Fang Yanmeng lingered in my arms for a good while before returning to her room to sleep. As she left, she looked back with such visible reluctance that my heart ached, but we dared not linger lest Zhao Fen notice.

Before dawn, the outside erupted in thunder and wind, followed by a downpour of rain so fierce it surpassed even the heaviest deluge. I couldn't help but worry about the house. These three rooms were essentially built from mud and rubble, topped with a thatched roof made from a kind of local mountain grass. Seeing how many houses in Peach Blossom Village were constructed this way, such strong winds threatened to rip the roofs right off.

The four girls were already awake, startled by the storm. I directed them to wrap everything valuable in oilcloth, so that even if the roof leaked or blew away entirely, our losses wouldn't be too great.

In front of the other three women, Fang Yanmeng showed no outward sign of anything unusual; she argued with me just as sharply as ever. Only occasionally, when the others weren't looking, would she flash me a mischievous grin. Looking at the severe, rigidly proper Zhao Fen, and then at the carefree, audacious Fang Yanmeng, I was suddenly overcome by a sense of unreality—was this all some illusion? Me, a retired grunt with no money and less status, having such scandalous encounters?

Unimaginably, the rain didn't stop until morning, and its intensity didn't lessen. The area in front of the door had turned into a small river, with currents rushing together down into the valley creek. I suspected that what was now a creek could hardly be called a creek anymore; 'great river' might be more appropriate.

Under these circumstances, there was no need for a vote; no one could leave. We all stayed indoors, praying for heaven to take pity and not sweep away or collapse our shelter.

A day of gloomy worry passed, then another night. The rain showed no sign of relenting. This kind of weather pattern was surely a rarity occurring perhaps once in several centuries. Even inside Zhao Fen's house, the roar of the flood in the valley could be heard. I wondered about the old peach tree at the mouth of the valley; it stood right in the center of the gorge. If the water swept it away, besides the pity of losing it, some secrets might vanish with it.

Due to the weather, no one spoke much during the day. For two nights straight, Fang Yanmeng hadn't secretly come to find me; perhaps she was just exhausted from our previous late-night antics. Thankfully, the house hadn't suffered any major leaks. It seemed the traditional folk construction methods really had something going for them.

Early in the morning, I braved the rain to check the peach tree at the bottom of the valley near the village entrance. The formerly tall branches now only showed their tips above the water. The flood in the valley was surging like ten thousand charging horses, sweeping everything before it. For the ancient peach tree to hold up against the flood for so long was a miracle. As for the grove of peach trees at the valley mouth, they had long disappeared beneath a vast expanse of water; the chance of their survival seemed slim. Peach Blossom Village would have to be renamed; without peach blossoms, how could it keep its name?

In the misty, heavy rain, something was hopping around on the tip of an ancient peach tree branch. If it hadn't been moving constantly, I wouldn't have noticed it at all in such a downpour. From a distance, it looked like some kind of cat or dog, not very large, but surprisingly agile as it bounced on the trembling branch. For now, I would assume it was a cat.

At first, I thought the cat was jumping wildly out of fear from being trapped by the water, but then I realized strange things kept emerging from the current to attack it. It was hard to imagine that in such a massive torrent, one that could easily sweep away large stones, anything could hide in the water.

I was about seven meters away from the ancient peach tree, and the rain was so heavy, churning the water into yellow froth, that I could only vaguely see many things in the water snapping their wide mouths at the cat.

But this cat was no pushover. Its front and hind paws moved with speed that rivaled a human's. The sharp teeth and claws that broke the surface were met with a swat or a kick that sent them back into the water, but monsters emerged from the flood endlessly—one submerged only for another to pop up. It seemed only a matter of time before the cat would be overwhelmed and eaten.

How could someone like me, who always rushed to aid the distressed, allow this cat to be devoured by those creatures? Moreover, this cat seemed quite capable; if I could save it, perhaps I could keep it as a pet.

The distance from me to the cat on the ancient peach tree was at least seven meters. Jumping into the water to save it was out of the question. Firstly, I’d be swept away by such a current. Secondly, there were those monsters below who wanted the cat; who knew if they wanted me too?

I glanced around. Behind me stood several poplar trees, over ten meters tall, with trunks as thick as a bowl. If I could fell one and angle it towards the peach tree, the cat could perhaps climb over along the poplar.

I knew my current strength was terrifying, but felling a poplar tree was something I wouldn't have even dared to contemplate before. Now, if I wanted to be a hero, I had to try.

Under the impact of the storm, the ground wasn't as firm as before, which gave me some confidence. Adopting the posture of Lu Zhishen uprooting the willow in Water Margin, I wrapped my arms around the poplar, closed my eyes, gritted my teeth, and pulled!

My muscles suddenly felt infused with adrenaline, growing hard and taut. The bowl-thick poplar, deeply embedded in the mud, groaned and pulled free from the earth. The torrential rain continuously washed over the exposed roots. Finally, with a thump beneath the root ball, the main roots snapped, and the great poplar tilted over. I used its momentum to guide it until it rested against the branches of the ancient peach tree.

At this moment, the flood crest was even higher. If the cat didn't cross immediately, it risked being swept into the water. Those monsters were probably still waiting to feast on its flesh.

I didn't know if the cat could understand me, perhaps the rain had clouded my own judgment, but I gestured and shouted across the water: "Quickly, climb over along the tree! Hurry! If you wait any longer, it will be too late! Little kitty, hurry up and climb over, and I'll buy you fish!"

The cat probably didn't understand my words. It glanced at me, then continued to leap and bounce on the branch, evading the monsters surfacing from the water. Animals are just animals; they never possess the human ability to discern right from wrong. I was trying to save it out of kindness, and it didn't appreciate it at all. Foolish cat.

Perhaps my act of righteous intervention angered the creatures in the water. A group of sharp-snouted, beady-eyed things surfaced and began gnawing furiously at the poplar trunk I had laid across the water. One actually leaped completely out of the water and, catching me off guard, bit down hard on my arm!

Now I could clearly see what the monsters were: a pack of large rats. Judging by their size, they were comparable to the large hounds at Li Biantian's place. Damn it, this whole world was topsy-turvy—rats were driving a cat to the brink of despair.

The large water rat wouldn't let go of my arm. Its bone-white incisors looked even starker after being soaked by the rain. I reached out, grabbed the large rat, and violently pulled it from my arm. Then, I lifted it high and slammed it onto the ground. Smack. After a few kicks, the large water rat was dead.

The other rats seemed sentient. Seeing one of their own killed by my throw, they squeaked wildly, abandoning the cat on the tree and swimming towards the bank to charge me.

Blast! Trying to save a cat only enraged the rats. I needed to run. But the speed of the rats was astonishingly fast. One of the largest ones scrambled ashore, leaped high, and dove straight at my head.

I had trained in military boxing for years; I knew a few grappling and self-defense techniques. Seeing the rat pounce, I threw a left hook. Boom! The large water rat flew like a broken kite, splashed into the flood, and vanished.

Killing a dog-sized rat with one punch boosted my confidence, but the remaining rats showed no fear. Despite the tragic example of their fallen comrade, they charged forward fearlessly. Soon, my legs, back, and waist were covered in fat rats, latching on like turtles—once they bit, they wouldn't let go.

At that point, I forgot about finesse. I grabbed one on the left and violently tore off a leg; with my right hand, I slapped away one clinging to my waist. Both hands worked furiously, much like a shrewish woman fighting in the countryside. But I must admit, it was effective. In no time, the large swarm of water rats was reduced to a few twitching bodies on the ground, missing limbs, their blood mixing with the rainwater in gurgling puddles—they wouldn't last long.

Sometime during the fight, the cat from the ancient peach tree had climbed ashore using the poplar bridge I provided. It stood up on its hind legs and circled me, scrutinizing me. The rain was still pouring, and the wind had picked up again. I thought I must be hallucinating. Was the cat learning to walk like a human?

I wiped the rain from my eyes and looked closer—it was truly a cat walking upright! And it was even walking with its hands clasped behind its back! It really thought it was a person! This Peach Blossom Village was definitely not normal; even the cats weren't normal!

"Young man, don't think I am an ordinary cat."

I turned left, right, front, and back, scanning the area. In the vast, howling storm, there was nothing but the few dead rats on the ground and this human-like cat before me.

"Stop looking around. It's me talking to you."

The cat, wetter than a drowned chicken, stood stiffly before me, its large eyes fixed unblinkingly on mine.

In the past few days, I had drunk snake blood and eaten snake bile, tasted human flesh, seen the dissection of a real human leg, and been terribly frightened by bizarre dreams involving peach blossoms. But now, the most terrifying thing was this cat before me! It... it... it was talking to me!

I plopped down onto the muddy ground. Even the bravest person would be startled by such an outlandish event.

"Hmph. I watched you fight those mutated giant rats bravely. I thought you were quite capable, but look at you now—a mere cat startles you this much."

This time I saw clearly: the cat speaking to me wasn't actually moving its mouth. Damn it, was this a prank? It claims it can talk but doesn't move its mouth. Did it think I had Alzheimer's?

"Heh heh. Did you think I’d actually open my mouth and make sounds? I have simply mastered the frequency patterns of human brainwaves and am communicating with you telepathically."

I swallowed hard. "Communicating telepathically? Could you... are you a Martian cat?"

"Strictly speaking, calling me a cat isn't entirely accurate. Even I don't know what I truly am—an ant? A caterpillar? A bear, a monkey, a hopping flea? Or a falling leaf? I don't know why I chose the form of a cat to evolve, but now that I look like this, you can treat me as a cat. However, sorry, I am not a Martian cat. I was originally a single-celled microorganism under that peach tree. But I have given myself a name; you can call me Peach Blossom."

Boom! A massive clap of thunder exploded overhead. Good heavens, why not just strike me dead? I couldn't bear living in a world that overturned all my established perceptions any longer. It called itself Peach Blossom; ha! Then I'll call myself Peach.

"There's no time!" The Peach Blossom Cat glanced at the ancient peach tree, which was sinking deeper into the flood. "Now, only with your strength can the Life Stone be retrieved. Don't be afraid. Your strength and constitution are definitely capable of this task because I have a special connection to you. We both belong to the fully evolved type, but I only evolved speed, whereas you are undergoing comprehensive evolution. That red Life Stone is hidden deep within the peach tree's root system. You must dive down immediately and retrieve it, or the tree will be swept away, and the Life Stone will be lost to the flood. If it gets buried deep in the earth, the loss to both of us will be immense."

I pulled myself up from the ground. "I don't know what you're talking about. Going into the water is impossible. Who knows if there are more giant rats down there? If someone has to go, you go."

The Peach Blossom Cat grew anxious. "If I could go down, I wouldn't be jumping around anxiously up here! If you don't hurry, you might not be swept away, but those rats will steal it, and then we're both doomed."

Go? What was this stone to me? I brushed the mud and water off my backside and started walking back towards Zhao Fen's house. The strong wind earlier worried me; I needed to check if the women were alright.

The Peach Blossom Cat leaped up and hugged my leg, completely abandoning its previous dignified demeanor. It pleaded desperately, "You must go retrieve the Life Stone! From now on, I will obey everything you say. At worst, I’ll call you Big Brother. I'm hundreds of years old; calling you Big Brother is a huge favor! That stone is truly important to us. Once we have it, we will evolve into super cats and supermen, capable of dominating Earth and the universe! Then you can be king, and I'll be your prime minister... you can have a hundred wives—no, no, a thousand!"

Damn, this cat was persuasive, but it was clearly deranged, thinking I was a three-year-old ready to jump into the water with a single sweet word.

The cat's weight was negligible; its clinging to my leg was useless. I continued walking toward Zhao Fen's house with it still attached. The cat shrieked, clinging to my thigh: "There are people in the water! Hurry! It's your two little dollies!"

Hmph, this cat was surely trying to trick me; who would believe that tactic? I kept walking without looking back.

"Don't disbelieve me! My eyes are incredibly accurate. One is the girl you carried the other night, and the other is the one you took a picture of the day you arrived. They are about to be swept toward the peach tree! If you don't save them now, it will be too late!"

Hearing the strange cat say that, I couldn't help but believe it. I turned back toward the flood. Banana splits and big babbles! Who were those two figures tumbling down the current? Weren't they supposed to be safe at home? How did they end up in the water? Did they think they were fish? What should I do?

The Peach Blossom Cat clung to my leg. "Hurry and jump in to save them! And grab the Life Stone while you're at it! Don't doubt yourself; I guarantee you won't drown!"

Although I didn't trust the nagging cat, I couldn't just watch the two of them get washed away. I pulled the cat off my leg and plunged into the raging current, forgetting completely that I couldn't swim!

Fortunately, the poplar tree I felled earlier was still spanning the water. I crawled along it to reach the main flow of the flood. Resisting the massive impact, I braced my feet against the sturdy branches of the ancient peach tree, with the laid poplar tree offering support behind me. By this time, the two women were struggling nearby. I reached out and grabbed one with each hand.

In truth, even if I hadn't reached out, they would have clung to any stray straw at that moment. They clung to my arms like octopuses, their legs clamping onto my waist on either side. At this point, I couldn't shake them off even if I wanted to.

I truly admired the vitality of that peach tree. Not only did it withstand the impact of the massive flood, but it had now become our lifeline. They held me so tightly it saved me the trouble of looking after them; all I needed to do was safely make it back to the shore along the poplar.

Fang Yanmeng was the first to catch her breath, coughing as she hugged me tight. "Zhao Qian, I knew you would appear to save us. That's why I wasn't scared at all. You certainly didn't disappoint me."

Xiao Chuchu said nothing, her hair plastered to her face, making it impossible to read her expression. Regardless, since I saved her this time, I deserved a headline praising me. After so many heroics, I could finally make a name for myself! Ha, Mom would be so happy!

Just as I was basking in my triumph, the poplar tree spanning the water suddenly slipped downwards. We were immediately pulled into the water together. Disaster! The ancient peach tree finally couldn't hold against the flood and was about to be swept away!

The moment my head submerged into the murky floodwater, the surroundings became inexplicably clear. The force of the flood and the suffocating feeling of being underwater seemed to vanish without a trace. A strange feeling of returning home welled up in my heart. How odd; I had practiced swimming so many times in the army and swallowed pool water countless times, but I had never felt like this.

While I was 'enjoying' the gentleness of the water, Fang Yanmeng and Xiao Chuchu were running out of air. They thrashed my arms, and I kicked twice, shooting toward the bank like a frog. With a sweep of my arms, I tossed Fang Yanmeng and Xiao Chuchu above the surface, then turned my head and plunged back under. Now that I knew I was this capable, I was definitely going to find that stone. If I became a superhuman, life would be fantastic from now on!

I didn't know why I could 'see' everything underwater. Even without opening my eyes, I could sense that the ancient peach tree had been uprooted. Perhaps in a few more seconds, it would be completely torn away. My kicks propelled me rapidly toward the tree's base.

The cat named Peach Blossom said the stone was among the roots. I decided to put some effort into uprooting the tree to check. Following the current, I pulled the peach tree up by its roots. A red light suddenly emerged from the murky water—a large, cherry-red 'goose egg' floated up, appearing like an immortal descending from heaven, bobbing gently.

Damn it, aside from the color, this stone looked identical to the one I found in the snake cave! If there was any difference, besides the color, the red light of this stone seemed confined within an invisible casing, unable to radiate freely like the green light stone.

I reached out and grabbed the red 'goose egg.' Good heavens, was I really going to dominate the Earth with that cat so easily? Could I truly have three palaces and seventy-two concubines? How many would I manage to visit in one night? With my current strength, three or four a night shouldn't be a problem, right? Heh heh, heh heh...

Just as I was gloating, the red 'goose egg' in my hand seemed to be changing. The invisible casing holding the red light appeared to be tearing apart, and streaks of bright, eerie red light scattered everywhere.

Bad news! My head felt like it was splitting, my body felt torn apart, the sky and earth were collapsing, and I suddenly felt the immense pressure of the flood and my lungs about to explode from lack of air. It was over! That damned cat tricked me! No wonder it wouldn't come down—this was a Death Stone! Good heavens, I was still a virgin...

The cat on the bank leaped down: "Boss, don't be afraid! I'm coming to save you!"