Ye Tiancheng had been missing Liu Lanying, leading to a period of insomnia. He eventually fell asleep in a daze.
In the middle of the night, he was awakened by a tremendous tremor. The shaking was so intense, it felt like an earthquake, making him dizzy and nauseous.
Within seconds, Ye Tiancheng was fully awake. Upon realizing the abnormality, his immediate thought was how to resolve the current predicament.
Ye Tiancheng rushed out of the door, only to discover that the entire village had collapsed. If he had been a second later, he might have been buried in the ruins.
As Ye Tiancheng ran out, he bumped into Fatty. The moment they saw each other, their eyes conveyed a mutual understanding that the situation was dire and escaping was more important than anything else.
"How is everyone?"
Ye Tiancheng's concern was not for his own safety, but for the safety of everyone else. The simple villagers had treated Ye Tiancheng and Fatty with absolute warmth and hospitality, without any ulterior motives. Such sincerity was truly rare.
"I'm going to save people now."
Fatty suddenly realized that even if they were buried in the ruins, they could rely on their cultivation to survive. But it was different for others. Those unfortunate souls might be crippled or even lose their lives.
Fatty and Ye Tiancheng exerted all their efforts to rescue people. However, they discovered that several villagers had already passed away, while others were severely injured. Protected by Ye Tiancheng's true qi, they managed to cling to life.
The disaster struck too suddenly. By the time everything calmed down, it was already noon the next day. Ye Tiancheng, Fatty, and the little fox were the only ones completely unharmed. The little fox had been protected by Fatty and rescued from the collapsing house before it fell, sustaining only minor abrasions.
As for everyone else, their conditions were not optimistic. What was more terrifying was that due to the influence of the dark qi, Liu Family Village was hit by a large-scale landslide. Rocks and soil from the mountain tumbled down. A sudden explosion also destroyed the bridge, and the signal tower was completely disabled.
This meant they were completely cut off from the outside world, trapped in Liu Family Village. Ye Tiancheng and Fatty handled the few already cold corpses with some dignity in death.
Fortunately, their RV was still usable. Ye Tiancheng and Fatty quickly moved the injured into the vehicle. Outside, it began to rain again. The rain was mixed with a dark qi that was harmful to both humans and small animals.
Ye Tiancheng had used a considerable amount of his true qi to save the injured, leaving him somewhat weak and in need of rest. He could no longer push himself. At this moment, the little fox wrote several talismans that could temporarily protect the RV from corrosion, playing a crucial role.
"If only we hadn't stayed here for the night. All of this is caused by the dark qi. That acid rain was a warning. I was too careless, and I blame myself for harming so many people, causing some to lose their lives."
The disaster had shaken Ye Tiancheng profoundly, and he was still struggling to recover.
Inside the RV, Ye Tiancheng forced himself to remain calm. He needed to take stock of the food supplies. The little fox's talismans could no longer stop the rain, and to avoid harm, they couldn't leave the RV for now. The RV, originally designed for only four or five people, now had to accommodate over a dozen survivors. Their primary concern was water and food. If these basic supplies couldn't be met, the lives of the ordinary villagers would be threatened.
"My leg was clearly injured and bruised earlier, but now it's healed. It's truly bizarre."
"My hand was dislocated earlier. It seems Mr. Ye helped me reset it. It was too chaotic at the time, and I don't remember clearly, but it must have been Mr. Ye who helped."
Everyone was discussing why their injuries had miraculously healed. It felt somewhat supernatural, and everyone felt uneasy. What was more unsettling was that this wasn't happening to just one person, but to everyone.
Ye Tiancheng had used his true qi to treat their minor injuries to varying degrees. Therefore, for these people, who clearly remembered being injured, their current unharmed state felt unreal.
"Perhaps everything happened too suddenly, and you all experienced hallucinations to different degrees. As for the dislocated hand, I did help to reset the bone because I understand a little bit of medicine. It's normal for me to help, so don't worry about it. We help each other, and my medical skills aren't that advanced, just a superficial understanding."
To prevent anyone from discovering he was a cultivator with true qi, Ye Tiancheng knew he couldn't explain it to ordinary people. Being too specific would only complicate matters and frighten them. So, he simply claimed to have some knowledge of medicine.
"It seems we were indeed frightened. Regardless, we must thank you, Mr. Ye. You are our great benefactor. Several villagers have already died. Without you, I believe we would have been seriously injured. Thank you so much."
After one villager spoke, others began to kneel, bowing to Ye Tiancheng as if he were a savior.
"Thank you so much, benefactor! Without you, we truly don't know what we would have done. We are still a bit shaken. Thank you, great benefactor!"
They knelt in reverence, tears in their eyes, their voices choked with emotion. Their gratitude towards Ye Tiancheng was palpable, as if he were a reborn parent. Now, they would follow his every word, willing to go through fire and water for him.
This sentiment also deeply affected Ye Tiancheng. He had always felt a sense of compassion for the common people. Seeing their reliance on him, their helplessness in the face of disaster, those images replayed in his mind. Ye Tiancheng suddenly realized something: perhaps, regardless of what he said on the surface, he truly possessed a heroic spirit. To save these ordinary people, he was willing to do more, even to make sacrifices.
"Alright, don't be so distressed. This accident might even be my fault. You don't need to thank me so much. I'm just doing my best to protect you and minimize casualties."
After Ye Tiancheng soothed the crowd, their emotions gradually stabilized. They were no longer so agitated. Ye Tiancheng then suggested everyone get some rest to conserve their energy. He didn't know what challenges lay ahead, or if they would endanger everyone's lives. Therefore, they needed to be in the best condition to face the challenges, rather than wasting energy on useless talk.
"Yes, Mr. Ye. You are our backbone now. We will listen to everything you say."
The village chief had died in the disaster. The person speaking now held some authority in the village. After he spoke, others found his words reasonable and settled down in various corners, closing their eyes to rest. They had been woken up in the middle of the night by the disaster and were already sleep-deprived. Some, having experienced immense shock, had wide, fearful eyes, still unable to process the trauma of the disaster. Others were exhausted and had fallen asleep.
Inside the RV, only the sound of breathing could be heard. Even those who weren't asleep were quiet, as they had nothing to talk about. Silence was the most appropriate response at this moment; no one wanted to say more.
At this moment, the little fox was busy writing talismans, seemingly trying to achieve a breakthrough but finding it difficult, her brow furrowed, exuding a sense of dejection.
Fatty stood guard at the door, constantly watching, fearing that the corrosive nature of the rain would increase. If even the little fox's talismans failed, Ye Tiancheng's true qi barrier would weaken, and they could be dissolved by the rain at any moment.
Fatty and Ye Tiancheng might survive, but ordinary people like the little fox and the villagers couldn't withstand the corrosive effects of the acid rain. Their bodies would be like those exposed to sulfuric acid, suffering immense damage, a truly terrifying prospect.
No one wanted this to happen, so they preferred silence and to find solutions rather than let such a tragedy occur again.
Everyone remained silent. The sun had risen outside, but due to the rain, the sky was overcast, giving a sense of gloom.
Not long after dawn, several loud tremors were heard in succession, so intense that they felt like they would shatter their eardrums.
The people inside the RV woke up one after another. Ye Tiancheng realized he had fallen asleep. Although he had slept for less than an hour, he had recovered some strength. He quickly went to check and found that the RV's tires had all burst due to corrosion from the acid rain. This meant they couldn't drive anywhere without repairing the vehicle. The acid rain continued outside, and Ye Tiancheng sighed deeply, unsure of what to do next. They had fallen into a predicament.
"What are we going to do now? I don't want to die. I've lived an honest life, never done anything wrong, so why am I facing such misfortune..."
"I don't want to die either. I wish I had gone to work elsewhere. It's my fault for being too lazy. When Qiangzi asked me to work outside, I thought I'd stay home a bit longer. I never wanted to leave when I came home, always wanting to stay a few more days. Every farewell was difficult. Who could have imagined this? It's too agonizing!"
Hearing the villagers' complaints and their fear of death, Ye Tiancheng felt a pang of sadness. His initial intention was to protect these villagers, but in the face of reality, he felt somewhat powerless. Now that the RV's tires were blown, he didn't know what would happen next. Ye Tiancheng even felt that the RV was no longer safe.
Both the little fox's assistance and his own true qi barrier were gradually weakening. They desperately needed to find a safer place, but Ye Tiancheng didn't believe such a place would be easy to find.