Chapter 50: Wide Awake Until Dawn

Chapter 50: Chapter 50: Wide Awake Until Dawn

The corner of Ling Qianjun’s mouth twitched, and he turned his head away to avoid his family’s gaze.

Hearing them call Hua Buwan a "Demon" left and right made him feel deeply guilty and apologetic. But there was nothing he could do. If he told them that she was someone from a world a thousand years in the future, they would inevitably learn of their own destinies and the tragic fate of the Ling family. The journey of exile would only become harder to endure.

Ling Qianjun knew the temperaments of his three family members well. It was better for him to shoulder everything for now. Once they arrived safely in Lingnan and survived the hurdles of this exile, it wouldn’t be too late to tell them the truth.

He thought, "Buwan, I’m sorry. I’ve let your reputation be tarnished."

For the rest of the journey, they marched without a moment’s rest. It wasn’t until they reached a stream in the mid-afternoon that the government officers finally called for a halt. At the command, many of the exiles collapsed onto the ground. Some wailed, some stared blankly into space, and others screamed at their family members.

When the fire first broke out, their minds had been completely blank. When the government officers ordered them to move, their only thought was to flee the scene as quickly as possible, leaving them no time to process the trauma. But now that they had stopped and finally had a moment of peace, they couldn’t help but recall everything that had just happened.

They remembered how they had hovered on the line between life and death, how their families and others had treated them. Facing the inferno, their inner terror had reached its peak. Those who had suffered burns or fallen from the upper floor finally registered the intense pain in their skin and limbs, rolling on the ground and howling in agony. Seeing this, some people knelt before the government officers, begging to be taken to a doctor or allowed to gather herbs in the mountains.

In short, once they stopped, the scene descended into utter chaos, filled with an endless cacophony of noise. Luo now somewhat regretted letting the group stop. They clearly had too much free time on their hands!

Meanwhile, Ling Qianjun and his family found a relatively quiet corner to sit down and rest properly. They had already formed a tacit understanding: as soon as they sat down, the two in the front would shield the two in the back. The two in the back kept their heads down, stealthily eating and drinking like thieves hidden from sight, and then they would take turns.

By the time they were full and hydrated, the commotion from the people ahead still hadn’t ended. Taking advantage of the distraction, Ling Qianjun slipped into the woods. He needed to give Hua Buwan an update, worried that she might be anxious.

Hua Buwan had indeed been unable to sleep all night, lying wide awake until daybreak. Even though her body was exhausted and she couldn’t stop yawning, her mind remained sharply alert. She kept her eyes glued to the back door, her ears perked up like antennas, terrified of missing that notification chime.

During this time, she sporadically scrolled through her phone, searching for what to do in the aftermath of a fire. She even posted a question on Little Blue Book and made a thread on Weibo, desperately hoping the vast community of netizens could help her. She made sure to emphasize the premise of her question: how to escape from the second floor of an ancient inn. The details were entirely tailored to Ling Qianjun’s situation.

Despite it being the middle of the night, there were still many night owls awake, and her posts garnered plenty of replies. However, a large portion of them were just joking around.

"Are you trying to time-travel? Hahaha, in the middle of the night."

"No way, are you a struggling web novel author coming here for research? No wonder you’re a flop if you don’t even know this."

"I know, but I’m not telling. Bite me~"

"..."

Seeing these replies, Hua Buwan really wanted to pull out a forty-meter blade, reach through the screen, and slaughter those smart alecks! It was absolutely infuriating!