Splash!
Rain poured down in torrents.
"What rotten luck!"
Still grumbling, Chen Hui hurried into a ruined temple in the desolate hills, soaked to the skin.
He caught his breath, then followed his elders' teachings and made a circuit of the temple. Only after confirming that it was empty save for a dust- and cobweb-covered clay idol on the Divine Platform did he relax.
"Of course. In the middle of nowhere, in the dead of night, with rain pouring and wind howling—how could I run into anyone else?"
Chen Hui took off his sodden clothes and snapped his fingers. A ball of flame appeared out of thin air and settled on the ground like a campfire.
He found a few dry branches and used them to prop up his bloodstained, somewhat tattered clothes. Then he sat down. Weariness kept washing over him, making his fatigue and hunger harder to bear, so he recalled what had happened to take his mind off them.
"What rotten luck. That Wolf Demon ambushed me, and one careless moment got me killed. Then I spent too long chatting with that Black Judge of the Underworld, whom I hadn't seen in ages. By the time I revived, all my food had been ruined. The Wolf Demon received heavenly punishment, sure, but my clothes won't mend themselves..."
As he thought, he slowly slumped against the wall, his eyes growing heavy.
"Come to think of it, even with my strange arts, this trip home for the funeral will take at least half a year there and back. By the time I return, Zhu Chongba will probably have pacified the South. It'll be hard to earn any credit for backing the future ruler then. Lucky Shen Wansan—I'm the one who introduced him, yet when I get back, I'll probably