Da Xuan Martial Saint

As silence enveloped the scene and all eyes were on Chen Mu, he slowly set down Old Man Zhao and his granddaughter Hong'er, then cast his gaze toward Bao Yinlin and said indifferently, "Did you push them in? For what reason?"

Although he had been too far away to know exactly what had happened here, his vision far exceeded that of ordinary people, and he could still see that the fall of the old man and the girl was related to Bao Yinlin, who was dressed in a luxurious brocade robe.

"Uh, this..."

Bao Yinlin, looking into Chen Mu's eyes, suddenly felt chilled to the bone, his voice trembling, but he was at a loss for an excuse.

Just then, a child about seven or eight years old couldn't help but blurt out, "It was him; he pushed them. He even said he'd throw all of us down too!"

This statement terrified the woman next to the child, who quickly covered the child's mouth with her hands.

Bao Yinlin immediately glanced at the woman and child with a resentful look, a trace of coldness flashing in his eyes, but at that moment, Chen Mu's voice was heard again, "Is what he said true?"

Suddenly, Chen Mu, who had unknowingly moved to the rock where Bao Yinlin was standing, spoke coldly.

Bao Yinlin, with a bead of cold sweat on his forehead, stammered, "Sir... it was the child who tried to pull me down first..."

As Chen Mu's gaze grew colder, Bao Yinlin's voice grew quieter and more tremulous, "Sir, my brother-in-law is from the Xie family in the county... a distant relative..."

Boom.

Chen Mu, tired of further nonsense, waved his sleeve, and Bao Yinlin, with a scream, his hefty body like a piece of paper, was sent flying from the rock into the floodwaters below, struggling briefly before vanishing.

By then, Old Man Zhao and his granddaughter Hong'er, who had been rescued, had somewhat recovered. Old Man Zhao, seeing his granddaughter's face gradually regain color despite being soaked in mud, expressed immense emotion and couldn't help but start kowtowing to Chen Mu.

"Sir, benefactor, this old man offers his profound gratitude."

"That's enough, no need for such formalities."

Chen Mu glanced at Old Man Zhao, then his gaze swept over the many individuals on the small hillside, a trace of contemplation appearing in his eyes; he then said solemnly, "I am the Inspectorate Metropolitan Commander, responsible for the flood disaster in the Qingping River area. You need not show excessive courtesy, nor panic. Follow my orders, and I shall guide you all to a safe place."

The world's response to disasters had improved a lot more than he had anticipated; in fact, the response to the previous drought had also surprisingly exceeded his expectations, and this flood was similar. When he arrived at Jingnan Village, various officials reported that most people in the worst-hit flood areas had already been safely evacuated.

Those who had not managed to escape and were trapped here were mostly the elderly, young, sick, and disabled.

Of course, there were also fools like Bao Yinlin.

Chen Mu glanced at the rock that Bao Yinlin had occupied, which had several large chests piled on it. A look was enough to tell that they contained valuables like gold and silver, which he had been unwilling to abandon, intending to take everything.

But halfway through, he found the muddy ground increasingly difficult to traverse and finally got trapped here, displaying not only his greed and stupidity but also his cruelty and arrogance.

Indeed.

The county officials had basically given up on the trapped flood victims like Old Man Zhao.

Mainly because during the flood, the Earth's Veins trembled, the water was swift and rough with waves, and even large ships struggled to navigate steadily, let alone small boats. A slight mishap could cause them to capsize, and there were monstrous creatures lurking in the water.

That this group of people like Old Man Zhao had managed to stay here until now without being devoured by the aquatic creatures was merely luck.

In situations like these,

they typically wouldn't last a day or two before being killed by creatures.

The difficulty of rescue was immense; not ordinary people, even Martial Men of the Body Refinement Realm or the Tendon Changing Realm, would not dare claim they could maneuver with ease in the water during such a flood, and even those of the Bone Tempering Realm must be exceedingly cautious!

After receiving reports from various places, Chen Mu did not critique the actions of the county officials.

From their perspective, there indeed seemed no need for further rescue operations. Those who hadn't escaped the flood area were generally presumed dead, and expending manpower and effort on rescue would likely save very few and might even cost more lives.

Thus, Chen Mu also did not forcefully order the local officials to conduct rescues, but instead, ventured alone into the flood-stricken area, following the raging torrents to look for any possible survivors.

Unexpectedly.

Not only were there survivors, but there were quite a few.

This small hill alone had about a thousand people on it.

But unfortunately, throughout the entire flood-stricken area, those who had not managed to escape in time were likely only these remaining survivors.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

Upon hearing Chen Mu's words, nearly all the figures on the small hill grew excited, and if not for the cramped and crowded space, they would have probably all knelt down.

Those who hadn't managed to escape in time and were trapped on this narrow hillside had already lost all hope, never expecting anyone to come for their rescue. In these times, would any government officer risk their life to save people during such a fearsome flood? Normally, even if these people died on the streets, the local lords wouldn't spare them a second glance.

Who would have thought there would be an official like Chen Mu!

Although many didn't even know what an Inspectorate Metropolitan Commander was, the scene of Chen Mu's miraculous rescue in the tumultuous river had been deeply etched in their minds. With such divine capabilities, perhaps he really could save them!