OFTLHFRO C166

Chapter 166 – The Earthquake

In the blink of an eye, it was the tenth day of the tenth month. Luo Mingchen, who had planned to organize another earthquake drill, suddenly felt the ground stir in the middle of the night. His eyes flew open.

“Meow—!”

Dabai yowled anxiously by the window.

Huo Yan woke up as well.

“Is it an earthquake?” Luo Mingchen asked, already pulling on his clothes.

“Seems like it,” Huo Yan replied, fastening his belt in a few swift motions.

As they had planned before, Luo Mingchen was responsible for gathering the three children, while Huo Yan went to organize the troops.

Just as Luo Mingchen picked up Huo Xinyue, a blaring horn sounded outside.

Tables and chairs began to tremble lightly.

Once he had led everyone into the open courtyard, the tremors grew stronger.

Luo Mingchen had to shield not only the three children but also Hua Niang.

For safety, he cast a water barrier over all of them.

The shaking intensified, and from inside the house came a cacophony of shattering sounds—likely vases falling from their shelves.

Luo Mingchen couldn’t help sighing inwardly.

He had thought of everything—yet somehow had never considered how many vases would fall during an earthquake.

Who knew how many things would end up broken now…

Even though they had run countless drills, and even knowing what to do, one could never escape the feeling of insignificance before nature’s might—the heart always raced. Still, they all knew that if they endured a little longer, it would soon pass.

Seeing his younger siblings clinging tightly to their little father, Huo Yuhui quietly grabbed the edge of Luo Mingchen’s robe as well.

Noticing, Luo Mingchen turned and gave him a reassuring smile, taking his hand. “Don’t be afraid.”

“…Mm.”

No one knew how long it lasted, but eventually, the tremors subsided completely.

Luo Mingchen let out a breath of relief—only to look down and find Huo Xinyue fast asleep in his arms.

Dawn was just beginning to break. There was still a mountain of work to do in the aftermath.

After settling the three children and Hua Niang, Luo Mingchen hurried into the streets.

Squads of soldiers were already moving swiftly through the alleys, checking for injured civilians.

At the designated gathering points, many townsfolk had assembled—disheveled and shaken, but unharmed.

Luo Mingchen exhaled in relief.

Clearly, the drills had been worth it.

After calming the people, he went to find Huo Yan.

By the time he arrived, Huo Yan was already giving orders—deploying soldiers, setting traps, and arranging ambush positions.

One of those traps was a pepper-water attack.

The peppers were the kind Luo Mingchen had grown in his spatial field—so intensely spicy they were practically a weapon. The men handling them wore special masks to avoid getting incapacitated themselves.

“General!”

Liu Changlian came running, his face flushed with excitement. “We found a massive pit opened up by the earthquake—right at the pass! What if we cover it with a fine net, then a layer of dust, and make it into a giant trap?”

But Ji Bowen shook his head. “The color difference between the old soil and the fresh dust will be too obvious. Unless they’re blind, they’ll never fall for it.”

Luo Mingchen thought for a moment. “Wouldn’t a bit of rain fix that?”

Ruan Feng said, “They’ll arrive tonight at the latest—there won’t be time for rain.”

“Not necessarily,” Luo Mingchen said mildly.

Everyone turned to look at him.

Huo Yan simply said, “Set the trap first.”

Liu Changlian took men to carry out the task. When they finished and looked at it, they couldn’t help wincing—the color contrast was so stark that even in the dead of night, one could see it clearly. It might as well have had a sign stuck in it reading Trap Here.

No wonder the strategist had rejected the idea.

Still, if only it could rain…

With preparations completed, Xiao Lin went to Bing Town to deliver a message.

But because Bing Town had suffered heavier damage from the earthquake—and a stronger quake at that—their response would be delayed.

After Xiao Lin left, Wu Qing, who had also just gone through the quake, looked livid. “Weren’t they supposed to be so capable? Why are we the ones being asked to provide support?”

Jiang Sheng said carefully, “General, Han Town and Bing Town share the same fate—if one falls, the other follows.”

“Then let them fight first,” Wu Qing snapped. “Once both sides are worn down, we’ll move in to finish the job.”

He couldn’t care less.

Han Town’s readiness clearly showed they had made other preparations before the quake—yet hadn’t bothered to inform Bing Town. So why should he rush to help?

When Jiang Sheng realized he couldn’t persuade him, he fell silent.

When Xiao Lin returned and relayed Wu Qing’s words to Huo Yan, Hu Zhongyi, who was in the command tent, frowned. “If Bing Town’s forces aren’t counted, won’t we be taking on much greater risk?”

“The greater risk,” Huo Yan replied calmly, “is waiting for Bing Town’s support that may never come.”

Hu Zhongyi scowled. “You’re saying that bastard Wu Qing might just sit back and watch?”

Luo Mingchen said quietly, “If we lose, it won’t be his defeat.”

That struck the others silent. Though furious, they knew he was right.

Wu Qing would come—eventually. But when was anyone’s guess.

As the group dispersed to carry out their tasks, Liu Changlian groaned. “General, it really doesn’t look like it’s going to rain.”

Luo Mingchen said, “Come on, I’ll take a look with you.”

Liu Changlian sighed. “Even if you look, you can’t make it rain!”

Everyone turned to glance at him.

Huo Yan said flatly, “Just go. The rain isn’t your concern.”

“…Yes, sir.”

So Liu Changlian led Luo Mingchen to the trap site.

When Luo Mingchen saw the pit disguised under its mismatched soil, he fell silent.

The color difference really was atrocious.

Honestly, Ji Bowen had been spot-on without even needing to see it.

“Lord Luo,” Liu Changlian said anxiously, “when do you think it’ll rain? The scouts say the enemy’s already on the move—they’ll be here within the hour.”

“It’ll rain soon,” Luo Mingchen said.

Liu Changlian stared as Luo Mingchen closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. “Wait—Lord Luo, are you… summoning rain?”

Luo Mingchen didn’t answer.

High above them, he gathered an enormous mass of water vapor.

He could have simply soaked the ground directly, but that would have looked too suspicious. It had to appear natural—like real rain.

Otherwise, how would they explain the ground suddenly being wet?

They had scouts, and so did Beiyue and Xiaguang.

Fortunately, there was wind tonight—the perfect condition to spread the moisture.

Creating rain over such a wide area drained a lot of power, but it was the most effective solution.

Dark “clouds” soon covered the sky. Moments later, Liu Changlian felt the cool splash of raindrops on his face.

What looked like clouds was actually condensed water vapor—so high up that it simply appeared like storm clouds.

Before the downpour began, Luo Mingchen said quietly, “Tell them not to get soaked.”

“Yes, sir!”

Liu Changlian hurried to pass on the order.

There was no thunder, no fierce wind—but soon the rain thickened into a torrential downpour, pouring from the sky like a waterfall.

Even Luo Mingchen found it a bit excessive and slowed the flow slightly.

But the water mass he had created was too large. Fearing the rain might collapse the trap by washing the soil into the pit, he added a thin water membrane over it for protection.