The sounds from the riverbank had already reached beneath the water. Li Qing gripped the iron bars with both hands and felt his way along underwater as quickly as he could.
He knew he couldn't stay here any longer.
Fortunately, it took only a few seconds to find the damaged section. Carefully, he squeezed through against the rushing current.
Behind him, the splashes of people hitting the water rang out one after another.
After slipping through the broken bars, Li Qing swiftly surfaced, then climbed along the iron fence to the riverbank outside the city.
He didn't let himself drift with the current. No one knew what lurked in the water at night; one wrong move could cost him his life.
The icy river water made him shiver all over.
Clinging tightly to the bumps along the riverbank, he drifted forward.
The sounds behind him had faded, and the firelight atop the city wall grew dimmer and dimmer.
At least half an hour passed. Shivering from the cold, Li Qing finally reached a stretch of gently sloping riverbank.
The bank was covered in dirt and pebbles, their outlines barely visible in the dim moonlight.
He immediately stripped off his clothes and wrung out as much water as he could.
Panting heavily, Li Qing made his way up from the riverbank.
He needed to find somewhere to start a fire, at the very least, and drive the cold from his body.
A faint, cold breeze swept through the night. Li Qing shivered uncontrollably, breathing hard as he carefully surveyed the area by moonlight.
He had come ashore beside a field, where what looked like cucumbers had been planted.
Suddenly, Li Qing's eyes lit up. He spotted a shed beside the field.
It was where farmers took shelter from the summer heat.
He hurried over. Inside the shed was a wooden daybed with a straw mat spread across it.
Li Qing hung his clothes on a jutting beam of the shelter, then dropped onto the straw mat.
After a deep breath, he looked around and let out a heavy sigh. Nearby, he spotted a small pile of picked cucumbers.
His eyes lit up. He hurried over, picked one up, and smashed it against the ground.
The cucumber broke apart. He picked it up, split it open, and began eating it.
The sweet, fragrant cucumber made him breathe a deep sigh of relief.
This night had been one harrowing ordeal after another: Blood Curse Body Refining, being hunted by Mr. Huayue, practicing his cultivation and healing his wounds, then escaping underwater.
He felt as if he had nearly exhausted all his strength.
He quickly polished off the cucumber. Li Qing's eyelids began to droop; he could barely keep going. His head swam, and he collapsed onto the straw mat and fell asleep.
He slept deeply, completely unconscious.
After an unknown amount of time, a rooster crowed outside.
Cock-a-doodle-doo! Cock-a-doodle-doo!
The crowing jolted Li Qing awake. He sat bolt upright, gasping for breath.
A look of terror flashed across his face.
He had just had a nightmare. Mr. Huayue had been chasing him.
Just as he was about to be caught, the rooster's crowing had woken him.
Li Qing got up from the straw mat. His stomach rumbled.
He felt his clothes. They had dried.
He stood, took them down, and draped them over himself, leaving his back exposed.
He shrugged helplessly, grabbed two more cucumbers from nearby, and looked around. He spotted a main road.
He took a deep breath. "Let's get out of here first."
Looking at the shelter, he shook his head. "Sorry for taking three of your cucumbers. I owe your family a favor. I'll repay it someday."
In Qingshi County, the county magistrate sat with a gloomy expression. Below him sat a man clad in armor.
Several constables stood nearby. Their faces were all grim, their eyes ringed with dark circles. They looked as if they hadn't slept all night.
"Captain Li, we've finished investigating what happened last night."
"Mr. Huayue of the Huayue Study somehow obtained the Blood Demon Sect's Blood Refining Art."
"He went mad cultivating it and became an Anomaly."
"He also had a shop assistant named Li Qing, who is now missing."
"There's a very good chance he escaped Qingshi County."
"I've issued a wanted notice. If we get any news, I'll notify the Demon Extermination Hall immediately."
Captain Li was the man who had acted last night.
His face darkened. "The Blood Refining Art is a cultivation method the Blood Demon Sect deliberately allows to circulate outside its ranks."
"If it's appeared in Qingshi County, it means the Blood Demon Sect must have people here."
"That Li Qing is probably just a minor figure. Now I want everyone from the Government Office to cooperate with me and search all of Qingshi County at once."
"Every outsider must be investigated thoroughly."
The county magistrate looked displeased, but still nodded. "All right."
"Chief Constable Wang, mobilize the level-three team. Everyone is to follow Captain Li's orders."
A bearded, middle-aged man hurriedly stood up. "Yes, sir."
Captain Li nodded and cupped his hands slightly. "Thank you for your cooperation, County Magistrate."
The county magistrate nodded. "It's only right."
Then, his expression dark, he turned and went into the rear hall.
Captain Li looked no older than twenty, and his appearance was strikingly heroic.
He looked at Chief Constable Wang. "Get the men. Everyone's coming with me!"
Chief Constable Wang's expression turned solemn. "Yes!"
Rumble.
Summer rain always came so suddenly.
Thunder rumbled.
Dark clouds blanketed the sky; lightning flashed and thunder boomed.
Green Mountain Ridge was a long stretch of mountain road. A small valley, fifty meters long, was the only route connecting Qingshi County to the outside world.
All the cargo passing through had to take this road.
Now, rain poured down in torrents, turning the ground into mud.
Drenched from head to toe, Li Qing took shelter beneath a jutting rock.
The gorge was almost swallowed by the rain. The sound of raindrops filled his ears, and the torrential downpour had reduced visibility to no more than ten meters.
Li Qing looked at his soaked body, his face full of chagrin.
"Just my luck. I got soaked in the river last night, and now I'm drenched by the rain again. Is this rain determined to soak me to the bone?"
With a helpless sigh, Li Qing took off his clothes and hung them on a jutting rock nearby.
Bare-chested, he watched the rain pour down in a savage torrent, his face betraying his shock.
"The rain in the Border Wilderness is this violent? That's terrifying."
"I've never seen a rainstorm this bad on Earth, either."
"I hope there isn't a mudslide, or I'll be in serious trouble."
A faint unease stirred in Li Qing's heart.
Jingle-jingle.
A strange, crisp ringing suddenly sounded.
The sound was so clear that it even pierced through the storm.
When Li Qing heard it, his face turned deathly pale. Ever since he'd learned that this world might be a Cthulhu Cultivation World, he'd been on edge.
In a world like this, one was bound to encounter some indescribable horrors. One careless mistake could bring a world of trouble.
That sudden ringing was clearly abnormal.
"Fuck, there's no way I'm that unlucky."
"I've only been exposed to cultivation for two days. How have they all crawled out already?"
"Did I step in dog shit or something? Why am I so unlucky?"
Li Qing's face was deathly pale, and his heart was full of resentment. He felt as if he'd offended some mighty god.