Rainy Season

With his strength greatly increased, Shen Changchuan was in a very good mood.

Right now, he even felt a desire for an opponent to appear before him, so that he could engage in a hearty, exhilarating battle.

Shen Changchuan let his thoughts wander, imagining various scenes: he would leave Dawan Village, venture deep into the vast mountains and forests to seek out precious treasures, engage in thrilling hunts against the demonic beasts lurking within, and ultimately obtain rare spiritual herbs, his cultivation realm rising at a speed visible to the naked eye.

That life of battling heaven and earth, of struggling against the natural world, was just like the protagonists of the cultivation novels he had read in his past life; it was almost intoxicating.

However, Shen Changchuan's burning passion had yet to turn into action before a sudden, torrential downpour completely extinguished the restlessness in his heart, dragging him back to cold reality.

This was no ordinary rain, but a relentless, ceaseless deluge!

Dark clouds filled the sky from out of nowhere, and before Shen Changchuan could even react, the rain began to fall from the heavens.

Then, the rain poured down like a waterfall, continuous and unending, lasting until this very day!

Looking out toward the yard, thick, mountain-like clouds blanketed the horizon, obscuring the entire sky; even in broad daylight, it was impossible to catch a glimpse of sunlight. Wind and rain mingled together, as if the entire world had been draped in a white curtain.

Over half a month had passed, and the rain poured down without pause, as if it intended to drown the whole world in this endless curtain of water, never to stop!

Shen Changchuan was in despair!

He had never imagined that there could be a rain in this world that would just keep falling, falling, and falling without a moment's respite!

According to the village elders, this was the rainy season—a rainy season that lasted for one to two months.

This made Shen Changchuan feel even worse.

For although he was inside the spacious courtyard house in the mountains, with the tall structure shielding him from the endless curtain of water pouring down from the nine heavens, the air during the rainy season was saturated with moisture in every corner.

Everything felt damp, and the air seemed thick enough to wring water from.

Only half a month had passed, yet Shen Changchuan felt as if a year had gone by; he felt as though he were about to grow moldy.

And that was not the most terrifying part.

What was even more despairing was that, under this constant, abundant rainfall, dense swarms of mountain leeches had begun to emerge from unknown corners of the mountains, spreading throughout the forest.

Looking out, from the tall trees down to the low ferns and grasses, mountain leeches hung upside down like tentacles beneath the leaves, swaying with the impact of the raindrops, stretching and probing in all directions in search of prey.

From a distance, it looked as if the lush mountain vegetation had grown tentacles underneath, writhing and clawing through the downpour.

They were so numerous that even on the paths usually traveled by villagers, one could often see those leeches crawling along the ground.

Heaven knows how terrifying that sight was to someone who had never witnessed such a thing before!

Moreover, these mountain leeches were not just frightening to look at; they were truly horrific in reality!

They hung in dense clusters beneath the leaves, one end attached to the foliage while the other stretched and elongated into the air, scouting the surroundings.

Once an animal passed underneath, they would spring up, landing with a rhythmic patter onto the animal's body.

They would cover the animal's surface in a dense mass, desperately burrowing into the skin to suck the blood from their target!

During this process, the animal would feel no pain, nor would it have any sensation at all!

It would only be a matter of time before the animal's blood was drained dry, leaving it to collapse as a desiccated corpse on the ground, eventually rotting away in the heavy rain!

That sight was enough to make one's skin crawl.

This was especially true for Shen Changchuan, who was encountering these dense, swarming things for the first time, whether in his past life or his current one.

It was for this reason that one day, when he opened his window out of boredom, he saw mountain leeches dangling from the eaves, stretching and probing as if trying to leap onto him.

And when he looked at the large tree outside his window and saw those tiny, wriggling "little tentacles" growing out from beneath the lush leaves, Shen Changchuan felt his hair stand on end. A shiver ran through his entire body, and goosebumps erupted across his skin!

The scene was so terrifying

that Shen Changchuan immediately unleashed five Fireball Techniques on the spot, burning the large tree outside his window to ashes, even as the heavy rain poured down from the sky.

Shen Changchuan did not stop there.

Enduring the goosebumps covering his body, he circled the courtyard in the mountains several times, casting a barrage of Wind Blade Techniques and Fireball Techniques, clearing away every living tree and patch of grass in the vicinity.

Only after he had completely exterminated the mountain leeches around his mountain courtyard did Shen Changchuan finally heave a sigh of relief.

However, he knew clearly

that this was merely treating the symptoms, not the root cause.

In this humid rainy season, those ghostly things would inevitably continue to crawl along the paths.

The only thing that could stop them

was the dry environment inside the house.

Shen Changchuan could do nothing about this.

After all, he was but a tiny ant in the world of cultivation, lacking the power to alter the weather.

He could only manage to clear the environment around his mountain courtyard.

Even so, a fierce thought took root in Shen Changchuan's heart, his eyes turning bloodshot:

"Once this heavy rain ends, I am going to chop down the trees!"

"I am going to set fire to the mountains!"

He did not want to endure this horrific living environment for even a second longer.

There were simply too many trees and bushes around the village, and he never wanted to see those dense, swarming things covering the trees again.

The environment around Dawan Village

had to be thoroughly changed!

Meanwhile, halfway along the road, in a cave deep within the mountain forest, a group of five young men dressed in luxurious clothing had been blocked by the rain that had persisted for over half a month, forcing them to take shelter in the cave.

They were currently huddled around a campfire, complaining loudly.

"Damn it, this shitty environment is no place for a human to stay!"

"Twenty-five days! It's been raining for twenty-five whole days! And there's still no sign of it clearing up! Plus, those dense, swarming things on the trees outside are just too disgusting! If I stay here any longer, I'll go insane if I don't rot from the mold first!"

"You have the nerve to talk! Yesterday, it was clearly agreed that you would keep watch to prevent those disgusting things from getting in, but when I woke up from my meditation, two mountain leeches were stuck to my arm sucking my blood! Is that how you do your job?!"

"Shen Rongguang, you're talking nonsense! How do you know you didn't bring them in yourself when you went outside to relieve yourself?"

"Shen Zhifei, you!"

"Enough, stop bickering."

Seeing that a fight was about to break out, a calm voice echoed through the cave, cutting off their argument.

The speaker was Shen Chongshan, the tall, burly man sitting at the center of the fire, who provided a sense of security to the group of five.

He was the leader of their party.

Shen Chongshan said indifferently:

"It's impossible to continue our journey now. As stifling as it is, we'll just have to stay here."

"The trees and grass outside are full of those disgusting things right now; the moment you walk under a tree, they come pitter-pattering down at you."

"Although we are cultivators and can cast spiritual light shields to ward off those things, our mana is not infinite. Once our mana is exhausted and we haven't found a place to rest, you can imagine the outcome for yourselves."

As his voice fell, everyone couldn't help but shudder.

They imagined themselves after their mana had been completely drained, having failed to find a suitable place to rest, covered in blood-sucking mountain leeches, and eventually being drained into dried husks.

They all felt a chill run down their spines.

That scene was simply too terrifying!

"Let us just endure it for a while. Doesn't such heavy rain indicate that this place is rich in water vapor, and that it is highly likely for those kinds of heaven-and-earth spiritual herbs to grow here?"

"As long as we obtain that item and complete that mission, given that person's character, he will not forget us."

Shen Chongshan's steady voice followed, offering comfort.

The minds of the group settled down quite a bit.

Indeed, if they could complete the task of finding that item, given that person's character, he would certainly not treat them unfairly.

If they could establish a connection with him, their futures would be secured.

For a moment, the atmosphere became much more peaceful.

"Brother Shan's words make sense."

"Compared to the rewards after success, these minor difficulties are bearable."

"However, Brother Shan, our suffering this time is real. Once the rain stops and we reach our destination, how about we find a good place to rest before setting off again?"

"After all, if our condition is poor, venturing deep into the mountain forest is not safe."

Shen Rongguang, standing to the side, offered his suggestion.

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone present looked toward Shen Kaishan, who was leading them, their eyes filled with anticipation.

The meaning in their gazes was self-evident.

"Very well."

"Xiaoguang, take out the map and see if there is any territory belonging to the Shen Clan near our destination. If there is, we shall rest there. When the time comes, we can mobilize some mortals to enter the mountains to search, which will also reduce the scope of our own search."

Shen Chongshan nodded, not objecting.

Indeed, this rain was torturing everyone to the point of exhaustion.

They had been staying in caves for more than half a month, and once they reached the vicinity of their destination, they really should find a good place to rest.

"Brother Shan, there is a place called Dawan Village nearby that belongs to our Shen Clan."

"Who is the cultivator stationed there?"

"A lucky kid at the third level of Qi Induction named Shen Changchuan."

Shen Rongguang checked the map and said casually.

Shen Fuxing, the head of the Shen Clan, had over fifty children in total, which was considered few among the main line of the Shen Clan.

Therefore, apart from descendants with important status or great strength, no one paid much attention to the other unremarkable illegitimate children.

Shen Rongguang clearly did not know Shen Changchuan's identity.

However, upon hearing this, Shen Chongshan frowned and spoke up.

"Bring the map over and let me see."

Shen Rongguang was confused, but he still handed over the map.