# 185
**Chapter 185: Lessons**
The rain continued to fall.
Inside the ruined house, two groups of people lay quietly.
On the left were the survivors Lin Qiye and the others had rescued. On the right were the victims who had lost their lives.
There were 17 survivors and 9 deceased.
When a natural disaster like a mudslide struck, many lost their lives in the initial chaos—buried under earth and stone, crushed by collapsing walls, impaled by sharp rocks or branches. There was nothing they could do for those people.
The survivors, on the other hand, were all under the influence of Wen Qingqing’s Forbidden Ruins, healing their injuries through sleep. The room was packed and eerily silent.
Because of that, Lin Qiye and the others had no choice but to take shelter beneath a broken wall outside, enduring the wind and rain.
Suddenly, among the survivors, a girl with braided pigtails slowly opened her eyes.
She sat up in a daze, her memories still stuck at the moment the mudslide began—when she had tried to run back inside to call her grandparents, only to trip and fall in a corner as the ground shook.
Where were Grandpa and Grandma?
Yaya looked around frantically. Soon, she spotted the two elders lying quietly among the group on the right.
She bit her lip, scrambled to her feet, and rushed over, shaking their cold bodies desperately. Her small face turned pale with fear.
“Grandpa! Grandpa! What’s wrong, Grandpa!”
Her cries drew the attention of those outside. They rushed in to see Yaya kneeling beside the bodies, shaking them, unsure of what to do.
Wen Qingqing pressed her lips together tightly. She walked over and gently lifted Yaya into her arms.
“What’s your name?”
Yaya’s body trembled slightly. “I’m Yaya…”
“Yaya…” Wen Qingqing said softly, “Grandpa and Grandma are asleep. Let’s not wake them, okay?”
Yaya glanced back at her grandparents lying peacefully on the ground, bit her lip, and nodded solemnly.
Wen Qingqing carried her outside and sat down beside the broken wall. Lin Qiye and the others exchanged glances and followed.
“Sister… who are you people?” Yaya asked timidly, her face a little calmer now.
“Us? We’re here to save Yaya.”
“Oh…” Yaya blinked. “Then… when will Grandpa and Grandma wake up?”
Wen Qingqing’s body stiffened. She lowered her head, unsure how to respond.
Just then, Shen Qingzhu stepped forward. After a moment of silence, he asked gently, “Your name is Yaya, right? Do you have any other family besides your grandparents?”
“Yes, I have Mom and Dad.”
“Where are they?”
“I don’t know… Dad went into the mountains this morning to gather firewood. Then it started raining really hard, and Mom went after him with a raincoat. They haven’t come back.”
“Do you remember which way they went?” Shen Qingzhu asked.
Yaya nodded and pointed in a direction. “That way.”
The group turned to look. The direction she pointed was exactly where the mudslide had first struck. The collapsed earth had swallowed half the mountain—hardly any trees remained.
They exchanged glances, all falling silent.
They had gone up the mountain in the morning. Then came the rain, the earthquake, and the mudslide. Anyone still up there at that time… likely hadn’t made it.
Wen Qingqing’s eyes reddened. She forced a smile and gently stroked Yaya’s head.
“Yaya, let’s rest for a bit, okay? Look, your hand is hurt.”
Yaya looked down. A large patch of skin had been scraped off her hand. Thanks to Wen Qingqing’s earlier treatment, the bleeding had stopped, but the wound was still there.
Before she could say anything, a wave of drowsiness washed over her, and she quickly fell asleep.
Wen Qingqing carried her gently back into the house, laid her on the ground, and draped her own military coat over the small body.
When she stepped back outside, the atmosphere had grown heavy.
Shen Qingzhu leaned against the wall, eyes narrowed as he gazed at the distant mountain. “I think we should go look.”
“We need to stay with the survivors until the rescue team arrives,” Instructor Hong said, shaking his head.
“We could split up.”
“No.” Instructor Hong’s expression was stern. “The Chief disappeared without explanation. There’s clearly something we don’t understand going on. Splitting up now would be reckless.
Besides, the spot where they entered the mountain is too close to where the mudslide started. In those conditions, it’s nearly impossible for ordinary people to escape. Even if we go, we’ll likely only find bodies.
And even if—by some miracle—they survived, why haven’t they returned after more than ten hours?”
Shen Qingzhu lowered his head, clenching his fists in silence.
The others wanted to search for Yaya’s parents too, but as Instructor Hong said, the chances were slim. Even if they went, they’d probably only find corpses.
“Night Watch are still human, not gods. We can’t save everyone…” Instructor Hong said, his voice heavy. Seeing how down everyone was, he continued, “You’ve all worked hard. Rest now. Once the rescue team arrives, we’ll head down.
After that, you’ll prepare for the oath ceremony and officially become Night Watch, assigned to your posts.”
His gaze swept over them, and he smiled. “I still remember when you rookies first arrived—weak and whiny!
Especially you, Shen Qingzhu. Hot-headed, always looking like you wanted to punch someone. And that little fatty—barely distinguishable from a pig…”
Shen Qingzhu frowned and snorted, turning away. Baili Pangpang scratched his head awkwardly.
“But now? Now you can run for hours through the mountains to save people. You’ve changed—really changed. Watching you grow from rookies into Night Watch… that’s the joy of being an instructor.”
Instructor Hong’s lips curled into a faint smile, but then he shook his head. “But it’s not enough. You’re still too green, too young.
Take Shen Qingzhu—you’re not as arrogant as before, but you’re still too hot-headed. When you learn to control your emotions completely, that’s when you’ll truly grow.
Don’t give me that look. You’ve got the worst temper of the bunch. But once you master it, your future achievements won’t be any less than Lin Qiye’s.”
Shen Qingzhu glanced at Lin Qiye, frowned even harder, and stood up with a snort, walking away.
Lin Qiye: …?
Why drag me into this? You’re scolding him, not me.