She slept for quite a long time, from midnight that day until noon the next day before finally waking up. During that time, Zhu Lin came over to check her pulse, as if afraid that she might not wake up again.

When Xingxing emerged from the ship's hold, she realized the sun was already high overhead, blindingly bright. She lazily yawned, "The sun is so strong, ugh, why does it feel so cold?"

Zhu Lin took out a cloak from his spatial storage and draped it over her shoulders, then helped her fasten it, saying slowly, "Winter is here, and the wind is strong at sea, so it's naturally cold."

"Winter's here?" Xingxing was momentarily dazed. Had she been away for so long? "Then is it almost Chinese New Year? Can we make it back for the New Year?"

"It's hard to say. I've never been to such a far place before. I don't know how long it will take to get back," Zhu Lin said wistfully.

Xingxing instantly woke up, all sleepiness gone, and leaned against the cabin wall, saying dejectedly, "Looks like we'll be spending the New Year at sea this year, how awful."

Fortunately, Zhu Lin has a spatial dimension, so he doesn't have to worry about food, and he can hide in the space if he encounters danger. Otherwise, it's uncertain whether he could safely return to the Central Plains in this vast ocean, since rain and wind at sea can cause shipwrecks at any time.

Time always flies by, making it impossible to grasp.

The five brothers followed Zhao Mingyue out to sea to search for the people. They went further and further away, searching every island they could find, but still could not find Xingxing and Zhulin.

However, when they realized that the weather was about to change and were preparing to return, they accidentally found Zhu Qiuyu and four others on an island. They were living a very comfortable life on the island, after all, they were skilled in martial arts and were familiar with and used to island life.

The only downside was that they only brought one set of clean clothes when they went into the mountains. It wouldn't have been a problem in hot weather, but the weather had been getting colder recently. If it weren't for their internal energy, all five of them would probably have caught a cold from the cold.

"You guys weren't with Xingxing and Lin Ge'er either? How could this be?" Zhou Erfu looked desperate and couldn't accept it.

"Haven't you found Junior Brother and the Princess? It's been more than half a year since they disappeared." Zhu Qiuyu's expression was somewhat solemn.

"Master, even you can't contact Brother Lin?" Zhou Dafu asked with a frown.

"If there were a way, we wouldn't have been stuck on this island for so long; it's just too far away." When the earthquake struck, the original island was split into several pieces, all shifting in different directions, eventually scattering the island's inhabitants to various places.

Even the original villagers on the island have been found. The island they lived on is now at least 60% smaller than before. There are fewer trees and less fresh water, so the islanders will no longer be able to live on the island for long.

They then begged the soldiers to take them inland. Several fishing villages along the coast had been massacred and abandoned, and these islanders were then placed in one of those villages.

Now, Zhu Qiuyu and the others have been found, and everyone who encountered the shipwreck has been found, but unfortunately, the princess and Young Master Zhu are still missing.

With the New Year fast approaching in less than a month and winter truly bitterly cold, with frequent hurricanes and torrential rains at sea, it would be extremely dangerous not to return at this point.

"Let's turn back first. The weather is getting colder and colder, and everyone will be unable to withstand it. Several soldiers have caught colds recently, and we're running out of food. If we don't turn back soon, something bad will happen." Zhao Mingyue was telling the truth. It wasn't because he was worried that his wife might have already given birth that he was in a hurry to go back.

Of course, he was indeed anxious to return, but he never showed it. After setting sail, he did his best to lead people to search for the princess's whereabouts, but to no avail.

The Fu brothers couldn't say anything about it, even though they were extremely anxious.

Back in the cabin, Zhou Dafu said worriedly, "How am I going to explain this to my parents when we get back? Sigh."

"Let's stall for now, and deal with it when it gets out of hand." Zhou Sanfu was also at a loss.

...

On the 29th day of the twelfth lunar month, Zhao Mingyue and her group returned safely. No one knew when they returned, as they had not sent any letters to inform them beforehand.

So when Zhao Mingyue and her friends returned to Prince Cheng's mansion, they discovered that Zhang Xiantao had already finished her postpartum confinement, but was still curled up on the bed because of the cold weather.

Surprisingly, Zhao Guihua was also in Zhang Xiantao's room. It turned out that Zhou Laoda and Zhao Guihua had arrived in Anyang Prefecture half a month earlier, but they had not seen Xingxing and Fu Ge's group, nor had they heard of any fighting at sea.

I learned that after Xingxing led people out to sea, a shipwreck occurred on the island, and Zhao Mingyue subsequently led people out to sea several times to search for them.

"We should be able to bring them back soon, so don't worry too much. Brother Fu and the others didn't want to wait around at home, so they went out to sea with them." Zhang Xiantao felt bitter inside. She had just given birth not long ago and was still a little weak, yet she had to expend energy to comfort Zhou Laoda and his wife.

Sigh, of all times, they had to come right when she was in postpartum confinement. And no matter how she tried to persuade them, it was no use; the two of them were determined to wait for Xingxing and Fuge to return in Anyang Prefecture.

"They didn't say when we could come back. It might be after the New Year. Why don't you go home first, Uncle and Aunt, and come back after the New Year? You'll definitely be able to see them then." Zhang Xiantao tried everything she could to get Zhou Laoda and his wife away.

“The children aren’t around, so there’s no point in us old folks going home. We might as well just wait here. That Prince Cheng sent his steward to say that we can stay here as long as we want. The Prince’s mansion has plenty of food and lodging, so we don’t have to worry about anything. We’ll just wait here for the children to come back,” Zhao Guihua said firmly.

Since being rescued, Prince Cheng has stayed in his own courtyard, never leaving the house, never receiving guests or anyone. If anyone comes to visit, he always sends his steward to receive them.

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