Chapter 234: Second Rain (Part 1)

Because of the stone carvings in the cave, we walked very cautiously, paying attention to every movement in the jungle, afraid of encountering an ambush set by the Queen Mother of the West a thousand years ago.

However, as we went deeper, nothing strange happened; the whole way was uneventful, and we didn't even see any other ruins of the Queen Mother of the West's kingdom. Only the rainforest became denser, with tangled roots and branches covering everything, as if we were moving away from the Queen Mother's palace rather than approaching it. After a while, our eyes grew blurry, and all we could feel was green, twisted vines everywhere, as if we were walking through a bowl of green-moldy dragon whisker noodles.

Only then did I understand the concept of "jungle." The forests I had crossed in Shandong and the Qinling Mountains were practically a tourist trip compared to this; walking a kilometer there, here you might not even advance a hundred meters—it was extremely difficult. Looking at Panzi's sweat-drenched, resolute face, I had no idea how they had endured during their war days.

We continued pushing forward without looking up, until the forest darkened and the canyon walls on both sides became silhouette images, and still we hadn't advanced much distance.

No one in the team spoke anymore; only the sounds of panting and slapping mosquitoes remained.

Fatty was walking in a daze, almost delirious, so he hummed a folk song ahead to keep himself alert, singing "Why Are the Flowers So Red."

"Why are the flowers so red? Why are they so red? Oh, red as if, red as if burning fire." He was the pathfinder at the front of the team, and his singing could also keep us alert—something you couldn't expect Poker-face to do.

But Fatty's singing was really awful, and since he wasn't singing properly, it sounded like he was summoning spirits.

Panzi couldn't stand it anymore and cursed, "Damn it, it's so hot here, can't you sing something cooler?" Fatty said, "What do you know? This is a song from 'Visitors on the Ice Mountain.' When I sing it, I think of the glaciers of Changbai Mountains, and it feels a bit cooler."

Panzi said, "Then why not sing 'The White-Haired Girl'? That's more direct, saves the association." Fatty said, "Damn, you're requesting songs now? You really think I'm a radio station, singing whatever you want to hear? I'm doing you a favor by singing. Cut the crap."

As he was cursing, thunder rumbled in the sky, lightning flickered in the clouds, wind picked up, and raindrops appeared in the air.

We all fell silent, looking up at the sky through the canopy. The dark clouds lit up, as if lightning was gathering inside them, and the clouds pressed down to the top of the canyon. A Ning sighed and said, "Traveling at night and running into wind and rain—it seems the Queen Mother of the West doesn't welcome us. We're in for a rough night."

Fatty said, "Let it pour, let it pour. Hopefully it rains; rain will cool things down. It's so stuffy—" We couldn't help laughing. Panzi cursed, "Then watch your little dick, don't let it get struck by lightning."

Before he finished speaking, the rain really came. At first, a few raindrops hit our faces, but before we could react, a torrential downpour arrived. For a moment, the entire forest seemed to fall silent—all trees mute—then with a crash, the whole canyon roared. Rain lashed in through the gaps in the canopy like whips, almost knocking us down.

We hadn't expected the rain to be so fierce. Caught off guard, we all scattered in panic, covering our heads. Fortunately, we were in the dense forest bottom, surrounded by large trees with thick canopies. One tree had a cover formed by tangled vines. At A Ning's shout, we climbed up to take shelter.

Everyone huddled together, looking as if they had been pulled out of soup. Fatty said, "Damn, this isn't rain at all—this is the Dragon King pissing on our heads."

At that moment, a flash of lightning illuminated the entire canyon. Looking ahead by the lightning, rainwater on one cliff wall had gathered into massive waterfalls pouring down. In the darkness, the rainforest churned, with huge water curtains cascading on both sides, like Moses parting the Red Sea—exceptionally spectacular.