yang Zijin nodded, "Yes. Community Head has cleaned away small corpses of chicken and dogs, but there's still something big that we can't move."

"Don't worry, Your Highness. I'll let people clean there now." Mo Li was going to leave.

Yang Zijin added, "Wait a minute. We can't let the victims drink this water during the cleaning. I'm afraid..."

"We have to get some water from another place for medicine, and we can't make porridge with this water." Yang Zijin said before hesitation.

She knew they didn't have enough people nor time to carry water from another place far away.

Shuo Ling and others were tired enough to dispose of the dead bodies and settle the victims every day. Looking for a water source in other places would greatly increase their workload. She was afraid that they would not be able to bear it for they hadn't rested for days.

But now they had found the problem of the water source and they had no way to go but to find a new one.

"I will tell my men about it and ask them to carry water from other water sources, but..." Mo Li stopped.

Yang Zijin asked, "What's wrong?"

"Could you please introduce the Community Head to me? I think he knows the water source here better." Mo Li continued.

Yang Zijin nodded, "Wait a minute. I'll get him here."

Yang Zijin went aside to look for Xu Qing.

She saw Xu Qing was sitting aside and having a rest. Yang Zijin came to him, "Sir, we have to trouble you."

"Please tell me, Your Highness." Xu Qing stood up.

Yang Zijin said, "Well, we can't use the water in Qianxi Village because of its problem. I have told them about this. They want to find the nearest water source to Qianxi Village, but they are not familiar with this place. Could you help us, sir?"

"So it is. Don't worry, Your Highness. I know a water source close to Qianxi Village, but I don't know whether it's polluted or not." Xu Qing said with uncertainty.

"That's alright. You take them there. If it were polluted, we could go to the next water source." Yang Zijin said.

Xu Qing nodded and went to Mo Li with Yang Zijin.

"Thank you for your help, Community Head." Mo Li smiled at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing nodded at Mo Li, "Let's go."

Mo Li had told his men to go to the place Yang Zijin pointed out and asked them to dig a hole and burn the bodies that polluted the water.

Xu Qing led the way and they went for new water sources.

Mo Li and Xu Qing went through a forest, which was also washed by the flood. Some trees just hang in the air.

Xu Qing turned around to tell Mo Li, "Young Master Mo, take care."

"I will." Mo Li pulled the branches before him and went forward.

After they went through the forest, Xu Qing said, "Young Master Mo, a water source is over there. We're going to reach it."

Mo Li nodded and speeded up with Xu Qing.

"It's here." Xu Qing went to a spring and pointed it to Mo Li.

Mo Li looked forward. The spring was clear. Then he stood up to look around.

This place was washed by the flood, but there was no corpse left.

Mo Li asked Xu Qing, "Which direction does this spring go?"

"Young Master Mo, its outlet seems to be a village next to Qianxi Village, which is about seven or eight minutes' walk from Qianxi village." Xu Qing answered.

Mo Li nodded. Seven or eight minutes' walk was not a far distance.

He said to Xu Qing, "Thank you, Community Head. This water source has no problem. Let's go back to get things ready."

"I'm obliged to help, Young Master Mo. Please call me if there is a need." Xu Qing answered.

Mo Li nodded, "Let's go back now."

They returned by the way they came and went to the village next to Qianxi Village to check its well.

This village was called "Houxi Village" because it was close to Qianxi Village. It was also one of the seriously destroyed villages.

The survivors of Houxi Village had gathered to Qianxi Village under the arrangement.

They entered the village and saw a big mess after the flood.

Xu Qing found the vague position of the well according to his memory.

He and Mo Li began to search this place.

However, they didn't find it after some time.

Mo Li asked, "Have you misremembered?"

"No, it's impossible. I have come to Houxi Village before and I remember the well is around here. Let's go on searching." Xu Qing frowned. He couldn't have misremembered, and the great pear tree lying here was a case in point.

Mo Li had to go on searching with Xu Qing.

Just when he was about to give up, he heard Xu Qing shouting, "It's here, Young Master Mo! I find it!"

Mo Li immediately ran over and saw a large well.

Now that the well was found, everything would be all right.

After they had found a new water source, Mo Li arranged soldiers to carry water from Houxi Village. Some Villagers that didn't catch the plague came to help as well.

Mo Li sent messages to people in other places to check the water source. They could use the water if the water source was fine, and carry water from the nearest clean water source if their water was polluted.

After a day on the horse, Shuo Ling reached Jiandu.

It was very late today.

Shuo Ling entered his room and Mo Li followed him at once, "My Lord, what did the king of witchcraft say?"

"I have dealt with him last time, so he's easy to talk to. He promised he won't stand by when we need him." Shuo Ling put off his robe and threw it aside.

He asked Mo Li, "How is it going when I'm not here?"