Chapter 32: A Great Catastrophe Approaches

Xin Mohan rubbed his drowsy, half-open eyes and let out a muddled groan while leaning against Xin Wenyuan's back.

Seeing the chaotic mess of the convict crowd around them, Xie Ninglan felt an intense surge of anxiety. "Daughter..."

In the next instant, Xin Nian's figure appeared beside the couple.

Xie Ninglan grabbed her daughter's arm, her eyes lighting up with joy. "Thank heavens, you're finally back."

Xin Wenyuan also breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll go check on your brother first."

"Wait, let's go together." Xin Nian called out to Dali.

The girl, who was busy scrambling to salvage straw mats and cotton pads from the ground, responded with a grunt and quickly followed them, pushing a wooden cart.

The earth shook violently. By the time Xin Nian's family fought their way through the chaos to reach Mu Dalang, the young man had already hoisted a dazed Xin Mochen onto his back.

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Xin Wenyuan helped secure his eldest son with a rope, not forgetting to make grand promises to Mu Dalang. "Ah, Zhong. Once we reach our destination, I will certainly make sure this boy, Mochen, repays your kindness handsomely."

Mu Dalang gave a simple, honest smile. "Fourth Master, this is merely what I ought to do."

"Oh, there's no such thing as 'ought to.' We're family now. Don't you worry; as long as our Mochen has food to eat, he certainly won't let you go without."

Xie Ninglan's lip twitched.

That old Xin—when it came to repaying kindness, he just left it to his son while he did nothing but talk big.

The tremors made movement difficult. Everyone swayed from side to side, their feet sinking into the soft ground, making it impossible to find any footing.

Wang Bangyan's mother was as shrewd as a monkey; the moment the earth shook, she had nimbly scrambled onto her son's back and was now slapping him forcefully. "Hurry up and run! Run forward!"

Wang Bangyan's wife supported her mother's waist while pulling at her sister behind them, letting out continuous cries of alarm.

Liang Guang and the other bailiffs were also frantic, torn between the terror of the violent tremors and the fear that the heavy criminals would take advantage of the chaos to escape.

They formed an outer perimeter, wildly swinging their whips at the crowd and shouting loudly, "Move forward! Everyone move forward! Do not fall behind, and do not run to the sides!"

"Anyone who dares to slip away will face the consequences!"

Many people were so panicked they didn't even bother to pack their bundles or bedding, simply bolting to follow the main group.

The horse beneath Liang Guang neighed violently, tossing its head and completely resisting control. He had no choice but to leap from the saddle and struggle to hold onto the reins.

However, he couldn't budge the frenzied stallion.

The animal was stubborn, and the struggle meant neither side could move.

As the hooves kicked up dust and struck heavily, Liang Guang realized the situation was hopeless. He had no choice but to drop the reins and let the mad horse neigh twice before galloping away.

No matter how much his heart ached to leave the horse, there was nothing he could do. Liang Guang could only lead Bailiff Old Zhang, Xiao Jia, and the others to continue running forward.

Aside from the serious convicts from Dragon Tiger Fortress, who were kept in shackles even while sleeping and eating, the others had their restraints loosened for rest at night, so they were able to run somewhat easily.

The crowd's dispersal caused chaos; some ran left, while others ran right.

Worried that people would deviate from a straight line and become even harder to control, or that they might actually escape, the bailiffs split into two teams to desperately chase after those veering off.

"Come back! Don't run to the sides! Move forward!"

The bandits led by Sha Laoda and Pi Lao'er were the craftiest; at the first sign of the earthquake's chaos, they were already plotting their escape.

Xiao Jia led a group to chase them to the right and decisively drew his blade, killing two of the ringleaders. The remaining twelve fell into line.

The rest of the commoners, traveling with their families, didn't dare to flee. Seeing the bailiffs drawing real weapons, they grew even more terrified, rushing forward like a panicked flock of sheep being driven.

At that moment, a disheveled middle-aged man burst from the crowd, spreading his arms and wailing, "The earth shakes, a great disaster is coming! Everyone, kneel and kowtow! Pray to the heavens, pray to the Earth God to spare us miserable souls!"

Having said this, he was the first to drop to his knees, thumping his head against the ground in a series of loud *bangs*.

Many people followed suit, kneeling down while clasping their hands and wailing, loudly proclaiming that they had done nothing wrong in their lives and begging for mercy.

Xin Wenyuan, supporting his falling youngest son, rushed forward and delivered a sharp kick to Xin Wen'an's backside. "What are you doing, Third Brother? Run!"

Xin Wen'an, who was just about to kneel with the crowd, was suddenly kicked, sending him stumbling forward a few steps. He turned around and glared angrily at his unreliable younger brother.

"Can't you see everyone is praying to the Earth God not to be angry?"

"Earth God my ass!" Xin Wenyuan snapped. "There's an earthquake, just run! There are too many loose rocks on this slope. Move forward to a more open area and crouch down!"

"What do you know? The turning of the Earth Dragon surely foretells calamity. We can't run forward anymore; we have to let the Earth Dragon calm down."

"Calm down your father!" It was tectonic movement, not some "Earth Dragon."

Xin Wenyuan couldn't be bothered to argue with a man of the old ways, so he gave him another kick to the butt. "Just run and stop talking nonsense. Even the people from the Imperial Observatory have vanished, and you're still standing here dawdling!"

"Let's go!"

Before his younger brother could kick him again, Xin Wen'an scrambled forward in a hurry.

Xin Nian glanced over. Miss Zhao Xun from Dragon Tiger Fortress was indeed very responsible, carrying the old lady through the middle of the group with great agility.

Nanny Lu was supporting the Third Miss, Xin Ruoyu, and though they were slow, they were managing to keep up.

It was the members of the First House—the widows and orphans—who were truly a handful.

The delicate Nie Shi had tripped while running; in this critical moment, she seemed to have sprained her ankle, with large beads of sweat rolling down her face.

The eldest daughter-in-law, Lin Xiuyi, was carrying her sickly son on her back while having to bend down to support her unfortunate mother-in-law.

The second daughter-in-law, Lady Mei, was running unevenly while holding her young daughter, Xin Man'er, constantly looking back.

Seeing the old woman fall, she turned back to help, causing Man'er to tumble to the ground, wailing loudly.

Lady Mei seemed to have some martial training; she lifted the old woman with one hand and scooped up her daughter, wobbling in place.

The eldest sister, Xin Wanqing, was also incredibly busy, struggling to look after the two useless sisters from the Third House, Xin Mengxue and Xin Mengye. While comforting the two weeping girls, she also had to deal with the shrieking Third Madam, Zhuang Shi...

Xin Nian pressed a hand to her forehead; she truly couldn't bear to watch!

Looking at her eldest sister, it seemed even a "King" couldn't lead a group of useless people.

What time was it? And they were still crying, crying, crying.

Xin Nian took a deep breath, ignored the group of useless people from the Third House, and rushed to Lin Xiuyi's side.

She first helped her take her drowsy little son into her arms, then reached out to take Xin Man'er from her sister-in-law's grasp, tossing the little girl onto her own back.

She turned and barked at the two, "Hurry, carry your aunt, and keep up!"

Lin Xiuyi and Mei Zhuqing nodded repeatedly, as if they had finally found a pillar of strength.

Nie Shi's feet hurt so much she could no longer walk.

Lin Xiuyi scrambled to carry her, prompting Mei Zhuqing to help hoist the woman onto her back. With one carrying and one supporting, they managed to follow Xin Nian in a stumbling, swaying fashion.

As the group was sprinting forward, they suddenly heard the old man from the Imperial Observatory roar, "Everyone stop!"

The people from the Marquis of Enyi's and the Earl of Yongkang's estates, who were running at the very front, couldn't stop their momentum in time...

Several of them tumbled forward.

(End of Chapter)