When Wang Shijing, Shao Yunan, and the three children came down from the mountain, it was already the morning of their seventh day away from home. They had no idea that their ‘disappearance’ had caused chaos throughout Yongxiu County. It was also not an exaggeration. Even on the second day since they left, Yan Fusheng became anxious and went to find Zhao Lizheng. 

They all went up the mountain to search separately for them. However, before they had searched for long, there was a rumbling sound deep in the mountains, followed by unusual vibrations felt throughout Xiushui Village. At the same time, the birds in the forest flew towards the sky in a frenzy, covering the entire sky. 

The wild beasts in the forest also emerged as if they had been stimulated, but instead of rushing down the mountain to harm people, they roamed aimlessly within the woods. The streams in the mountains surged, and the small river that was not deep in the village rose rapidly, almost submerging the fields within a day.

With such strange phenomena occurring, the villagers of Xiushui Village were terrified and fell to their knees in prayer, fearing the wrath of the heavens. Yan Fusheng quickly sent someone to inform Jiang Kangning that Wang Shijing and Shao Yunan, along with the children, went up the mountain and had not returned yet. Now that there were abnormal signs in the mountains, he feared they were in danger. Fortunately, that evening, all these strange occurrences disappeared, and everything returned to calm. However, the villagers became even more frightened, wondering if it was a sign of evil.

When Jiang Kangning heard that Wang Shijing, Shao Yunan, and the three children were missing, he almost couldn’t breathe. He immediately dispatched his officers to search for them in Xiushui Village. However, apart from encountering animals running amok in the forest, they didn’t come across any human figures. Furthermore, with trees falling and water flooding in the mountains, they couldn’t venture too deep into the area to search for the missing persons. 

Jiang Kangning was extremely anxious. The family was more precious to him than gold, especially Shao Yunan, who was like a younger brother to him. As for the Yan family, Shao Yunan was an exceptional individual whom the Emperor had implicitly approved, and any mishap would make it difficult for Jiang Kangning to carry on. Guo Ziyu also abandoned his tea business and returned to help Yan Fusheng pacify the family. With Wang Shijing and Shao Yunan absent, the Wang family was in a state of confusion.

Jiang Kangning dispatched his officers and Xiushui’s villagers spontaneously went up the mountain in waves to search for the missing people. They didn’t even have time for important events like the Qingming Festival and ancestral worship. They only went to the graves to pay respects and offer incense, then used the rest of their energy to find Wang Shijing and Shao Yunan. Most of the villagers were extremely anxious, but there were a few households who, upon hearing that Wang Shijing and Shao Yunan were in trouble, were almost bursting with joy.

On the second day of Wang Shijing’s and Shao Yunan’s incident, Wang Zhisong and Wang Chunxiu, who had been hiding in the county town till now, unexpectedly returned. Old Lady Wang also rarely left the house, but the smile on her face made people want to slap her. 

Apart from Wang Dali, who showed no reaction, everyone else was ecstatic. They wished that Wang Shijing and Shao Yunan’s entire family had died. In that case, as Wang Shijing’s family members, they would inherit their vast family fortune. Wang Benchang and Wang Bensheng’s families, who were punished, were also gloating. Because of this, Tang Genshu almost got into a fight with his cousin.

Jiang Kangning was anxious, shopkeeper Xu was also anxious, and Chen Sanli was also anxious. Even the teachers of the county school, the deputy deans, and the deputy dean of White Moon Academy were all anxious when they heard about this. Everyone who had a close relationship with Shao Yunan and Wang Shijing, or had a stake in their interests, was desperately worried. Just when they were all agitated and worked up, Wang Shijing and Shao Yunan finally returned. When they appeared in their own forest, they met the villagers and Yamen officials who were looking for them, and some villagers were so happy to see them that they cried.

Wang Shijing, Shao Yunan, Wang Qing, Wang Jingyan (Nizi), Jiang Moxi, Brother Tiger, Little and Big Gold, both humans and tigers, were all in a sorry state, looking very miserable. They were covered in mud from head to toe, their faces so dirty that their original appearance couldn’t be recognized. Little and Big Gold were each dragging a wild bird that looked like an ostrich but with a shorter neck and two long colorful tail feathers. It was said to be a delicious bird in this world, but also very difficult to catch.

Brother Tiger was dragging a male deer from the space too, while Wang Shijing was carrying a wild boar from the space. Shao Yunan also brought a few small wild chickens. Wang Qing and Jiang Moxi each held a wild rabbit. Nizi, Wang Jingyan – please don’t forget our Nizi’s full name – was holding a basket of unidentified red wild fruits (tomatoes) and long green sticks (cucumbers).

“Shijing! Yunan! Where have you been! Do you know how chaotic things have been at home?” Fourth Uncle Wang rushed over, worriedly asking.

Wang Shijing… “It’s a long story. Fourth Uncle, let’s go home first. We’re tired and hungry.”

“Alright, alright!”

Fourth Uncle Wang quickly called others over to help carry their things. When they took the tomatoes and cucumbers that Nizi was holding, Shao Yunan said, “We found these in the forest. They’re edible and quite tasty, so we picked them all.”

As soon as they heard “picked them all.” Fourth Uncle Wang immediately said, “Then let me take them.”

Wang Shijing picked up Nizi, while Shao Yunan held Wang Qing and Jiang Moxi. When everyone saw Brother Tiger and the other tigers, they were still afraid. But with Wang Shijing and Shao Yunan there, the three tigers had no intention of attacking, so they calmed down a bit. One Yamen official spoke up. “Master Wang, Young Master Shao, you haven’t returned for so long. The County Magistrate is worried sick and he’s gotten sick himself. Go back home and rest up, then hurry to the County Yamen.”

Shao Yunan… “Ah! Elder Brother is sick?”

Wang Shijing hurriedly asked, “What illness? Did you call for a doctor?”

The yamen official said, “The County Magistrate was too busy looking for you and didn’t call for a doctor. His mouth is covered in blisters, he can’t eat, and can only drink some water.”

“It seems urgent.” Shao Yunan felt guilty and said, “This time it’s our fault. We originally went to the forest to hunt for some wild animals, but something strange happened in the forest. The animals went crazy and started running around. There were also earthquakes and floods. We found a high spot to take shelter until the water receded before quickly coming down the mountain.”

Uncle Wang said, “You encountered it too! Ah, it happened in the village as well. The ground was shaking and we thought it was an earthquake. It really scared us. The river in the village rose and it looked like it was going to flood the fields and houses, but then it receded. You might not know, but on the second day you went into the mountains, all the birds flew out of the forest and the sky was filled with birds. The elderly in the village have no idea what’s going on. They’ve never seen anything like this before.”

Shao Yunan was amazed and nodded discreetly. “Yes, we saw it too. It was terrifying. Fortunately, Brother Tiger and the others were with us; otherwise, we would have been scared to death.”

Nizi lowered her head and Wang Qing and Jiang Moxi also lowered their heads, following Uncle Yunan (Shao Yunan). Jiang Moxi was fine, but Nizi and Wang Qing were afraid that others would see something on their faces.

When they were about to reach the downhill road towards the village, they encountered another group of people looking for them. Among them were Zhao Yuande, Zhao Yuanqing, and Wang Shuping. Many people came looking for them after their mishap, and Wang Shijing and Shao Yunan were deeply moved. 

However, they couldn’t avoid being cared for and scolded by Zhao Yuande and Wang Shuping. They were truly frightened. Wang Shuping hugged Nizi, Zhao Yuande held Jiang Moxi, and Zhao Yuanqing picked up Wang Qing.

Wang Shuping said, “The family will be overjoyed by your safe return. Wang Zhisong and Wang Chunxiu have also returned. Even the old lady of the Wang family has come out to meet people. The smile on her face seems as if she wants everyone to know her intentions. If something really happened to you, your family fortune would have fallen into their hands.”

Shao Yunan, unconcerned, said in front of the people from Xiushui Village. “Our family will always return. They can’t touch a single finger of our family’s wealth. We have our own parents and elder brother, and they have signed an agreement to sever the relationship with us. They claim that my elder brother is the county magistrate is false and even the identity of my father as the county academy’s dean is false. Our uncle is still an official in the capital city. If they want to die, they can tell me and I will fulfill their wish.”

Edited by: Jaisland

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