Chapter 159

Bai Manshan didn’t think twice, nor did he have the luxury to do so. Urgently, he spurred his horse forward, shouting towards the village, “Wake up! Come out! Run!”

His horse galloped around the village paths as he continued to yell.

Soon enough, several agile young men dashed out.

They too heard the roaring, rushing sound of water!

Realizing what was happening—the dam of the reservoir had collapsed, unleashing a torrential flood!

The strong young men rushed into the houses like madmen, waking up their still-sleeping family members. In the thick, deep night, they frantically ran outside to open spaces.

Staying indoors meant certain death if the flood breached the house.

Outside, there was a slim chance!

Bai Manshan didn’t waste words. With a flick of his whip, he rode towards the source of the rushing water.

He just wanted to go faster, faster still!

He didn’t aim to outrun the flood entirely; he just needed to reach a place where its force wasn’t as strong.

Listening to the deafening roar of the water, it wasn’t just overflow from the dam but the complete collapse of the dam itself. The reservoir’s water surged out, carrying with it boulders and debris like a mountain torrent!

It was only now that Bai Manshan felt a twinge of regret. He shouldn’t have wasted precious time alerting the villagers.

Glancing back at the village, he saw a dense crowd of hundreds of people, dragging their families, sprinting out towards higher ground. In that moment, he realized—if these people could save even a few more lives than they would have in their sleep, it would be worth it!

Seeing the colossal wave of water behind the fleeing crowd, he knew that even if he hadn’t delayed them, he might not have escaped either.

Houses, fields, livestock—all disappeared in an instant. Hundreds of people stumbled and scrambled towards higher ground, hoping to evade the flood. But the water surged violently, making it impossible for people’s legs to outrun its relentless approach.

The rolling floodwaters were taller than the houses, crashing and thrusting forward, engulfing more than half of the people.

Bai Manshan rode his horse, which sensed the urgency even more keenly than he did, sprinting forward.

But ultimately, it was too slow.

The horse couldn’t outrun the torrential floodwaters rushing towards them.

In the most terrifying moment of his life, Bai Manshan could only watch helplessly as the village disappeared from sight, and hundreds of people were swallowed by the floodwaters.

Fields and crops vanished beneath the floodwaters’ relentless advance, leaving behind a vast expanse of water. And behind him loomed a flood taller than any tree or building!

In an instant, he was swept away.

He crashed heavily into the floodwaters, tossed and turned in the water, choking and coughing.

The rushing waters flooded his ears and nose, his feet found no ground, suspended in the current, buffeted by the swift water.

A fear unlike any he had ever known spread through Bai Manshan. Before the flood, he realized, humans were truly insignificant.

Tonight, he would sleep forever in these waters…

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The torrential rain did not stop all night.

After a night of relentless rain, the waters of Shanshui Village had risen, submerging several households.

First to bear the brunt was Fan Qian’s house at the village entrance.

Normally, the village entrance was a prime location, convenient for travel to and from town or for farming.

But in this rare flood of decades, it was also the first to be affected.

The flood had already surged into Fan Qian’s courtyard. The terrain around the main house was slightly elevated, with a threshold holding back the water from entering the main building.

However, the sheds for firewood, ducks, and geese were all at ground level with no thresholds to block the water. The floodwaters had already inundated them!

The ducks and geese were fine, being able to swim, but the firewood was ruined, soaked through on the ground floor.

This added misfortune to a family that was already not well-off.

Fan Qian couldn’t sit still.

Nor could Fan Damu!

“Father, the flood can’t rise any higher! If our house floods, what will we do?” Fan Dazhu anxiously paced inside the house, muttering incessantly.

Fan Erzhu was equally anxious. “Uncle Li said yesterday that they were going to build a dam overnight to block the floodwaters, but why has there been no action?”

“Normally, they’re so eager to do everything for the village. Now that we’re facing a flood, why are they dragging their feet?” Fan Sanzhu complained.

Fan Damu had only been thinking these past two days about not having a house. The old village chief couldn’t help him!

Looking at the floodwater about to engulf the house, I’m feeling anxious.

The whole family lives at Fan Qian’s place. If his house floods again, where will they go?

A large family, nearly ten people—whose home in the village would be willing to take them in?

And this storm, who knows when it will let up!

Moreover, the floodwater is dirty and foul, bringing in mud, dead wood, rotten leaves, and even feces into the house, making it uninhabitable.

He rushed out and addressed Fan Qian and others in the hall, “We must go find the old village chief!

We need him to mobilize the entire village to build embankments. It can’t be that because your house is in the front, others at the back suffer. This concerns the whole village; everyone must pitch in!”

Fan Qian had already planned for this.

Wanting to build embankments to block the floodwater, their family alone is absolutely insufficient!

Not to mention that even if there were enough sacks, or if they transported enough soil, he and his four sons couldn’t manage it all.

But, “Did we offend Li Wen with the way we spoke last night?”

Given that the torrential rain won’t stop and the flood rises so quickly, we shouldn’t have spoken so definitively yesterday evening!

At the very least, there should have been some room for maneuver, an escape route.

Fan Qian regrets it somewhat, and so do Fan Dazhu and the others.

It wouldn’t be good if Li Wen held a grudge.

Fan Damu didn’t care, shrugged, and pointed out, “Who knew the floodwaters would rise so fast?

Furthermore, we’re not doing this just for ourselves now; we’re thinking of the whole village, for everyone’s homes. That’s why we’ve asked the old village chief to call on the men to build embankments!”

It’s not just for our own sake, but for everyone’s.

The old village chief and Li Wen shouldn’t let personal grievances affect the whole village!

Even more so, they must consider the village and not disregard everyone’s homes.

Fan Qian understood immediately.

Grinning widely, he showed a mouthful of large yellow teeth.

“Yes, Big Wood is right! Let’s go find the old village chief right away.”

The old village chief looked coldly at the people in front of him, leisurely sipping his tea without speaking.

After Fan Qian repeated himself, seeing the old village chief’s silence made him anxious. He urged, “Old village chief, this concerns everyone in the village, not just my family. You need to make a decision!”

Fan Damu nodded heavily beside him.

The old village chief blew on the tea in his bowl, finally speaking slowly, “No need to rush, let’s wait a bit longer.”

Fan Dazhu couldn’t help asking, “Grandpa village chief, wait for what?”

With such heavy rain, there hasn’t been a break, it’s like the sky has opened up, so what are we waiting for?

If we wait longer, their house might be washed away by the flood or the foundation might be ruined by the water!

“Wait for the rain to stop, maybe it’ll stop.

I know you’re in a hurry, but don’t rush.

Let’s see how things are after today.”