Rain poured from the sky in sheets.
Dark clouds blanketed the heavens. Distant mountain ranges stretched into the distance, merging into a single mass of ink.
A curtain of rain wove heaven and earth together.
Crack!
The sky suddenly blazed white. A bolt of lightning like a silver serpent sliced across the heavens, then vanished without a trace.
Summer was approaching, and this late-spring downpour seemed to carry a hint of summer's intensity.
On Qing Mao Mountain, vast swathes of green spear bamboo stood tall and proud, braving the wind and rain, their stalks still straight as lances, their tips pointed at the sky.
In Guye Stockade, countless stilted buildings stood in tight rows, bowing their heads to endure the hammering of rain. Outside the stockade, the merchant caravan had already resumed its journey.
"The rain's getting heavier — watch the road!"
"Don't fall behind! Gu Masters, keep your Gu insects under control, especially the Fat Armored Insects — don't get stuck on the mountain path!"
"You martial warriors, keep your eyes open and look after the goods. Lose a single item, and you'll answer for it!"
Shouts rose and fell throughout the caravan.
After a three-day stay at Guye Stockade, the caravan departed, following the mountain trail of Qing Mao Mountain toward its next destination.
Rain lashed heaven and earth. The roads around the stockade were paved with cobblestones, which made things somewhat manageable. But five hundred meters out, the path turned into a muddy, narrow mountain trail.
The proud camel chickens had their heads hung low, their vivid plumage soaked through and clumped together, turning them into drowning chickens in the truest sense.
The Fat Armored Insects wriggled their enormous bodies forward at a sluggish pace. Rain struck their black carapaces and streamed down in rivulets to the ground on either side.
The furry Mountain Big Spiders were also drenched, their dark greenish-black hairs all matted together.
The Toad Gu, on the other hand, croaked happily as they hopped along the mountain, carrying cargo and Gu Masters alike.
The Winged Snakes had already folded their wings. Their thick bodies slithered merrily through the mud and water.
To protect the goods from the rain, the Gu Masters each displayed their abilities.
On several of the massive, bloated Fat Armored Insects, Gu Masters stood near the center. Their arms were raised high, and hovering one inch above each palm floated a Yi Qi Jin Guang Chong.
Bronze True Essence surged like mist, channeled into the bodies of the Yi Qi Jin Guang Chong. The Gu insects blazed with golden light like glowing beans. Using this as a center point, they projected an enormous pale golden energy dome.
The hemispherical dome covered a considerable area. Beyond completely shielding a Fat Armored Insect, it still had room to spare.
When raindrops struck the dome, they were all deflected away, as if bouncing off an umbrella.
However, the Yi Qi Jin Guang Chong consumed True Essence continuously, and after a prolonged period, a First Transformation Gu Master could not keep it up.
Sure enough, before long, one Gu Master called out, "I can't hold on any longer — my True Essence is nearly depleted! Who can take over for me?"
"I will!" Almost instantly, another Gu Master rushed over to replace him.
Some Gu Masters who were pulling carts or riding Mountain Big Spiders activated the Qing Si Gu within their bodies.
Under the power of the Qing Si Gu, the Gu Masters' hair grew wildly out of control.
A normal person had at least a hundred thousand strands of hair. Each strand extended to five or six meters in length. The hairs intertwined and wove together, wrapping around the Gu Master's body and the riding Gu beneath them, forming a temporary rainproof cloak of black hair.
The Qing Si Gu was a First Transformation Gu insect, commonly used by Gu Masters for defense against physical blows. It required a one-time expenditure of thirty percent of one's Bronze True Essence, unlike the Yi Qi Jin Guang Chong's need for continuous output.
If the Qing Si Gu were refined together with a First Transformation Black Pig Gu, it would advance into a Second Transformation Hei Zong Gu.
When the Hei Zong Gu was activated, it was not merely the hair — every hair on the body could turn thick and black. Within a few breaths, a coat of black bristle armor would grow over the Gu Master's body.
If the Hei Zong Gu continued to advance, it could become the renowned Gang Zong Gu among Third Transformation Gu insects.
In addition to the Yi Qi Jin Guang Chong and the Qing Si Gu, many Gu Masters in the caravan had chosen the Shui Zhu Gu. These Gu Masters could be seen wearing a thin layer of pale blue water armor over their bodies.
On the surface of the water armor, water constantly flowed and swirled. Raindrops that struck the armor were immediately absorbed into it.
As the Gu Masters continued to stand in the rain, their water armor grew thicker and thicker. Every so often, a Gu Master would activate the Shui Zhu Gu to expel the excess water from the armor. At that point, the thick layer would shrink back down to its original thin film.
As for the mortal martial warriors, they rushed back and forth on the muddy road, tending to the goods. Most wore straw raincoats, but in the chaos, the raincoats were of limited use — they were all soaked through to the bone.
"This wretched weather!" The warriors cursed bitterly in their hearts.
Rainy days made the mountain roads even harder to traverse.
In weather like this, no matter how strong a martial warrior might be, they were still mortal in the end. Drenched from head to toe and pushed to the limit of exhaustion, they could easily catch a severe chill. Falling gravely ill would be the lighter consequence — some might develop lasting ailments, and the worst cases would simply be abandoned by the Gu Masters on the roadside.
If they encountered a landslide or rockfall on the mountain trail, or were set upon by wild beasts or Gu insects, they could lose their lives altogether.
Though the caravan was large and boasted many Gu Masters, every journey claimed a significant number of casualties. Mortal warriors suffered the heaviest losses, and even Gu Masters were sometimes killed or wounded.
If the caravan was unlucky enough to cross paths with a large migrating beast herd, total annihilation was entirely possible.
In fact, beyond these natural dangers, there were also human ones.
Not every stockade along the route welcomed the arrival of a merchant caravan. Some stockades were known for robbing outsiders.
"We're off — see you next year!" Some Gu Masters, seated atop their Gu insects, turned in their seats and waved goodbye to Guye Stockade.
Outside the stockade gates, a crowd had gathered to watch the caravan depart.