The wooden board had nearly struck both the man and the fish. Still shaken, the little stutterer held Lord Shen more securely in his arms, terrified that another accident might occur.
Though they had dodged the wooden door, debris falling from the roof beams had still injured Shen Yangge's tail. A splintered branch as thick as a thumb had pierced his silvery-white tail, sending waves of pain through him.
There was no time to worry about his tail. They had only just left the room and reached the corridor when more of the supporting structures began to collapse. Seeing broken chunks of wood hurtling toward them, Shen Yangge immediately lashed his tail, violently sweeping the debris away.
With a wooden splinter already lodged in his tail, the movement hurt so badly that his face twisted.
The little stutterer froze for a moment, then immediately raced out of the corridor with Shen Yangge in his arms and stopped in the middle of the courtyard. He had thought that, with no buildings close by, the center of the courtyard would be the safest place. But he soon discovered that things had gone far beyond anything he could have imagined.
Cracks began spreading across the ground in the courtyard. Turf and grass sank into them, and as the fissures appeared, the ground shook even more violently. The little stutterer happened to be standing on one of the splitting sections. Had he not reacted quickly enough, he would have fallen into a crack.
The earthquake, which the ancients called the earth dragon turning over, lasted a little under half an incense stick's time. Once everything settled, sobs, wails, and shouts rose from every direction.
More people were searching for their relatives and friends.
Dust filled the air, obscuring faces and figures alike.
The little