Chapter 016

The scene before them was witnessed by everyone. It wasn’t just Pei Xiwang; the viewers were also breaking out in a cold sweat from the shock.

At such close range, if that bolt of lightning had veered even slightly as it struck, it would have hit the two of them.

[Holy crap, holy crap, holy crap! That scared the life out of me!]

[Did you see that tree? The whole thing was blasted by lightning! Oh my god, I don’t even want to imagine… if Pei Xiwang hadn’t turned back just now, would there be a casualty right now?]

[Mommy, I’m terrified. My heart is still pounding. Just a moment ago, I was saying how unlucky Pei Xiwang was to trip and sprain his ankle at a time like this. Looking at it now, his luck is actually incredible!]

[Thank goodness he turned back! Thank goodness, thank goodness!]

[I’m crying from the scare. Thank goodness the two of them are okay!]

[If I didn’t see it wrong just now, when Pei Xiwang’s flashlight shone on the ground, those were peaches that had fallen… Am I the only one who still remembers what Master Xiao Man said during the day? He told Pei Xiwang to turn back if he encountered a peach tree, otherwise…]

[Huh? Pei Xiwang’s Calamity of Blood? Wasn’t that just something that kid said randomly? All the charlatans outside use those kinds of lines to scam people.]

[But this is too coincidental. Xiao Man also said it would rain tonight, and it really did. If the Calamity of Blood is real, then…]

[It’s just a coincidence. No one actually believes in that feudal superstition, right? Besides, even if it’s real, a five-year-old could calculate that? Is fortune-telling really that easy?]

Regardless of what the audience thought, Pei Xiwang felt nothing but the overwhelming relief of a survivor.

As the person who had faced the thunder directly and nearly been killed by lightning, Pei Xiwang was more shaken than any of the viewers. Looking at that charred wood, he knew that if he hadn’t turned back, the only thing lying there would have been his own lightning-charred corpse.

Thank goodness!

Thank goodness he had listened to Master Xiao Man!

Thank goodness he had turned back!

If he had been somewhat skeptical when his family background was exposed earlier, Pei Xiwang now harbored not a single shred of doubt. From the bottom of his heart, he viewed Qiao Man as a master of divine calculation.

Five years old? What about it?!

Some masters in their fifties couldn’t calculate things this accurately!

If it hadn’t been for Master Xiao Man’s prior warning, after he tripped on the peach and fell, he would have just climbed back up and continued forward. He wouldn’t have turned back at all. The yellow talisman paper that had inexplicably turned to black ash also made Pei Xiwang’s conviction even firmer. The place where he had just fallen was very dangerous terrain; the rain had washed away the soil to reveal several sharp rocks beneath. Yet, other than a sprained ankle, he didn’t have a single other wound.

The divination fee of those few wild fruits was worth every bit!

“Let’s leave first,” Xie Yunqian suggested, his face pale. “It’s too dangerous here. Let’s find another spot.”

Still shaken, Pei Xiwang nodded frantically. “Right, right.”

Xie Yunqian took the initiative to come over and support him. Holding his flashlight, Pei Xiwang limped away from the area.

He glanced back at the charred wood, his heart still racing with lingering fear.

The heavy rain washed over the forest, dousing the lightning-sparked fire on the charred wood, but it could not calm the uproar ignited among the audience.

Since the first season of Wilderness Challenge began, there had been no shortage of contestants facing life-or-death situations, and this time was no exception. The clip of Pei Xiwang nearly being struck by lightning was quickly uploaded to social media platforms by enthusiastic netizens. Passersby shared and discussed it, and it hit the trending searches in no time.

Uploaded along with it was the segment from the afternoon where Qiao Man performed a divination for Pei Xiwang.

At first, no one had taken it to heart, treating it as a child playing a game of fortune-telling. However, he had first revealed Pei Xiwang’s unknown family background, then predicted the sudden heavy rain at night, and now, connecting Pei Xiwang’s Calamity of Blood with the near-miss lightning strike… the netizens could no longer sit still.

No way?? Seriously??

Could this kind of metaphysics actually be real?!

If it wasn’t real, how could he be so accurate?

If it was real, this was just too outrageous!

Then they looked at that miracle of lighting talisman paper with a touch, the way he whipped out a Luo Pan and used a special pathfinding technique to go wherever he wanted… Wait? Isn’t this the same kid who trended before for catching a snake with his bare hands?

Are kids these days all this god-like?

Whether it was real or fake, a massive wave of viewers flooded into Lu Jianxing’s livestream again.

When everyone rushed into the livestream with excitement, what they saw instead were two figures sleeping soundly.

[Look at the other livestreams, then look at this one. Comparing people really is infuriating.]

[The rain outside hasn’t stopped yet. Now it’s not just Xie Yunqian; even Zhan Yue and Xing Lei have started fleeing through the rain. Yet these two are sleeping so comfortably…]

[This cave was also found by Master Xiao Man!]

The viewers who had already been following the stream introduced him enthusiastically: [Our Master Xiao Man is super amazing!]

On the screen, the huddled sleeping figures shifted, and a small silhouette sat up.

Qiao Man was the first to wake. He rubbed his eyes and let out a huge yawn.

He laboriously dug himself out of Lu Jianxing’s embrace. The child’s movements were very gentle; Lu Jianxing stirred slightly but didn’t wake up. He tiptoed out of the tent and stood at the cave entrance, staring outside for a while. Compared to last night, the rain had lessened significantly.

Qiao Man thought for a moment, took a talisman paper out of his Little Yellow Duck Backpack, patted it onto himself, and then walked out.

[???]

[I have a feeling things are about to get interesting…]

[Lu Jianxing, you’re a pig! You’re still not waking up even for this!]

The viewers followed the child. They saw him go out, pluck a large leaf to hold over his head like an umbrella, gather a handful of fallen wild fruits, and pick a bunch of wild vegetables. On his way back to the cave, he came face-to-face with a rabbit.

The human and the rabbit had a brief standoff. Then, the child returned fully laden, carrying the rabbit by its two ears.

Back inside the cave, Lu Jianxing still hadn’t woken up. He set the things down and skillfully burrowed back into Lu Jianxing’s arms.

[???]

[Lu Jianxing, blink if you’ve been drugged!]

[I’m stunned. How can someone’s movements be faster than a rabbit’s? Is it really that easy to catch one?]

[He’s cheating! He definitely has some kind of cheat!]

When Lu Jianxing woke up, he saw a rabbit huddled in the corner, shivering.

He wondered aloud, “Where did this rabbit come from?”

Qiao Man said with an innocent look, “It just showed up at the door, so I caught it.”

Lu Jianxing nodded. It was probably just some unlucky creature looking for shelter from the rain.

Before long, he noticed a pile of soaking wet wild vegetables and fruit. His voice rose as he asked, “Xiao Man, did you sneak outside?”

Qiao Man turned to bolt. “Oops!”

Lu Jianxing caught the boy and checked his clothes. He found a wet patch on his back, while his cuffs and pant legs were completely soaked. His lips immediately thinned into a frown.

“It’s pouring out there. You’ll get sick if you get caught in the rain,” he warned. “There are no doctors here and we don’t have any medicine. You have to be careful.”

Fortunately, the daytime temperature wasn’t too low, and a fire was already crackling in the cave to ward off the chill. Lu Jianxing settled the boy by the fire and went to prepare breakfast.

The rain continued to patter outside without pause, stopping only briefly at noon. However, the two of them were napping huddled together then, and by the time they woke up, the rain had started again.

They stayed in the cave all day. It wasn’t until evening that the relentless downpour finally came to an end.

At the same time, new guests arrived at the cave.

As Lu Jianxing began preparing dinner, he sent Qiao Man off to play. The boy didn’t go far, instead squatting by the cave entrance to watch a line of ants on the move.

As he watched, his ears twitched, and he looked up.

Two people were pushing through the undergrowth, heading straight for them.

“Brother, I saw a cave over there. We can stay there tonight and…” As she drew closer, Zhan Yue spotted the small figure at the entrance. She paused, surprised. “Huh?”

Qiao Man blinked and gave her a wide beam. “Hello there!”