As the storm approached, most of my classmates were surprisingly excited. Only someone like me, born in the mountains, knew what it meant. If it rained heavily for several days, we might be stranded here. If the soil on the hillside where our tent was pitched wasn't solid enough, we might even face a landslide. Moreover, in such a place, caves were everywhere, and in a heavy rain, water would gush from all directions. I couldn't fathom who had suggested that we come here to play.

However, all of that was the least of my worries. The heavy rain pounded the tent, and everyone rushed inside. My玄黄旗 (Xuan Huang Flag) in my Dantian seemed even more restless. I had a faint feeling that the flag absorbed the energy of lightning and storm to thrive, and this could explain why it was always so unsettled during thunderstorms.

I had always been a bit of an outsider in the class, so I didn’t care about the surprised looks from Cao Kui, Cheng Fan, and two other classmates in the same tent. I sat cross-legged, closed my eyes, and began to calm and communicate with the flag. As soon as my consciousness met the flag, a strange sensation enveloped me, almost like being transported into another space.

To be precise, it felt like I was outside the tent.

My body remained inside, eyes closed in meditation, but my perception was fully immersed in the outside world. The thunder and rain surrounded me. I could see every lightning strike, feel the speed of each thunderclap, and even touch each raindrop. The wind brushed by, and my mind became extraordinarily clear in that moment.

Suddenly, it felt as though the lightning and thunder were rushing toward me. But instead of fear, I felt joy, like drinking sweet rain. After a while, I felt a bit exhausted and opened my eyes. With a slight breath, the energy within me surged, and the Xuan Huang Flag emitted a faint, soothing light. It seemed my cultivation had made some progress, and the energy in my Dantian was beginning to take a liquid form.

"Not bad, kid. When did you learn Qi Gong?"

I snapped back to reality and saw four classmates, particularly Cao Kui, watching me curiously.

Qi Gong? Yeah, I guess it did look like I was practicing Qi Gong.

"I’ve been practicing since I was young. Pretty impressive, huh? Did you see the smoke coming from me earlier? Ha!" I joked, though I was secretly worried about any unusual external manifestations during my practice. Seeing their faces, it didn’t seem like they’d noticed anything unusual.

"Pfft! You're just showing off. You were just sitting there for an hour." Cheng Fan said in disbelief, and the other two nodded in agreement.

Huh? An hour? I felt like it was only a moment. Sweat! Why was it so quiet outside? Just as I was wondering, a scream came from outside.

"Wow, the rain stopped! Come look!"

"Such a beautiful scene!"

"Look, a rainbow!"

We all went outside. When I stood up, I accidentally dropped the little bird, which had been sleeping on my leg. I hadn’t noticed it at all—turns out, the little guy had been napping while I was meditating.

After the storm, the air was crisp and fresh. The sky was an unimaginable shade of blue, pure and spotless. The rainbow appeared, arching gracefully over the mountains, forming a natural bridge across the gorge. The mountains, washed by the rain, revealed their true beauty.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

I stepped out of the tent, breathing in the fresh air, my mood lifted to its peak.

Because of the rain, the creek in the medicinal water valley had risen a bit and was now a little murky. On the opposite side of the gorge, a cave began to emit a gush of water with a thunderous roar.

The class leaders, ever diligent, checked the numbers and counted the supplies. Fortunately, everything seemed fine. But due to the rising water in the creek, we couldn’t find enough clean water, meaning we’d have to rely on the food we brought. The planned bonfire night seemed unlikely.

As the sun set, the evening glow was beautiful, and everyone was taking in the scenery, leaving behind the stress of studies and the hustle and bustle of the city. This place was truly beautiful.

Noticing that I was standing a little farther from the group, my cousin came over and asked, “What’s up with the talisman you gave me? Didn’t my dad say the Zhang family should stay away from the Yin-Yang business? Why are you still drawing those ghost talismans?”

I responded bluntly, “Really? You used to draw talismans too, and you’ve seen how Grandpa used to draw them. Do you really think the talisman I gave you is the same as those?”

"Well, we’re family, but you’re always reading those strange books at school. How do you explain that to Uncle? Don’t you care about the people who care about you? Think about it, okay?" My cousin said, then turned and walked away.

He called me “older brother”—I almost couldn’t believe it. The beautiful surroundings seemed to have softened his mood. It had been years since he last called me that.

After he left, I saw Zhang Yu, Wu Xiaoman, and the English teacher walking toward me.

Should I avoid them? After a moment of thought, I decided, as a Cultivator, who should I fear? Pretending I didn’t see them, I began playing with my little bird. I decided to give it a name—Xiao Fei.

“Zhang San Tong, this bird is so cute! Can you give it to me?” the English teacher said, always cheerful and straightforward.

I replied, “It’s not just a bird, it’s Xiao Fei.”

“Xiao Fei? Well, whatever you call it, it’s still just a bird, hehe!”

I insisted, “It’s Xiao Fei, not just a bird.” Even though I knew I might sound a little unreasonable, I couldn’t help myself.

Perhaps due to the advancement of my cultivation, I noticed a subtle, dark aura around Xiaoman’s brows. My heart skipped a beat. That dark energy was strangely active, though Xiaoman seemed unaware of it, with only a pale complexion as a sign.

I suddenly felt a chill in my body. It reminded me of the terrain we had passed through since entering the gorge, most of which had deep ravines and stagnant water. Now that we had reached this place, I noticed there were more black holes in the surrounding mountains, pointing directly at this spot. The place seemed to be an auspicious location for a deadly curse. When I was a child, I had been forced to learn Feng Shui, and although I wasn’t an expert, I understood a few things.

"Zhang San Tong, what are you thinking? Tell us about those talismans you’ve been drawing. They seem so cool!" Zhang Yu asked, noticing I was deep in thought and scanning the surroundings.

To confirm my suspicions, I didn’t pay attention to their questions. I ignored their growing impatience and ran over to my cousin, pulling him out of the group.

“Fuhong, don’t get mad, but take a look at the surroundings. Doesn’t this place have the aura of a ‘Xuan Yin Killing Curse’?”

My cousin paused for a moment, then carefully scanned the area before saying, “Now that you mention it, it does seem like it. But what does that have to do with us?”

My cousin had always been sharp. When he said that, I was even more certain. I sighed and said, “Remember the dry corpse incident at the playground? Who was the first to notice?”

He froze for a moment, his face changing color. He blurted out, “Wu Xiaoman?”

Damn! Why did he say that so loudly? I quickly turned and saw that everyone was staring at us with suspicion. Particularly Xiaoman’s gaze, which made my cousin and me feel embarrassed.

“Tell me, what’s your relationship with Wu Xiaoman?” My cousin asked anxiously.

I replied seriously, “Her brows are tainted with a dark aura. She’s been possessed. Now that we’re in this place with such heavy Yin energy, what do you think will happen?” After all, both my cousin and I were from a Yin-Yang family, and he understood what I meant. At least I wasn’t speaking to deaf ears.