Safe Return (Please Vote and Keep Reading)

Feeling the tremor beneath his feet, Jiang Fu'an was delighted. He knew it was an aftershock.

That meant the demon beasts would surely be thrown into chaos again. How could they have the leisure to chase after him?

Without slowing down, he followed the direction indicated by "Fu Yuan" and continued sprinting along the rugged mountain path.

The Azure Spirit Tree was said to be at the foot of the Mizhang Mountains, but when he actually reached it, he discovered he still had to climb nearly a hundred meters higher.

Panting, he raised his head and spotted a large tree roughly three meters tall standing on the slope in the distance.

Its crown was dense as an umbrella, its branches heavy with azure fruits, each about the size of an infant's fist.

Having confirmed it, Jiang Fu'an was thrilled, but he did not let joy go to his head.

As he continued climbing the slope, he carefully surveyed the area around the tree—checking whether any demon beasts were lying in wait.

Fortunately, the ground around the tree was bare, without even a weed in sight. The view was open and clear at a glance.

There was no trace of any demon beast.

Time was pressing, and Jiang Fu'an hesitated no longer.

With several swift strides, he rushed beneath the tree. He kicked off with both legs, lightly sprang up, and landed steadily on a branch.

The moment one hand steadied itself against the trunk, the other reached for the nearest Azure Spirit Fruit.

Pick, toss, pick again, toss again.

His movements were swift and steady. One fruit after another traced an arc through the air and landed precisely in the bamboo basket on his back.

His hands alternated without pause, moving so quickly they nearly left afterimages.

Even in such a rush, Jiang Fu'an did not lower his guard.

After picking every few fruits, he would raise his head to scan the surroundings, his ears pricked straight up, afraid that the beast guarding the tree might suddenly return to kill him.

Just then, his gaze accidentally flicked toward the higher reaches of the mountain—

On a steep slope about a li away, another Azure Spirit Tree was growing!

That tree was sturdier than the one beneath his feet. Its branches were laden with fruit, and even from this distance, he could see a hazy azure glow.

Jiang Fu'an's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly focused on the area around that tree.

There was no sign of demon beasts there either.

"Should I take advantage of the time I have and pick the fruits from that tree too?"

Jiang Fu'an fell into hesitation.

But after only an instant of wavering, he gave up on the idea.

Since "Fu Yuan" had guided him only to this tree, he should not go looking for trouble.

How many people had thrown away their lives because of greed?

He could not make such a foolish mistake.

Besides, even if there truly was danger over there, with his meager abilities, he probably would not be able to detect it.

During that brief hesitation, he had already picked the entire tree clean of Azure Spirit Fruit.

He had not counted them carefully, but there were certainly no fewer than fifty.

He did not delay any longer. Leaping down from the tree, he raced madly downhill without once looking back.

Aftershocks still rippled through the ground from time to time, while the panicked roars of demon beasts faintly echoed in the distance.

No one had the attention to spare for making trouble for him.

Just as Jiang Fu'an thought he could withdraw without incident, a figure suddenly shot up from the mountains several li to his right!

The man rode the wind, reaching the sky in the blink of an eye.

Jiang Fu'an looked up and saw a middle-aged man in a gray robe, his features cold and stern.

The man's senses were astonishingly sharp.

The moment Jiang Fu'an's gaze fell upon him, the man seemed to notice and abruptly lowered his head to look down.

Their gazes collided squarely in midair.

Those eyes were icy cold, devoid of the slightest emotion.

A chill ran down Jiang Fu'an's spine. He hurriedly lowered his head, not daring to look again.

At the same time, his heart gave a thump:

Damn it, the Azure Spirit Fruits in my basket are still uncovered!

From his lofty position, that man could probably see everything clearly.

If greed took hold of him, having the fruits stolen would be the least of Jiang Fu'an's worries. What if he killed him while he was at it...

Though Jiang Fu'an did not dare look directly at him, the corner of his eye remained locked onto that gray figure.

Fortunately, the other man merely glanced at him indifferently before continuing westward, vanishing beyond the horizon within a few breaths.

Only then did Jiang Fu'an let out a sigh of relief. But he immediately remembered something and sharply turned to look toward the place where the man had just taken off.

That place... wasn't it the cave dwelling of that fallen cultivator?

If the man had merely passed by and happened upon the cave dwelling, that would be one thing.

But what if he knew its owner and had come there specifically?

If he discovered that the cave dwelling had been emptied out, would he suspect Jiang Fu'an, who happened to be nearby?

At that thought, another layer of cold sweat broke out across Jiang Fu'an's back.

He no longer dared delay. He broke into a desperate sprint, wishing the wind would rise beneath his feet.

He charged all the way out of the Mizhang Mountains and through the Hunting Forest. Only when he saw the farmland did he slow slightly.

The few farmers who had been weeding the fields were nowhere to be seen. They had likely rushed home to check on things.

Panting, Jiang Fu'an took off his basket, pulled out the thick cloth bag he had prepared beforehand from his chest, poured all the Azure Spirit Fruits into it, tied the opening tight, then stuffed it back into the basket.

That way, even if he ran into someone on his way back, they would not be able to tell what he was carrying.

After finishing, he summoned his family's status panels.

Out in the wilderness, he had no way of knowing how badly this quake had damaged their house.

He was therefore still worried about his family's safety.

The panels for his wife Su Wanqing and their three children were all still there. Their names were lit and had not turned gray.

That meant they were all alive.

Moreover, there were no new hidden injury records on the panels.

Jiang Fu'an finally relaxed. He slung the bamboo basket onto his back again and hurried toward Xu Family Village.

As he passed several nearby villages, he truly felt the destructive force of this earthquake—

It was a horrifying sight.

Mud-brick houses had collapsed into heaps of rubble, with wooden beams jutting crookedly from shattered walls.

In eight or nine out of every ten homes, the roofs were gone.

Though those houses had been simple to begin with, seeing them collapse like this still weighed heavily on Jiang Fu'an's heart:

He could not help thinking of the residence his family had only recently finished building...

What if it had collapsed too? Where would he find the money to rebuild it?

He hurried faster and faster, nearly running all the way back to Xu Family Village.

From afar, the village too was a scene of devastation.

Earthen walls leaned every which way, and thatched roofs had caved in.

Only a newly built blue-brick residence stood intact amid the ruins, particularly conspicuous.

"As expected of craftsmen used by the government..."

Silently, Jiang Fu'an gave the group of craftsmen who had built the residence a thumbs-up.

Quite a few people stood on the threshing ground in front of the residence.

His wife and three children, the Miao Family, Xu the Elder and his parents, as well as Uncle Xu and Aunt Xu.

Their faces still bore lingering fright. Clearly, they feared another aftershock and did not dare enter the house.

The moment they saw Jiang Fu'an return, the two neighboring families called out almost at the same time:

"Master, you're finally back! It's good that you're all right!"

Behind them, their old houses had long since collapsed into mounds of dirt, while the residence before them had not even lost a single roof tile.

At that moment, they were immensely grateful for their choice to move in together. If they had stayed in their old homes, they might have been buried beneath the rubble by now.

Therefore, upon seeing Jiang Fu'an return safely, the hearts of both families finally settled completely.

Their pillar was still standing.

Su Wanqing and the Miao Family members visibly relaxed as well.

His wife said nothing, only stared at him closely as she looked him over from head to toe;

The Miao Family members exchanged glances, their expressions easing too.

Their daughter had only just become engaged. If her future husband had died now, she would have been left a widow for the rest of her life.

Only Yue'er and Stone, the two children, had not seemed nervous from beginning to end.

In their hearts, Father was omnipotent. How could a mere earthquake possibly stump him?

Yue'er even raised her little hand and called out brightly:

"Father, did you bring back anything tasty in that basket?"