Chapter 2, The Sudden Calamity

The primary forests of this world are much more lush than the secondary forests of the era before the crossing, with abundant grass and dense trees, making it difficult to traverse. It was not until the sky began to darken that Zhao Ran finally arrived at his destination—at the top of a slope, where two massive rocks were stacked together, the angle at their junction perfectly shielding him from rain and wind

Zhao Ran was taken to the woodshed of his fourth uncle's house and locked up. At this point, Zhao Ran could not think of any good solutions and could only lie on the haystack and continue to sleep. In the evening, a servant from his fourth uncle's house brought food. Although the food was coarse, it was enough to barely sustain him. Zhao Ran was not polite and, after finishing his meal, lay down again to rest, beginning to contemplate how to ensure his safety on the way and arrive at Chuanling peacefully.

Go to the mountains to hide for a few days, and return after ten or fifteen days. By then, you can say you went to the mountains to gather herbs. Everything will be fine once we get through these few days

Zhao Ran was quite puzzled, not understanding what Uncle Zhao meant. At eighteen years old, he did not want to leave, and Uncle Zhao truly could not pull him away. Left with no choice, Uncle Zhao had to stop and briefly explain the situation in a few words.

Early the next morning, the door of the woodshed opened again, but this time it was not to deliver food. Zhao Wu stood at the door of the woodshed, his face cold as he shouted, "Let's go." Behind him were several strong men, glaring fiercely at Zhao Ran.

Zhao Ran took a deep breath and suddenly plunged headfirst into the forest

As Zhao Ran passed by the village, many villagers stood in the fields to see him off, and no one spoke. From their blank expressions, Zhao Ran could not discern their thoughts—except for Uncle Zhao and Aunt Zhao.

Inside the package, there is a stack of hard corn cakes, several pieces of sweet potato dried snacks, and a few old salted vegetables, which can last for three to five days if consumed sparingly. Zhao Ran carried the package and a bamboo tube on his shoulder, holding a bent tree branch in his hand, while carefully probing the grass and bushes underfoot, proceeding straight ahead. The forest is home to many snakes and insects, and startling the grass to scare away snakes is the most basic way to travel.

Lying by the fire, Zhao Ran rested his hands behind his head, gazing up at the starry sky, reminiscing about the legendary celestial beings and the paradisiacal realms. Soon, Zhao Ran fell into a deep sleep.

Faced with reality, Zhao Ran chose to temporarily bow to his fourth uncle, planning to sell the land to him. Having made up his mind, he slept particularly soundly that night, not waking up until the sun was high in the sky.

Do not speak of these useless matters; you know very well what the situation is! Evading the court's duties—being educated, do you not realize this is a grave crime? Do you truly wish to experience the taste of being conscripted and exiled? It does not matter if you escape, but what about the consequences for the village? We are all relatives; do you not consider the family? In the dead of night, you have caused my brothers and me great trouble, and we have not been able to sleep well... Come on, do you want my brothers and me to tie you up?

Who knows? Just working diligently in the fields, I was called to the ancestral hall. If I had known earlier, I would certainly have informed you. Did you not notice? They are determined to target you!

Take out the hard rice cakes, place them on the fire to soften, eat them with the water from the bamboo tube, and then nibble on a couple of bites of pickled vegetables, thus concluding a meal

In the past, when faced with similar irregular corvée labor, the old clan leader would take money from the clan's assets to pay the government corvée tax in order to exempt the villagers from service. However, during the public discussion in the ancestral hall this morning, the new clan leader's fourth uncle did not follow this tradition and instead assigned laborers for service as usual. Originally, it was not Zhao Ran's turn, but the two households ahead of him had recently gone to visit relatives and were not in the village. The deadline set by the county was tight, and thus Zhao Ran became the unfortunate one. Originally, it was not Zhao Ran's turn, but the two households ahead of him had recently gone to visit relatives and were not in the village. The deadline set by the county was tight, and thus Zhao Ran became the unfortunate one

Having made up his mind, Zhao Ran did not waste any words. He took the package and bamboo tube handed to him by Uncle Zhao and set off, heading straight towards the back mountain along the path. Before entering the forest, Zhao Ran turned back once more to look down and saw Uncle Zhao still standing in front of his dilapidated courtyard, gazing up. Upon noticing Zhao Ran looking back, he anxiously waved his hands repeatedly, signaling him to hurry along.

Why was I not called for the clan's public discussion? Zhao Ran asked

Uncle Zhao squeezed past Zhao Wu and stuffed two steamed buns into Zhao Ran's arms, trembling his lips and unable to speak, yet his eyes were red. Aunt Zhao stood by, wiping her tears.

Where does this statement come from? I came to the mountains to gather herbs

Earlier this spring, a mining accident occurred at the Chuanling Copper Mine within the jurisdiction of Songfanwei, west of Long'an Prefecture, resulting in the deaths of over one hundred miners. The Chuanling Copper Mine is a royal property, and this matter falls under the supervision of the Xuanwei Office of Western Sichuan. Consequently, the supervising eunuch Zhao De issued an order to Long'an Prefecture to conscript labor to make up for the shortage of miners. Shiquan County was allocated twelve quotas, and unfortunately, Zhao Village was drawn for one of them.

Zhao Ran thought carefully; Uncle Zhao's method was very simple yet effective. Since the two families that were supposed to serve their duties before him could "visit relatives," why couldn't he "go into the mountains to gather herbs"?

"Sanlang, hurry up!" Uncle Zhao said with an anxious expression, directly stuffing the burden from his shoulder into Zhao Ran's arms and pulling Zhao Ran to run outside.

What is Fifth Brother doing? Zhao Ran smiled apologetically at Zhao Wu.

Having said this, Zhao Ran, being single, decided not to waste any more words and directly got up to leave. By noon the next day, the group finally returned to Zhao Village. Zhao Ran pleaded with Zhao Wu, expressing his willingness to sell his land, hoping to avoid military service, but Zhao Wu ignored his request. Zhao Ran understood that his fourth uncle was not even willing to part with any money.

Serving at the Chuanling Copper Mine for a year, is this a joke? If I really go, I probably won't come back. Zhao Ran even speculated that perhaps he wouldn't even make it to the Chuanling Copper Mine; as long as his fourth uncle spent a little money, it would not be uncommon for him to "fall ill and die" on the way.

"Sanlang, this is the trick of the Fourth Uncle. If you go to Chuanling, you may never return!" Uncle Zhao said anxiously, stamping his feet and repeatedly urging Zhao Ran to escape quickly. Even someone as straightforward as Uncle Zhao could see through this; how could Zhao Ran not realize that the Fourth Uncle was taking advantage of the situation for personal gain? It seems that the Fourth Uncle is eager to claim my land, and if he seizes this opportunity well, it is even very likely that he could obtain three acres of good farmland without spending a single penny!

Zhao Ran hurriedly employed the technique of shifting shapes and shadows, dodging repeatedly, yet he could not escape. In the end, he was still struck hard on the shoulder by the Golden Cudgel. The pain was so intense that Zhao Ran let out a miserable cry of "Ah," only to be awakened.

Zhao Wu watched the scene with a cold smile, then shouted to those around him, "Everyone disperse!" Accompanied by two strong men, he escorted Zhao Ran away from Zhao Village, their destination being Shiquan County, which is a hundred miles away.

Zhao Ran had a dream in which he was draped in a purple-gold robe, standing on five-colored clouds, performing hand seals, and uttering the word "Go." A beam of sword light then severed mountains, causing countless demons to tremble in fear and prompting the gods to bow in reverence. Numerous beautiful fairies cast flirtatious glances at him. Just as he was displaying his divine might, a demon suddenly appeared before him, wielding a massive golden staff, and to his astonishment, it was the Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong. Sun Wukong swung the golden staff down upon him with tremendous force, an overwhelming momentum that he could not withstand.

"Where to go?" Zhao Ran looked dejected. It was impossible to leave the county; without the travel permit issued by the county, Zhao Ran could not go anywhere.

Upon opening my eyes, I found myself surrounded by six or seven people holding torches in the darkness. One of them, holding a stick, struck my leg fiercely; it was actually Zhao Wu, the steward from my uncle's family. Two large mastiffs were barking wildly and lunging at me, and had it not been for someone holding them back tightly, they would have already pounced on me.

Uncle Zhao's considerations were very thoughtful and meticulous. In addition to food, the package also contained fire starters. Zhao Ran gathered some branches and dried grass, piled them up, and lit a fire. He first roasted the rock wall beneath him, then picked some large leaves from a nearby tree, dried them in the same manner, and placed them on the rock wall, thus creating a makeshift mattress.

Zhao Ran was taken aback, but soon felt relieved. Zhao Wu's words should not be intended to endanger his life. After all, extrajudicial execution is not permitted by the laws of the Ming Dynasty, and it is unlikely that his fourth uncle would act in such a manner. This statement should be taken at face value—this is the moment to set off.

Zhao Ran carefully took the steamed bun into his arms, gently called out "Uncle" to Zhao Dashu, then looked at Aunt Zhao who was wiping her tears and called out "Auntie", and finally, biting his lip, said, "Take care of yourselves"

Zhao Ran felt a deep sense of regret; he slapped his forehead and thought to himself, how could he have forgotten that the other party had a dog

"Why has the uncle come?" Zhao Ran asked

After finishing breakfast, Zhao Ran prepared to head to his fourth uncle's house. Upon exiting the door, he pulled open the makeshift bamboo fence that was half a person tall outside the small courtyard, and looked up to see Uncle Zhao hurrying towards him with a bundle in hand

"Run? Keep running then?" Zhao Wu said with a cold face, snorting.