In Graphite County, under the rule of the Divine Martial Kingdom on the Divine Continent, sixteen-year-old Zhang Shun carried an umbrella early in the morning, a bamboo basket on his back, and headed toward Famous Mountain outside the county.
Though torrential rain poured outside, it had already been raining for more than a month.
Yet there was still no sign of clear skies.
Some said the Heavenly Duke was displaying its might, venting its wrath upon mankind.
Others said wicked demons were causing trouble.
In any case, opinions abounded, and people hid in their homes, unwilling to go outside.
But Zhang Shun had no choice but to climb the mountain in search of herbs.
His mother had been bedridden for over half a month without medicine. Yet their home was bare as four walls, and he simply could not afford the herbs sold by the apothecary.
If this continued, his mother likely would not survive the rainy season.
He could only brave the downpour and head up the mountain to gather medicine.
The heavy rain shrouded everything. Apart from the sound of raindrops, nothing could be heard.
Zhang Shun held his umbrella, with a bamboo hat on his head as well, and carefully climbed Famous Mountain step by step.
No matter whether the medicinal herbs he encountered along the way were useful or not, he picked every one of them.
He could exchange them for money later. The muddy path was difficult to traverse, and several times, he nearly fell from the mountainside.
If he fell in such a rainstorm, even if he died, no one would see him.
After being cautious for more than an hour, Zhang Shun finally climbed to the mountaintop with great difficulty.
Ignoring the mud on the summit, he collapsed directly onto the ground from