Chapter 3: Everything Blossoms

Ji Yuan tried to sleep, but the more he wanted to, the less he could. Time stretched endlessly, and the usually optimistic Ji Yuan was tormented by loneliness, pushing him to despair.

"Boom..."

A sudden, powerful clap of thunder startled Ji Yuan.

Listening to the thunder in his current state gave Ji Yuan an unprecedented sensation, as if he were in the heavens, feeling the dance of the lightning.

This mysterious feeling, like a flash of lightning, pierced his heart, sweeping away his fear, anxiety, suppression, and confusion, bringing a sense of calm to his mind.

"Pitter-patter..."

Soon after, rain began to fall heavily.

Ji Yuan's eyelids twitched as he heard individual raindrops falling, clearly distinguishing the sound of rain hitting the ground, rocks, and vegetation.

Time seemed to slow down at this moment.

"Drip..." "Drip..." "Drip..."

Each droplet shattered on leaves and the ground, sending out its sound.

The breaking of raindrops created ripples in the darkness of Ji Yuan's mind. Each ripple outlined a source of sound, and countless ripples formed a panorama: leaves, tree canopies, the ground, rocks, houses, rubble, flowers, plants, and animals scurrying in the rain. The outlines of all things materialized in his mind, accompanied by the sound of the rain.

Though without color, it was three-dimensional and vivid, as if Ji Yuan was touching everything on the earth with each falling raindrop.

The falling rain revealed all things, a panorama unfolding from his mind!

It was an indescribably mysterious experience. Ji Yuan forgot all his agitation, even forgetting to breathe, as he quietly absorbed it. The closer something was, the clearer it became; distant things gradually blurred.

'So I really am still in the mountains, lying in an old, dilapidated hut in the hills. Is it a ruined temple? The heavy rain came so suddenly, and so many small animals are scurrying in a panic... It's so beautiful!'

Although he still couldn't move or open his eyes, a faint smile appeared on Ji Yuan's lips.

His inner agitation had subsided, and this extraordinary hearing ability made Ji Yuan wonder if he had gained something from that chess game.

A short while later, Ji Yuan's heart stirred; he had finally heard the sound he most anticipated.

...

In the mountain rain, a group of people carrying large, covered baskets on their backs were moving quickly. These baskets resembled the book satchels scholars used when traveling for exams in ancient times, with a cover cloth, but they were significantly larger.

Ji Yuan couldn't discern their full appearance, only the area where raindrops fell. Therefore, in his mind, he sensed their bodies, limbs, baskets, and covers, but their faces remained indistinct.

What puzzled Ji Yuan was not just these large baskets, but also that some of the people wore rain gear resembling straw cloaks, while others wore nothing similar. In any case, their attire bore no resemblance to modern raincoats.

"Hurry, everyone, keep up! The Mountain God Temple is just ahead!"

"Watch your step; the mountain path is very slippery in the rain!"

"Those at the back, catch up! Let's take shelter and start a fire in the Mountain God Temple, quick, quick!"

People in the group constantly reminded each other to be careful, urged everyone to speed up, and some even paused to check if everyone else had caught up.

After turning past a few large trees and rounding an upright rock, the leading man finally saw the Mountain God Temple, now very close.

"Everyone, push on! We're at the Mountain God Temple. Check if anyone fell behind."

"Everyone's here."

"Quick, into the temple! This mountain rain is too cold!"

As they spoke, the group quickened their pace and rushed into the Mountain God Temple.

"Whew... This rain came so strangely, it almost drowned me!"

The leading man, a fellow with a short beard, was dripping wet like the others. He first put down his heavy basket, then removed his drenched straw cloak.

He stretched his limbs and looked behind him, counting each person. All twelve were present.

"Everyone, put your goods over there. Liu Quan and Li Gui, get our firewood and charcoal out. Let's start a fire to warm ourselves."

"Alright."

"It's drier over there. Come on, put it there."

"My clothes need to dry by the fire. Ah, I didn't have time to put on my straw cloak."

Some moved baskets, others fetched wood to start a fire, and one person simply swept a dry patch of ground with a whisk-like tool they carried.

They were itinerant merchants, accustomed to traversing mountains. Encountering bad weather was common, so they always kept dry firewood and charcoal in their baskets to prepare for situations like this.

The leader's name was Zhang Shilin. His father's generation had hoped he would diligently study the classics, pass the imperial examinations, and enter the scholar class to bring honor to the Zhang family. However, he was not naturally inclined to study, and his family later fell into decline. To earn money, he became a hardworking itinerant merchant.

As a leader, he bore heavy responsibilities, needing to consider the safety of the entire team. Naturally, he received some small privileges; for instance, while everyone else was busy, Zhang Shilin could rub his shoulders and relax. No one complained about this, as everyone recognized Zhang Shilin's valuable role as a competent and good leader.

The Mountain God Temple was small, only a few meters in length and width. Three of its walls were still sturdy, and there were no leaks inside except for some damage to the eaves at the entrance. However, both large doors had long since collapsed and vanished, allowing cold wind to blow in periodically.

Inside, the Mountain God Temple was even more dilapidated. Cobwebs and animal droppings covered everything. The incense burner and candlesticks on the altar were overturned, and offerings were out of the question. Even the clay statue of the Mountain God was so ruined that its head was missing.

"Ah, it's a good thing this Mountain God Temple is still standing. If it were to collapse someday, we'd lose another place to rest our feet in Niukui Mountain!"

Ji Yuan listened to every footstep and conversation of these people.

So he was in the Mountain God Temple in the mountains. Niukui Mountain? Was it a mispronunciation of Niutou Mountain or a local dialect?

It seemed these people might be hikers, carrying open-topped packs or similar gear; at least, they were certainly not kidnappers.

But the sounds were clearly close, and the temple wasn't large. He must be in some corner of the temple; otherwise, they couldn't possibly have missed him.

"Ah, Brother Shilin, there's someone over here!"

Hearing the nearby exclamation, Ji Yuan let out a huge sigh of relief in his mind. *Finally, they've found me! Now they'll call for help and take me to the hospital. My life should be safe.*

Hearing the shout, Zhang Shilin quickly went around the statue of the Mountain God and indeed saw a person lying behind it. The itinerant merchants also gathered in twos and threes.

The person behind the Mountain God statue lay motionless with eyes tightly closed, dishevelled and ragged, seemingly lifeless.

The young man who had first discovered the beggar took a step closer, knelt down, checked for breath, and touched his forehead.

"Brother Shilin, this beggar is still breathing, but his forehead is burning hot. What should we do?"

*What do you mean, 'What should we do'? Are you out of your mind? Call the police!*

If he could speak, Ji Yuan would have screamed in frustration. He hadn't yet noticed that they were calling him a beggar.

Zhang Shilin frowned, then sighed.

"In this desolate wilderness, it looks like this beggar won't last much longer. We'll give him some hot water later and see if he can drink it. Ah, this damned world!"

"Sigh..."

"Come on, let's go start the fire..."

The itinerant merchants shook their heads and sighed, then walked away one by one.

*Wait, wait! What are you doing? Why are you walking away? Call the police, hey!*

*No way, no way!*

The reactions of these people were completely different from what Ji Yuan had expected, leaving him bewildered and panicked.