Chapter 36

Chapter 36

The storm seemed to intensify. "Boom!" Another clap of thunder, and the downpour grew heavier, the water beneath Shen Muyun's feet gradually rising above his knees. The once shallow stream beside him now surged menacingly over its banks.

Shen Muyun's umbrella had long been shredded by the gale. The fierce wind, laden with violent rain, chilled him to the bone.

"Host Master, the wind is too strong. You should find shelter quickly."

Shen Muyun's eyes were streaked with red, his gaze turning grim. "System, didn't you tell me to win over Lu Huainan? Where is he now? Tell me."

The roar of rain and thunder drowned out Shen Muyun's voice. The path ahead grew increasingly muddy. A section that had been a gravel road was now completely washed away. He groped his way forward in the darkness, stumbling and tripping along another route, occasionally feeling a sharp pain underfoot and nearly losing his balance.

Shen Muyun felt a pang of unease. How could it be? Impossible. How could he have developed feelings for Lu Huainan?

The system's wings flickered, and it vanished into the rainy night. Shen Muyun continued forward. Before falling asleep, he had vaguely heard that Lu Huainan was heading to the village chief's house. This direction seemed correct.

Looking ahead at the bridge, he saw that most of it had collapsed. The wooden planks simply couldn't withstand such heavy rain.

"Young man, don't go any further! Ahead is the Baitou River. The water there is raging and might turn into a flood!"

A villager tightly grabbed Shen Muyun's arm. How could he not go? What if Lu Huainan was ahead?

Shen Muyun shook off the villager's hand without looking back. "I understand, but my companion might be ahead. I have to check on him."

Shen Muyun stepped on the broken wooden planks. No, it was impossible to cross the river here.

"Run! Mudslide!"

A shout from behind suddenly snapped Shen Muyun back to his senses. A mudslide? "Lu Huainan! Where are you?"

The rain mercilessly drowned out his voice. Memories from before his transmigration commanded his actions. No matter what, he had to survive to find Lu Huainan.

Shen Muyun glanced back at the bridge, then looked up. Many villagers were scrambling up the cliffs on either side—those areas seemed relatively stable.

Gritting his teeth, Shen Muyun pushed forward, grabbing onto a nearby tree trunk. Unexpectedly, the trunk wasn't sturdy. Once again, he felt weightless, just like that day by the pool.

But then he felt a powerful push. "Don't look back! Keep moving forward!"

Before Shen Muyun could see who had pushed him, he stepped onto a solid rock. Meanwhile, mud and branches instantly washed away the path where he had just been.

Shen Muyun's heart raced. It couldn't be. Wasn't Lu Huainan the male lead? He couldn't be in danger. Something inside him felt like it was about to burst out—an uncontrollable sensation he had never experienced before.

"Whew, thank goodness, thank goodness. It's fortunate that Host Master is safe."

Shen Muyun paused for a moment, then turned around. Behind him stood a tall, slender man wearing ink-black Hanfu, with a cinnabar mole at the corner of his eye and vertical pupils. Who... was this?

The man waved at him. "Well, Host Master, don't be so surprised. This is my true form. I only revealed it because I detected you were in danger. I had no choice..."

Shen Muyun couldn't bother with that now. His mind was filled with thoughts of Lu Huainan's smile. Where exactly was he?

"System, have you found Lu Huainan?"

The man shrugged and waved his hand. "Not yet. I only know that after Lu Huainan left the village chief's house, he headed back to the guesthouse along this road. But I didn't encounter him along the way. I don't know..."

Shen Muyun didn't want to hear any more. This wasn't right. Lu Huainan couldn't just disappear. He must be hiding somewhere. He seemed to know the terrain here well.

The sky gradually brightened, and the rain seemed to let up a bit. Just as Shen Muyun was about to climb down, a sharp, unbearable pain shot through his ankle. It hurt terribly, but thinking of Lu Huainan, he gritted his teeth and jumped onto a rock below.

"Host Master, slow down! It's still uncertain whether it's safe here! Host! Host Master!"

The man anxiously followed Shen Muyun. "Host Master, don't rush. I'm the system. As long as the main quest is still active, it means Lu Huainan is safe. He's just hiding somewhere."

Shen Muyun quickly took out his phone. How could he have forgotten about this? He checked—no signal, as expected. The village was in a shambles, with electric poles lying across the road and several trees fallen. But looking up, he could see the tree at the village entrance, utterly unmoved. Had it become a spirit?

Shen Muyun continued downward. The rain had lightened, but his clothes were clingy and uncomfortable. He tugged at his clothes, feeling waves of chills and fever. His body was truly too weak.

Seeing villagers moving rocks below, Shen Muyun approached and asked, "Excuse me, sir, have you seen the person who came to the village with me?"

The man looked up at Shen Muyun, shook his head, and continued with his work.

Shen Muyun walked a few more steps forward and saw the elder he had met the day before. "Master, wait!"

The elder paused and stopped, waiting for Shen Muyun to limp toward him.

"Master, have you seen the person who was with me yesterday?"

The elder shook his head. "I haven't, but I feel he might be near the well over there. However, the road there collapsed, and it's impassable for now."

Shen Muyun was startled. Without another thought, he immediately jogged toward the well, his ankle throbbing with pain. He didn't understand why he was so concerned.

Approaching the ancient well, he found that the mudslide had completely blocked the area. There was no way through.

Shen Muyun sat on a nearby rock, steadying himself. He reminded himself not to panic—panicking wouldn't help find anyone.

He glanced at the pile of soil and noticed something familiar buried beneath the mud.

Shen Muyun hurried over and dug a few times with his bare hands. A phone—it was Lu Huainan's phone. How could it be here? Shen Muyun panicked instantly. No, it couldn't be. Lu Huainan was fine.

"System, do you have any tools? Nothing that could hurt anyone."

The system fluttered its wings uneasily. "Host Master, I only have a shovel, and it requires points. Besides, if we use a shovel, what if..."

"Shut up! Can't you be useful? You can take human form, right? Help me dig here. It can't be. Lu Huainan can't be in danger."

The system's screen flickered. "Respected Host Master, I'm truly sorry. I only took human form because you were in danger, and that consumes our system's points. So..."

"So what? You're just a useless system! Get lost!"

Shen Muyun nearly lost his mind. He stared at the pile of soil and began digging with his hands, tirelessly clawing at the dirt while muttering, "It can't be. It can't be. Lu Huainan, such a brilliant person—how could he be buried?"

Nearby rescue workers, seeing Shen Muyun's state, grabbed his arm. "Sir, this area is too dangerous. There might be secondary disasters. The rain hasn't stopped yet. Please cooperate with us and evacuate immediately."

Shen Muyun, his eyes red, stared at the rescue workers like a madman and roared, "He's not under there! Your tools—!" He pointed at an excavator nearby. "You'll hurt him! Only I won't! I need to keep digging! All of you, get away! Get lost!"

Shen Muyun completely lost control, mindlessly attacking everyone around him like a wild beast.

"Sir, please calm down. We've used life detection equipment here. There are no signs of life."

Shen Muyun's mind went blank. Something salty and bitter streaked down his cheeks. No signs of life? But Lu Huainan's phone was here. No, it couldn't be. It couldn't be true.

Shen Muyun let out a low growl and threw himself onto the pile of soil, digging even more frantically. "No! Lu Huainan, where are you? Where are you? You're not under here, right?"

Shen Muyun's ten fingers were stained blood red, and streaks of blood seeped into the dirt. As he dug, he saw a piece of fabric—white, a fragment...

Shen Muyun recalled Lu Huainan's clothes—no, this wasn't his garment, it couldn't be. No way. His clothes were white, but this one definitely wasn't.

A rescue worker nearby gripped Shen Muyun's arm firmly. "Sir, the rescue team needs to carry out organized digging operations. If you stay here, even our equipment... it will delay the rescue efforts."

Shen Muyun felt tears blurring his vision. Where did they come from? It couldn't be. The person who was so lively just yesterday, the one who had his arm around my shoulder, laughing and chatting just last night—how could this be happening? What's happening? It was impossible.

"You, let go of me! He'll be fine!"

Shen Muyun used all his strength to break free from the person restraining him.

"Sir, you are interfering with rescue operations. Our intention is to rescue, so please cooperate with our work."

Shen Muyun paid no attention to such matters and tugged fiercely at the piece of clothing in front of him. With a "rip..." sound, the torn fabric shredded. He looked at the white scrap in his hand and shook his head. He thought, "It's not him. This is just a piece of rag."

Shen Muyun felt dizzy, and the pile of earth ahead seemed to appear doubled. No, he couldn't collapse now. How could he collapse?

He continued digging frantically at the mound before him. "Lu Huainan, get out here! Where are you? Why aren't you answering me? You promised you'd invite me to your birthday party, didn't you? It's your thirtieth birthday—I even prepared a gift!"

Shen Muyun's voice echoed, surrounded by the clamor of the scene, but there was still no answer from Lu Huainan.

"Lu Huainan, where are you?"