Parted in Last Year's Rain, Today the Rain Marks One Full Year

As for why the seed Quehou had picked up had not displayed an info panel back then, Chen Fan had a faint suspicion. All seed-type exotic treasures were encased in a film-like membrane. That seed, however, had been completely solitary, without any protective membrane around it, which was perhaps why no panel had manifested. "Quite good luck, indeed." Chen Fan narrowed his eyes slightly. Green-grade seed-type exotic treasures often came with unique cultivation requirements. For instance, the Flesh Ghost Mother-Child Seed required watering with ghost blood every double-hour. Yet without knowing anything about the Human Blood Ghost Flower's growing conditions, he had somehow managed to raise it to full bloom by sheer coincidence. Luck was smiling upon him. It seemed his luck in this lifetime was not bad at all. In this world, millions of people worked hard, but fewer than one in ten thousand achieved renown. It was not that those who failed lacked ability, but simply that they had poor luck. Luck alone could not guarantee success, but luck was nonetheless an indispensable prerequisite for it. Immediately after, he used two wooden sticks to pick the flower at the edge of the farmland and laid the ghost skin flat on the bare ground. With a slight squeeze, blood-crimson floral sap trickled down the stem, dripping droplet by droplet onto the ghost skin. Before long, no more sap flowed, and the once-vibrant flower withered in an instant, drained of life. Crouching beside the farmland, Chen Fan stared intently at the ghost skin. As the floral sap soaked in, lines of writing gradually emerged upon its surface. - "Parted from my lord in last year's rain, Today the rain marks one full year. At the bottom of the cold pool, white bones steeped in midnight moonlight. Beneath the embroidered robe, dark hair tangled in nine autumns of mist. Tearing my skin to make armor for my lord, Cutting my soul into silk to bind his fresh scabs. Suddenly umbrella ribs ring through heaven and earth, A ghost tide surfaces upon the wastes, falling into rank. So it is an old friend treading the rain to come, Yet met without knowing, face white as snow. Rain corrodes the rosy bloom a thousand times over, A whole life spent waiting for my lord alone." - Following that, the panel for this exotic treasure changed as well. - [Exotic Treasure Name]: Ghost Skin [Exotic Treasure Grade]: Green [Exotic Treasure Effect]: A special piece of ghost skin, personally crafted by a high-ranking ghost creature. Worn close to the chest, it can block a fatal attack. - "..." Chen Fan stared at the lines of text emerging on the ghost skin in his hands. After maintaining a blank expression in silence for a long while, he let out a soft sigh, suddenly feeling a headache coming on. Honestly... the sunk cost in this outpost wasn't that high anyway. Maybe he should just pack up and relocate as early as possible. The poem was not difficult to decipher. Its general gist was simple: The female ghost he had slain possessed considerable intelligence. During last year's rainy season, she had met another male ghost, and mutual affection had blossomed between them. In the period following their parting at the end of the rainy season, she had torn off a piece of her own skin and, using other methods, crafted this exotic treasure. A defensive exotic treasure. And as for that male ghost... "Suddenly umbrella ribs ring through heaven and earth, a ghost tide surfaces upon the wastes, falling into rank." Just from the sound of that, he was a ghost king. Not only immensely powerful, but possessing vast forces as well. This woman had been waiting in this wasteland all along for that male ghost. Perhaps during this rainy season, the male ghost would arrive leading a grand army to take her as his bride, only for her... to have already died at Chen Fan's hands. When that time came... When that time came... Chen Fan turned his head toward the storehouse. He had flayed the female ghost's skin and stashed it inside the garage. A'le's blade-work had been quite skillful, peeling it off in one complete piece. Would handing over the entire skin do the trick? Stitched onto another female ghost, it could probably still be put to use. Intelligent ghost creatures were exceedingly rare. And as for ghost creatures capable of crafting exotic treasures, this female ghost was the only one he knew to possess such skill. If that ghost king didn't care about this female ghost in the least, Chen Fan might escape this calamity. But given her looks and her capabilities—presentable in company and able to forge exotic treasures for her king—there was no way the ghost king wouldn't care... He was utterly screwed. "You lovesick female ghost, if you were supposed to wait for your Prince Charming during the rainy season, couldn't you have just found a quiet corner to lie low in?" "Why did you have to keep coming after me time and time again?" "Great. Now look what happened." "You've left behind a giant mess." "All that died was one of your subordinates. Was it really worth storming my camp to fight me to the death?" Rubbing his temples with a throbbing headache, Chen Fan knew that ghost king would in all likelihood return to the wasteland during the rainy season. The other party's personal might and faction strength were formidable; to confront him, Chen Fan had to make thorough preparations. At the very least, his camp's current defensive strength was far from sufficient. Still... The other party might not necessarily know where he was. After all, there were no eyewitnesses. Oh, right, in that case— Right my ass! His was the sole camp in the entire wasteland, as glaringly conspicuous as the sun blazing in the pitch-black night. As long as that ghost king was not a total idiot, arriving on the wasteland, he would make a beeline straight for Chen Fan! Forget it! When soldiers come, generals block; when floods come, earth dams. Taking a deep breath, he readjusted his mindset before looking toward the storehouse once more. The female ghost had been able to forge an exotic treasure like this from just a patch of her skin, and he had a complete, intact skin preserved in his storehouse. Once he found an artifact refiner in the future, perhaps he could use that skin to craft a full suit of soft armor. He casually slipped the ghost skin into his hemp garment, pressing it close against his chest. Warm and cozy. Actually quite comfortable. In his youth in his previous life, a girl had once knitted a scarf for him, keeping his heart warm through an entire winter. Who would have thought that in this world, a female ghost would weave a heart-protecting armor for him from her own skin. It was actually rather romantic. How thoughtful of her. ... Inside the camp. Chen Fan stood atop the wall of the breeding farm, gazing down at the pseudo-human ghosts screeching and baring their fangs in the torrential downpour. The wall was five meters high. These pseudo-humans had not attempted to scale it by forming human ladders—whether they lacked the wit to think of it or simply had no leisure to care was unclear. Ever since this pack of pseudo-human ghosts had been captured and brought here, they had been mating frenziedly day and night without pause. In the poem composed by the female ghost, there was a particular line: - "Rain corrodes the rosy bloom a thousand times over, A whole life spent waiting for my lord alone." - Corrodes. That was hardly a pleasant word. Could it be... The rainy season was a torment for ghost creatures as well? Did the rain splash upon their flesh like sulfur, inflicting such unbearable agony that it drove them to rampage madly across the land throughout the rainy season? Just then— Standing nearby, A'le spoke up to report, "Stationmaster, with no major enemies attacking the camp last night, I conducted a few experiments. I discovered that those ghost whelps don't have ghost stones in them. They must grow and mature before a ghost stone forms in their bodies." "Also, this rainwater might contain a special kind of energy." "When I used wooden planks to shield several of the pseudo-human ghosts from the rain, they immediately stopped mating, turned to snarl viciously at me, and prepared to attack." "Yet the moment I took the planks away, they immediately returned to their mating state." "Mm." Chen Fan gave a slight nod. "You did well." Raising this batch of pseudo-human ghosts was not merely for harvesting extra ghost stones; more importantly, it was to uncover more intel regarding ghost creatures. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated in a hundred battles. From the look of things: The rainy season exerted a massive influence on ghost creatures, though its effects varied from one species to another. For the pseudo-human ghosts, it meant uncontrollable mating. For the flesh worm ghosts, it meant an uncontrollable mass migration of the entire race. For the female ghost, it meant agonizing pain, like sulfuric acid corroding her flesh. Perhaps... That was also why she had crafted a sedan chair for herself.