Just as dawn was breaking, the escorting guards began urging everyone to get back on the road.
Rui'er was still asleep and unable to walk on his own, so he could only be carried by an adult.
Before the others could discuss it, Chen Shiyi took the initiative and carried him in her arms as they continued on with the group.
A slanting drizzle fell without pause.
To keep Rui'er from getting too cold, she tucked his head against her chest and wrapped him up into a little bundle, bending her body slightly to shield him from the chill.
The position was uncomfortable and exhausting, but she was willing to endure it.
He was such a soft, sweet child who called her “Big Sister” in his sugary little voice.
As they walked and stopped along the way, Chen Shiyi noticed something.
The guard who had ordered her to weave ropes and had summoned Miss Wen from her room in the middle of the night was gone.
Once an escorting guard had been assigned a task, could he really turn back halfway?
She suddenly remembered that night, when the Marquis's Heir had gone out for a while.
He had still been wearing a cangue, with chains bound around his legs. Could he really have killed someone in that condition?
A chill suddenly rose in Chen Shiyi's heart.
Thank goodness. Before this, she had talked back to him and repeatedly refused to look after his family, yet he had never laid a hand on her. Otherwise, she would have lost her life already.
They were finally about to enter Fangling. The terrain and environment here were completely different from those around the capital.
The capital was flat as far as the eye could see, with very few mountains. Here, the mountains were not especially tall, but layer upon layer of verdant hills stretched into the distance, their uneven slopes rising and falling.
They traveled through the mountains and threaded their way through the forests, their pace growing slower and slower.
The spring rain had continued on and off without end, and it had been a long time since they had seen the sun.
Rui'er had recovered from his illness long ago. He remembered that Chen Shiyi had carried him in her arms or on her back for several days.
Once he was well, he became like a little sparrow, chirping and laughing endlessly around Chen Shiyi.
Wen Zhirou supported Madam Wen, both of them gasping for breath.
“Big Brother, how much longer until we reach Fangling? I really don’t think I can keep going.”
Wen Zhiyuan was exhausted as well. He answered between ragged breaths, “We’ve already entered Fangling. The mountain paths are indeed difficult to travel. Just endure for another two days, and we’ll arrive.”
Wen Zhiheng did not join in their conversation. His eyes were deep and inscrutable, and from time to time, his gaze drifted toward Chen Shiyi.
Ever since Chen Shiyi had taken the initiative to speak to him that night, she had started avoiding him, wishing she could stay as far away from him as possible. He could clearly see the fear in her eyes.
Did he really look that fierce?
After Chen Shiyi sneezed twice in quick succession, she suddenly felt an intense tremor pass through the ground.
Holding Rui'er in her arms, she froze where she stood, not daring to move an inch.
Wen Zhiheng sensed that something was wrong as well and warily looked around.
In an instant, the mountainside beside them gave way like a landslide from the heavens, rumbling down with overwhelming force.
Chen Shiyi was terrified. She fled forward with all the speed she could muster.
Without the chains, she could naturally run very fast. But the prisoners behind her, already exhausted to the point of collapse, were not so fortunate. The enormous mass of earth and rock sliding down the mountain had already buried several of them.
The guards and the others scattered in panic. At that moment, who had the time to care about the prisoners?
Chen Shiyi glanced behind her and saw that the Wen family had already disappeared from sight.
Rui'er, frightened out of his wits, began wailing loudly in her arms.
Chen Shiyi gritted her teeth, set Rui'er down, and wrapped an arm around his thin shoulders.
“Good boy, Rui'er. It’s safe now. Stay right here and don’t go anywhere. I’m going to look for your grandmother and the others. Wait for me to come back, understand?”
Rui'er obediently nodded.
The landslide was a horrifying sight. Half of the entire mountain had already collapsed, and yellow-brown mud mixed with enormous stones had buried the path they had just traveled.
Chen Shiyi looked around frantically and finally saw Wen Zhiheng and Wen Zhiyuan searching for people like madmen.
Second Young Madam was beside them, supporting Madam Wen while crying.
Only Miss Wen was nowhere to be seen.
Chen Shiyi quickly ran to Wen Zhiheng.
When Wen Zhiheng saw her, it was as if he had seen a savior.
“Quick, help me find Zhirou. She’s gone. She’s gone…”
Chen Shiyi nodded.
“It’s dangerous here. Hurry and take them away. Go ahead and find Rui'er. I’ll look for Miss Wen.”
The fallen earth was both loose and sticky. With every step, their legs sank halfway into it.
Chen Shiyi struggled through the mud, pulling her legs free as she searched in every direction.
She saw that many of the exiled prisoners had been buried in the enormous disaster, but no one had come to save them. The guards had already led the remaining prisoners farther down the road.
Human life was truly fragile. In the space of an instant, one could be separated from this world forever.
Chen Shiyi was frantic with worry.
She searched for a long time. Whenever she found someone, she went over to check whether it was Miss Wen.
Could Miss Wen have been swept farther down the mountain?
Chen Shiyi immediately went searching below.
The muddy hollow was incredibly difficult to move through, and before long, she had become a mud-covered figure herself.
She trudged on for a long time. Rain continued to pour from the sky, and she had to move faster. Judging by the circumstances, another uncontrollable disaster might occur at any moment.
At last, in the mound of earth carried down by the landslide, she saw a head of black hair. Half a body was buried beneath the yellow mud.
Chen Shiyi hurried over and turned the person around. It was Miss Wen. She placed a finger beneath the girl’s nose.
Thank goodness—she was still alive.
There was no time for Chen Shiyi to rejoice. She immediately tried to pull Miss Wen out of the mud.
But the earth had buried her too deeply, and Chen Shiyi could not budge her.
She had no choice but to push the mud away with both hands, slowly digging Miss Wen’s legs free.
At that moment, Miss Wen awoke from her unconsciousness. Seeing Chen Shiyi beside her, digging her out of the mud, she began to wail hysterically.
Wen Zhiheng was frantic. He wanted to break free of his cangue and go save her, but his mother stopped him.
“No, Heng'er! You can’t! If the seal is torn, it can’t be restored. Once we reach Fangling, you’ll still die! Wait a little longer, wait! The girl has gone to look for Rou'er. She’ll definitely find her!”
Suddenly, an even louder rumble came from beneath the ground.
Wen Zhiheng could no longer hold back. Dragging his chains behind him, he ran toward the site of the disaster.
Madam Wen shouted loudly, “Heng'er, don’t go!”
But before he had gone very far, Wen Zhiheng stopped in his tracks, his eyes filled with both shock and joy.
A person covered from head to toe in mud was carrying another mud-covered person on her back and stumbling quickly toward him. Behind them, huge rocks came rolling down, while earth churned and poured forth, relentlessly swallowing the path they had come by.
The prisoners and guards who had survived the disaster rested on the shallow bank of a small river.
The Wen family huddled together. Madam Wen held Wen Zhirou in her arms and wept without stopping.
“Thank goodness, thank goodness, my child…”
A rock had split open Wen Zhirou’s forehead. Bright-red blood mixed with yellow mud, and tears streamed down her face. She no longer looked the slightest bit like a young lady of the Marquis's Residence.
The ways of the world were truly cruel and unpredictable!
Chen Shiyi lay on the pebble-covered riverbank, panting heavily and not wanting to move even a finger.
She was covered in mud, but she could not be bothered to clean herself up.
She was too tired!
She had never been this exhausted before.
She had barely managed to pull Miss Wen out of the yellow mud when that terrifying sound rose from beneath the earth once again.
At the critical moment, they had finally escaped with their lives.
Wen Zhiheng crouched beside her and asked softly, “Do you want some water?”
Chen Shiyi nodded.
Rui'er came over from the side and slowly fed Chen Shiyi a few mouthfuls of water from a chipped porcelain bowl.
After she had recovered somewhat, she struggled to bend her body and sit up.
Wen Zhiheng looked at her, covered in yellow mud, and the corners of his mouth lifted slightly.
“Thank you.”
Chen Shiyi gave an awkward smile.
“Heir, I’ll work hard from now on. Please don’t kill me!”
Wen Zhiheng was immediately stunned. Why would he kill her? And why would she think that way?
“When did I ever say that? Besides, you’re Rou'er’s savior. I can’t thank you enough. Don’t let your thoughts run away with you.”
Only then did Chen Shiyi relax.
“And one more thing. Don’t call me Heir anymore. I’m just a prisoner now, no longer the distinguished young master of Marquis Wensu's Residence…”
Hearing the bitterness in his words, Chen Shiyi sighed inwardly. No matter how down on his luck he was, he still lived far better than people like them at the very bottom of society.
“Then I’ll call you First Young Master!”
Wen Zhiheng smiled and nodded.