A huge shoutout to GreenKiTea for the Kofi. Enjoy the bonus chapter, and thank you for the support!

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Early the next morning, Cen An was awakened by the patter of light rain.

The rain had finally come down, though thankfully it wasn’t heavy. Outside, it fell in a fine, dense mist, drifting indoors as soft, delicate threads.

Beautiful though it was, it was truly a nuisance.

Cen An immediately got up, gathered the dry grass, and spread it out in a spot sheltered from the rain. He lit a fire to warm it.

He also pushed the bamboo bed a bit to the side to keep it from getting wet.

He quickly prepared a simple breakfast, eating while considering his plans for the day.

The rain shelter was essential, but there was no point heading to the small market. It was obvious no one would set up outdoor stalls in the rain.

Another immediate problem was that he had no rain gear.

He only had the clothes on his back. Getting them wet meant no change of clothes, and with his limited medicine supply, getting sick would be disastrous.

He did have recipes for an umbrella and a straw raincoat, but he lacked the materials.

He might as well open the recipe page and flip through them one by one.

“Huh? This has waterproof properties, too? Never mind, I’ll just make it and see.” The young man perked up and dashed out into the rain toward the courtyard.

In the corner of the yard sat a pile of bright feathers—the chicken feathers he’d plucked yesterday.

Though drenched by the rain, it didn’t matter—once crafted into an item, the system would refresh its status.

He carried the feathers indoors, then gathered six dry grass stalks and twisted them into two thin ropes. The preparations were complete.

Cen An opened the recipe for the [Feather Hat] and clicked “Craft.”

Feathers fluttered wildly, tangling with the two thin grass ropes… Moments later, a brand-new feather hat landed in Cen An’s hands.

Cen An: …

It was… kind of ugly.

Tiny down feathers were woven together with the thin grass ropes, forming the shape of a large hat. Colorful tail feathers were arranged like roof tiles on top, with a fringe of feather tips drooping down around the brim. At the very top, three large red feathers were stuck in the left, center, and right positions, swaying in the breeze.

Cen An was certain that wearing this hat in a crowd would guarantee 100% attention.

Fortunately, he was headed for the mountains.

The young man impassively pulled the hat over his head.

It wasn’t actually as hideous as he’d imagined.

He possessed naturally handsome, refined features, his expression always gentle, his demeanor polite and graceful, as serene as a breeze. With the colorful feather cap on, his entire appearance became vividly vibrant, like a watercolor painting suddenly coming to life.

The pheasant feathers offered limited waterproofing—the hat’s 【waterproof attribute】 was only 60%. It would soak through eventually, so Cen An planned to work quickly.

He’d already asked Qu Yue yesterday and learned that the broad leaves grew on the eastern hills. Grabbing his basket, he headed straight for the eastern hills.

On rainy days, fewer villagers ventured out to gather. As Cen An plunged into the eastern hills, something seemed startled by his presence, scurrying away with a rustle.

He instinctively turned back, catching sight of a slender brown tail. Only then did he realize it was a rain lizard.

Rain lizards weren’t mutant beasts; they only appeared on rainy days. Their purpose was to guide players to the Green Cloud Mushroom.

This precious mushroom, when made into medicine, could dispel negative status effects.

Cen An hesitated only briefly before deciding to search for broad leaves first. Without shelter tonight, one Green Cloud Mushroom might not be enough to counter his negative status.

Fortunately, finding broad leaves proved easy—the eastern hillsides were covered in broadleaf trees.

He picked a suitable one, raised his axe, and began chopping.

【Obtained Broad Leaves x3】

【Obtained Broad Leaves x2】

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

After chopping ten leaves, he paused briefly before turning his attention to the vines.

Water was already seeping through his feathered cap, urging him to work faster.

The vines proved tough and resilient, making cutting difficult. Cen An calculated the number needed for the rain shelter and stopped after cutting six.

With some food still at home, he decided to head down the mountain.

Perhaps fortune had turned, for on his descent, he spotted another rain lizard.

… Ignoring it would be rather rude.

Cen An lifted his foot and gave chase.

The rain lizard darted away at the sight of him, but its speed was limited. Cen An followed its zigzagging path and indeed discovered a green-glowing mushroom in an extremely hidden spot.

【Acquired Green Cloud Mushroom x1】

Cen An carefully tucked the Green Cloud Mushroom into his backpack. Just as he was about to leave, a gust swept overhead. Something landed with a thud, legs splayed, its white hair spilling across the ground.

He dodged to the side. The fallen figure was… a person?

A peculiar, blood-tinged stench wafted out, dampened by the rain curtain, damp and cloying, utterly repulsive.

Suppressing his nausea, Cen An glanced back. Another figure had landed beside him, this one standing upright. A familiar voice spoke: “Is that you?”

Cen An looked up. It was the dog owner.

Compared to ordinary courtyards, this deep mountain forest seemed far more suited to him. His sharp features held a wild edge, and as the rain approached him, it parted automatically, leaving him completely dry.

This man’s supernatural abilities were undoubtedly formidable.

Cen An’s heart tightened. They were barely acquaintances, but this scene—was he murdering and disposing of a body? Would a witness like him be spared?

He glanced at the blood-soaked gourd lying nearby, hesitating before speaking. “I…”

Su Rui spoke first. “What’s that thing on your head?”

Cen An: …

Smile, smile again. “Hello. The person beside me seems to be near death.”

Su Rui looked down and frowned. “I know. I was just about to dig a hole to bury him.”

The man on the ground twitched violently, struggling to lift his hand. “I think… I still… have a chance…”

Su Rui frowned again. “I told you that flower was poisonous just by smell. You insisted on eating it. Now look. There’s no antidote.”

Cen An breathed a slight sigh of relief. As long as it wasn’t some sinister plot. He was about to take his leave when Su Rui suddenly turned to him. “You have medicine on you? Can you give him some?”

Cen An immediately grew wary. Of course, he had medicine—both monster repellent powder and rejuvenation paste—but how did this man know?

Su Rui approached, sniffed the air, then couldn’t help glancing upward. “Your hat may be glaring, but you’re surprisingly well-prepared. Could you spare some medicine? I’ll trade you crystal cores.”

Cen An took a deep breath and smiled. “Hello. No, I don’t sell.”

Su Rui looked bewildered, glancing down at the man on the ground. “Why? I was being polite just now.”

The man on the ground: “If you don’t mind… just bury me…”

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Standing by while someone was dying went against his ethics, so Cen An ultimately helped.

He didn’t have any antidotes on hand. Yet upon examining the man’s condition, it wasn’t 【Poisoning】—it was 【Severe Toxic Reaction】【Moderate Risk】.

It looked like poisoning, but it wasn’t quite the same.

Cen An hesitated for a moment, but in the end, he took out that precious Green Cloud Mushroom.

Green Cloud Mushroom, combined with golden mushroom and silver mushroom, could form a recovery potion, highly effective at dispelling negative conditions.

He didn’t have the golden or silver mushroom, but these Mushrooms weren’t hard to find in the rainforest. Su Rui circled around and gathered them all.

Cen An built a fire, brewed the formula, and produced a bowl of green potion.

The man on the ground couldn’t even speak now. Su Rui held the bowl and forced him to drink. The man spat out a mouthful of black blood and fell backward stiffly.

Su Rui gasped, “I didn’t bring a shovel to dig a hole!”

Cen An couldn’t help but give him a concerned look.

A few minutes later, the man on the ground sat up. Cen An had initially thought him an old man because of his white hair, but now saw he was only in his thirties.

He slowly sat upright and faced Cen An. “Thank… thank you…”

Cen An smiled and raised his hand. “You’re welcome. Fifty crystal cores, please.”

Uncomfortable demanding payment from an injured man, Cen An instead extended his pale palm under Su Rui’s nose.

Su Rui stroked his chin and kicked the white-haired man. “Pay up!”

The white-haired man coughed up another mouthful of blood.

Cen An: …

The white-haired man himself didn’t seem to feel anything. He slowly fumbled up and down his body. “I… I don’t have any money…”

Cen An was just about to say, “If you don’t have money, never mind. How about you find me another Green Cloud Mushroom instead?” when he saw Su Rui yank the thing hanging around his neck and hand it over.

Cen An took it blankly. It looked like a wooden whistle.

Su Rui: “This guy poisoned himself to help me. You saved him, which means you solved a big problem for me. Take this wooden whistle. Blow it if you’re ever in danger, and I’ll come rescue you.”

Cen An’s expression turned complex. “…If I blow this, you’ll hear it?”

Su Rui declared proudly, “As long as you don’t leave these mountains, I’ll hear it no matter where you are!”

Cen An fell silent for a moment before handing it back. “How about this instead—help me find a few green cloud mushrooms as payment.”

Su Rui:?

Su Rui: “You don’t believe me? Run! Run now! Run as far as you can! See if I can hear your whistle! No, don’t hold me back! I have to prove it to him…”

Cen An smiled, imagining pressing his shoe sole against Su Rui’s face, saying, “Hello, are you a little kid?”

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

An hour later, he returned home exhausted.

Today’s haul wasn’t bad either: [Broad leaves x10, Timber x10, Vines x6, Green Cloud Mushroom x5, golden mushroom x8, silver mushroom x12, Wooden Whistle x1]

Yes, Su Rui ended up finding the Green Cloud Mushroom for him after all. The guy knew the mountains like the back of his hand, moving fast with a nose like a bloodhound. He scoured the entire forest and found five Green Cloud Mushrooms without even needing the Rain Lizard to guide him.

Given the spawn rate of Green Cloud Mushrooms, Cen An suspected he’d practically harvested the entire mountain’s supply.

As for that wooden whistle, Su Rui absolutely refused to take it back, insisting Cen An keep it and blow it when he got the chance to see if Su Rui could hear it.

Cen An really had to restrain himself not to flinging the whistle right back in his face.

Putting that little brat out of his mind, he took out the hard-earned broad leaves and vines.

Four broad leaves, three vines, and four pieces of wood could make a rain shelter. The finished shelter formed a “human” shape, originally meant to be propped on the ground, but it worked just fine on the roof, too.

The young man deftly constructed two rain shelters, then carved six more pieces of wood into a ladder. Climbing onto the roof, he covered the two holes.

The light rain inside the hut stopped immediately.

He lit several ground fires to dry out the dampness inside. Wood consumption was high today—the small stack he’d gathered over the past two days was already more than half gone.

Looks like he’d have to keep cutting trees tomorrow.

He himself was damp too. Having lingered too long, his feather cap had begun leaking, and mud splatters stained his trouser legs.

Previously fearful of illness, he now felt reassured, holding five green cloud mushrooms. Cen An promptly fetched water, heated an iron pot, and gave himself a quick wash.

His clothes, now clean, hung by the fire to dry. Only then did he have time to process today’s harvest.

Mushrooms have a very short shelf life. To preserve them long-term, they must be dried or made into potions.

Without hesitation, Cen An prepared five portions of recovery potion.

Five freshly carved wooden vials, tightly capped, stood neatly against the wall, each filled with emerald-green liquid.

Combined with the rejuvenation paste and spring glory herb he’d prepared earlier, Cen An now held a substantial stockpile of potent remedies, his heart brimming with a newfound sense of security.

Outside, night deepened. Cen An yawned and climbed onto the rickety bamboo bed.

The dried grass had long been spread back over the floor. The once damp, dripping shack was now dry and warm, filled with the scent of herbs. Fine rain pattered on the canopy, its steady rhythm lulling one to sleep…

Cen An closed his eyes. The third day of his journey had ended.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

T/N: Please note that chapters 1 to 5 have been reuploaded for some minor corrections. Thanks!