Allure of a Country Maiden-Chapter 265 - 263

At these words, Xiao’er’s heart and mind shook.

She had a bad feeling before they set off, it was really happening!

She closed her eyes briefly, steadied her mind and then asked, "When did this happen?"

The letter had arrived in her hands at least a month ago. Had the tsunami already occurred or was it yet to come?

Xiao’er asked somewhat despondently.

"I can feel the aura of the tsunami from the paper of the letter, indicating that the tsunami would have erupted within three days of the letter being sent. Furthermore, only a massive tsunami could leave such a strong lingering aura on an object for over a month," Bai Tian felt that the situation was dire.

In the aftermath of a tsunami, that stretch of sea would undoubtedly be a perilous environment with odds of survival being slim to none.

"I have to go and save him!" Xiao’er quickly exited the area.

In notifying Mrs. Liu about the situation, Mrs. Liu hastily held Xiao’er back: "No, it’s too risky for you to go alone to such a distant place!"

"Mother, Brother Shangguan has arranged four hidden guards to protect me. Moreover, Zhao Yong together with maids Yang Liu and Yang Mei, are both martial artists. Don’t worry about me! I’ll be leaving now, just let Father know about the matters of the shop," Xiao’er responded.

"Your mother will accompany you!" Mrs. Liu was unable to dissuade Xiao’er. Moreover, only Xiao’er could best seek out the Sixth Prince. Given this, she decided to accompany her daughter.

"Mother, please don’t make a fuss. The storm has passed. I just need to confirm if Brother Shangguan is fine. I won’t be in any life-threatening danger! I’m leaving now. Aunt Rong, please take good care of my mother," and with those words, Xiao’er left.

"Young Mistress, be assured," Aunt Rong quickly replied.

The Sixth Prince did not misjudge her character! Aunt Rong surreptitiously wiped away her tears.

To put Mrs. Liu’s mind at ease, Xiao’er rode off in a carriage. Once she passed the city gates, she switched to riding a horse for convenience and disguised herself as a male.

...

One month ago, on Nanzhou Beach,

The two sides battled for nearly two months.

Finally, under the powerful threat of their bombs and warships, the pirates were frightened into surrendering.

That night, soldiers and locals alike gathered on the beach to celebrate.

Tomorrow, they could finally return to court.

Shangguan Xuanyi and Di Shaowei stood on the beach, staring at the distant sea.

"Finally able to return home! After experiencing two months of sea breeze, my mouth tastes like salt," Di Shaowei exaggeratedly stated.

Shangguan Xuanyi did not reply. He was thinking about a certain cold-hearted girl who hadn’t written to him in ages.

Fortunately, Xiao Fuzi had been reporting about her situation on a regular basis before he left, otherwise he would have thought something happened to her.

"That being said, have you really finished the food Xiao’er gave you? Don’t lie to me! Before we set off, that girl told me to ask you for more once I finished," Di Shaowei was unhappy with Shangguan’s habit of hogging food.

However, he did not realize that Xiao’er had already prepared a great amount for him and he had pestered Shangguan Xuanyi numerous times for more.

Even Shangguan Xuanyi did not eat as much as him.

Shangguan Xuanyi glanced at him, "There’s still some left."

Since he was talking about her, Shangguan Xuanyi favorably replied with two words.

"I knew you were hiding it! Where is it? I need to get rid of the salty taste in my mouth. Ah, my stomach has really suffered throughout this journey," said Di Shaowei with gleaming eyes at the news of there being more food.

Shangguan Xuanyi handed him a bottle of medicinal pills.

"Medicine!" Di Shaowei rolled his eyes, this man had even learned to joke.

Di Shaowei decisively abandoned him and went to bond with the locals.

The night grew darker, many soldiers and civilians had gone back to rest.

Only a few locals remained, telling the soldiers about a storm at sea decades ago.

An old man, who was older than sixty, said,

"...After I felt a tremendous shaking, it didn’t take long before I saw a wave taller than the city wall rushing towards our village. Many people saw it and rushed towards the mountain behind my house. Luckily, I was young and ran quickly at the time. I ran non-stop to the top of the mountain, hid behind a huge rock, otherwise I would have undoubtedly been washed away. This giant wave swept away all the houses in our village. Many people were also swept away and their bodies were not even found. Our village didn’t have many survivors and I was one of them," the old man said with a heavy voice.

The soldiers started to discuss.

"Was the wave that lethal?!"

"Nonsense! Wouldn’t a giant wave taller than the city wall be vicious! Even a flood can destroy houses."

"What does a giant wave higher than the city wall look like? I’ve only ever seen a flood in my life, and I’ve never experienced a true sea storm. It must be spectacular!"

"It is indeed spectacular, but believe me, you would never wish to see it," the old man said.

After the giant wave, it was a complete mess with broken wood and houses, dead bodies of humans and livestock everywhere.

The scene was spectacularly bleak and terrifying!

"You live by the sea year-round. Isn’t there any sign before a storm like this?" Di Shaowei curiously asked.

He knew that many of the common folk were capable of reading the weather based on the clouds.

"Red sky at morning, sailor’s warning; red sky at night, sailor’s delight. After a long rain, if the West wind blows, it’ll be sunny. If there is a prolonged sunny period and the West wind blows, it will rain."

...

"If Carp-shaped clouds appear in the sky, you don’t need to turn the grains to sun dry them the next day."

If they had known ahead of time, wouldn’t the casualties be reduced?

Just like the last earthquake in Qinghe County.

"There were none that time, but sometimes, right before a big storm, the sea quickly recedes, revealing a large stretch of the beach with many fish and shrimp..." The old man recounted his lifelong experiences.

As Shangguan Xuanyi listened to the old man’s words, his eyes followed the receding sea—it looked like there was a massive force sucking the sea water away rapidly.

His pupils contracted and he shouted, "Run!"

"Old man, it’s not like what you just described, is it?" Facing the sea, Di Shaowei saw the sea receding fast as well. In a matter of seconds, it appeared as if the sea fell back hundreds of miles.

Such bad luck! Whatever he said, came true!

The old man turned his head back and his complexion changed dramatically, "Run! Run! The giant wave is coming!"

When the people on the beach heard that, they saw the sea recede far away, quickly got up and ran towards the shore.

Di Shaowei quickly picked up the old man and swiftly used his Qinggong to leave.

Shangguan Xuanyi also displayed his Qinggong to leave, but halfway through, he heard a boy crying and yelling behind him, "Wait for me! Wait for me!"

Shangguan Xuanyi looked back and saw a huge wave appearing from afar and rapidly approaching.

He quickly turned back, picked up the little boy and used his Qinggong to leave quickly.

He was already using ninety percent of his strength, his speed was very fast, yet he still could not outrun the giant wave more than a dozen meters high.

A big wave rolled in, engulfing both of them in the sea water.