Chapter 23: Visit of the Mice

Huang Mang transformed into his metallic form and personally held a leaf in his hand. Ant, Zheng Haiyu, and Zhou Jun formed another group, each carrying a leaf filled with water. Huang Mang was doing fine after his transformation into a metallic being, his strength greatly increased. Despite the water-laden leaf, he seemed to handle it effortlessly. However, the same couldn't be said for Ant, who was struggling a bit.

Witnessing this scene, Ji Chang, suspended in the air on a wasp, took notice. Hearing the commotion, everyone looked up. Their relief was evident upon seeing Ji Chang.

"Mang, you've managed to gather quite a bit of water this time!" Ji Chang looked at Huang Mang and chuckled.

"Hehe, Brother Ji, I just thought of gathering more this time, so we wouldn't have to come for water as often in the future!" Huang Mang scratched his head somewhat sheepishly.

While collecting water, he indeed had the intention of getting more, but he realized the strain on Ant only when they started moving. Despite Zheng Haiyu and Zhou Jun's assistance, their extraordinary strength might be effective against insects but wasn't as useful when it came to carrying water. Reluctantly, he didn't want to waste the painstakingly collected water.

Seeing the situation, Ji Chang couldn't help but chuckle wryly. He waved his hand, and a stream of pure spiritual power gathered towards Ant. With Ji Chang's spiritual power flowing into Ant, the ant trembled and darted away, dragging the leaf along.

This scene left Zhou Jun and Zheng Haiyu, who hadn't understood what was happening, momentarily stunned. Seeing the ant moving swiftly, even Huang Mang was shocked. "Wow, what the heck!"

"Keep it up, Mang! Let's see if you can beat my ant back to the room!" Ji Chang teased, glancing at Huang Mang's surprised expression. With a slight smile, Ji Chang then rode on the wasp and flew towards the direction of the room.

Seeing this, Huang Mang, not wanting to fall behind, hastened to chase after the ant.

...

With Ji Chang's spiritual power enhancing the ant, they returned to the base in just over ten minutes. Huang Mang followed closely behind. Zhou Jun and Zheng Haiyu, on the other hand, arrived later, panting for breath.

As for Ji Chang, he had already removed the cabbage from the wasp and was waiting for the others.

"Haha, that was so exhilarating!" Huang Mang securely placed the leaf's stem on the ground and let out a hearty cheer.

As Huang Mang looked at the ant, he couldn't help but ask, "Brother Ji, how did you manage that? How did the ant suddenly become so energetic, like it got an adrenaline rush?"

Just as Huang Mang was inquiring, Zhou Jun and Zheng Haiyu, who had just returned, approached curiously, glancing between Ji Chang and the ant.

Seeing their curiosity, Ji Chang didn't hide anything. He shared his experience of riding the wasp to the vegetable garden with them.

Upon hearing that Ji Chang encountered a rooster, the three of them couldn't help but tense up. Learning that Ji Chang managed to escape the rooster's attack left them both astonished and deeply impressed.

"Alright, let's put all this water into the buckets first," Ji Chang directed the others after a while. Then, he turned to Huang Mang, who was about to pour out the water, and said, "Mang, later you and I will go to the bedside again and fetch some wood to make cooking utensils."

"Sure thing, Brother Ji!" Huang Mang replied as he headed towards the restroom.

However, just as Ji Chang, Zhou Jun, and Zheng Haiyu were about to start filling the buckets with water, they suddenly heard Huang Mang's exclamation.

Startled by Huang Mang's voice, Ji Chang's expression tightened, and in the next moment, both the ant and the wasp swiftly headed towards Huang Mang. Ji Chang, Zhou Jun, and Zheng Haiyu followed closely behind.

"What's wrong, Mang?"

"What's happening, Mang?"

"What's this?"

Upon reaching the restroom, the trio looked at Huang Mang, who was lost in thought, and the dozen or so oval-shaped objects, nearly the size of wasps, next to the restroom. They each asked in succession.

"I don't know either. I just arrived and found these!" Huang Mang replied, shrugging his shoulders towards the others.

"The smell... It's so pungent!" Zhou Jun approached and sniffed with his nose, only to be overwhelmed and roll his eyes.

Zheng Haiyu held an ice cone and glanced at Ji Chang, who was standing nearby. Without Ji Chang's instruction, he didn't dare to approach and investigate, afraid of triggering something unexpected.

At this moment, Ji Chang's brow furrowed as he gazed at the black oval objects. He, too, smelled the foul odor. Although they were in the restroom, the smell was vastly different from their waste products. He was certain that the smell originated from those black oval objects.

"Brother Ji, what do you think that is?" Just as Ji Chang was pondering the identity of the black oval objects, Zhou Jun's voice broke in.

Following Zhou Jun's voice, they all turned their attention together.

When they were building the restroom earlier, Ji Chang had Huang Mang loosen the cement ground because it was too hard. The direction Zhou Jun indicated was precisely where the cement ground had been loosened.

On the ground were footprints twice the size of their own.

Staring at those footprints on the ground, Ji Chang then shifted his gaze to the dozen or so black oval objects nearby, and he suddenly exclaimed, "It's mice!"

Mice—others might not be too familiar with them, but Ji Chang knew them all too well. He had seen plenty during his time at the temple. He had even helped the temple's guardian master get rid of many.

The reason Ji Chang didn't immediately recognize the black oval objects as mouse droppings was due to the change in perspective after shrinking...

However, when he saw the footprints, he instantly realized that they were left by mice!

"What the heck? Are mice also using our restroom to do their business?" Hearing Ji Chang's words, Huang Mang couldn't help but be astonished.

Zhou Jun and Zheng Haiyu wore pale expressions. Even before shrinking, the word "mice" triggered deep aversion in them. Just the thought was enough to send shivers down their spines.

"Mang, your joke is far from funny!" Zhou Jun looked at Huang Mang and couldn't help but roll his eyes.

Zheng Haiyu's mouth twitched too.

Now that they knew rodents had visited their restroom, Ji Chang's expression darkened as well. Initially, Ji Chang had thought that even though they had shrunk, the house itself acted as a natural barrier. They could stay here secretly, cultivating their extraordinary abilities steadily, and eventually take over the courtyard, expanding into the wider world.

After all, although the house had been unoccupied for a long time and lacked food to attract creatures like mice or cockroaches, the absence of such threats was a relief to them. Even when encountering threats like roosters and sparrows, which were relatively stronger, Ji Chang hadn't been overly concerned. They had the house and the natural barrier of the door to protect them. Those creatures couldn't pose much danger.

But now, with the appearance of rodents, the only barrier they had...