When the earthquake began, Gu Chusheng had already managed to evacuate most of the civilians to safe locations. However, as the ground started to shake, panic still spread through the crowd. Surrounded by his guards, Gu Chusheng felt the power of nature, his heart racing.
He was willing to take risks, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t afraid of death. He still had many things left undone, and since his rebirth, there was still one person he couldn’t let go of.
He wasn’t ready to die.
If even he, someone who had already experienced life and death once, felt this way, it was unimaginable how the ordinary people felt. Cries, screams, and animal howls instantly engulfed the city.
Gu Chusheng stood amidst the crowd, clenching his fists and taking deep breaths.
Suddenly, a crack appeared in the ground, and people standing near the edge fell in, their screams intensifying.
The line between life and death became crystal clear, and Gu Chusheng’s hands trembled slightly.
The earthquake itself was brief, but for everyone experiencing it, it felt excruciatingly long.
When it finally ended, many people collapsed. Some embraced each other, weeping. Gu Chusheng’s face was pale, and the guard next to him, still shaken, stammered, “Sir…”
“Pass down the orders. No one is to enter the city tonight; there will be aftershocks. Have Group A lead the medical team to tend to the injured. Group B will count the dead and those in need of rescue,” Gu Chusheng said, his voice steady, like an anchor in the night, calming everyone down.
The guards relayed Gu Chusheng’s orders to everyone. No one dared to go back into the city. Gu Chusheng sat among the people, listening to the cries and wails of those who had lost or injured loved ones. He felt as if he were in purgatory. Neither gods nor Buddhas could save these people; only they could navigate through this sea of suffering with their blood and lives.
That night, Qing Province and Luo Province were hit by major earthquakes, with tremors felt in surrounding areas. The entire Da Chu was plunged into immense fear.
Privately, people whispered that this disaster was heaven’s punishment for those unworthy of their positions.
Meanwhile, Wei Yun had just arrived in Hui City, another affected area. He had already evacuated everyone. The next day, he ordered a count of the affected population and began calculating the amount of food and medical supplies with Tao Quan.
The wounds on his body had mostly healed and didn’t affect him much, though they were still scabbing over. Tao Quan, having allocated the resources with him, sighed and said, “Everything has been prepared in advance, Your Highness. Don’t worry too much; focus on recovering from your injuries.”
As they were talking, Wei Qiu rushed in from outside. “Your Highness, something has happened.”
Wei Qiu’s voice trembled slightly. “Last night, there was a mudslide in Qingshui Town. The entire town was buried.”
“How many casualties?” Wei Yun frowned.
Wei Qiu knelt on one knee and said with difficulty, “The death toll hasn’t been tallied yet, but… the First Madam was there.”
Hearing this, Wei Yun was momentarily stunned. After a moment, he asked in disbelief, “What did you say?”
“Our people returned last night to report. They said that during the earthquake, the First Madam was in Qingshui Town for disaster relief. The townspeople had evacuated, but the First Madam didn’t make it out in time…”
Before he could finish, Wei Yun had already rushed out, shouting urgently, “Prepare the horses and bring Shen Wushuang! Have the Tian team follow me!”
“Your Highness,” Tao Quan hurried after him, speaking rapidly, “Your Highness, we can’t be hasty. Yuan City is still Yao Yong’s territory. Your life is too valuable…”
“Mr. Tao,” Wei Yun turned back and grasped Tao Quan’s hands, saying earnestly, “I leave Hui City to you. I must go find her myself.”
Wei Yun’s expression was so serious that Tao Quan was taken aback. After a moment, he sighed and bowed, “This humble servant obeys your command.”
As he finished speaking, Wei Xia had already brought out the horses, and Shen Wushuang came rushing over with his medicine box, panting, “Slow down!”
However, Wei Yun couldn’t wait for them. He turned and walked out of the corridor, mounted his horse, and urgently rode off.
Meanwhile, earlier, Gu Chusheng had finally met Wei Qingping.
Wei Qingping had traveled all night and finally arrived in Yuan City. She had left people to search for Chu Yu, but she had no experience in these matters. The closest person she could rely on for additional manpower was Gu Chusheng, so she went to Yuan City without hesitation and saw Gu Chusheng from afar.
She rushed anxiously to Gu Chusheng and called out loudly, “Gu Chusheng!”
Gu Chusheng was listening to his subordinate’s report on the damage when he heard Wei Qingping’s voice. He looked up in surprise, “Princess Qingping?”
“Do you have enough people here?” Wei Qingping panted, “I want to borrow some skilled search and rescue personnel from you to find someone.”
“Who are you looking for…” Gu Chusheng hesitated. Wei Qingping wasn’t aware of his relationship with Chu Yu and only thought he had an agreement with Wei Yun, so she lowered her voice and said, “Wei’s First Madam.”
Gu Chusheng suddenly looked up, staring at Wei Qingping, his voice trembling, “Who did you say?”
“Wei’s First Madam, Chu Yu,” Wei Qingping said softly. “She was with me in Qingshui Town last night for disaster relief…”
Before she could finish, Gu Chusheng tossed the book in his hand to a guard and called for people. After arranging matters and counting personnel, he rushed straight towards Qingshui Town.
Wei Qingping was left behind to handle disaster relief, while Gu Chusheng led the people who were present at the time to the place where Chu Yu had disappeared.
By now, the area was buried under yellow earth, a scene of devastation. Gu Chusheng stood in the empty valley and shouted, “Chu Yu!”
His voice echoed through the valley, which seemed like a vast graveyard with no response.
The search and rescue team began leading sniffer dogs to explore the ground inch by inch. Gu Chusheng followed them, calling Chu Yu’s name over and over.
The rescue workers nearby couldn’t bear to watch. An elderly man sighed and said, “Lord Gu, in the face of such a natural disaster, those who survive are incredibly fortunate. Don’t be too concerned.”
“Fortunate?” Gu Chusheng’s voice was hoarse from shouting for so long. He hadn’t slept all night, and his eyes were bloodshot. He stared at the old man and said, “So many people in Yuan City survived, so many people in Qingshui Town survived, everyone survived this earthquake, but when it comes to her, it’s just fortune?!”
“She should have survived,” Gu Chusheng said, somewhat bewildered. “She’s such a good person. Anyone else could die, but not her. The one who should die is me…”
He clenched his fists, his hands trembling slightly. “People like me should be the ones to die…”
“Lord Gu…” The old man, seeing his state, couldn’t bear it either. “We’re alive because of you. It’s all thanks to you…”
“Because of me…” Gu Chusheng murmured these words. He looked at the deformed valley, the village at his feet now buried under mud.
The epicenter of this earthquake was actually in Qingshui Town, which had suffered the most severe damage that year. Over 500 households in Qingshui Town were almost entirely buried.
Because the entire town had been wiped out, the imperial court hadn’t even attempted disaster relief that year. There was no need to rescue, no way to rescue. Instead, Yuan City, which had fared slightly better, was the main focus of relief efforts. At least there, a few people could still be saved.
Now, standing here in the place that he and the imperial court had abandoned back then, he wondered if she had managed to escape.
The people from back then had all survived, but she might not have.
Because he wasn’t by her side. He had taken care of so many people, but he hadn’t managed to take care of her.
Guilt and despair welled up together, and Gu Chusheng hunched over in pain.
She must have escaped, he consoled himself. She was so fortunate, so capable. She had faced countless desperate situations and crawled out of them every time.
With these thoughts surging, he stood up and walked towards the sides of the mudslide.
If someone wanted to escape when the mudslide came down, they would run to the sides. Gu Chusheng walked towards the slightly higher mountain on the right. The guard beside him anxiously said, “Sir, don’t go too far…”
At that moment, the ground suddenly began to shake. Without hesitation, almost by instinct, Gu Chusheng rushed towards the nearest high ground!
Everyone, driven by instinct, began to run frantically, seeking a safe place.
Gu Chusheng had just climbed to a high point when the second wave of violent tremors hit. He lost his footing and rolled down the slope!
There was a cliff at the edge, and Gu Chusheng rolled to the cliff’s edge, desperately grabbing onto a rock.
His sleeve caught on a nearby branch, leaving him suspended in mid-air.
The rock in his hand shook with the ground’s tremors. Gu Chusheng gritted his teeth, trying to grab onto more things.
However, at that moment, the rock, unable to bear its weight, finally broke completely.
Gu Chusheng fell rapidly. He seemed to hit something hard and instinctively used his arms and legs to protect himself. There was a “crack” sound, and he continued to fall.
Intense pain shot through his leg. Just as he was about to hit the ground, a whip suddenly wrapped around his waist. Someone pulled him up, suspending him in mid-air. Panting, he looked up to see a young woman holding a horsewhip in one hand and a sword hilt in the other. The sword was thrust directly into the cliff face. She stood on two rocks, smiling at Gu Chusheng.
She wore a black long dress, her sleeves rolled up, giving her a neat and agile appearance. Standing on the high ground, her face was smudged with dirt, looking somewhat disheveled. However, her smile was as bright as ever, like the sun breaking through clouds, instantly lighting up one’s heart.
“A’Yu…” Gu Chusheng’s eyes widened.
Chu Yu smiled, “Oh, Gu Chusheng, it’s you.”