Even women who travel through time can become prime ministers and nobles.

Chapter 419 Asking for help

The sounds of the mountain collapsing behind us grew more frequent and closer.

"Boom——!"

A deafening roar resounded as the massive six-story-high mountain finally gave way, collapsing like a roaring beast towards the area amidst billowing dust and broken trees!

The mudslide, carrying countless boulders, broken branches, and murky water, instantly formed a giant yellow dragon that roared and rushed down at an astonishing speed, relentlessly pursuing them.

The murky water rose at a visible speed, already reaching their calves. Every step felt like a struggle against an invisible resistance, and the mud beneath their feet seemed like greedy hands, desperately pulling at their steps.

"Hurry! Speed ​​up! The stone bridge is just ahead!"

Cui Yu'an shouted excitedly from the front, his voice filled with the relief of surviving a disaster.

The stone bridge spans between two ravines. Although the bridge surface is somewhat damaged and some of the railings are broken, it is still wide enough for people to cross.

The break on the other side of the bridge is at a higher elevation and is not in danger of being submerged by mud and water for the time being; it is their only way to survive.

But at that moment, an unexpected event occurred.

A young servant carrying a heavy sack of grain suddenly slipped and fell backward with a cry of alarm.

Not far behind him was the vanguard of the raging mudslide, with the turbid waves almost within reach!

"careful!"

With quick eyes and hands, Cui Jiu, who had been keeping an eye on his surroundings, suddenly flung the grain out of his hand and threw it to a safe place before rushing over like an arrow.

He grabbed the servant by the back of his collar and pulled him forward with all his might.

Just at this critical moment, a millstone-sized rock grazed the servants' heels and rolled down, splashing up muddy water that instantly soaked their trouser legs, chilling them to the bone.

"Thank you... thank you, Guard Cui!"

The servant was so frightened that he turned pale and lay paralyzed in the mud for a long time, unable to recover.

"Don't just stand there! Get up and walk!"

Cui Jiu shouted sharply, grabbed him and pushed him forward, then turned around and cautiously observed the surroundings, covering the retreat of everyone.

Shi Wanxia was terrified; she knew she couldn't delay any longer.

She said to Wang Jinqian beside her, "Miss Wang, you lead the women and medical staff across the bridge first, I'll cover the rear."

Wang Jinqian shook her head, her gaze resolute: "If Lord Shi doesn't leave, I won't leave either."

“The people of the Langya Wang clan have no reason to abandon their companions and flee for their lives.”

Although her voice was still trembling slightly, her eyes were exceptionally clear.

Shi Wanxia felt a warmth in her heart and said no more. Instead, she called out to Cui Jiu, "Cui Jiu! Have everyone take turns providing cover and cross the bridge in batches! Be careful, the bridge surface is slippery, and don't crowd!"

"understand!"

Cui Jiu responded in a deep voice and immediately organized everyone to cross the bridge in an orderly manner.

Just as most people had stepped onto the stone bridge and were about to reach the other side, another loud noise was heard.

A huge rock rolled down the mountain and crashed squarely into the middle of the stone bridge!

"Oh no!" Shi Wanxia and Cui Jiu exclaimed at the same time.

"Quick! Run there!"

Cui Yu'an shouted anxiously from the other side of the bridge, waving to signal the people on the bridge to speed up.

The people on the bridge were terrified and ran forward as fast as they could. The bridge shook violently under the impact of the boulders, and many people nearly fell into the water.

Upon seeing this, Cui Jiu immediately rushed to the bridge, shielding several slower-running women with his body, and shouted, "Heads down! Run!"

Shi Wanxia stood at the bridgehead, her eyes fixed on the bridge surface, silently praying for everyone's safety.

She saw that although Wang Jinqian was trembling with fear, she was still tightly holding a medicine box and refusing to let go, while urging the maid beside her to hurry up.

She saw Cui Yu'an reach out from the other side and pull a servant who was about to fall back up.

She saw Cui Jiu struggling in the middle of the bridge, dodging falling rocks while protecting everyone else, his back soaked with mud and sweat.

Finally, the last person staggered across the stone bridge.

Just then, with a crisp "crack", the stone bridge finally succumbed to the continuous impact and broke in the middle, plunging into the surging mud below.

The group of people, still shaken, collapsed to the ground, looking back at the path they had come from, which had been swallowed up by the mudslide, and the broken stone bridge. They were all still in shock, panting heavily.

Shi Wanxia finally breathed a sigh of relief. As her tense nerves relaxed, a sharp pain instantly overwhelmed her, and her vision went black before she collapsed limply to the ground.

"Miss Shi!"

With quick reflexes, Cui Jiu rushed forward and caught her safely.

Wang Jinqian rushed forward and, seeing Shi Wanxia's pale face and bleeding wounds, anxiously said, "Quick! Quickly check how Lord Shi is!"

The rain was still falling, and the aftershocks of the landslide continued, but for the moment, they had temporarily escaped the pursuit of death and gained a brief respite on this broken cliff.

Shi Wanxia's wisdom and courage, Cui Jiu and Cui Yu'an's loyalty and bravery, and Wang Jinqian's decisiveness and tenacity all shone with the brilliance of humanity during this life-or-death escape.

"Report~"

"Your Highness, I have received a distress letter from Cui Jiu, the bodyguard of Lord Cui. They are trapped in Xiaoping Mountain, 30 li away."

"They were carrying a large amount of food and medicinal herbs, but they were trapped by the sudden appearance of the dragon."

"The missing Mr. Shi is among them, and he needs to be rescued."

Shen Yanzhou was taken aback upon hearing this and quickly stood up.

"What? Miss Shi is among them too!"

"Men, prepare the horses! I'm leading a team to rescue her!"

Cui Zhihao and Lin Yiyu, who were outside the door preparing to report on the reconstruction, naturally also heard the news that Miss Shi was still alive.

The two men, disregarding their own politeness, hurriedly pushed open the door and entered, bowing respectfully and saying urgently, "Your Highness, now that we have news of Miss Shi, we must go as well."

Shen Yanzhou paused in putting on his clothes, then sternly reprimanded them.

"Nonsense! If they all leave, what will happen to the people of Chuzhou, the disaster victims?"

Shen Yanzhou frowned as he looked at Cui Zhihao, who was kneeling on the ground with his back straight.

The rain pattered outside the tent. The resettlement of the disaster victims in Chuzhou City was still pending a decision, but the anxiety and stubbornness in Cui Zhihao's eyes made him swallow back the rebuke that was on the tip of his tongue.

He knew all too well Cui Zhihao's feelings for Shi Wanxia, ​​and now that he knew she was in danger, he couldn't sit still any longer.

"Your Highness, Lin Yiyu is meticulous and thoughtful. Leaving him in Chuzhou to oversee the overall situation will ensure my success."

Choi Ji-ho pressed his forehead against the ground, his voice trembling with suppressed emotion.

“I will accompany you. I can help with some tasks along the way and will certainly not delay the rescue.”

Shen Yanzhou remained silent for a moment, his fingertips tracing the jade pendant at his waist for a while, before finally relenting: "Get up. Quickly prepare the horses, take the best bows and crossbows and dry rations, and we'll depart in half an hour."

He turned to Lin Yiyu, who was waiting outside the door, and his tone returned to its usual calmness.

"Fang Wen, the disaster relief funds, epidemic prevention and control, and the reinforcement of the dike in the west of the city are all entrusted to you."

“If anything goes wrong here while I am away, you will be held responsible.”

Lin Yiyu bowed and accepted the order. Although there was worry in his eyes, he knew the importance of the matter: "Your Highness, rest assured, I will guard Chuzhou well and wait for you and Lord Cui to return safely with Miss Shi."

Half an hour later, Shen Yanzhou and Cui Zhihao, along with twenty elite personal guards, braved the rain and rushed out of the Chuzhou city gate.

The rain was heavier than during the day, with large raindrops pounding against the helmet. The road was muddy and difficult to walk on, and the horse's hooves sank deep into it, making every step extremely difficult.

Cui Zhihao was extremely anxious the whole way and tried several times to urge his horse to speed up, but Shen Yanzhou held him back.

"The more anxious we are, the more cautious we must be. The mountain road is slippery in the rain. If we perish here first, who will save Wanxia?"

Shen Yanzhou's voice was unusually calm in the rain, but his hand tightly gripping the reins betrayed the turmoil in his heart.