Chapter 32: Run

The guard who had shouted had just stood up before swaying and falling back to the ground.

Without needing to be told, everyone felt the shaking. Faintly, they could hear panicked cries coming from the official road outside the woods.

In the temporary camp where they had stopped, every pot hanging over the fires was shaking violently. The soup or water inside splashed out, but the fires below didn’t extinguish. On the contrary, they burned even brighter with the cold wind blowing through the forest.

Wei Yunlan crouched down, shielding Jiayan, and saw that the fire was starting to spread to the grass beside it. She quickly called to Officer Wang, who was near the fire, “Put out the fire!”

This also alerted the guards and other nearby families.

The fires in the forest were extinguished one after another, but the ground still shook. The group had stopped at the edge of the woods.

One side bordered the official road, the other a low slope.

As the ground shook, rustling sounds filled the forest.

Old Madam Bai’s face was tense with worry. “The earth dragon ^[1]earthquakes are sometimes poetically or traditionally referred to as “earth dragons has turned. If there are wild animals in the woods, they’ll probably come out in groups.”

It was too dangerous for them to remain in the woods.

Hearing this, Second Master Liang, who had been slumped on the ground, suddenly stood up. “Let’s go! We’re going to the official road!”

He was the first to run, pulling his beautiful concubine toward the road.

The two guards exchanged helpless glances and hurriedly followed him. “We’ll go catch Second Master Liang. You guys quickly go find the people in the city.”

What kind of danger could there be in a forest this close to the county?

If there was any danger, it wouldn’t be for those left outside the city, but for the officials and Master Liang, who were now inside!

Most of the people in the camp clearly understood this. The shaking underfoot gradually subsided, but the worry on their faces deepened.

The deputy left by the official, along with five guards and five military officers, stepped forward. “We’ll go to the city gate to find them. The rest of you, gather your belongings and wait by the official road!”

Once the guards went after Second Master Liang and those sent to the city, the number of people guarding the camp was cut in half.

Just then, the tremors—having briefly subsided—returned with a vengeance. This time, they were even stronger than before!

“Don’t gather your things—run!”

Someone shouted, and everyone in the camp dropped what they were doing, covering their heads and running out of the woods.

Wei Yunlan’s heart pounded like thunder, but she knew there was no time to waste. She quickly helped Cheng Yue’e to her feet, took Jiayan’s hand, and ushered them toward the mule cart. “Big Sister-in-law, quickly get on the cart with Jiayan and Jiarong! Mother, you too!”

“Suihe, drive! Out of the woods!”

This was the moment the Wei family had been waiting for.

As the first mule cart sped away, Liu Quan, following Wei Yunlan’s earlier instructions, wrapped the pots, bowls, and bedding rolls on the cart with oilcloth, threw them off, and freed up a large portion of space. He then pulled Wei Mingxuan, Wang Gui, and Granny Wang onto it.

The two mule carts charged out of the woods one after the other. The mules, as if frightened, ran wildly in two different directions, disappearing from sight in the blink of an eye.

Only Wei Maolin, Wei Yunlan, Officer Wang, Dong Da, and Tingxue and Ningshuang remained in the woods.

“Father, we should go too.” Wei Yunlan tugged on Wei Maolin’s sleeve.

“No,” Wei Maolin shook his head. “Lan’er, you take Tingxue and Ningshuang and go. Find your mother and Big Sister-in-law. I’ll find a chance to leave later.”

“Father, no one is watching us now…”

Before Wei Yunlan could finish, Wei Maolin interrupted her. “Do as we planned! It’s not good for me to leave the guards’ sight too early. Don’t worry. There will be chaos in the city—plenty of chances.”

As he spoke, Wei Maolin looked around and, choosing the opposite direction from the Liang family, urged them, “Go this way—hurry!”

Wei Yunlan was worried about leaving her father behind, but she also knew this was the safest arrangement for now.

“Father, you have two Tianshu Pavilion guards with you. If necessary, let them assist you.”

After whispering these last words, Wei Yunlan turned and ran into the forest with Tingxue and Ningshuang.

The ground trembled, causing the trees in the forest to sway.

Perhaps because Liangzhou wasn’t the worst-hit area, this level of shaking only made people dizzy and afraid. It wasn’t yet a landslide or anything that could instantly take lives.

After running a considerable distance, Wei Yunlan stopped, leaning against a tree trunk to catch her breath. She accidentally noticed several fiery red figures darting through the branches ahead.

They were squirrels.

Instead of fleeing when they saw Wei Yunlan, they lingered on the branches for a moment. When Wei Yunlan and the others reached the tree, the squirrels continued toward the slope ahead.

“Miss, these squirrels… are they leading us?” Tingxue looked at the figures, which had darted ahead and then stopped to look back.

Ningshuang found the idea absurd. “Don’t be silly. They’re probably just figuring out which way to run is best, right?”

Wei Yunlan looked up at the red figures on the branches. For some reason, she had a gut feeling they should follow. “They must know these woods better than we do. Let’s follow them.”

Animals are better at avoiding danger than humans. No matter what, these squirrels wouldn’t be running forward if they sensed danger ahead.

This was a slope, and it became increasingly difficult to climb. However, the shaking of the ground gradually decreased, and they didn’t encounter any other animals along the way.

After a while, they reached the top of the slope, but the squirrels were nowhere to be seen.

Ningshuang stopped, supporting Wei Yunlan, and took a deep breath. She finally realized, “Miss, the tremors seem to have stopped…”

The ground was no longer trembling. Looking down from the slope they had climbed, fallen trees bore witness to what had just happened.

This wasn’t a very high slope. Standing at the highest point, they could vaguely see a corner of the city.

As expected, many houses in the city had collapsed. People had run out of their homes and were crowded together in the streets, creating a chaotic scene.

The most chaotic area was near the north and south city gates.

Countless people were blocking the gates, waiting to leave the city.

“Miss, shall we go down the mountain now?”

Tingxue pulled her shoulders up and looked around. They were the only three at the top of this slope. Night was falling, and the deserted forest felt a little eerie.

“No rush. The earth dragon might still have some aftershocks. We can wait a little while before leaving.”

Just as Wei Yunlan finished speaking, the ground started shaking again.

This time, it was even more violent than the previous two times!

Along with the shaking, a buzzing sound could be heard.

Looking down from the mountain, they could vaguely see rocks rolling down the slope and trees falling.

Tingxue lost her balance and almost fell backward. Wei Yunlan quickly caught her and pointed to a relatively open area nearby. “Go there.”

After regaining her balance, she couldn’t help but turn back to the forest, a hint of worry in her eyes.

Logically, she should have Tianshu Pavilion guards following her—but they weren’t in sight. Could something have happened to them?