Chapter 138: Distress in the Mountains
  "Now broadcasting the emergency weather forecast issued by the Meteorological Bureau at 6:00 this morning. Today through tonight: Cloudy turning to heavy rain, west winds of 5-6, local highs of 25°C, lows of 12°C, air quality – Excellent, UV index – Strong. From tomorrow to the 25th, under the influence of a cold front from the northwest, heavy to torrential rain is expected throughout the city over the next two days, with temperatures plummeting below 5°C. Viewers, please prepare for flooding in advance and beware of the inconvenience caused by unstable weather during your travels..."

  Listening to the weather forecast on the radio, Wen Ning, sitting in the back of the car, suddenly frowned. Fang Qing should have arrived at her field research location within the past two days. Based on the location she had mentioned, it shouldn't be too far from the city. He wondered if it was raining there.

  But just as Wen Ning's car arrived at the villa, a light drizzle began to fall outside. Wen Ning paused, then got out and entered the villa. Although Fang Qing had been away for the past two days, Zicheng had thankfully not refused him, and he quickly completed his teaching assignments for the day.

  That evening, thunder roared outside, followed by a torrential downpour. Because the Meng family villa was located in a remote, low-lying area, the housekeeper, worried Wen Ning might encounter an accident on his way home, invited him to stay overnight.

  That night, listening to the thunderstorm outside, Wen Ning lay awake, his heart pounding. The remote mountain village Fang Qing had gone to probably didn't have a phone, and he had no idea how to contact her. He simply hoped Fang Qing and the others would notice the change in weather and return to camp quickly.

  But Wen Ning could never have imagined that Fang Qing was facing a life-or-death situation.

  Ever since the student fell into the ravine, all the students panicked. Teacher Wang and the students tried desperately to pull him out, but as the rain intensified, the soil beneath the student's feet began to loosen.

  Li Hui was the first to notice the situation. He shouted danger and shoved the teacher and student several meters away. With a loud crash, the students at the other end of the mountain trail found themselves struck by a massive rock plummeting down from above, crushing the very ground they had been standing on.

  By then, the student who had fallen into the ravine had vanished completely.

  This intensified the panic of the group. The female students huddled together in fear, while the male students paled and panicked. This sudden change completely cut off their previous path back to the summit. To escape, they had no choice but to keep moving forward, searching for another way out.

  The rain intensified, and every second spent on the mountain became more dangerous. Li Hui, having grown up in the mountains and possessing more experience than the others, immediately gathered the group together. "Teacher Wang, we must get down quickly. The rain is getting heavier, and it could easily cause a landslide. The longer we stay here, the more dangerous it becomes!" Teacher Wang

  looked at Li Hui, deeply regretting not listening to his advice back at the summit. If they had left earlier, perhaps they would have returned to camp by now.
  But now was no time for regrets. Seeing Li Hui's determined gaze, Teacher Wang placed his final trust in him.

  "Are you sure you can get everyone out of here?"

  Li Hui wiped the rain from his face and surveyed the surrounding terrain. "I'm not entirely sure, but on my way here, I saw a large open space on the other side of the mountain. It's higher up, so even if there's a landslide or mudslide, it should be relatively safe."

  At this point, all the students were at a loss. Upon hearing Li Hui's words, they immediately nodded in agreement, "Teacher Wang, let's get out of here! We have to give it a try, no matter how hard we try."

  So, led by Li Hui, they supported each other and stumbled towards the other side of the mountain.

  Due to the heavy rain, the mountain was gradually gathering water. The girls stumbled along, their clothes torn, their shoes lost, and even their drawing boards nowhere to be found.

  While rescuing a female student, Zhang Jiaqi twisted her ankle, and Wang Nan and Fang Qing supported her on either side, struggling to move forward.

  However, when they reached a narrow mountain path, the three of them couldn't make it through at once. Fang Qing attempted to carry Zhang Jiaqi on his back, but because they were slippery, they fell to the ground after just a few steps, nearly falling into the ravine.

  Seeing this, a male student behind them immediately stepped forward, pushed Fang Qing aside, and carried Zhang Jiaqi on their back, quickly catching up with the group ahead.

  Wang Nan was also in a less favorable situation. She had been wearing shorts on the way up, and the trees and bushes on the mountain had scratched her arms and legs. Fang Qing applied a simple bandage with her sleeve, and the two of them limped forward, supporting each other.

  Zhao Qiang, who was following behind, saw Wang Nan's condition and finally couldn't bear it anymore. He strode over and tried to carry Wang Nan like the boy had done, but Wang Nan refused.

  "No need, I can walk."

  Pushing Zhao Qiang's hand away, Wang Nan picked up a stick from the roadside and supported herself, her staggering body.

  Fang Qing looked at Zhao Qiang's sad and silent face, sighed, and ran after Wang Nan to protect her.

  The group stumbled along for over an hour, finally reaching the clearing after several dangerous encounters. To the students' surprise, they discovered a natural cave nestled in the cliffs behind the clearing.

  Team leader Li Hui immediately entered the cave to inspect it. Once it was safe, he urged everyone inside.

  Finally free from the rain, the cold wind in the cave made everyone shiver. Fortunately, several students still had lighters. After wringing out their clothes, they searched for dry firewood in the cave and lit a fire. Then, they sat around it, finally able to recharge.

  Although much of their equipment was lost, most people still had their backpacks. Fang Qing opened her backpack and found only slightly damp towels and paper towels, which she immediately distributed to the girls to dry themselves. Looking inside her backpack, which contained the sausages, bread, and biscuits Wen Ning had bought her, Fang Qing felt incredibly fortunate to have taken the trouble to carry them all.

  The students exchanged items, while others used teacups to heat water for everyone's medicine and warmth.

  Fang Qing found a few Band-Aids, but they were damp from the water, so he placed them on the rocks beside the fire to dry them. Suddenly, he heard a noise coming from outside the cave.

  As the noise got closer, the leader of the team, along with another group of folk song collectors, also entered the cave.

  "Oh, thank goodness you're all okay. You're amazing! How did you find this place?"

  All the students remained silent. They had endured incredible hardships to get here, even losing a companion.

  Just as everyone was lost in grief, Li Xin, from the opposite crowd, quickly approached. In full view of everyone, she strode over to Zhao Qiang and snatched the teacup from his hand.

  "You actually have hot water? That's great! I won't hold you back."

  (End of Chapter)