The sky had finally cleared.
The mountain leeches that had swarmed the forests and mountains receded with the rain.
They burrowed into corners hidden by fallen leaves, lurked in dark pools of water, hid deep within tree hollows, and sought out other damp places to lie in wait.
Only when the downpour returned and the world became exceedingly damp would they emerge once more from those dark corners to roam the mountain forests.
Of course, before the next great rain arrived, no one knew how many of them would die from dehydration, or how many would be devoured by their natural enemies, leaving not even a corpse behind.
But one thing was certain: the number would not be small.
And it was just as certain that every living creature in the forest would rejoice over the mass death of such disgusting, terrifying creatures.
At this moment, inside the nameless cave, Shen Rongguang stepped out of the dark, damp cave he had been cooped up in for so long.
Gazing at the clear world outside, bathed in brilliant sunlight, he let out a long breath, as if to expel nearly two months of pent-up frustration.
"Damn it, this blasted heaven!"
"It rains day after day! Why don't you just collapse and let it all pour down at once!"
Shen Rongguang cursed loudly, glaring at the sky.
Immediately, BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Several blasts of Magical Power shot out, violently pulverizing several large trees in front of him and tearing up the ground.
He vented his fury until he was panting for breath.
"Shit! If I had known, I wouldn't have come!"
"We haven't reached our destination, we haven't found what we're looking for, and instead, I've had to endure two months of this crap!"
Being cooped up in a cave for two months had left Shen Rongguang filled with resentment.
The thought of the dense swarms of mountain leeches among the trees and plants outside, especially during the heavy rain, was enough to make his skin crawl.
At the same time, he stewed over the thought of his brother back home. 'Just because he was born a mere fifteen minutes earlier, he gets to enjoy the support of the entire branch family, his Path of Immortal Cultivation as smooth as level ground! But I have to suffer and toil, venturing out to fend for myself, relying on my own efforts to acquire Cultivation Resources and plan my own Path of Immortal Cultivation.'
This thought only made Shen Rongguang more furious.
His face darkened with gloom.
"That's enough, Xiaoguang."
From behind, Shen Zhongshan and the others also emerged from the cave.
Unlike Shen Rongguang, and although the others also looked weary, a hint of joy showed on their faces when they saw the brilliant sun and clear sky above.
Shen Zhongshan walked up behind Shen Rongguang and clapped him on the shoulder, like a steady older brother.
"This expedition started poorly. It was my fault for not preparing for the conditions here."
"Brother Shan, I..."
Shen Rongguang, flustered, tried to explain.
But Shen Zhongshan raised a hand, silencing him.
"I'm the leader of this mission. I didn't properly investigate the weather patterns of this place before we came to the Border Desolate Land. That responsibility is mine."
"I was responsible. Don't make excuses for me," Shen Zhongshan said in a steady voice.
Shen Rongguang and the others were momentarily stunned.
Then, a warmth spread through their hearts, and their trust in Shen Zhongshan deepened.
"Brother Shan, you can't be blamed. Who could have known the Border Desolate Land had such strange weather, with rain lasting for two months?"
"Yeah! Especially those mountain leeches! We've seen rain for a month or two in Tian Nan City, and based on our past experience, traveling in the rain isn't a problem. But who the hell knew this godforsaken place was crawling with those things?"
"This place is seven or eight thousand li from Tian Nan City. Unless you're a local, no outsider would know the details of this damned place."
The men all spoke up to absolve Shen Zhongshan of blame.
In fact, what they said wasn't entirely to make excuses for Shen Zhongshan; it was simply the truth.
Compared to the well-developed areas around Tian Nan City, the Border Desolate Land was still in a transitional state, evolving from a Barbaric Land into a place fit for human habitation.
Not only was the environment harsh, but the spread of information was also poor.
It was said that in this part of the Border Desolate Land, people still relied on ancient merchant caravans traveling between mountain villages to conduct trade.
Given this background, it was unlikely that an outsider would know about dangers like the plague of mountain leeches.
Thinking of this, the resentment they had accumulated from being trapped in the cave for nearly two months began to dissipate.
"Be that as it may, it was ultimately my lack of foresight."
"However, this incident has reminded me that the environment of the Border Desolate Land is vastly different from the Tian Nan Domain. There are probably countless other hidden details. If we're going to enter the mountains to search for treasure, we must find a guide," Shen Zhongshan said thoughtfully.
"Let's go. We need to get to Wu Family Collection as quickly as possible."
"I'm worried this clear weather is just a short break. If another downpour comes and those mountain leeches in the forest come out again, we'll be in trouble."
"Once we reach Wu Family Collection, we'll find a guide immediately and learn about the situation here."
Shen Zhongshan called to the group, and they set off once more.
Hearing his words, and remembering the days they were trapped in the cave by the dense swarms of mountain leeches, the men couldn't help but shudder and quickly followed him.
"The Cyan Essence Water Grass has strict growth requirements, demanding abundant Water Vein Essence Qi. I've observed that this Border Desolate Land has had continuous rain for almost two months, and the forests are filled with creatures like mountain leeches. This must mean it's a place rich in Water Vein Essence Qi."
"Add to that the reports of Cyan Essence Water Grass here twenty years ago—the odds are in our favor!"
"If this mission succeeds, I won't say it'll be Heaven-defying or fate-changing, but at the very least, our future paths will be secure!"
"So I ask everyone to give it their all!"
As they walked, Shen Zhongshan didn't forget to rally the men's spirits.
In an instant, even Shen Rongguang's previously accumulated gloom was swept away, and the team's morale soared.
...
「Inside Dawan Village」
Shen Changchuan frowned slightly as he held the intelligence reports gathered recently, lost in thought.
Twenty years ago, Dawan Village was ruled by one of the Minor Immortal Cultivation Clans, the Hu Family.
The Hu Family had moved here over a hundred years ago and were the founding family of Dawan Village.
Gathering information about the Hu Family was not difficult. Because even though twenty years had passed, there were still Mortal Martial Artists in Dawan Village who had been there since the time of the Hu Family.
This was because after the "change of dynasty" in Dawan Village, the Shen Family had not eliminated everyone, sparing those who were not close blood relatives or in-laws of the Hu Family. Instead, they were allowed to live alongside the newly migrated Mortal Martial Artists, serving the Cultivators and tilling the Spirit Fields.
This had also led to chaos in the management of Dawan Village's household registry, which was not sorted out until Shen Changchuan arrived and implemented reforms.
The problem was, however, that twenty years had passed. Those from that time were either old or dead, and even for those still alive, their memories had grown hazy with time.
Moreover, the very fact that they had survived meant they weren't close to the Hu Family back then. They were peripheral Mortal Martial Artists who had no access to the core inner circle.
Whatever information that group of people knew was all hearsay, of no real value.
The most they could tell him was that the Hu Family Patriarch back then was named Hu Zhongming, who was supposedly a Qi Introduction Seventh Layer Cultivator.
Beyond that, they knew little about the Hu Family of that era.
But none of this was of any use to Shen Changchuan.
As for useful information—like anything related to the hidden cave in the Dawan River—no one knew a thing.
No one knew there was a hidden cave at the bottom of the river.
This left Shen Changchuan feeling helpless.
'It really isn't that simple.'
'Oh well. There's always been a divide between Immortals and mortals. Besides, twenty years have passed. Even if there were any traces left, they would have long since vanished into thin air.'
'Trying to find clues from this angle is just wishful thinking.'
'I'll just leave it at that.'
Shen Changchuan shook his head slightly, deciding to set the matter aside for now.
But just then, a report came from outside: Zhao Hanguo from Zhao Family Village was outside the village, requesting an urgent audience.