Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Heavy rain poured down in the mountains, the water striking the ground and creating a thin, lingering mist.

I shielded my eyes with one hand, squinting at the road sign ahead.

“Wild Man Gully-Maogou Village. Jiang Haoyan, this is it! We found it!”

Jiang Haoyan let out a sigh of relief and wiped the rainwater from his face.

“What kind of village is this? It’s way too hard to find.”

It truly was difficult. The forests of Shennongjia were dense, with all sorts of towering trees sporting massive canopies that blotted out the sun. The satellite map clearly showed the village was in this vicinity, yet it had taken us two full hours just to spot the road sign.

“The rain is too heavy. Let’s get into the village first.”

My name is Qiao Moyu. I’m a junior at Nanjiang University and the sole contemporary Earth Master successor.

In ancient times, an Earth Master was another term for a Feng Shui master.

As the saying goes: a first-class Earth Master observes the stars; a second-class Feng Master seeks the water’s mouth; a third-class master wanders the land. Most of those walking the world today are merely ordinary Feng Shui masters. Those capable of mastering the arts of star observation and qi-watching served in the Imperial Astronomical Bureau in ancient times, pledging their lives to the imperial family.

My Qiao family ancestors served as the Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau and were the hereditary Sect Master of Feng Sect.

This time, I had come to Shennongjia in Hubei with my friend Jiang Haoyan to search for a specific, special medicinal herb in the mountains.

According to a local guide, there was a place at the foot of the mountain called Maogou Village. The villagers there made their living by gathering herbs and sold various rare medicinal plants to the outside world year-round.

The village was nestled in a mountain hollow, with only one small path leading inside.

The path was muddy. Our hiking boots were so caked in grime they looked like they’d been glazed in sludge. Jiang Haoyan and I were a disheveled mess as we walked.

“Why is this place called Wild Man Gully? Qiao Moyu, do you think there really are Wild Men here?”

Shennongjia had always been home to legends of the Wild Man.

Supposedly, they had red hair and massive builds, reaching an average height of two meters. The Wild Man was said to be bloodthirsty and cruel, with a taste for human flesh. Once prey fell into their hands, they would let out an eerie, deafening laugh.

Over the years, countless media outlets and scientific expeditions had entered the mountains looking for the Wild Man, but all had come up empty-handed. Who knew if the stories from back then were just rumors spread by villagers talking nonsense.

As Jiang Haoyan and I chatted in low voices, an angry shout suddenly erupted from nearby.

“Those aren’t just rumors! The Wild Man is real! I’ve seen him!”

I looked up. A young boy of seven or eight was crouching under a large tree at the village entrance. He was staring up at us, his eyes rimmed with red.