A fine drizzle washed over the mountain forest. Not even a bird’s chirp broke the absolute silence.

Cen An had never taken the path to the bamboo grove before, causing him to pause hesitantly, as if trying to discern the direction.

Behind him, the figure in black robes shifted slightly, fingers twitching as they edged forward cautiously.

Suddenly, Cen An turned his head. His conical hat was pulled low, revealing only a perfectly shaped jawline. “Aren’t you coming out, sir?”

The black-robed figure paused, making no move.

Cen An frowned. Ever since leaving the village, he had sensed someone following him. The feeling was strange, as if enveloped by an odd aura.

He opened his map for a glance. The map wouldn’t show others’ tracks, yet that feeling of being followed wouldn’t dissipate.

Just as he thought he might have misjudged, the bushes behind him rustled, and a figure in black robes emerged.

“It’s you?” Cen An exclaimed in surprise. “Why are you following me?”

The newcomer was none other than Yu Fei.

This peculiar psychic ability user strode up to Cen An. Raindrops fell onto his shabby black cloak but bounced off instantly, leaving it completely dry. He extended his hand, offering something. “For you.”

Cen An looked down. It was a small rabbit woven from grass leaves—a round, plump body, two long ears, and two shiny black grass seeds for eyes. Adorable and full of childlike charm.

Yu Fei’s voice was as flat as a corpse’s. “He said, ‘Yo, Brother Cen, don’t forget me, okay? Remember to come see me, or wait until I’m better, and I’ll come see you. The little rabbit is cute, right?”

Cen An: …

That robotic, monotone ”yo“ and ‘right’ could have been omitted.

”Alright, thanks.“ Cen An tucked the grass rabbit away, not bothering to ask why Yu Fei had followed him for so long just to give him something. ”I’ll visit him when I have time. You can go now.”

Yu Fei spoke again, “I can’t leave.”

Cen An: “What?”

Yu Fei: “We’re surrounded by mutant beasts.”

“Huh?” Just as Cen An was about to respond, a clump of grass rustled at his feet. A slender form with golden patterns slithered out.

A Level 2 gold-patterned snake!

He snapped his head up. The once-quiet mountainside was now filled with rustling sounds as one low-level mutant beast after another emerged from the undergrowth.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Back in the village, Qu Yue and Zhao Wu were munching on radishes with their daughter. Though their little girl hadn’t awakened any special abilities yet, eating radishes priced at four crystal cores each felt a bit wasteful.

But these white radishes were crisp and sweet, tasting almost like fruit. The couple was happy to splurge just to satisfy their child’s craving.

Suddenly, the gate kicked open. Ji Yong’an stood at the entrance, shouting, “Sister Qu, Brother Zhao, come out quickly! The patrol brothers on the mountain say a small beast tide has appeared!”

“What?!” Qu Yue sprang to her feet and strode out. “Did you notify Team Leader Shi? Sound the alarm in the village and surrounding areas! Tell the villagers on the mountain to come back!”

Zhao Wu followed her out. Qu Huihui, ever the responsible one, gathered the remaining radishes and ran inside to close the door.

“All notified,” Ji Yong’an replied urgently. “It’s the rainy season now, so villagers haven’t ventured far. They’re returning gradually. But one patrol brother saw Brother Cen heading deeper into the mountains—he might not have heard the alert.”

“What?!!” Qu Yue was even more agitated than before. “Then go find him! Who saw him? Why didn’t they warn him?!”

“It was Shi’s team who saw him,” Wang Lie rushed over, his baby face serious. “They don’t know Brother Cen well. They just noticed someone heading into the mountains during the rainy season and took a closer look. But they noted the direction. I was just about to lead a team to search.”

Following behind him were the members of the vegetable-buying squad.

“I’m coming with you.” Qu Yue’s face was murderous. “Old Zhao, where’s my seed pouch?”

Zhao Wu pulled a small pouch from his chest and handed it over.

Qu Yue stormed forward. “Let’s go! Damn it, if those mutant beasts dare touch my brother, I’ll burn this mountain to the ground!”

Lost in her worry, she seemed to have forgotten that it was Cen An who had rescued her and her husband from danger back then.

Could it be… that this brother of hers actually possessed the ability to protect himself?

Wang Lie and Zhao Wu immediately led their men to follow.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Deep within the mountain forest, Cen An stared blankly as strange beasts emerged one after another.

Level 1 beasts: sharp-toothed rats, purple-skinned frogs, brown-billed ducks… 

Level 2 beasts: gold-patterned snakes, roaring rabbits, green-haired dogs…

He roughly counted over a dozen types, numbering in the hundreds!

Since his transmigration, the only mutant beast he’d encountered in these woods was the sharp-toothed rat!

Cen An froze. “What… what’s going on?”

Yu Fei replied flatly, “A beast tide.”

After a moment, he added two words: “Small-scale.”

A minor beast tide… Cen An’s mind raced. He had his iron sword and carried an Azure Blast Crystal Pill—survival wasn’t an issue. But could he handle this many beasts…? He wasn’t sure.

Lower-tier beasts weren’t particularly intelligent. Within moments, a purple-skinned frog with a bloated belly hopped toward him.

Its long tongue was incredibly elastic, coated in a slime that held a certain corrosive quality, making it a troublesome foe.

Cen An sensed that peculiar, enveloping aura again. Turning, he saw Yu Fei’s eyes had turned purple—his ability had activated.

The mere Level 1 purple-skinned frog halted instantly. Stretching its webbed claws, it obediently crawled before Yu Fei. It extended its neck to receive a slash, ending its life.

“Get behind me.”

A hoarse voice rang out. Cen An paused before realizing it was addressed to him. “Ah, no need.”

He drew his iron sword.

The iron sword provided an attack bonus, making it effective against any mutant beast below Level 3.

He flipped his hand again, retrieving two Azure Blast Crystal Pills. Turquoise was rare, and the Azure Blast Crystal Pills were limited in quantity, but when needed, they had to be used.

The surrounding mutant beasts were already scrambling to pounce.

Cen An swung his sword, and the corpse of a brown-billed duck fell. A nearby roaring rabbit ran fast, dodging the first strike but not the second, ultimately collapsing to the ground.

Seeing the mutant beasts still swarming densely before him, he flung out an Azure Blast Crystal Pill without hesitation.

Emerald-green smoke exploded through the mountain forest. The mutant beasts enveloped by the mist instantly collapsed unconscious.

Cen An immediately moved in, stabbing each one dead with a single sword thrust.

Yu Fei, who had been about to rush over to assist, froze in surprise. He’d never seen anyone deal with mutant beasts like this… Yet he still used his abilities to lure several mutant beasts over from the other side.

Cen An, however, was preoccupied with another thought. He couldn’t bear to leave the scattered mutant beast corpses behind; he wanted them.

But Yu Fei was right beside him. Sneaking a few into his backpack might work, but any more and he’d surely notice…

But soon, he had no time left to worry about that.

The mutated beasts were overwhelming in number. Though low-level and not particularly dangerous, their sheer quantity was staggering! Cen An and Yu Fei fought for hours, barely managing to eliminate one-fifth of them!

His arm, numb from swinging the sword, was starting to give out. At this rate, he might get injured…

Lost in thought, his sword-raising motion faltered, nearly getting his face pecked by a brown-billed duck lunging at him.

Fortunately, Yu Fei blocked it for him just in time.

“Thanks,” Cen An exhaled in relief, twisting his wrist to dispatch the brown-billed duck.

Yu Fei stood silently in front of him, his expression as impassive as ever, yet somehow radiating an unexpected sense of security.

A sudden realization struck Cen An. Could Yu Fei have sensed he was about to be surrounded by mutant beasts and followed him?

Gritting his teeth, he flipped his hand. Five Azure Blast Crystal Pills clenched between his fingers—time to go big!

Just then, a familiar shout rang out from the distance: “Xiao Cen!”

“Brother Cen, we’re here!”

A thick vine shot through the air, flinging the beast before Cen An away.

Bright fire serpents struck first despite their later arrival, scorching several mutant beasts into writhing on the ground and evaporating much of the air’s moisture.

Ground spikes, water arrows, and iron nails… various abilities arrived as if coordinated.

Cen An looked up, stunned. They had come too? Were they… here for him?

Quyue controlled the vine to pull herself over, grabbing Cen An and inspecting him from head to toe. “How are you, Xiao Cen? Any injuries?”

“No…” Cen An shook his head.

Quyue didn’t wait for his reply, examining him thoroughly before relaxing. “You, going up the mountain alone during the Rainy Period without a word! You scared me to death! And you had to run into a small beast tide! I was so worried…“

”Alone…” Cen An thought to himself, but what about Yu Fei? He turned around, only to find that the black-robed figure who had been beside him moments ago had vanished without a trace.

Judging by Qu Yue’s expression, she hadn’t noticed.

Cen An didn’t expose him, merely smiling apologetically at Qu Yue.

Wang Lie and Zhao Wu also arrived with their men. Wang Lie snapped his fingers, sending a fiery dragon soaring through the air. “Cen, you’re not hurt, right?”

“I’m fine.” Cen An smiled and shook his head. “Thanks for coming to find me. You’ve gone out of your way…”

Wang Lie chuckled, his tone nonchalant. “Look at him—I’ve always admired Brother Cen’s down-to-earth nature.”

The other members of the Ability Squad joined in the laughter. They were seasoned hunters of mutant beasts; a small beast tide posed little danger.

Cen An froze, unsure what they meant.

Wang Lie explained, “Brother Cen, do you realize how much your vegetables help us? They stabilize our abilities when they go haywire! It’s been three hundred years since the Cataclysm, and this is the first time we’ve found something! Even if you sold each vegetable for a thousand or ten thousand crystal cores, we’d have to take it.”

“But you? You act like you’re selling regular produce—two or three crystal cores per load, pushing a whole cart over for us to pick from. You’re like a golden Buddha now. We’re scrambling to worship you, not let anything happen to you!”

“Exactly!”

The squad members chimed in cheerfully, their agreement unmistakable.

Cen An blushed slightly at such blunt praise for the first time. “It’s not like that…”

“Enough, enough.” Seeing his embarrassment, Qu Yue waved her hand. “Get to work! Finish up and head home!”

The group immediately sprang into action with renewed vigor.

Cen An didn’t hold back with the Azure Blast Crystal Pill in his hand, tossing it out one after another.

Though the squad members didn’t show it, many possessed only Level 1 or 2 abilities, making the fight far from easy.

Their advantage lay in seamless coordination and deep familiarity with the mutant beasts.

With the Azure Blast Crystal Pill, however, things changed. Green smoke drifted through the air, knocking the mutant beasts unconscious in droves. All that remained was to finish them off one by one.

Thanks to Cen An’s boost, what had been expected to be a battle lasting several hours ended in just an hour and a half.

Ji Yong’an, participating in a beast tide cleanup for the first time, was thrilled. “Brother Cen, what’s that green ball of yours? It’s so useful!”

Before Cen An could think of a response, Wang Lie kicked the young man, whose mouth was faster than his brain. “Ask, ask, ask! You’re such a chatterbox!”

Ji Yong’an didn’t seem to mind. Rubbing his sore butt, he chuckled, “Fine, fine, I won’t ask anymore. I’m off to tally up our haul!”