Chapter 80 If Heaven is unjust, I will slay it.
As night fell, a wall-reinforcing talisman was pasted on the back of the woodshed door, emitting a faint white light in the darkness, the only light in the woodshed.
There wasn't even a barking dog outside the window; it was so quiet that it seemed as if only the mother and daughter existed in the world.
"Mother, will anyone find us?"
"It will happen." Although that wasn't the answer in her heart, she couldn't bear to let the children know the cruel reality.
After an unknown amount of time in the stillness, the ground suddenly began to shake violently, then sway from side to side. Before anyone could react, the firewood, shelves, and various goods piled up in the woodshed began to tip over.
Behind them was a pile of firewood, not cut logs, but long, thin, dry branches, bundled together against the wall. When the earthquake struck, bundles of dry branches rained down on them.
Unfortunately, the mother and daughter's hands and feet were tied!
Mr. Zhang bent down to shield Yao Yao with his body, and the dry branches all fell on her back. She gritted her teeth and endured the pain.
To the left was a tall shelf filled with spices such as cloves, cinnamon, and star anise. As it was shaken, the spices spilled from the basket, covering the mother and daughter. The shelf swayed precariously, looking as if it was about to collapse.
The dry branches fell to the side, blocking the overpass and forming an unstable triangular area. The mother and daughter happened to be in the middle of it. Mr. Zhang was relieved that the mother and daughter had survived. He looked around for a more suitable hiding place. Then he saw a yellow talisman pasted behind the fallen dry branches. It was emitting a faint white light. He could vaguely make out the words "isolation" written in cursive script between the top and bottom of the talisman.
It's an isolation symbol, not a barrier!
Once you remove it, the sound can travel to the outside world!
The wall-stabilizing talisman worked its magic; no matter how the ground swayed, the wall never cracked, demonstrating that while protecting the wall, it also protected the foundation intact.
Just then, a chilling magical force emanated from outside, causing the objects inside the woodshed to stop shaking and become locked in mid-air by this magical force.
Yao Yao shivered from the cold, then a thought flashed through her mind, and she exclaimed in surprise, "Mother! It's the power of the Immortal Venerable, isn't it?" She had heard her mother say that there was an Immortal Venerable in the Shangqing Realm who would only descend to earth during times of natural disaster, and who lived on Qingxi Mountain of the Shangqing Sect, the number one sect in the world, and did not eat the food of the mortal world.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Mr. Zhang climbed out, and the earthquake stopped! He quickly tore off the isolation talisman.
Boss Zhang breathed a sigh of relief. The talisman was on the wall behind her, not too high, and she could reach it by standing up. Even though her hands and feet were bound, she could still jump. She managed to stand up and saw two bundles of dry branches lying across the talisman. Boss Zhang thought to herself: This is truly heaven's help.
He jumped up, grabbed the talisman with his mouth, and tore it off. The talisman was immediately peeled off, and a faint, water-ripple-like barrier around him disappeared downwards.
"That's great, Mom!" Yao Yao cheered with delight.
Mr. Zhang spat out the talisman with a "pui" sound, stood precariously on a dry branch, and, using the faint light of the wall-stabilizing talisman, spotted a small open space in front of him. Just as he was about to jump, suddenly, with a loud bang, the small open space collapsed.
"Ah!" Yao Yao screamed in pain.
"Yaoyao!" Boss Zhang called out urgently. The scaffold and dry branches were still hanging in the air, but the child in the green shirt below had disappeared.
The collapsed area was pitch black, and a large hollow space was also below where Boss Zhang was standing.
The ground collapse means that the earthquake just now destroyed the foundation. If there is another earthquake, the wall will inevitably collapse.
"Yao yao? Yao yao!"
The sobbing of a little girl came from below, calling out, "Mother! Mother, sob... Mother! It's so dark here, I'm scared, sob..."
Mr. Zhang was extremely anxious: "Does it hurt? Are you hurt anywhere?"
Suddenly, the earth shook violently, both above and below, and then swayed from side to side.
The second earthquake struck.
A crack spread from bottom to top in the wall, widening as it went, causing the house to shake violently, and the sound of tiles shattering on the ground could be heard outside.
Boss Zhang screamed desperately, "Help me—" anxiously praying that a passing monk would hear her.
Tiles from the roof came crashing down, letting in a burst of sunlight. Moonlight illuminated the room, revealing the most terrifying sight: a loose roof beam was hurtling towards Mr. Zhang!
Suddenly, a white light flashed, and the beam that had been about to smash into Boss Zhang's head stopped an inch in front of her forehead. The door was flung open, and a woman in white rode in on a sword.
It was Zhuang Jinfu.
With a flick of her finger, all the ropes binding Boss Zhang snapped. Then, she made a gesture to lift the sunken area, and a bright ball of light rose from it. Five-year-old Yaoyao lay inside the small barrier, her palms gripping the water-rippled barrier, staring wide-eyed at her through the transparent barrier.
Zhuang Jinfu pointed her finger outwards, and the two of them flew out together. She quickly took a step back, and as soon as her foot left the house, the entire woodshed collapsed, sending up a huge cloud of dust. The dust rushed over and hit a barrier with undulating ice flowers a foot in front of her nose. Zhuang Jinfu didn't even blink, and then flew away from the spot to the lower place.
A female cultivator carried Boss Zhang on her back. Yao Yao covered her ears and curled up inside the barrier sphere, trembling. Ling Shu stepped forward and hugged Yao Yao. The barrier dissipated, and Yao Yao grabbed her collar and snuggled into her arms. "Don't be afraid, your older sister is holding you." The little girl in her arms slowly loosened her curled-up body and looked up at her with surprise and fear.
Ling Shu used the moonlight to see the little girl's face clearly and found it somewhat familiar.
"Yaoyao?"
"Sister Ling!" Yao Yao exclaimed happily, then said to her mother, "Mother! It's Sister Ling!"
Mr. Zhang was also surprised to realize it was Ling Shu, and was moved to tears, saying, "My benefactor, we meet again."
Ling Shu, carrying Yao Yao, did not follow Zhuang Jin Fu.
Zhuang Jinfu searched the city. She had expected that someone like Boss Zhang would appear. After all, this was the cultivation world, a place where talismans and spells were common. Naturally, some people would use it to harm others. After the Shangqing Sect cultivators searched the city once, she was still not at ease and wanted to come down and take a look herself. She also guessed that a ground collapse would occur, so she laid a layer of ground net made of spells in advance.
Anyone who falls into a sinkhole will be automatically identified and protected by the underground netting system, which contains some air pockets. The person buried must be dug out within one day.
The twenty-five cultivators traveling together carried fourteen people on their backs. Those who received the people were quickly taken to an open space in the city, while the remaining seven remained to guard the open space.
Ling Shu: "How did you end up being attacked? If we hadn't heard you shout 'Help!', we probably wouldn't have arrived so quickly."
Boss Zhang sighed, "This is a long story." Ling Shu said, "Alright, I'll take you to the training ground to avoid disaster first, and we'll talk later." Boss Zhang agreed and went to the training ground with Ling Shu.
After sending the people over, Ling Shu returned to find Zhuang Jinfu and followed in her footsteps, searching the city of Nanxi all night long. Finally, at dawn, she rescued all the people in the city who had not yet been successfully evacuated.
As the sun rises to the east, climbing the mountaintop, its golden, fiery light spills onto the rooftops of the houses and sweeps across the walls in a warm yellow glow. Where the light shines, the walls appear white and intact. The houses, having survived the earth's upheaval, stand tall on the ground like soldiers protecting each family.
Ling Shu shielded her eyes with her hand and stood on the city gate with Zhuang Jinfu, gazing into the distance: "Master, does this mean we've survived the natural disaster?"
"Yes, but we can't let our guard down. Earthquakes are unpredictable and unpredictable. Let's wait another half a month before making any decisions."
Ling Shu: "How severe would this be considered an earthquake?"
Zhuang Jinfu: "Intensity level nine."
The two stood gazing into the distance for a while. Ling Shu got hungry and cried out for food, so Zhuang Jinfu went with her. The cultivators set up camp on the training ground and cooked a meal. While Ling Shu ate, Zhuang Jinfu went to ask if anyone was injured. Of the fourteen people who were rescued, eight had minor injuries, seven were beaten by thugs, and only one was injured in the earthquake.
Mr. Zhang.
He was hit on the back, and his back was red, but it was only a superficial injury.
After examining her injuries, Zhuang Jinfu remained silent for a long time.
A thunderclap resounded in the clear sky.
Zhuang Jinfu made an excuse to go up the mountain to check on the situation, and Ling Shu immediately put down her bowl and happily said that she wanted to go with him.
“The camp needs someone in charge, you stay.”
Ling Shu hung her head and said regretfully, "Okay." Before leaving, she took her hand and said, "Come back soon."
She flew over the dense forest to the mountaintop, and on a flat area, she saw the God of Punishment and the God of Thunder hidden in the clouds.
They found out eventually.
She lamented that fate had brought her this way.
The God of Punishment's majestic voice came from above: "Qingxi, do you know your mistake?"
Zhuang Jinfu said, "I know I was wrong."
She bowed her head and awaited judgment.
But the God of Punishment said, "Thanks to your foresight, 80,000 people were able to evacuate the city in time and avoid disaster. The Heavenly Court recognizes your merit in this disaster relief and punishes you with five strokes of lightning. If there is a next time, we will not let you off lightly."
Zhuang Jinfu looked up in surprise, not expecting to be severely punished. A hint of joy flashed in his eyes, but his expression remained unchanged. He bowed and expressed his gratitude: "Qingxi respectfully thanks Heaven for its grace."
After bowing, she stood there, waiting for the heavenly thunder to strike.
Ling Shu was playing with Yao Yao at the camp when a thunderous roar suddenly sounded from the mountaintop to the west. There were no dark clouds, yet there was thunder. Just before Zhuang Jin Fu left, there was an unusual phenomenon in the sky—a bolt of lightning in a clear sky. Then Zhuang Jin Fu said he was going to go up the mountain to take a look.
The connection was too strong, and Ling Shu was uneasy. She put down the chariot, picked up her sword, and headed towards the source of the thunder. The thunder roared five times and then fell silent. After the thunder left, there would be residual thunder energy. This thunder was strange; it left completely without any thunder energy. There were piles of mud and rocks all around, and the trees were crooked. It was a sign of disaster after an earthquake. She couldn't find her way in the forest and got lost.
Fortunately, Zhuang Jinfu had given her a lotus-patterned jade pendant before, which could be used to summon Zhuang Jinfu in an emergency. She quickly channeled her spiritual energy into the pendant and asked, "Master, where are you? I'm lost?"
A familiar, clear voice quickly came from the other end: "What's around you?"
Ling Shu looked at a tree lying on the ground next to her and said, "A big tree has fallen, and its roots are exposed above the ground. It looks like a camphor tree."
I went out to look for someone, but I got lost myself. How embarrassing.
"knew."
"Don't move, I'm coming over."
Master is so reliable.
A moment later, they saw Zhuang Jinfu flying through the air on her sword. Ling Shu flew up to her and circled around her: "Are you alright? What was that thunder just now?"
“The rocks blocked my way, so I cleaved them in two.”
Zhuang Jinfu looked perfectly fine, except that her face was a little pale. Ling Shu thought that she must be tired after working all night and expending so much magic power. Ling Shu took her hand and said, "You don't look well. Go back and rest."
"Mmm." Zhuang Jinfu responded softly, silently tightening his grip on that hand.
Ling Shu had just helped Zhuang Jinfu accomplish a great task: the Immortal Venerable saved the entire city, and she had played her small part. She was overjoyed and felt that the world was full of light.
The girl's enthusiastic smile met her eyes, and she secretly prayed that such days could last longer. Seeing the girl happily hugging the scabbard, she was afraid that the girl would notice something was amiss, so she deliberately changed the subject: "Have you named your sword yet?"
"Take it."
"Oh? What's your name?"
"Call him Zhan Tian."
"Arrogant." Zhuang Jinfu poked Ling Shu's slightly chubby cheek, forcing a smile, and asked, "Why did you choose such a name?"
Ling Shu looked up at the sky and laughed heartlessly, "If the heavens are unjust, I will slay the heavens."
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