One person: Senior brother Zhang Zhiwei, the Celestial Master begged me to descend the mountain.

The weather on Longhu Mountain sometimes changes faster than a woman's face.

One second the sun was shining brightly and the cicadas' chirping was so annoying that it was irritating, and the next second, thick dark clouds, like spilled ink, pressed down directly from the mountaintop.

Boom—!

A muffled clap of thunder boomed deep in the clouds, followed by a torrent of large raindrops pelting down.

The rain came suddenly and fiercely.

It wasn't the kind of gentle drizzle, but rather like the Milky Way bursting its banks, the rain forming lines that wove a vast white net, instantly enveloping the entire back mountain.

"Holy crap! It's raining! Run!"

"My clothes! My clothes are still hanging outside!"

"Don't push me, senior! Ouch, someone stepped on my foot!"

The young Taoist priests who were practicing their skills or strolling around the square were instantly thrown into an uproar.

One by one, they covered their heads, grabbed the hems of their Taoist robes, and swarmed into the corridors and under the eaves like hornets whose nest had been disturbed.

In the chaotic crowd.

Chen Duo stood still.

When the first drop of cold rain hit her forehead, her body stiffened abruptly.

The pupils suddenly contracted.

That wasn't rain.

In her subconscious, this was a danger signal.

Survival rule number seventeen in the bunker: If you encounter extreme weather during an outdoor mission, you must immediately find cover.

Getting caught in the rain can cause your body temperature to drop.

A drop in body temperature can lead to a decrease in immunity.

A weakened immune system increases the risk of the venom getting out of control.

Once it gets out of control...

It was electric shocks, solitary confinement, Uncle Liao's disappointed eyes, and the isolation room filled with the smell of disinfectant.

run.

We have to run.

Chen Duo's breathing became rapid, her leg muscles tensed, and with a sudden burst of power from her feet, she instantly arrived under the eaves of the corridor.

As soon as she stopped, she saw it under the old crooked tree less than ten meters away from her.

Zhang Taichu was wearing that faded Taoist robe, his hands tucked into his sleeves, his head tilted back, letting the torrential rain pelt him.

Rainwater streamed down his hair, across his cheeks, and dripped into his collar.

But the expression on his face was neither panicked nor embarrassed.

Or is it a kind of...enjoyment?

Chen Duo was stunned.

Why didn't you dodge?

Rainwater is harmful.

Getting wet will make you sick.

If you get sick, you're considered a defective product.

This is the logic ingrained in her bones, the truth she has relied on for survival for more than a decade.

But Master... what is he doing?

The Taoist priests who were running around to take shelter from the rain all stared wide-eyed as they passed by Zhang Taichu.

"Grand Uncle! Why aren't you taking shelter from the rain?"

"Is my grand-uncle seeking enlightenment?"

"Stop guessing! Run! The rain is too heavy!"

No one dared to pull him away, and no one dared to ask him anything.

Everyone regarded him as a highly accomplished and eccentric master.

"Master."

Chen Duo called out.

The sound was faint, and it was swallowed up by thunder and rain as soon as it was uttered.

But Zhang Taichu heard it.

He turned around.

He was soaked to the bone, his Taoist robe clung tightly to his body, and his hair was draped in strands over his forehead, making him look like a drowned rat.

But he smiled broadly, revealing a set of bright white teeth.

"Why are you hiding there?"

Zhang Taichu wiped the rain off his face and waved to Chen Duo:

"come out."

Chen Duo shrank back a little.

"You will...get sick."

She pointed to the dark clouds in the sky, then to her own body:

"Uncle Liao said we shouldn't get caught in the rain."

"Who is Uncle Liao?"

Zhang Taichu asked the question knowingly, his tone carrying a hint of disdain:

"The guy who locked you in a cage and taught you how to be an obedient monster?"

"Uncle Liao isn't here."

"There's no cage either."

"Only rain."

Zhang Taichu lifted his foot and stomped hard into the puddle filled with water.

Snapped!

Mud and water splashed everywhere.

It splashed all over him, and a few drops also landed on Chen Duo's clean new Taoist robe.

"See, no one will die."

Zhang Taichu pointed to the mud spots:

"This thing isn't poisonous."

"When it rains, you have to get wet; when it's hot, you have to take off your clothes; when you're hungry, you eat; when you're sleepy, you sleep."

"That's what makes a person human."

"Like a mouse hiding under the eaves, watching God rage but daring not to utter a sound."

"That's an idiot."

Chen Duo looked at the pool of murky muddy water.

Looking at my master standing in the rain, soaked to the bone but laughing like a madman.

She looked down at her hands.

Slowly, tentatively, the eaves extended out.

pat.

A raindrop slammed heavily into her palm.

It's cold.

biting.

It still hurts a little bit.

But then, that icy feeling traveled along the nerve endings and instantly spread throughout the body.

No alarm sounded.

The punishment of not having an electric current pass through the body.

No one rushed over to pin her down or give her a sedative.

Nothing happened.

Only rain.

Only the purest and most pristine water in the world.

Chen Duo's fingers trembled slightly.

Then, he gripped it tightly.

She caught that raindrop.

In that instant, something that had been suppressed for over a decade finally erupted.

Screw the rules.

Screw the health regulations.

To hell with the Gu-body Saint Child.

Chen Duo raised her head, and a fire ignited in her eyes, which had always carried a hint of timidity and confusion.

That was the fire of rebellion.

It is the fire of life.

Whoosh!

A figure in blue suddenly burst out from under the eaves.

Without any hesitation.

There were no reservations.

The heavy rain instantly engulfed Chen Duo.

The icy rainwater seeped in through the collar, making the loose Taoist robe feel incredibly heavy.

My hair was wet and stuck to my face, blurring my vision.

But Chen Duo felt...

Cool.

So cool.

The feeling of every pore on your body being opened up, greedily breathing in the cold air.

That feeling of skin directly touching the majesty of heaven and earth.

It made her feel like she had truly come back to life.

"ah--!!!"

Chen Duo spread her arms, tilted her head back, and screamed at the booming thunder.

This time it's not about venting fear.

Rather, it was for provocation.

She's defying this damn God.

It's also a provocation to the self that could only live in a sterile room.

She was running in the rain.

Running aimlessly.

The cloth shoes underfoot made a squelching sound as they stepped into the mud.

She slipped and fell.

He lay face down in the mud, and the blue Taoist robe he had just put on, which represented his new identity, instantly turned grayish-black.

Its face was covered in mud, making it look like a wild monkey that had crawled out of a mud puddle.

But she didn't get up to check if she was injured.

Instead, it rolled over and lay directly in the mud.

He let the rain wash over his muddy face.

"Hahaha……"

Laughter spilled from her mouth.

Mixed with rainwater, it appeared somewhat indistinct.

"Master!"

Chen Duo rolled around in the mud, then suddenly got up and shouted at Zhang Taichu, who was not far away:

"Look!"

"I'm dirty!"

"I'm covered in mud!"

She raised her hands, covered in black mud, as if displaying some kind of medal, with a proud expression.

Zhang Taichu stood there.

Looking at his apprentice, who was frolicking and rolling around in the rain, completely unrecognizable as human.

His eyes were very gentle.

It's like watching your own child who has just learned to walk, trips and falls, but doesn't cry.

"It's dirty, so it's dirty."

Zhang Taichu wiped the water from his face and shouted loudly:

"Won't it be clean after washing?"

"Run two more laps!"

"Let's make up for all the rain we've seen over the past ten years!"

"good!"

Chen Duo responded loudly.

She started running again.

This time, she ran faster and more wildly.

She twirled around in the square.

She kicked at the puddles, watching the murky water splash several meters high.

She even tried to catch the raindrops falling from the sky.

Several old Taoist priests hiding in the corridor watched this scene, stroking their beards and shaking their heads.

"They've gone mad, they've gone mad."

"It's bad enough that Junior Brother Taichu has gone mad, but how come this newly accepted disciple has also gone mad?"

"This isn't a cultivator, this is simply... this is..."

"He's just a child."

The oldest Taoist priest sighed, interrupting the others:

"You old folks, you've cultivated Taoism your whole lives, yet you're not as wise as a little girl."

"Rain falls and soaks me, yet I remain unmoved; my heart aligns with heaven and earth, and the earth itself finds peace."

"Let her be."

I don't know how much time passed.

The rain gradually subsided.

The thunder rolled to the distant mountains, leaving only a muffled echo.

Chen Duo finally couldn't run anymore.

She stopped, bracing herself on her knees with her hands, and gasped for breath.

His chest heaved violently.

His entire body was soaked, and the Taoist robe looked like a heavy sheet of iron hanging on his body.

cold.

After the heat dissipates from strenuous exercise, a biting chill begins to invade the body.

Chen Duo shuddered, and her teeth began to chatter involuntarily.

"Achoo!"

A loud sneeze.

She sniffed, feeling like snot was about to drip from her nose.

Just then.

A thick, warm robe suddenly descended from the sky and draped over her.

It was a large Taoist robe overcoat.

Although the surface was a little wet, the inside was dry and warm.

The whole world fell silent instantly.

The sound of rain was shut out.

The biting chill was dispelled by the faint warmth, carrying the scent of soap and sunshine.

Chen Duo was stunned for a moment.

She lifted a corner of her robe and looked up.

Zhang Taichu had already walked up to her without her noticing.

He was only wearing a thin inner garment; the Taoist robe that he had originally worn on the outside was now wrapped around Chen Duo.

"Did you have a good run?"

Zhang Taichu reached out and flicked her mud-covered forehead:

"Go back now that you've had your fun."

"Look at you, you look like a mud monkey."

Chen Duo wrapped her robe tighter around herself.

She looked at the man in front of her, who was only wearing a thin shirt and looked rather frail in the wind and rain.

My nose suddenly felt a little sore.

It's not because of the cold.

It wasn't because of a cold.

Rather, it's because...

This robe is very warm.

Back in the old bunker, after getting caught in the rain, there would be a heater, hot towels, and ginger soup.

That's the procedure.

This is a necessary step in maintaining the instrument.

But no one ever took off their clothes and covered her with them.

"Master..."

Chen Duo sniffed, her voice muffled:

"It's so cool."

"Cool my ass."

Zhang Taichu glared at her irritably, then grabbed her head, which was wrapped in a robe, and rubbed it hard.

"If it gets any cooler, I'll be burning up like an idiot by tomorrow morning."

"I'm gone."

"Go back and take a hot shower."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the dilapidated courtyard.

He took two steps, then stopped and looked back at Chen Duo, who was still standing there dumbfounded:

"What are you still standing there for?"

"Waiting for the rain to stop so mushrooms can grow?"

"Also, when you get back, make me drink three big bowls of ginger soup."

"If you take one less bite, I'll throw you back into the mud pit."

Chen Duo watched that figure from behind.

That wasn't particularly broad or thick, and its gait was a bit unsteady, but in the wind and rain, it stood as steady as a mountain.

She suddenly laughed.

Even though my face was covered in mud, my hair was a mess like a bird's nest, and I was shivering with cold.

But that smile was even purer than a rainbow after the rain.

"They're here!"

Chen Duo shouted.

She wrapped her oversized, floor-length robe tighter around herself, and, like a clumsy penguin, waddled after him through the muddy ground.

It's still raining.

But it's no longer scary.

Only a fool would seek shelter from the rain.

A smart person knows that someone will hold an umbrella for you, or... drape a robe over your shoulders.