Chapter 545

Even ordinary people were like this, let alone the Sect Masters of small sects.

They grabbed various Martial Techniques and quickly retreated outward.

Fang Yue looked down at his right hand; blood dripped from the bandaged cloth wrapped around it onto the ground.

Since earlier, the Curse 【Night Rain】 had been flaring up continuously, growing stronger and stronger.

Fang Yue couldn't help but look up.

He had a faint feeling… as if these dark clouds were actually coming for him.

He lowered his gaze, waited until most others had evacuated, then stepped out of the house and ran toward You Sisi.

But he had only run halfway, still far from You Sisi, when everyone suddenly widened their eyes, as if seeing a ghost.

"How could this be?!"

"How is it that he…"

"Don't come any closer, aaaaah!"

When they regained their senses, everyone saw Fang Yue and fled in panic, as if he carried plague.

Only You Sisi, with a blank, stunned expression, and the Martial Captain and others remained where they were.

Fang Yue also stopped in his tracks, his heart sinking as he looked up.

The dark clouds, which had just hovered above the house, now moved with him and hung directly over the street.

Villagers screamed and scattered; the Qing Guards and the Sect Masters of small sects also retreated beyond the cloud's range, watching Fang Yue from afar.

Only the Martial Captain, You Sisi, Lord Han, and Chen Qing remained where they were, staring dumbfounded at Fang Yue.

"Ye Ge, what sin have you committed to deserve heavenly lightning?" Chen Qing, recovering, couldn't help teasing.

He was still calm, but You Sisi's eyes turned completely red.

"How could this… how could it be like this? It's targeting you!"

"It must be…"

Fang Yue helplessly spread his hands, then ran back tap-tap-tap to the house he'd just left—and sure enough, the overhead Night Rain followed him.

Fang Yue: …

Everyone: …

Now, it was clear to all: the clouds had locked onto Fang Yue.

"The Curse 【Night Rain】… could it be that the Night Rain Clan's Curse is finally unleashing its true power…?" Lord Han's head, resting in Chen Qing's arms, murmured.

"I don't know. Maybe."

Fang Yue's face darkened; he felt the bones in his right palm were already going numb—beneath the cloth, his flesh and bones might already be burned clean…

Only the cloth gave him a faint coolness, offering slight relief—but it was like trying to quench thirst with a drop of water.

"Help him! Find a way to help him!" You Sisi, eyes red, said to Lord Han.

This put Lord Han in a difficult position.

He had never had any effective solution for Curses like this.

If he himself had been afflicted while still at full strength, he might have had a way to remove it.

But at the Night Rain Clan's level, even if he himself were cursed, he had little chance of dispelling it.

Everyone showed expressions of concern as they watched Fang Yue.

Fang Yue sighed: "I'm fine—at least for now. Just leave a few people to watch me. Focus on finding a way to deal with that cloud above—staying here does nothing. Even if the cloud unleashes Night Rain, I'm safe inside the house."

No sooner had Fang Yue finished speaking than the clouds above roared—lightning spread across them, illuminating the sky, then a bolt of lightning struck straight down, crashing onto the house's doorstep and leaving a small crater.

The power seemed weak, but if that lightning had hit a person, the visual effect wouldn't be the only thing that mattered.

Fang Yue fell silent immediately; everyone stared at him with complex expressions.

If that strike wasn't coincidence, Fang Yue was effectively trapped inside the house.

And if the lightning grew stronger and destroyed the house entirely, leaving him no shelter… then Fang Yue was truly in mortal danger.

Facing this situation, Fang Yue rubbed his nose with his blood-stained hand and forced a dry laugh: "Looks like things aren't as optimistic as I thought. But staying here watching me is useless—focus on figuring out how to rescue me."

Lord Han sighed, knowing Fang Yue was right.

After a few words of persuasion, You Sisi sent the Martial Captain off with her Qing Robe Token to take temporary command.

"I'm in charge?" The Martial Captain looked puzzled: "Then what about you?"

"I'll stay here."

The Martial Captain opened his mouth, but seeing You Sisi's eyes fixed on Fang Yue and not even glancing his way, he felt a pang of frustration.

"Fine, I'll take temporary command."

With his background as a former Mo Village Captain, the Martial Captain commanded efficiently.

Since the clouds followed Fang Yue, and Fang Yue was inside the house,

the clouds were effectively fixed in place; with You Sisi guarding, no extra personnel were needed to monitor.

The area was turned into a quarantine zone, crowds were dispersed, and a portion of the Qing Guards were left to hold the position—this part was temporarily settled.

The only problem: many villagers stood far away, staring at Fang Yue like monkeys in a zoo, their faces full of curiosity.

The burning sensation from the Curse 【Night Rain】 on his palm began to fade, but the dark clouds still hung overhead.

Fang Yue greeted You Sisi outside and tried moving away—but the clouds remained locked onto him.

It seemed the Curse 【Night Rain】 only summoned the clouds; once they locked onto Fang Yue, no further effort was needed…

"Chen Qing and Lord Han are already studying it—they'll find a way to save you. You won't be harmed!" You Sisi said, eyes red.

Fang Yue wanted to say he was fine, but seeing You Sisi so emotional, he felt it would be cruel to downplay it—it would make him seem heartless.

After a moment, he said: "My lord, word of the clouds has spread throughout Qingsi County. The villagers are terrified—this is the perfect moment for you to rise up and lead them to the evacuation zones.

For me, just leave a few people to watch. If anything happens, they'll report it. With Qingsi Horses, news travels fast. Even if we're apart, Chen Qing and I, as refugees, can still communicate instantly."

Things were indeed so.

The villagers, who had originally been guarding their little bit of family property and been utterly unwilling to cooperate, dragging their feet every which way.

Now, seeing the dark clouds directly riding in their faces and attacking right at their doorstep, while a whole pile of anomalies still had to attack upward from the Underground Stronghold, the entire Qingsi County looked to be in a precarious state.

At this moment, who could still care about money or not—life was what mattered most.

Many people even spent a fortune trying to flee Qingsi County overnight, but were caught by the Green Division and locked up in prison.

While they were fighting for their lives here, preparing for a great battle against the anomalies to defend Qingsi County, these people wanted to be deserters, spreading the idea of running away—wasn't that a provocation to the Green Division's authority?

If morale scattered because of this, then Qingsi County wouldn't need defending at all; everyone could just flee the disaster and fly off on their own, and Qingsi County would collapse without being attacked.

(End of this chapter)