Chapter 62: The Rivers and Mountains in a Flash of Torch Tonight

Thick smoke like ink, wrapped in scorched smell and bloody odor, presses over the county city.

The raging fire devours the blue bricks and dark tiles; the sound of collapsing beams and crackling flames mingle with the people's wails, exploding in the night.

The surrounding populace, clad in rags and panicked, run without choosing a path, wailing as they flee and struggle.

Tonight, the rivers and mountains are beyond description.

But in Chinu's eyes, only the image of Du Shanü striding forward against the crowd is reflected.

The girl's gaze is sharp as a knife, her depths surging with anger; she walks against the fleeing crowd, firmly heading deeper into the county city.

Behind her, the woman's face is ashen, her wound seeping blood; blood still trickles from her forehead, warm blood flowing down her clothes and spreading a dark, dull red.

The ache in her back nearly overwhelms her, the thick smoke stings her throat, but she does not halt, softly comforting the woman:

"Hold on, auntie, we'll be at the clinic shortly."

"I will save you."

The world is so weary, the common folk so bitter.

She ultimately only said, 'I will save you.'

Chinu lowered his eyes, shielding his gaze from the sudden blaze of firelight, and fully drew back the string of the Yuanrong crossbow in his hand:

"I know a small path to the clinic; follow me."

Du Shanü was overjoyed, having no time to ask why the other knew of the path, and immediately perked up to follow.

Cang Cheng is not large, yet not small either.

Taking the usual main road, it would take about the time to burn an incense stick.

However, with Chinu leading the way, it took only the time to finish a cup of tea for the two to wind through the twisting alleys and arrive at the clinic's door.

The clinic's main door bore several obvious shoe-print kick marks, but thanks to the thick door panels, the small clinic outside showed no further chaos.

Du Shanü was already exhausted enough to be irritable, her hair stuck to her cheeks, her garments soaked through with sweat and blood.

Yet upon seeing this scene, her eyes remained astonishingly bright.

She set the woman down and pounded on the door:

"Hei Lao Daifu, are you in? Open the door! Someone is injured, please save her!"

Inside the clinic, just beyond the door.

Hearing the shout, from inside came the frantic sound of someone rushing to open the door.

After a few breaths, Hei Lao Daifu came forward, gripping a wooden stick, his expression urgent, to answer the door.

"It's you two... come in quickly!"

Du Shanü helped the woman inside, nearly tripping over stones and the door bolt on the floor, only then realizing that the grandfather and grandson must have been hiding behind the door, trembling and ever vigilant.

The clinic interior was dim and quiet, the medicinal scent sealing off the outside chaos; Hei Lao Daifu promptly helped the woman onto the bed, signaled Xiao Yao Tong to fetch the wound medicine, and solemnly examined the injury.

Xiao Yao Tong fumbled, wanting to shut the door first before getting the medicine, but Du Shanü stopped him:

"Please trouble Hei Lao Daifu to treat this patient; I still have a friend at the county office, we must hurry to save him, so we cannot linger."

"You treat her first; when I later bring my friend back, I will settle the fee together with you."

"A friend?"

"How did Afang become her friend again?"

Someone nearby glanced at her, but Du Shanü pretended not to notice, and solemnly instructed the grandfather and grandson:

"After we go out, unless you hear my voice again, you must never open the door, guarding against bandits disguising themselves."

Hei Lao Daifu and Xiao Yao Tong quickly agreed, and Du Shanü then set off again without delay.

In the city, the intense scorched smell and heat wave have not diminished.

Firelight illuminates the night sky; the streets and lanes are in utter ruin, with debris and burnt houses visible everywhere.

Most of the masked bandits have already departed, leaving only a few scattered individuals frantically fleeing while carrying sacks of grain.

Some bold commoners emerged from their hiding places, carrying water buckets to fight the fire, their faces full of fatigue and sorrow, yet they refuse to give up.

Wails fill the city, mournful and moving.

A woman bereaved of kin wails heart-rendingly; children curl in corners, sobbing softly; elders gaze upon the ashes, old tears streaming down their faces; bloodstains and ashes intertwine on the ground, everywhere revealing sorrow and despair.

Du Shanü's steps flew fast; she scooped water from a water jar at a household's doorway in the alley, wet her clothes to cover her mouth and nose, and rushed toward the county office.

That band of bandits, knowing they would set fire then loot, obviously came prepared.

Having come prepared, they will surely not abandon the storehouse holding the most grain.

As Du Shanü expected, the county office of Cang Cheng suffered the worst damage.

The vermilion grand doors are charred and collapsed; most buildings within the courtyard are burnt out, with broken walls and remnants where flames leap, beams continually collapsing, thick smoke enveloping the entire compound.

In the courtyard, scorched documents, broken furniture, and the corpses of officials and soldiers lie scattered, blood and black ash intertwining, a shocking sight.

Du Shanü carefully stepped around those 'obstacles,' and warned:

"Don't get burned by flying sparks or struck by collapsing walls..."

Before her words finished, Chinu shot out like an arrow released from a bow.

Du Shanü startled, instinctively following the direction in which Chinu had sprinted.

Then, she saw a familiar figure—

In the ruins of the main hall, a tall, slender figure stood still.

Chen Weifang was tall like a crane, his posture upright.

Even amidst the sea of fire, he remained handsome and aloof.

The blazing flames leapt beside him, casting his robes to flutter, like a celestial crane burning in the fire.

That figure slowly turned; the firelight revealed his pale yet calm brows and eyes, within which lay a hint of weariness and resolve.

This scene was truly shocking; Du Shanü's steps involuntarily slowed for a moment, but only a moment, before she heard a piercing, suffocating 'creak' from above...

The horizontal beam left in the main hall, after being scorched by the fierce fire, could no longer hold, and with smoke and sparks it came crashing down toward that figure——!!!

At the critical moment, Chinu moved like a leopard, ignoring the heat wave and sparks blowing toward them, they leapt into the fire, grabbed Chen Weifang's arm, and pulled them to their side.

"Boom—" a huge roar, the beam crashed heavily where the two had just stood, sending up a skyful of sparks and ash, the smoke and dust choking so that one could not keep their eyes open.

Chinu didn't wait for the smoke and dust to clear, raised a hand and gave Chen Weifang a solid slap:

"You want to die?!"

Chen Weifang took the blow, a faint anger hidden in his brows, but seeing it was Chinu, he tightly gripped his friend's hand, his tone earnest:

"It's not that I want to die; my parents simply cannot be abandoned!"

"Saner, take my parents and go; as long as they can walk, even if I die today, I would be willing."

Chen Weifang said and was about to bend over; only then did Du Shanü notice that beside his feet were two large chests, knee-high.

"Parents?"

"Parents?!"

Chinu said Chen Weifang was unwilling to travel far; could it be because he has always been carrying his parents' remains?!

No wonder, no wonder—when I first went to look for Chen Weifang, it was clearly daytime, yet he had sealed the doors and windows tightly!

Du Shanü was stunned by the thought that popped into her mind, eyes wide open.

Chinu gritted their teeth in anxiety, reached out to grab Chen Weifang, but Chen Weifang shoved them away forcefully.

At that moment, the surrounding flames grew fiercer; another wooden beam teetered on the verge of collapse, and the thick smoke threatened to engulf the three of them.

Du Shanü saw this, hesitated no longer, rushed forward, ignored Chen Weifang's struggle, bent and hoisted him over her shoulder in one move, then turned and ran toward the door:

"What are you wasting words with him for!"

"There's no reason to be tugging each other in a fire—this isn't a melodrama! Of course we should get the person out first, then talk!"

?? Afang: Where are my parents?! Where are those two huge chests of my parents?!