By the time the villagers finally stopped running, the sky had grown darker and the night had fully settled around them.
They had reached the edge of the forest.
Some called it the San Forest.
No one spoke at first. Everyone was too tired, too shaken, and too afraid. The only sounds were heavy breathing, quiet crying, and the soft movement of people trying to gather themselves.
After a while, some of the men began to move. They collected dry wood and started small fires. One by one, flames rose, giving a little light and warmth to the cold night.
Families slowly sat down together.
Some held their children tightly.
Some comforted the elderly.
Others just stared into the fire, still unable to believe what had happened.
Not long after, the quiet began to break.
"…The chief is really gone…" someone whispered.
"How can this happen in one night…"
"We didn't even get to take everything…"
"I left half my grain behind…"
Voices overlapped, low and heavy.
A man suddenly let out a bitter laugh. "At least you remembered your grain. I ran out with only one shoe."
Another man beside him shook his head. "You're lucky you even wore one. I came out with nothing but this shirt."
A few people gave weak smiles.
Even in fear, people still found a way to speak.
A woman sighed as she looked at the fire. "As long as we are alive… we can start again."
Her words were simple, but they calmed some of the tension.
I stood quietly with Liu Muyan, Liu Ruyan, and Yan Mo.
My eyes moved over the crowd.
This was no longer a village.
This was a group of people who had lost everything in one night.
Not long after, familiar voices came closer.
"Master!"
I turned.
Zhang Lei and the others finally found me through the crowd.
Their faces were no longer drunk. They were serious now, and their eyes were slightly red.
"Master, we found our families," Zhang Lei said quickly.
"We got them out in time," Chen Guo added.
Wang Bao scratched his head, trying to lighten the mood. "My wife almost left me behind. She thought I ran away again."
Li Shan let out a small breath. "At least yours waited. Mine dragged me by the ear the whole way."
A few of them chuckled lightly.
The tension eased just a little.
I looked at them calmly.
"Good," I said. "Stay close to your families. Do not wander."
They nodded.
"Yes, Master."
"Go and sit with them," I added.
This time, they did not linger. They turned and went back, joining their wives and children, sitting close together like everyone else.
Watching them, Liu Muyan let out a quiet breath.
"They really listen to you," she said softly.
I said nothing.
Beside her, Liu Ruyan crossed her arms, still watching me carefully.
"You knew everything would happen," she said slowly. "Not even a single detail was wrong."
Her voice was not accusing.
But it was sharp.
I glanced at her briefly. "I told you already."
"That's not an answer," she replied.
Liu Muyan gently touched her arm. "Ruyan…"
Then she looked at me again, her eyes softer.
"Still… thank you," she said quietly. "If we stayed any longer… I don't know what would have happened to us."
I paused slightly.
Then I nodded once.
Behind them, I could feel a gaze on me.
I did not need to turn to know who it was.
Yan Mo.
He had not spoken since we left the village.
But I could feel it clearly.
He was watching me.
As if trying to understand who I really was.
I ignored it.
There were more important things to think about.
Not far from us, Han Mei sat beside her family, still shaken. After a moment, she turned to her sister.
"You should apologize," she said.
Han Li stiffened.
Her lips pressed together.
"I didn't say anything wrong," she muttered.
Han Mei frowned. "You did."
Han Li looked away, clearly unwilling.
"I just said what everyone was thinking."
Before the argument could grow, Uncle Han spoke.
"That's enough," he said calmly.
Then he turned to me.
His expression was serious now.
"Yanyu… tell me the truth," he said slowly. "How did you know all this would happen?"
The question fell heavily between us.
Even Liu Muyan and Liu Ruyan turned to look at me again.
I paused.
Then I let out a small, awkward laugh.
"Well… that is…"
I was just about to make something up—
When suddenly—
A voice echoed through the forest.
A girl's voice.
All at once, heads turned toward the direction the sound came from.
The forest went quiet again.
From the darkness ahead, a figure slowly stepped into the firelight, and as the light touched her face, it became clear that she was a young girl around my age, dressed simply but standing with a straight and steady posture that made her presence hard to ignore, even in such a chaotic moment.
A blue screen appeared beside her.
[ Name: Wu Lian ]
[ Identity: Daughter of the Village Chief ]
Murmurs quickly spread through the crowd as people began to recognize her, their voices low but filled with surprise.
"The chief's daughter…"
"She's alive…"
"She made it out…"
Wu Lian did not hesitate as she walked forward, her sharp eyes moving across the crowd as if she was measuring everyone.
When she finally spoke, her voice was clear and steady enough to cut through the noise around her.
"Our village is not the only one that has been driven out," she said, and her words immediately caused the murmurs to grow louder as people reacted with shock and confusion.
"What do you mean?"
"Other villages too?"
She did not stop as she continued speaking, her tone calm but heavy with meaning as she explained, "Some of those villages had it worse than us, and many people lost their lives while trying to escape, while others did not even make it out in time."
Her words slowly silenced the crowd, and the fear that had already been there began to grow deeper, settling into everyone's hearts.
After a short pause, she lowered her gaze slightly and said in a quieter voice, "At least… we are still alive."
Then, after a brief moment, she added, "My father is dead."
The words were simple, but the weight behind them made the entire area fall into silence, and for a moment, no one knew what to say.
She did not stay quiet for long, as she soon lifted her head again, her expression firm as if she had already made up her mind.
"But we cannot stop here," she continued, her voice growing stronger as she spoke. "Crying will not help us survive, and standing still will only make things worse."
Her gaze moved across the crowd once more.
"I promise all of you that I will lead us forward and make sure we find a way to survive."
Her words stirred the people, and while some nodded in agreement and others looked at her with a bit of hope, there were still many who looked uncertain and troubled by what lay ahead.
I stood quietly and watched her.
Then I sighed inwardly.
That is my role… pretty lady, not yours.
Before her words could fully settle in the hearts of the people, a man from the crowd stepped forward and spoke with a worried expression.
"And where exactly are we going?" he asked, his voice filled with unease. "If we go to another village or town, we will only become refugees, and everyone knows how refugees are treated."
His words caused the atmosphere to shift again, and another person quickly added, "He is right, because even if we find a place to stay, it will take a long time before we can settle down properly, and that could take months, or even years."
A woman shook her head as she spoke, her voice full of concern. "And what are we going to eat during that time? We barely brought enough food with us."
Another man let out a heavy breath and said, "This is already a time of famine, and even the towns are struggling to survive, so who will be willing to take us in now?"
As more people spoke, the murmurs grew louder, and the little hope that had appeared began to fade again as fear and doubt spread through the crowd.
"The emperor will not care about people like us…"
"He has bigger matters to deal with…"
"We are just small villagers…"
"No one will help us…"
The more they spoke, the heavier the atmosphere became, and many people began to lose their confidence as they sat down or held their families tightly, unsure of what to do next.
Even Wu Lian, who had spoken with confidence earlier, began to fall silent as she listened to the rising fear around her, her expression tightening slightly as the situation slowly slipped out of control.
I stood there quietly, watching everything unfold as the fear, confusion, and uncertainty spread through the crowd.
Then I let out a slow breath.
"Enough!".
I stepped forward.