CHAPTER 1156: 1234: NATURAL DISASTER

It was nighttime on this day. The carriage and horses stopped, and a few couples lit a bonfire by the roadside, deciding to rest here tonight and continue their journey at dawn.

It was midnight when suddenly the sound of rocks rumbled like thunder. Shu Yu, a light sleeper, was the first to wake. Hearing the unusual noise, he immediately woke his wife and brothers.

"Not good, this is... an earthquake?" The young wife, still half-asleep when awoken, quickly had no time for confusion as she rushed to push the men of the family into the carriage before beginning to flee for their lives.

The earthquake came too suddenly, and since it occurred in the dead of night, many people were already asleep. As a result, by dawn, aftershocks were still continuing, and the entire Qingfeng Prefecture was reduced to rubble and corpses lay everywhere.

This event shocked the court, as well as the entire nation.

During the earthquake that night, several nearby prefectures, such as Pingchang Prefecture, were also affected. Even as far away as Jiangnan and the Northwest, people like Lan Gu and Fengsu also felt the ground trembling slightly that night.

In short, this natural disaster struck without warning, claiming countless lives.

Dong Huiying and others were utterly shocked. At the time of the incident, they were resting near the border of the Qingfeng and Pingchang prefectures and narrowly escaped the catastrophe. However, after the earthquake subsided, they decided to enter the disaster area, first encountering a village heavily afflicted, which was merely on the outskirts of the epicenter.

The sight was collapsed houses and homeless villagers, with the cries of the living unending. Some had their arms or legs crushed by falling buildings during the quake, and others were buried alive under the rubble.

Such a scene could hardly be encapsulated by the word ’tragic.’

Dong Huiying and her group appeared outside the village, looking at the surviving men, women, and children, shouting the names of their loved ones, digging into the ruins with bare hands despite their hands being bloody and unwilling to stop.

They cried for so long that their voices were hoarse, and others were numb-faced, holding the corpses of loved ones, as if robbed of the will to live.

Some even angrily questioned the heavens, asking why?

Where did this earthquake come from, and why did the heavens bring such a cruel disaster?

Dong Huiying’s heart was heavy, and she slowly turned to look at Shujun.

Shujun clenched his fists. "I will go now to gather food supplies!"

The disaster was this severe, and this was only the outskirts of the epicenter; the interior devastation was unknown. It was just after the New Year, and spring had not yet begun; Qingfeng Prefecture, being in the north, had people at the end of their crop reserves. Even if households had excess grain, it was stored in cellars, which were now buried under ruins.

Zhi Chen added, "We also need to gather clothing, coals, and herbs. It’s still cold without these. I’ll send a message to Tie Yi and Lan Gu, but distant water can’t quench immediate thirst. This matter needs more consideration."

Shu Yu, originally with a strong sense of cleanliness, was rendered speechless by such a miserable sight, his face pale.

Though he usually appeared cold and indifferent, he couldn’t help but feel sympathy at this moment.

Thus, the couples spontaneously formed a small disaster relief team. Dong Huiying, possessing medical skills, Zhi Chen, and Shujun were busy gathering various relief supplies, Shu Yu, with his inner strength, was well-suited for digging and moving debris, as were Haoming and Yue Ning.

They each did what they could, starting from this village, and kept moving towards the disaster area.

Along the way, passing through numerous villages, the name of the Divine Doctor spread rapidly among the disaster-stricken populations who had received aid.