13 Outdoors

Early in the morning, the sky was overcast with rain.

Rumble, rumble~

Lightning flashed and thunder roared, rain pouring down in sheets since the latter half of the night and showing no signs of stopping.

Having risen early, Fang Zhixing gazed at the downpour outside, his mood unable to clear.

He had planned to go hunting in the mountains today, yet unforeseen events had occurred in the heavens.

"There's nothing to eat at home, I have to head out even in the rain."

Fang Zhixing sighed softly.

He somewhat regretted not finding a way to store some food for situations like this.

But that was unavoidable.

Each time he went down to the river to fish, he ate as much as he caught; that was the only way to have the energy to practise archery and the Sword Drawing Skill.

There was simply no chance to keep any food in reserve.

Xigou hesitantly said, "Without rain gear, going out will mean getting drenched. What if you get sick?"

In this backward ancient mountain village, falling ill meant nothing but to tough it out, and if you couldn't, death was certain.

Fang Zhixing was well aware of this fact, but he couldn't be sure how long the rain would last and couldn't wait indefinitely for it to stop.

Moreover, even if the rain did stop, it might start again while he was out and about; it was inevitable.

A man and his dog braved the rain and left the house.

The rainfall was heavy, and Fang Zhixing was soaked through in no time, Xigou's fur clung damp and soggy to its body.

The roads inside and outside the village were all dirt roads that had turned muddy after the rain.

Fang Zhixing, one foot deep and one foot shallow, left the village for the river to fish.

Arriving at the river, he saw it!

The water had risen markedly, the current was swift and the waves churned violently, very turbulent.

"Goddamnit!"

Fang Zhixing stood on the riverbank, hair plastered to his face, his entire face drenched with rainwater.

He could no longer go fishing in the river; it was too dangerous.

Xigou was also flabbergasted, telepathically saying, "This is it, we probably won't be able to go down to the river for the next few days."

Fang Zhixing gritted his teeth, turned back to the woods, picked some wild vegetables, and then headed home.

Once home, he quickly started a fire, dried his drenched clothes, cooked the wild vegetables, and barely filled his stomach.

By afternoon, the rain still hadn't stopped; it was actually coming down even harder.

The village was flooded everywhere, resembling a vast ocean.

Fang Zhixing realized the problem was serious—the rain was no ordinary rain; it was a natural disaster.

In the blink of an eye, it was evening, and the rain was still relentless.

Once again, Fang Zhixing and Xigou found themselves hungry.

"Tomorrow, no matter how heavy the rain is, we have to go hunting in the mountains," Fang Zhixing declared with a sigh.

Xigou, listless, only grunted twice.

The night passed quickly.

The next day, Fang Zhixing woke up in hunger, looked outside, and the sky was still gloomy, but the rain had stopped.

The temperature had dropped greatly, feeling a bit chilly.

The man and his dog were overjoyed, hastily grabbed their hunting tools, and set out for the mountains.

They hadn't gone far when the sky started drizzling again, the light rain feeling cool against their skin.

Xigou looked toward the direction where Fang Zhixing was heading and exclaimed in alarm, "You're going to the hunting grounds that Zhao Dahu and his people have taken over?"

Fang Zhixing nodded.

Xigou hesitated, "Aren't you afraid of trouble? Once you and the old village chief's family have a conflict, they have more people than you have arrows."

Fang Zhixing replied, "These few days, the old village chief's family should be busy seizing the Song Family's money and grain; they won't be out hunting."

Xigou thought about it and hesitated, "Let's hope so."

A man and a dog ventured deep into the wild, walking far ahead, about eleven or twelve miles by their estimate.

Fang Zhixing grew tired from walking and sat down to rest under a large tree.

"Aiyo, I'm exhausted." Xigou, also tired from the wandering, lay down on the ground with his tongue sticking out, panting nonstop.

Whoosh~~

Unfortunately, the rain suddenly got heavier.

Fang Zhixing looked up at the sky where dense clouds clustered, and thick lightning tore through the sky like an angry Divine Dragon.

"Let's go, we can't stay under the tree." Fang Zhixing stood up, forced to move to avoid the rain.

The two found a slanted rock to hide in a narrow spot, just enough to shelter from the rain.

"Look, is that a wild strawberry patch?" Xigou saw something and stretched his neck out.

Fang Zhixing followed his gaze, his eyes instantly lighting up, and he dashed over in big strides.

On a sloping hillside covered in upright shrubs were wild strawberries, with branches laden with fruit, bright red, each the size of a peanut.

Fang Zhixing quickly plucked a wild strawberry and was about to pop it into his mouth when he suddenly stopped.

"Xigou, come here," he called.

Xigou, not wanting to get wet, shouted, "Just pick them quickly. What's the use of me coming over? I can't help you."

Fang Zhixing curled his lip and spread open his torn hemp clothing to catch the berries, swiftly picking them.

After a short while, the wild strawberries in his arms kept increasing, too many to hold. Looking back, there were still a lot of wild strawberries unpicked.

Fang Zhixing returned and sat down.

Xigou immediately jumped onto his thigh, sniffed the wild strawberries, and a sweet fragrance rushed to his head, making him drool.

Seeing this, Fang Zhixing urged, "Eat quickly."

Xigou raised his head and flashed his teeth, "What does this mean? Hasn't it always been you eating first and me the leftovers?"

Fang Zhixing laughed, "You found the wild strawberries, consider it a reward!"

"Bullshit!"

Xigou growled with bared teeth, "You're just afraid the wild strawberries are poisonous and are using me for a test, aren't you?"

Unfazed, Fang Zhixing replied, "You ungrateful dog, you always suspect others with your petty heart! Alright, alright, even if I did want to use you for an experiment, so what? You've got nine lives, scaredy-cat!"

Xigou snorted coldly, "Fang Zhixing, I'll remember this."

Having said that, he bit into several wild strawberries and gobbled them up.

"Hey, these are pretty tasty, sour and sweet!" Xigou's spirits lifted and he threw caution to the wind, gobbling them up eagerly.

Fang Zhixing watched, his stomach growling, he kept swallowing saliva but forcibly held back.

"Ah, these are so good!"

"Aren't you eating?"

"Really not eating?"

Xigou kept eating and teasing Fang Zhixing, enjoying himself immensely.

Fang Zhixing turned a deaf ear and waited a long time. When he was sure Xigou was fine, he finally began to eat.

The wild strawberries did indeed taste good.

Or perhaps, since arriving in this world, this was the first time Fang Zhixing had eaten fruit, an extravagant pleasure.

He ate them all in one go, easing his hunger, then went for a second round of picking, sweeping the whole wild strawberry patch clean and ate until he was almost full.

The rain kept getting heavier.

Fang Zhixing mused, "After this rain, I'm afraid the disaster will be even more severe, and the world will become even more chaotic."

Xigou pondered, "Remember that human trafficker, Boss Qian? Look how well he's doing! I think we need to find a way out; we can't be trapped in Funiu Village."

Fang Zhixing shook his head, "We know nothing about the outside world. Going out blindly could put us in an even tougher situation."

Xigou said earnestly, "We have to go to the big city. People with power and influence live in the city. Let me tell you, if I were to be reborn as a human, I would still be damn handsome, and just by flirting with a wealthy woman, we wouldn't have to worry about anything."