freenovelworld Chapter 38 Enemy attack? !
Chapter 38 Enemy attack? !
The two had almost finished picking the rock fruits on this small hillside. It wasn't even noon yet, so they had the rest of the time to themselves. Leyou led Lezhi to a more lush area of vegetation, explaining the purpose of their trip to Lezhi along the way.
“Didn’t you say you wanted to find some plants with a unique smell? I remember there’s one around here. See if it’ll be of any use.” As he spoke, Leyou’s eyes scanned the ground, searching for his target plant.
Lezhi didn't know what Leyou's target looked like, so he could only follow behind him. Suddenly, Leyou shouted with delight, "Found it!" He excitedly rushed forward, pulled out a plant that looked like a withered branch, and handed it to Lezhi.
"This is it. We call it yellow twig. When we were little, we often used it as a punishment when we lost a game. It tastes very pungent. Try it and see if it works."
Taking the yellow branch from Leyou, Lezhi realized that it only looked like a withered branch from a distance; in reality, the ripe yellow fruit was quite plump. Touching the rough skin of the branch, Lezhi already had a guess in mind.
He forcefully pried open the yellow branch to reveal the pale yellow flesh inside. The familiar spiciness rushed into his nasal cavity. Lezhi gently bit off a little with the tip of his teeth to taste it. He nodded as he chewed, confirming that this was the holy grail of removing fishy smells in their great Celestial Empire: ginger.
"How was it?" Leyou asked expectantly when he saw Lezhi nodding with a complicated expression.
"Hmm, no problem, this can be used as a seasoning."
"That's great! I started thinking about whether any of the strange-tasting fruits you mentioned would fit the criteria. Since Huangzhi is okay, the rest should be fine too. However, many of them are not easy to find, so..."
Shaking her head, Lezhi was already pleasantly surprised to find ginger on this trip. Besides, finding seasonings was just to adjust the taste of the food, and it wasn't a big deal. "It's okay, we can take our time. I'm already very grateful that you helped me find it."
"Hehehe, what's the big deal? Alright, since the yellow branches are useful, let's look around nearby. This kind of thing spreads and grows, so if there's one plant, there will be many. Let's pick some and store them while we can."
"Okay." Leyou's suggestion is reliable. Ginger can be used in all kinds of meat dishes, so it's definitely worth stocking up on more.
Actually, it would be more convenient to find a way to plant some crops on the clan land, but there are some strict conditions that are holding them back, and Lezhi hasn't been able to think of a solution for planting land in the short term.
Does he want to try potted plants or hydroponics? But he doesn't know how!
Dejected, Lezhi pouted and searched everywhere for Huangzhi, muttering to himself. "Sigh, it's a pity I studied the most useless thing—computer science—in my past life; it's completely useless here. I should have studied agriculture."
There were indeed quite a few yellow branches in this area, and Lezhi's basket, which Leyou had lifted high, was soon filled with the yellow branches he had picked. Leyou was even faster than Lezhi; he loved to eat, so when he heard that yellow branches could be used as a seasoning, he was full of enthusiasm, and no yellow branch could escape his eyes wherever he went.
Except for the very small ones, all the others that had grown to a certain size were picked and stored. This batch is enough for Lezhi to use for a long time.
The two of them were engrossed in picking fruit. Yuezhi was so captivated by the feeling of harvest that he didn't notice he was gradually veering away from the safe zone that Yuejing had marked for them.
Normally, with so many of them here, any insect with a modicum of sense would know to keep their distance and not provoke them. But today, something unexpected happened. Not far from Lezhi Bianyi, a plump, fleshy worm had been hiding in the grass, quietly observing these noisy humans for quite some time.
In fact, according to the principle of first come, first served, it was the first one there. However, it hadn't yet passed its infancy and moved very slowly. The Spirit Feather Clan arrived too quickly and in too large a group, so it had no choice but to hide and observe the situation. Because it was born with green skin, the clansmen hadn't noticed it during their inspection, which is why it had been able to survive until now.
But things are just that simple. The insect larva wanted to settle things peacefully, but the tree spirit larvae were unconsciously pressing closer and closer. The caterpillar's brain capacity was not large enough to think about much, and its instinct to seek advantage and avoid harm was instinctive, as was its subconscious attack when faced with danger.
So, upon seeing Lezhi encroach upon its safe distance, the caterpillar unconsciously emitted a signal that it was about to attack. This subtle signal was imperceptible to anyone but a highly skilled hunter. Lezhi was certainly not among them, but he couldn't; the furry ball that had been constantly by his side was sharp enough.
The fur ball, which had been quietly perched on Lezhi's head keeping him company, immediately sensed something was wrong the moment the caterpillar showed the slightest intention to attack.
It quickly spread its wings and leaped to land in front of Lezhi, then spread its wings to protect Lezhi behind it. Its little black bean eyes, like the scope of a sniper rifle, were fixed on the grass not far ahead, trying to catch a glimpse of its prey.
Lezhi, who was engrossed in picking fruit, was interrupted by Maoqiu's sudden behavior. Seeing Maoqiu's familiar alert posture, Lezhi immediately realized that this was the posture of encountering an enemy attack again.
A chill ran through his body from the soles of his feet, turning the sweat that had just broken out on his back from his labor cold. Lezhi felt a tingling sensation on his scalp. He swallowed hard and looked around slightly, only to realize that he had unknowingly left the familiar hillside, and Leyou was nowhere to be seen.
After taking a few light, rapid breaths to relieve the oxygen deprivation in her brain caused by the sudden change, Lezhi began to move her hands and feet, preparing for her escape.
Although Maoqiu was there, he wasn't too worried, but if possible, Lezhi still hoped that even if he couldn't help Maoqiu, he wouldn't hold him back. Lezhi wasn't a blindly arrogant person; he knew very well that his current body would be easily defeated by any insect, so caution was practically ingrained in his bones.
Lezhi was preparing as if facing a formidable enemy, unaware that the caterpillar hiding in the grass was the one truly threatened. Just moments ago, the caterpillar had silently perched on Lezhi's head, and without close inspection, its entire body almost blended into Lezhi's white fur.
Now the fluffy ball stepped forward, spreading its wings and radiating a restrained killing intent. Only then did the caterpillar realize it had kicked a hornet's nest. But the situation left it no room to retreat; in fact, it had nowhere to go.
Therefore, even though the caterpillar sensed the threat from its predator, it had no choice but to fight back. Waving its antennae, its plump body slowly wriggled, its numerous legs propelling it forward.
As the grass rustled, Lezhi and Maoqiu saw a plump, bright green caterpillar slowly appear before them. To be fair, caterpillars aren't slow-moving among their kind, but its speed, in Maoqiu's and Lezhi's eyes, was like being moved in slow motion—its movements were incredibly slow.
Because of this, Lezhi, who was so nervous that her heart was about to burst out of her chest, suddenly became much calmer.
No, that's it?!