Chapter 51: Chapter 51: Lu Ke's First Attempt"Xu Yi, what do you think about adding some lychees to the fish?" Lu Ke suddenly had a brainwave, holding a spoon, looking expectantly at Xu Yi.
"It's a good idea. I remember there's a dish called lychee fish puree, it should be nice." Xu Yi felt that life was quite dull, so he might as well add some fun.
Anyway, it's all cooked, it shouldn't upset your stomach or anything.
"Really, should I add them?" Lu Ke glanced suspiciously at Xu Yi, then peeled six lychees and tossed them into the pot, followed by the fish slices.
Gripping the spoon, Lu Ke felt a bit nervous.
After all, if it didn't taste good, it could be a waste of ingredients.
Wasting ingredients in the wilderness would be a heinous crime.
Probably, the audience would scorn them to death.
Watching the boiling fish slices and lychees in the pot, Lu Ke took a smell.
The fragrance of the lychees remained, and there was no other strange smell, which made her breathe a sigh of relief.
At least it looked edible and wouldn't waste the ingredients.
Xu Yi also smelled it and couldn't help but crane his neck to take a look, then stood up.
Walking to the courtyard gate, Xu Yi dragged the small trees he had cut back into the courtyard and then closed the gate.
"It's cooked, let's eat it once it cools down a bit." Lu Ke served the fish slices into a bowl, steaming hot. In her heart, she was still a bit nervous. Earlier, she actually wanted to sneak a taste.
Xu Yi nodded, picked up a log, and directly chopped it into five sections.
Then came the second log, the third...
Over twenty logs were quickly chopped by Xu Yi into a pile of wooden sticks.
In the evening, these wooden sticks could be sharpened and used in the traps, allowing the traps to function effectively.
"Xu Yi, it's ready to eat." Lu Ke checked the temperature, and it was suitable.
"Alright, let's eat first." Xu Yi stopped his work and went to wash his hands.
Lu Ke had already picked up her bowl and took a sip of the soup.
Then, her eyes brightened instantly.
The anxiety in her heart was immediately dispelled by the delicious taste.
Xu Yi washed his hands, bent over, and picked up a bowl.
He felt increasingly that they needed a proper table.
Not just a table; they also needed to make a proper stove. This way, it would not only save firewood but also prevent them from having to bend over.
Every day, they needed a lot of firewood, and the wood at home was almost running out.
"Hmm..."
Xu Yi tried a sip of the soup and was a little surprised.
"It's sweet and sour, really not bad, the lychee gives it a refreshing taste and completely masks the fishy smell." As he spoke, Xu Yi gave Lu Ke a thumbs up.
"Our Chef Lu is getting better and better, it's really delicious." Xu Yi said sincerely since fish soup without salt lacks flavor.
Now it's sweet and sour, making it taste really good. Because the flavor isn't too strong, it's quite suitable.
These eight days, his taste had significantly lightened. If he were to order takeout now, he'd probably find the flavor too heavy.
Light flavors are actually healthier, allowing you to taste the original flavor of the ingredients.
"Luckily it wasn't bad, otherwise a portion of fish slices would have been wasted." Lu Ke stuck out her tongue, fearing that it might have turned into a disastrous dish that couldn't be eaten.
"No worries; it's important to try different things to savor diverse flavors. After all, life out here is dull enough; it's only interesting when we create something different." Xu Yi nonchalantly said, as food wasn't scarce at the moment.
"Mm-hmm." Lu Ke nodded, her eyes forming a crescent moon.
Xu Yi was taken aback for a moment.
But fearing the audience might notice something, he quickly picked up a piece of fish and put it in his mouth, allowing himself to immerse in the food.
"Feeling full is really satisfying." Xu Yi stood up, touched his belly, and said contentedly.
Lu Ke nodded and burped.
Today's fish slices suited her taste more, so she ate a bit more than usual.
"Xu Yi, do we have any plans for tomorrow?" Lu Ke asked Xu Yi while washing the dishes.
Even though she liked being at home, the reality didn't allow it.
They were out of salt, and the firewood was nearly gone; they had to go out.
"Let's get some firewood and dry some salt, then work on the traps; that should take up most of the day." Xu Yi planned, thinking these were the more urgent tasks.
"Got it." Lu Ke nodded and put away the dishes.
Xu Yi started carving spikes beside her.
Lu Ke took out the hemp cloth she wove yesterday and continued working on it.
Both were busy with their tasks without chatting.
In the live stream, there were various nighttime animal sounds, all sorts of them, making it quite lively.
However, they all seemed quite distant.
"Xu Yi." Suddenly, Lu Ke called out.
"Hmm, what's up?" Xu Yi looked back at the young girl, who looked particularly charming in the firelight.
"Didn't you say you wanted to make paper last time? When are we starting?" She calculated the time; her period was due in about 8 days.
That is if it's on schedule; if it comes early, who knows when it'll be.
Since this is an alien planet, there could be any changes.
"Maybe after we make some big pottery, is it coming soon?" Xu Yi naturally understood the importance of women's cycles; it was unavoidable. Before setting off, Xu Yi had considered this.
Since he knew Lu Ke was a bit shy, he hadn't brought up the topic.
Upon hearing Xu Yi's question, Lu Ke's face turned red to her ears, and her hands became fidgety.
"Soon, probably, if everything goes normally, 8 days." She thought, since Xu Yi asked, she couldn't hide it. They were a team, and it might affect Xu Yi's overall planning.
"Then tomorrow, stay home and get the earthen kiln ready; will you have enough time?" Xu Yi wasn't sure about the progress on the kiln, so he asked.
"It should be enough, one more day of making mud bricks should do."
Xu Yi nodded and continued, "Hopefully, there's enough time; I should have started preparing earlier."
"You've been working hard enough, stop saying that." Lu Ke said bashfully, wishing she was a boy, so she wouldn't have these concerns.
"It's essential, so it was on the agenda anyway." Xu Yi grinned. After all, he needed paper, too. Now that safety is mostly ensured, it's time to think about improving living essentials.
The house is fine against ordinary animals.
If they faced a tiger or a bear, the house wouldn't offer much protection.
If they really encountered such a beast, Xu Yi would most likely choose to retreat to save their lives.
Chapter 52: Chapter 52: Suggestions"Do you mainly use bark to make paper?" Lu Ke timely changed the topic, so her ears wouldn't stay red for too long.
"Yeah, mainly some plant fibers, you smash them, soak and soften, then boil and finally dry them, it takes quite a bit of time. Let's make a small amount of paper first to see how it goes." Xu Yi explained simply because once they started making it, Lu Ke would understand the process.
"It's quite troublesome," Lu Ke stuck out her tongue, surprised at how complicated paper making was.
days, is the time really enough?
"After all, it's one of the four great inventions. It's not easy to just mess around and come up with it." Xu Yi grinned. If they used modern techniques, it would be simple. But they could only rely on traditional methods.
Anyway, they didn't need to make fine white paper, just some rough toilet paper, so it would be easier.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been in Xu Yi's plan.
"Actually, you could use cotton; there's cotton in the sleeping bag. You could make it into a pad shape." Xu Yi thought using some cotton from the sleeping bag to sew into a pad would have better absorbency than using toilet paper.
"Eh, that could work. Xu Yi, how does your brain work? Why didn't I think of that?" Lu Ke happily praised Xu Yi as his suggestion seemed very feasible.
"You, how do you even know about pads?" Lu Ke blushed, surprised at the extent of Xu Yi's knowledge.
"I worked in a supermarket before, handling these goods, so I know a bit about them. You all even have day and night versions, quite meticulous." Xu Yi casually said, the more casual he spoke, the less awkward it would be for Lu Ke. If he acted shy, it would make Lu Ke even more embarrassed.
"You really know a lot. It's really relaxing being with you. Actually, I thought we'd be hungry for at most three days before going back, never imagining it's been 8 days already." Lu Ke quickly jumped off the awkward topic, given that besides Xu Yi, there were also some live stream viewers. She didn't want to discuss anything too private.
"Day by day flies by quickly. Soon, you'll find even 500 days aren't that difficult. After all, our camp and weapons and such are upgrading daily." Xu Yi said while carving wood, laughing.
After all, if someone with a system couldn't survive 500 days, then it would be even more impossible for others.
Right now, Lu Ke did seem a bit weaker, but people can be trained, they can change.
Many girls are likewise delicate, but after undergoing boot camp, they are no less than male soldiers. Some are even stronger than men.
"Yeah, my confidence grows every day now." Lu Ke nodded vigorously, feeling much more optimistic than when she first arrived.
After all, with such a strong teammate like Xu Yi, many things didn't require her to worry.
She felt just like when she was in the hospital room, with Xu Yi carrying her through games, she was winning smoothly.
Unconsciously, she glanced at Xu Yi.
Xu Yi was sitting opposite her, seriously carving a wooden stick, moving swiftly.
In Lu Ke's eyes, he even looked a bit handsome.
From her angle, she didn't have to worry about being caught on camera by 'Xiao Bai'.
As for Xu Yi, he was thinking about how after midnight, he could claim a new gift pack, which motivated him even more in his work.
The last visual enhancement had been a significant help to Xu Yi.
Without it, he wouldn't have noticed those wild fruits so far away today.
Time ticked away, and soon it was 11 PM.
"Xu Yi, come try if the sleeve is long enough." Lu Ke stood up, bringing the sleeve she had woven over to Xu Yi.
"Amazing, you finished a sleeve already?" Xu Yi said in surprise, looking at the sleeve Lu Ke had woven.
He reached out his hand to try, finding the length just right.
"It's almost done." Lu Ke smiled happily; completing a sleeve didn't take much longer than she had planned.
"You have such skillful hands, no wonder people are willing to watch your handicraft live streams and pay high prices to buy them." Xu Yi used to not believe that she could earn tens of thousands a month for medical treatment just from streaming without showing her face.
Now he believed it; surely Lu Ke's hands had been kissed by God, as there was nothing she couldn't make.
"I haven't learned anything else growing up, just learned some crafts." Lu Ke stuck out her tongue, feeling a bit embarrassed.
In reality, she had very few friends, so naturally, few people praised her.
"It's about time; you should hurry and get some sleep." Xu Yi knew Lu Ke was thin-skinned and didn't say anything more.
"No need, I'm not sleepy yet. Let me boil some water for you to bathe; you've been busy all day." Lu Ke felt pretty energetic, and since today she did light work, she wasn't tired at all and wouldn't be able to sleep right away if she went to bed now.
"Then help me shave my head; didn't have the chance before." Xu Yi thought it was better to have a shaved head, less hassle.
"Are you sure you want to shave it?" Lu Ke glanced at Xu Yi.
"Go ahead, it's more convenient to be bald." Xu Yi said straightforwardly, handing his dagger to Lu Ke before sitting down.
Lu Ke nodded, taking the dagger and started working on it.
Since the dagger was really sharp, it wasn't too difficult to cut.
Of course, it also had to do with Lu Ke's skillful hands.
Using a dagger made it slower, so it took Lu Ke a whole hour to cleanly shave Xu Yi's head.
"All done." Lu Ke handed the dagger back to Xu Yi, satisfied with her work.
Xu Yi's head shape was quite nice, so a shaved head looked rather good on him.
Of course, it was also due to his good looks, making him look handsome.
"How's it? My shaved head looks okay, right?" Xu Yi asked vainly, rubbing his head.
"Honestly, it's quite handsome," Lu Ke said, her face slightly red.
"Haha, really, who knows if I'll woo some female viewers." Xu Yi joked with a grin.
"Hard to say, there might be quite a few." Lu Ke covered her mouth and chuckled lightly.
"Well, I'm going to take a shower now." With plenty of short hair on him, a bit prickly, Xu Yi decided it was time for a shower.
"If you're sleepy, go ahead and sleep; no need to wait for me. I need to finish carving these wooden sticks tonight." Xu Yi worried Lu Ke might wait for him to rest together, so he said that.
"Okay." Lu Ke nodded, indeed feeling a bit sleepy.
She went to wash her hands and patted her clothes to avoid Xu Yi's hair sticking on them.
Taking a glance at the bathing area, Lu Ke walked into the hut and slipped into her sleeping bag.
Chapter 53: Chapter 53: New Gift PackAfter showering, Xu Yi stepped out with a shaved head.
Before coming out, Xu Yi washed his underwear.
After all, working the whole day had soaked it with sweat; if he didn't wash it, it would start to stink.
While drying off, he continued to whittle sticks.
He hadn't much left in stock, so he finished whittling them in less than half an hour.
The underwear hadn't completely dried yet, and it was not yet midnight, so Xu Yi picked up the Hunting Bow that needed further processing and continued removing excess wood.
Xu Yi whittled carefully since it was close to being finished. He was worried that if he applied too much force, he might accidentally cut away parts that shouldn't be removed.
Engrossed in his task, Xu Yi lost track of time.
When Xu Yi finally came to his senses, it was almost one o'clock.
"System, check-in."
"Ding, checked in for 7 days, obtained a Basic Gift Package."
This sound was music to Xu Yi's ears.
He touched his nose and spoke in his mind: System, open the package.
"Ding, obtained Basic Wood Art Package (Basic Level)"
"Ding, obtained Hearing Enhancement Package (Basic Level)"
Hmm, why are there only two?
Xu Yi muttered inwardly, since prior sign-in packages and welcome packages all contained three items, but this time there were only two.
This made Xu Yi a bit frustrated, but there was nothing he could do.
Asking the system was futile since it had even disabled the response function.
"System, use the package."
No matter, let's accept them first.
Basic Wood Art, Xu Yi felt came quite timely.
He needed this basic knowledge for crafting wooden tables, chairs, and beds next.
A few minutes later, Xu Yi felt a slight change in the world through his ears.
The sounds he heard became richer and clearer.
Moreover, he could discern the approximate origin of the sounds.
Sound localization, perhaps that's what this feels like?
With improved hearing alongside vision, Xu Yi felt his hunting success rate would significantly increase.
Having received the package brought Xu Yi peace of mind.
After a stretch, he took his underwear to change into and then entered the house.
Xu Yi fell asleep as it began to rain heavily outside.
The rain lasted through the night. A team encountered a landslide and withdrew from the challenge.
"Morning."
Xu Yi noticed that Lu Ke, nestled under the covers, also opened her eyes, so he greeted her.
"Morning~"
Lu Ke responded with a blushing face, shrinking back a bit.
"It's still raining." Xu Yi sat up and crawled out from under the covers.
He opened the door to a muddy outdoors.
The campfire had long been extinguished.
"Looks like we'll be going hungry this morning." Xu Yi glanced around; the firewood under the eaves was mostly soaked. Plus, the rain showed no sign of letting up.
"Who knows how long this rain will continue; luckily, I moved the mud bricks inside, otherwise all efforts would've been in vain." Lu Ke said thankfully, glancing out from the doorway.
"We need to build a shelter when we have time, otherwise the earthen kiln will get destroyed by heavy rain, and we won't be able to keep the firewood dry." Xu Yi said with a frown, feeling there wasn't enough time each day.
With no umbrella, there was really no way to go out.
Unless he took Lu Ke's clothes off to wear.
But there's no need for that.
Skipping breakfast for a day isn't the end of the world.
Although some firewood was still dry, there was no material to start a fire, making it difficult to light one.
Xu Yi decided not to attempt it and instead picked up the unfinished Hunting Bow to continue working on it.
Just watching the rain without working wouldn't cut it.
Seeing Xu Yi start to make the Hunting Bow, Lu Ke picked up a knife to begin stripping off tree bark.
After all, one shouldn't let oneself idle. There are always new tasks to attend to every day.
The rain gradually lessened, and by almost ten, the sun appeared.
The sunlight remained scorching, giving the skin a burning sensation.
Xu Yi opened the fence gate and checked out the trap finished yesterday.
He had made drainage provisions which seemed effective, as there wasn't much water accumulation inside.
"The rain isn't all bad; setting up the spikes might be easier now." Xu Yi muttered and walked out.
No dry tinder to start a fire meant a need to venture out to find some.
This event served as a reminder to Xu Yi that such supplies must be prepared in advance and stored indoors.
Lu Ke followed Xu Yi, and the two headed towards the woods.
Soon, they gathered some damp hay. Xu Yi let Lu Ke carry it back to spread it out in the courtyard to dry.
With the sun this strong, it should dry enough in one or two hours to ignite.
Meanwhile, Xu Yi continued collecting dried branches, as there wasn't much firewood left and they needed to stock up. Otherwise, there wouldn't be enough for the night.
After Lu Ke returned to spread out the hay, she came back. With the rain just stopped, there shouldn't be much wild animal activity nearby, making it relatively safe.
After an hour of gathering, Xu Yi carried a large load of wood back.
Lu Ke wasn't empty-handed either; her basket was filled with sturdy hay, and she was carrying a pile of firewood on her shoulder.
With these supplies, they had enough to last for two days.
Upon returning, they naturally spread everything out to dry.
Xu Yi took out fire-starting tools, teaching Lu Ke how to start a fire.
With the sharp tools, learning was easy for Lu Ke and she quickly got the fire going. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮
Soon, Lu Ke began cooking fish slices.
Both hadn't had breakfast, and after doing some physical labor, they were famished.
While Lu Ke cooked, Xu Yi took the opportunity to further refine the Hunting Bow.
Now, the Hunting Bow in Xu Yi's hand was beginning to take shape.
"I didn't expect Xu Yi's hands to be so skillful. The Hunting Bow looks pretty good."
"Looks good, but I wonder if it works well. In ancient times, making a bow took one or two years. Xu Yi's only took a few days; I wonder if it can actually be used for hunting."
"As long as it's resilient enough, it should be no problem to hunt typical animals. But expecting it to take down leopards and tigers might be a stretch."
"The bow looks quite impressive; hopefully, it'll be useful."
"And I wonder what Xu Yi will use for the string."
"I think he could use Lu Ke's shoelaces; that seems likely."
"Shoelaces would work; after all, they're sturdy products of a civilized society."
"If it were me, I'd use shoelaces too."
Indeed, Xu Yi planned to use Lu Ke's shoelaces because, aside from this, he had no better material.
Chapter 54: Chapter 54: The Hunting Bow Is FinishedAfter talking to Lu Ke, Lu Ke took off her shoelace and handed it to Xu Yi. Then she pulled some umbrella tree bark over and made new shoelaces.
Xu Yi put away one of the shoelaces and started stringing the bow with the other.
The shoelace is over 1.5 meters long, while the bowstring only needs a little over a meter, so it's more than enough.
Xu Yi only tied one end before Lu Ke called him to eat.
Stringing is also a strenuous task; the string must be tied very tightly, so Xu Yi planned to eat lunch first and regain some strength before continuing.
"Yesterday's lychee fish slices were delicious." Xu Yi thought today's fish slices tasted a lot blander. Unfortunately, not many lychees were picked, and they were finished yesterday.
Lu Ke nodded and reminisced about yesterday's lychee fish slices.
"Let's go to the seaside in the afternoon; on the way, let's pick some." Lu Ke suggested.
Xu Yi nodded in agreement.
After lunch, Xu Yi resumed stringing the bow.
It took nearly an hour for Xu Yi to fix the string properly.
Looking at the well-made Hunting Bow in his hand, Xu Yi took a deep breath.
He pulled the string.
Using all his strength, Xu Yi fully drew the bowstring.
He held it for 5 seconds before releasing it.
"Thwang"
The power felt substantial.
Xu Yi looked at the Hunting Bow in his hand with satisfaction and grinned.
He felt it was a good bow and that he had chosen the right materials.
The umbrella tree was more suitable than he had anticipated.
"Is it done?" Lu Ke looked at Xu Yi with a hint of admiration in her eyes.
She hadn't expected Xu Yi actually to make a bow, and furthermore, the style looked quite nice.
"Yeah, it's done. Let's see if the string breaks." Xu Yi grinned and handed the bow to Lu Ke.
Lu Ke held it in her hand and said surprisingly, "It's so light."
"Yes, the umbrella tree is indeed light, so it's a good bow." Xu Yi nodded; this bow is much lighter than he expected.
Lu Ke tried to draw, but only managed half-way before she couldn't go any further.
"You're really strong." Lu Ke stuck her tongue out, she had exerted all her effort.
"It seems my strength has increased since coming to this world." Xu Yi didn't know if it was the effect of enhancers or something else; anyway, he felt stronger.
"It really does seem that way; I feel my strength has increased quite a bit too. Otherwise, I wouldn't be able to carry today's firewood back. I thought it was from working out, but now I realize you feel the same." Lu Ke said in surprise.
"That's right, so I quite like this world. If possible, after 500 days we won't go back, let's settle down in this world." Xu Yi felt staying in this world was more comfortable, making his mind especially joyful.
When he was a homebody before, he was often down.
But after coming to this world, he no longer felt that way.
"That's a nice thought, I could stay here with you too." Lu Ke said with a sweet smile.
"Great, we'll build a big villa ourselves then." Xu Yi grinned and imagined.
"Alright, let's tidy up and head to the seaside first."
Lu Ke nodded and, together with Xu Yi, stored the kindling grass inside the house.
She also added some fresh grass to the rabbit in the basket, then she left with Xu Yi.
Xu Yi, with Lu Ke, first picked some lychees on the way and then headed to the seaside.
They brought the pot this time.
After all, choosing to sun-dry salt isn't that easy; suitable conditions must be established to create a salt field.
The simplest salt fields generally only have an evaporation pool and a crystallization pool, first introducing seawater into the evaporation pool, and as sunlight evaporates the water to a certain level, it's then poured into the crystallization pool.
Continuing to sun-dry, the seawater will become a saturated salt solution, and further sun-drying will gradually precipitate salt. The crystals obtained at this point are the common coarse salt, while the remaining liquid is called mother liquor, from which various chemical materials can be extracted.
If no suitable beach is available to establish a salt field, then one can only boil salt oneself.
Of course, Xu Yi hopes to have good luck and encounter a natural salt field to collect some salt directly.
Natural Salt Pools do exist.
Ancients discovered natural Salt Pools and thus developed sun-drying methods.
However, such places are extremely rare, and if Xu Yi really encounters one, his luck would be extraordinary.
The two of them sped up quite a bit, reaching the seaside in half an hour.
"Let's walk along the beach first, see if there are coconut trees, and also check if there's a place suitable for sun-drying salt." Xu Yi shared his plan with Lu Ke.
Lu Ke nodded without any objection. After all, Xu Yi clearly had more experience than her, knowing about sun-drying salt.
"Let's make a mark first, otherwise we won't be able to find our way back." Xu Yi, holding a knife, handed the backpack to Lu Ke. After all, the coastline is long, and some places look very similar; without a mark, they might really get the location wrong.
In that case, they wouldn't make it back to camp.
Dense forests surround the area and finding specific locations isn't easy.
Lu Ke looked at Xu Yi's back, feeling increasingly fortunate she pulled Xu Yi along to sign up for the challenge. Xu Yi not only knew a lot but was also meticulous. Being with him might mean surviving for a long time.
Even if they didn't make the 500 days, just staying a few months, she would be content.
These days without illness are all a bonus.
"Alright, let's go." Xu Yi said, preparing to take Lu Ke's backpack.
"No need, I can carry it for a bit." Lu Ke refused Xu Yi, thinking she should also exert some effort and not rely on Xu Yi for everything.
Seeing Lu Ke insisting, Xu Yi didn't say anything.
The two took off their shoes and walked along the sandy beach.
"Xu Yi, look, is that a coconut tree?" Lu Ke suddenly pointed in the distance and called out happily.
Xu Yi withdrew his gaze from the beach and looked in the direction Lu Ke pointed.
"Yes, it's a coconut tree; I didn't expect there really would be one." Xu Yi smiled happily and ran quickly in that direction.
Originally, Xu Yi didn't have high hopes, given he and Lu Ke had walked for nearly an hour.
Lu Ke followed closely behind, happily stepping forward, not slower than Xu Yi.
Xu Yi had already seen clearly; there were many yellow coconuts on the coconut tree.
"Xu Yi, are you going to climb it? Wouldn't it be better to cut down the coconut tree directly?" Lu Ke saw Xu Yi's posture, seemingly ready to climb, but the coconut tree is too tall, over 20 meters high, which is just too high.
If he fell from up there, it could be fatal.
Chapter 55: Chapter 55: There Really Are Coconut Trees"Yeah, let's just cut down the trees, it's safer." Xu Yi thought Lu Ke made sense; he didn't want to place too much confidence in his tree-climbing skills.
If he really fell, it could cost him his life.
Unless he had a safety rope.
Besides, this is a coconut grove; cutting down a few trees wouldn't make much of a difference.
Then, Xu Yi took out his machete and started chopping down a coconut tree.
For Xu Yi, chopping trees was a very familiar task.
Today was the 9th day, and Xu Yi had lost track of how many trees he had cut down.
It only took him 4 chops to bring down a coconut tree.
"Xu Yi's machete must be on cheat mode, it's so sharp, bringing down a coconut tree in just 4 chops."
"I really envy him; his machete is a real game-changer in the wilderness.
"A tiger's head wouldn't even withstand two chops from Xu Yi, right?"
"A bit much talking about tiger's heads, this isn't a zoo. Tigers are man-eating beasts, not something you can just mess around with."
"You think the king of beasts is easy to deal with?"
"Why does everyone think dealing with a tiger is easy? It's not a rat."
"What's going on, why's everyone talking about tigers? Have Xu Yi and the others seen any tiger tracks?"
"This is nonsense, just chopping down a coconut tree, why bring up tigers."
The live chatroom was abuzz with discussion.
Xu Yi had already cracked open a coconut and handed it to Lu Ke first. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚
The milky coconut meat exuded a unique coconut aroma.
Lu Ke held it up and took a sip.
"It's not tasty at all, why does it taste so bland?" Lu Ke looked at Xu Yi in confusion, questioning his life choices.
"You're drinking coconut water; that's just how it tastes. What we usually drink is coconut milk made from the pulp, and it's sweetened." Xu Yi smiled and looked up to drink the coconut water.
Though not particularly delicious, it was more flavorful than plain water.
After drinking, Xu Yi dug out some coconut meat with a knife and handed it to Lu Ke, saying, "Try it, it's quite fragrant."
A slightly disappointed Lu Ke accepted the coconut meat and put it in her mouth.
As soon as she bit into it, the coconut fragrance spread immediately.
At this moment, Lu Ke felt like she was drinking coconut milk, though there wasn't any sweetness.
"It's not bad, it's a bit of comfort." Lu Ke took another piece.
They had eaten most of the coconut meat from two coconuts, then Xu Yi glanced at Lu Ke and asked, "Do you want more coconut water?"
"No, it's not tasty at all, can we squeeze coconut juice to drink?"
"Sure, it's not too hard. But it won't be as sweet," Xu Yi nodded; this small request from Lu Ke was certainly doable.
"At least it will be fragrant!" Lu Ke said nonchalantly, smiling lightly.
"Let's bring some back later," Xu Yi mentioned to Lu Ke, then stood up.
"Why is that beach so white over there, could it be salt?" Lu Ke pointed into the distance.
"It's quite possible, let's go check it out. It might be a natural salt flat." Xu Yi suggested, since they wouldn't know for sure without taking a closer look.
If it really was a salt flat, Xu Yi would be impressed with their luck.
Then again, it might be Lu Ke's luck.
"Are there really natural salt flats, beaches made of salt?" Lu Ke asked in shock, realizing how little she knew about these things.
"Of course, nature is full of wonders and can create miracles," Xu Yi smiled, though salt flats by the sea are quite rare; many are formed by large salt lakes.
But, the possibility of salt flats by the sea can't be ruled out.
"Let's hurry then; if it's all salt, that'll be amazing, we won't have to worry in the future." Lu Ke cheered up and started running in that direction.
Xu Yi followed alongside Lu Ke, not rushing too much.
The two of them ran for half an hour before finally reaching the place.
"Is it a salt flat, Xu Yi, is this a salt flat?" Lu Ke exclaimed, running towards the salt flat.
Xu Yi nodded, it was indeed a salt flat.
"Our luck is truly unbelievable, to come across this. If we can't last 500 days given this luck, it would be a waste." Xu Yi grasped some of it; it was undoubtedly sea salt crystals, no doubt about it.
"Xu Yi's right, their luck really is off the charts."
"Getting picked was a big stroke of luck already; out of so many people worldwide who signed up, only 1000 were chosen. You could say these people have extraordinary luck."
"The concept of fate is quite mystical; sometimes you just have to believe. They could've chosen any direction on the beach, yet they both picked this one."
"Indeed, when Xu Yi asked, they both pointed in this direction simultaneously."
"Speaking of luck, they're not as lucky as Su Yan and Yun Qing, are they? They found a salt mine directly, the luckiest of all."
"Wow, they found a salt mine? When did that happen?"
"A day ago, they hunted a goat that directly led them to a salt mine."
"Amazing, they're like living lucky charms, absolutely unbeatable."
Xu Yi and Lu Ke had no idea that Su Yan and Yun Qing had such good luck; if they knew, they'd probably just be envious.
Xu Yi emptied his backpack, filled it with some salt, and let it dry on the edge.
After all, this salt flat was still soaked in seawater, so the water had to be filtered out first.
"Xu Yi, why are we piling the salt anyway?" Lu Ke asked, confused but not stopping her work.
"This way, we can collect salt next time we come, saving a lot of hassle," Xu Yi explained.
Lu Ke nodded, surprised at the simplicity of the reasoning.
After piling up a 'small hill', they left the salt flat.
The saltwater density here was too high, so they couldn't stay long.
"Xu Yi, this salt isn't directly edible, right?" Lu Ke remembered that this type of salt was coarse and could be used for curing food, but not for direct consumption.
"No, it needs to be filtered. Basically, we use fine sand, activated carbon, and the like for filtering, and then we can get fairly pure fine salt." This is a traditional method of purification and is sufficient for consumption.
Lu Ke nodded, once again admiring Xu Yi's knowledge inwardly.
Xu Yi loaded up with fifty pounds of salt and started the return journey. Along the way to the felled coconut tree, Xu Yi picked up four coconuts.
It wasn't that Xu Yi didn't want to take more, but Lu Ke wouldn't let him.
She felt that Xu Yi already had enough to carry with the salt, so he shouldn't add any more weight.
As for Lu Ke, she carried one coconut in each hand, happily leading the way.
Chapter 56: Chapter 56: Pursuing More"Xu Yi, the sunset here is so beautiful. It's a pity we can't stay by the seaside; it's getting dark."
Looking at Lu Ke under the sunset, Xu Yi nodded.
The scenery was indeed beautiful. A random photo could be used as a desktop background.
However, Xu Yi thought that Lu Ke alone could achieve the same effect.
"In the future, we can build a wooden cabin by the sea and occasionally come over to watch the sunset and sunrise." Seeing Lu Ke's face full of fascination, Xu Yi couldn't help but promise.
Lu Ke's eyes lit up, and she glanced back at Xu Yi, full of anticipation: "Can we really?"
Xu Yi had mentioned before about building a small wooden cabin by the sea.
"Of course, we can, at most a month later." Xu Yi said confidently, a month would be enough for him to accomplish many things and stock up enough food.
By then, taking out a day or two to build a small wooden cabin would be a piece of cake.
Even though it's survival in the wilderness, one can still pursue other goals.
"Yay, that's great!" Lu Ke jumped up happily, and with this jump, two coconuts fell onto the beach.
"Alright, let's go home." Lu Ke felt a bit overly excited, picking up the coconuts that had fallen on the sand.
"Give me the coconuts; you take the crossbow, maybe there are animals on the way back." Xu Yi said to Lu Ke, after all, it was already getting late, and it was normal for animals to come out.
"Don't you want me to carry it for a while?" Lu Ke glanced at Xu Yi.
"No need, this weight is nothing to me." Xu Yi waved his hand.
"Alright then." Lu Ke stuck out her tongue, put the coconuts in Xu Yi's basket, and then took out the crossbow from it.
Xu Yi, holding a machete, walked in front, while Lu Ke followed behind with the crossbow.
It was already close to six o'clock, and they had to walk faster to return to their camp before dark.
Along the way, there were various bird calls.
Unfortunately, Lu Ke didn't see any of them, otherwise, she wanted to test the power of her crossbow.
When the two of them arrived at the camp, there was still some light.
"Finally arrived." Lu Ke breathed a sigh of relief, as the forest at night was too terrifying.
Xu Yi put down the basket and then picked up the Umbrella Tree Gun from under the eaves, saying, "After coming back, we need to inspect the house to see if any snakes or other creatures have gotten in."
After all, this is the wilderness, and a careless mistake can cost one's life.
So, Xu Yi felt that one could never be too careful.
"Got it." Lu Ke also picked up an Umbrella Tree Gun, following behind Xu Yi.
The two of them inspected the front and back of the camp, and then Xu Yi started to make a fire.
"Are you worn out today?" Xu Yi asked while making the fire, looking at Lu Ke.
"Not at all. You've been taking good care of me, so how could I be tired?" Lu Ke added some dry grass, letting the fire burn more vigorously. 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
"Glad you're not tired. Next time, I'll carry the salt myself. With so much salt now, after filtering and boiling it dry, we can eat for a while. In the short term, we won't lack salt." Xu Yi added some dry kindling into the fire, letting it burn thoroughly.
Lu Ke nodded. The road from the camp to the salt flat indeed wasn't close, requiring a lot of walking.
If both of them went, it would be a bit of a waste of manpower.
If she hadn't gone today, she could have done quite a few things.
After getting some dried fish, Lu Ke went to cook.
Xu Yi sat beside her to rest; carrying those things over such a long distance wasn't an easy task, so he sat down to relax his thigh muscles.
After about twenty minutes, the delicious fish slices were cooked.
"Fish slices with salt still taste better." Lu Ke said happily after sipping some fish soup. Although not much salt was added, it was much more flavorful than having none at all.
"Yeah." Xu Yi nodded, taking a sip of the fish soup, then glanced at the lychees in another bowl and said, "Lychee fish dish is also nice."
"Yes, our harvest today is quite good, not only lychees and salt, but also coconuts." Lu Ke counted today's harvest while eating.
They chatted while eating, and it wasn't long before they were full.
After eating, Lu Ke took out some umbrella bark and started weaving again.
Xu Yi sat by the fire, taking out another segment of the umbrella tree, preparing to craft another Hunting Bow.
Because he wasn't sure about the durability of the Hunting Bow, he had to process all four segments of the umbrella tree into bows for backup.
In case one broke, they could have a new one ready immediately.
After all, the crossbow's range and power were quite limited, making the Hunting Bow very important.
After weaving for a while, Lu Ke boiled some hot water and took a bath.
"Xu Yi, will you be going out tomorrow?" With Xu Yi around, she didn't plan to wash her underwear, as it would be inconvenient.
"Yeah, I'll go check if there are any fish to catch by the sea, and I'll also need to go to the forest to select suitable wood for making bows and arrows." Xu Yi more or less guessed what she was getting at, so he immediately said he needed to go out.
"Should I stay home then?" Lu Ke confirmed once more.
"Yes, I'll go by myself. Once the bows and arrows are done, I'll go hunting every morning." Xu Yi was eager to make this Hunting Bow for the purpose of hunting.
Their food stock was indeed running low, with only fish meat, which was too monotonous.
Moreover, they needed furs, so hunting was really necessary.
Spending only half a day each day, there might not always be a harvest.
Normally, the yield would gradually decrease since the animals in a given area are limited.
Unless Xu Yi expanded the area.
Currently, Xu Yi didn't wish to increase his harvest by expanding the area. That would mean he would need to spend more time hunting.
He still hoped their area had enough prey to sustain them for at least two to three months.
Is Xu Yi's camp sturdy?
Clearly not sturdy enough; if they encountered a tiger, a leap could topple Xu Yi's house.
Such a house clearly doesn't meet Xu Yi's requirements, so he wants to build a more solid one.
Doing so would certainly take more time.
Without sufficient food reserves, there's no way he could tackle this task.
Not only is the house not sturdy enough, but even the fence is the same.
If they encountered a black bear or a large wild boar, it could easily destroy the seemingly secure fence.
However, what reassured Xu Yi a bit was that there didn't seem to be such fierce beasts nearby.
The fiercest they had encountered was wolves.
Xu Yi estimated those wolves might come again, especially when they were hungry, they might appear.
Chapter 57: Chapter 57: A Different Xu YiTo be honest, Xu Yi really wasn't prepared to confront the wolf pack head-on.
After all, it's a wolf pack, hunters by nature.
Even though he now had a house and a fence, these were meant for defending against the wolves.
Facing the wolves requires at least a week of preparation.
With at least ten wolves, Xu Yi was still quite tempted.
Maybe because this place was relatively close to the equator, the wolves weren't very large, each weighing around fifty to sixty pounds.
The farther the wolves are from the equator, the larger they get.
On Earth, the largest wolves can weigh up to ninety kilograms.
Xu Yi wasn't arrogant enough to rely on hand-to-hand combat against the wolves. The wolves' fighting capability was not weak at all; they could instantly bite through a human's neck.
To deal with wolves, it has to be with a hunting bow and traps combined.
Lu Ke saw that Xu Yi was carving focused, seemingly not planning to take a rest.
"Xu Yi, should I go to sleep first?" Lu Ke said proactively, given it was late and she was indeed very tired. Plus, after sleeping together for so many days, she had started to get used to it.
Although they weren't boyfriend and girlfriend, after sleeping together, it became harder for her to find another boyfriend. After all, the past of 'having slept with' Xu Yi had to be accepted.
Of course, she couldn't consider other men as potential boyfriends.
She never really pursued romance.
After all, she was someone without a future, who could die on a hospital bed at any time.
Under these conditions, how could she dare to wish for love?
She wasn't even comfortable interacting with male patients.
Xu Yi was definitely an exception.
If it weren't for Su Yan, Xu Yi wouldn't have stayed in that ward.
Xu Yi counted as her first male friend.
It was truly a friendship; after staying in the same ward for three months, she clearly knew that Xu Yi didn't have any romantic intentions towards her, but treated her like a sister. 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎
She also knew Xu Yi fell for Su Yan at first sight.
But recently, she noticed Xu Yi was different; he didn't mention Su Yan as often, as if forgetting the person.
Bear in mind, Xu Yi participated with the goal of changing his fate.
Ten billion, this massive prize was enough to change many people's destinies.
Glancing at Xu Yi's silhouette, Lu Ke burrowed into her quilt.
At first, she still thought about Xu Yi and Su Yan, but within ten minutes, she fell asleep.
After all, she walked so much today and was quite tired.
Overall, her sleep used to be not very good, often waking up after a few hours.
Now, her sleep quality was much better, not easily startled awake. Unless there was considerable movement.
Not long after she slept, Xu Yi went to take a shower. Anyway, now there was water, taking a shower was a matter of minutes.
After the shower, Xu Yi dried his underwear before heading inside to sleep.
The two had developed a certain tacit understanding, allowing them to avoid unnecessary awkwardness.
Lu Ke slept early and would wake up early.
Xu Yi slept late and woke up a bit later.
This way, they could avoid the embarrassment of waking or sleeping together. After all, they weren't in a romantic relationship.
It's noteworthy that even actual siblings wouldn't sleep together at their age.
Like Ivica and Lei Jie, although they slept together, each had their own side.
Especially after building the bamboo house, Lei Jie made a bamboo bed, which was quite large. They used sleeping bags as blankets, no need to squeeze together into a sleeping bag.
This naturally avoided some intimate contact.
That night passed peacefully.
Early in the morning, Lu Ke woke up.
Glancing at Xu Yi's back, facing away from her, Lu Ke breathed a sigh of relief.
She wasn't clinging to Xu Yi to sleep anymore.
Carefully slipping out of the warm sleeping bag, Lu Ke walked outside.
The chill was getting heavier.
She checked the time, 6:10.
Carefully closing the door, Lu Ke fetched some water.
There was still some flame in the fire pit, so she added some firewood.
First, heat the water, then wash up.
Once Xu Yi woke up, she would start making breakfast.
Today, Xu Yi seemed to sleep better, as he showed no sign of waking up, Lu Ke sat under the eaves and continued knitting Xu Yi's clothes.
The weather was getting colder, Xu Yi needed a piece of clothing more than ever.
She must weave the clothes early to give Xu Yi something to wear.
The difference of having clothes or not was quite significant.
While weaving, she occasionally raised her head to glance in the direction of the fence.
Yesterday, Xu Yi had told her while searching for salt that when working alone at home, she shouldn't be too focused, but occasionally pay attention to her surroundings.
So, she listened.
After all, Xu Yi's displayed capabilities proved he had experience surviving in the wild and knew well what wilderness survival taboos were. So, she believed Xu Yi's words were accurate.
After a while, she heard the sound of the door opening.
"Morning." Lu Ke greeted proactively.
"Morning." Xu Yi smiled slightly and walked out the door.
The sun had been shining for a while, so he couldn't feel much chill anymore.
"I'll handle breakfast." Lu Ke set down her knitting, stood up to grab dried fish.
Xu Yi glanced at the time, 7:48; he had a decent amount of sleep.
After Xu Yi finished washing up, he drank some hot water that had been boiled.
Meanwhile, fish slices were already in the pot.
As the pot emitted a milky white color, Xu Yi smelled the aroma of the fish slices.
Today, there was no need to be hungry like yesterday morning.
The feeling of hunger was not pleasant; Xu Yi didn't want to experience it again.
So in order not to starve, accumulating enough food was necessary.
To accumulate food, either hunt or fish.
The best way to fish would be using nets, yielding a bigger haul.
Unless, like last time, encountering a dense school of fish, catching plenty of fish.
"Let's eat." Seeing Xu Yi seemingly lost in thought, Lu Ke called out.
"Alright." Xu Yi snapped back, considering that weaving the fishing net shouldn't be a difficult task for Lu Ke.
Xu Yi picked up the bowl and began eating breakfast.
After breakfast, Xu Yi rested a bit, then armed with his machete and backpack, he headed out.
Though he said he was going out, Xu Yi didn't go far.
He was right around the vicinity, exploring.
Checking for any traces of animals nearby, or any plants.
However, it required quite some time.
That time was enough for Lu Ke to wash and dry her personal clothes.
Therefore, as Xu Yi left, Lu Ke went into the house to change and clean her clothes outside.
Chapter 58: Chapter 58: Finding a Vegetable Is Really HardXu Yi kept swinging his machete continuously; after all, it's a dense forest with lots of plants and thorns.
Without a machete, he'd have to bring out the Engineer Shovel.
However, the Engineer Shovel isn't as handy as a machete. So, after getting the 18th cut, Xu Yi didn't really use the Engineer Shovel much, but he'd carry it with him. After all, there are times when the Engineer Shovel is more useful.
Xu Yi dodged around in the forest, occasionally looking at the trees and the ground.
After all, he needed to find wild vegetables.
Just eating meat isn't enough; vegetables also have to be included.
So, Xu Yi's task was quite important on this outing.
Reaching a spot, Xu Yi was attracted by a plant.
"Oh, is this fish mint?"
Fish mint is not only a vegetable but also a medicinal herb.
Fish mint can effectively inhibit catahorm thrombin, influenza bacillus, pneumococcus, golden staphylococcus, etc., and it can be used to create plant antibiotics.
Besides, it can also boost immunity, act as a diuretic, and much more.
Xu Yi really didn't expect that this world would also have fish mint.
The taste of fish mint is relatively hard to accept for many, but for some, it's a rare delicacy.
Xu Yi had tried fish mint before; he didn't find it particularly delicious but didn't dislike it either.
This is a kind of edible 'vegetable.'
Xu Yi didn't know if Lu Ke would eat it, but he decided to pull up these fish mints.
After using his machete to clear some of the surrounding chaotic plants, Xu Yi began to pull up the fish mint.
A stretch of fish mint brought Xu Yi quite some joy.
If Lu Ke could also accept the taste of fish mint, then they'd have a dish of vegetables.
Xu Yi pulled for half an hour, bundling together about one or two pounds, then placed it into his basket.
Gripping the machete tightly, Xu Yi continued exploring forward.
The harvest of fish mint gave Xu Yi considerable confidence.
Xu Yi explored more meticulously, unwilling to miss any plant.
Because they might all become a dish on their table.
"It's already eleven o'clock?" Xu Yi glanced at the time and said somewhat helplessly.
The area he explored wasn't very large; walking back wouldn't even take half an hour.
So, Xu Yi turned around and headed back.
If he returned too late, it would worry Lu Ke.
On the way back, Xu Yi quickened his pace a bit, and in just over twenty minutes, he was back at the camp.
In the camp, Lu Ke had already started preparing lunch.
"Xu Yi, you're back. Have some water first; once I put the fish in the pot, we can eat." Seeing Xu Yi return, Lu Ke's anxious heart immediately settled.
Every time Chu Yi went out alone, she was always very worried.
Danger lurked everywhere, and accidents could happen at any moment.
"Mm." Xu Yi nodded, laid down the basket, and continued, "I picked some fish mint; do you eat it?"
"You actually found fish mint; of course, I'll eat it, it's quite okay." Lu Ke had indeed eaten fish mint before, hearing it could fight cancer, and had been eating it for a while.
"That's good; I was worried you wouldn't eat it." Xu Yi grinned happily. Since they both ate it, they could stir-fry a serving in the afternoon.
"I'll wash it and fry a bowl later." Xu Yi took the fish mint out of the basket and started washing it eagerly.
"Xu Yi, since there's even fish mint here, there must be other vegetables, right?" Lu Ke, watching Xu Yi wash fish mint, asked curiously.
Honestly, she was craving vegetables.
Cabbage, greens, water spinach, eggplant, cucumbers; just any would be good.
Just thinking about it made her mouth water.
"There should be, but they're harder to find. I searched for several hours today and didn't cover much area." Xu Yi hoped for a little harvest each time he went out, and didn't mind spending more time searching.
"Next time, why don't we join you?" Lu Ke felt that two people would definitely find more than one.
"Sure, your luck is usually better than mine. Maybe we'll find some serious vegetables." Xu Yi grinned, thinking Lu Ke was a little lucky goddess.
Yesterday, she went out and coincidentally found salt and coconut.
He had been out for half a day and only found fish mint and no plants suitable for making arrows.
Actually, Xu Yi really wanted to find bamboo, but had no luck at all.
"All done, cleaned." Xu Yi hadn't washed everything, just part of it.
Lu Ke didn't quite believe Xu Yi's claim of being lucky.
Can a lucky person get cancer?
In her view, Xu Yi was the real lucky prince.
By signing up with him, she got the chance to explore this world together and temporarily escape the pain of illness.
Lu Ke took the plump fish mint, and Xu Yi ladled all the fish pieces into a bowl.
Without oil, they could only boil it with some water and add salt later. Stir-frying was impossible.
Not to mention the lack of oil, even the small steel pot wasn't suitable for stir-frying.
"The mushrooms can only make a small plate; I'll go pick some." Xu Yi wasn't satisfied with just one additional dish, so he decided to harvest some mushrooms as well.
The mushrooms, brought back some days ago, were now quite ready to be picked.
Soon, Xu Yi picked a bowl of mushrooms and enthusiastically washed them.
Meanwhile, Lu Ke had finished cooking the fish mint and had served it in a bowl.
"Here, mushrooms." Xu Yi smiled broadly as he handed the washed mushrooms with the bowl to Lu Ke.
Lu Ke took the mushrooms and poured them into the pot.
"Sizzle"
The mushrooms sizzled as they hit the pot, and a fragrance quickly wafted out.
"Just a bowl of rice short; if only it were two dishes and a soup, it would be perfect!"
Looking at the two dishes on the stone plate, Xu Yi couldn't help but remark.
"Xu Yi, do you think there might be rice in this world?" Thinking about rice, Lu Ke couldn't help but crave it a bit.
She used to never consider it a blessing to have rice, but now she thought that having a bowl of plain rice would be delicious even without any vegetable pairings.
"It's hard to say. Naturally, I hope there's rice. Not just rice, but any type of grain would be good." After all, it's about surviving 500 days, and without a staple food, just eating meat won't do.
The modern human stomach is different from our ancestors'; we can't survive solely on meat and fruits anymore.
"Even some potatoes or sweet potatoes would be good; they can serve as staple foods too." Lu Ke nodded in strong agreement. After eating meat for nine days, she also longed for some staple food.
If they couldn't find any, she wasn't sure if she could last the full 500 days.
Food is simply too important for survival.
Chapter 59: Chapter 59: Trap CompletedAs they were eating and chatting, they quickly finished off the wood ear mushrooms and fish mint.
"It would be great if we could always have vegetables to eat," Lu Ke said expectantly as she chewed on the last piece of wood ear mushroom.
"There's plenty of fish mint, but we can't eat it every day. After all, it's a medicinal herb, and eating too much might not be good for the body," Xu Yi remarked, noticing the abundant patch of fish mint they had found, which would last them a long time.
Moreover, the environment there suited the growth of fish mint, so after harvesting one patch, it would grow back again.
"Next time, let's go together and hopefully find some better vegetables," Lu Ke nodded in agreement, acknowledging that they couldn't consume too much fish mint as its fiber was quite coarse and might not be great for the digestive system if eaten excessively.
"Alright, in a couple of days. For now, let's settle the matters at the campsite first," Xu Yi agreed to Lu Ke's proposal, recognizing the need to explore their surroundings.
"Okay," Lu Ke nodded, then glanced at Xu Yi, asking, "What about the afternoon? What's the plan?"
"You handle the earthen kiln, and I'll embed the barbs into the soil," Xu Yi said, knowing they had just eaten and it wasn't suitable to work immediately.
"Got it," Lu Ke tidied up the dishes, preparing to rest for about ten minutes before starting on the kiln.
After resting enough, Xu Yi took the previously carved wooden sticks and began installing the barbs.
Each barb was inserted into the soil by Xu Yi, forming sharp spikes. This completed a relatively complete trap.
While Xu Yi was planting the barbs, Lu Ke was mixing soil with water and repeatedly treading the soil to make it uniform.
Separated by a fence, both were busy with their own tasks.
The barbs Xu Yi set weren't dense, as the trap was mainly for defense, not hunting.
So, after just two and a half hours, Xu Yi had all the barbs embedded in the soil.
Then, he picked up a machete to cut some thatch grass.
He carried bundles of thatch back and laid them over the traps.
"Done!"
Xu Yi looked at the newly set traps and showed a satisfied smile.
For now, the Defense Power of the campsite had improved a bit.
If a pack of wolves attacked, Xu Yi wouldn't be too worried.
After finishing all this work, it was already past 5 PM, and Xu Yi returned to the courtyard.
Lu Ke was still working on clay bricks, her face sweaty.
"Take a break; I'll do it," Xu Yi offered.
Lu Ke nodded, seeing Xu Yi looked quite energetic and not too tired.
"Sweating feels so good," Lu Ke said with a smile, wiping her forehead.
Before, she envied the girls who often went to the gym or could run marathons. Her health didn't allow for strenuous activities.
After nine days in this world, she finally understood what it meant to sweat profusely.
"You want to sweat? There's plenty of hard work to be done here," Xu Yi chuckled.
In the wilderness, to improve living quality, a lot of effort was required.
"Is this okay?" Xu Yi asked, stirring the mud in the pit with his feet to make it uniform.
"Yes, that's fine," Lu Ke nodded, as it wasn't too difficult to grasp.
After a few minutes, Lu Ke instructed Xu Yi to take the mud out of the pit. Then, she shoveled the dry soil into the pit, added a certain amount of water, and continued to mix.
After one cycle, Xu Yi knew how to do it.
This task indeed wasn't easy, requiring full-body effort, which explained Lu Ke's sweat-drenched state.
Each stir made five clay bricks, which was a decent speed.
"Xu Yi, let's take a break for dinner now," Lu Ke said after checking the pot with boiling water.
Their stock of dried fish was low, maybe enough for another three days, after which they'd face food scarcity again.
"Okay, are our food reserves running low?" Xu Yi paused and took the mud out of the pit.
"Yeah, they should last us about three more days," Lu Ke replied, intending to mention it to Xu Yi, but he had already brought it up.
"Alright, got it," Xu Yi nodded, indicating his understanding.
Three days was relatively ample time.
If necessary, they could gather some shells by the shore to last a couple of days.
In this period, he needed to find suitable materials for crafting bows and arrows.
Without iron arrowheads or Bone Arrows, they needed to find dense and hard wood to ensure that the arrows could penetrate animal hides and reach the muscle.
With luck, it could take just a day.
Without luck, finding suitable materials for bows and arrows could take months.
Besides bows and arrows, traps also required materials.
After all, Xu Yi was eyeing the wolf pack.
Tomorrow, finding suitable wood was a priority.
With these thoughts, Xu Yi shaped the clay into uniform bricks and then cleaned himself up.
For dinner, there was only fish soup, as Lu Ke didn't cook more fish mint.
After dinner, they chatted for a while and then went back to making clay bricks.
"Awoo!"
Suddenly, a wolf's howl resonated.
Lu Ke immediately tensed up and asked, "Xu Yi, are the wolves coming?"
Listening carefully, Xu Yi replied, "They're still a bit far, seems like they're attacking some animals."
Lu Ke listened intently and indeed heard some animal's cries.
"Don't worry; we've dug traps. Wolves aren't like cats; they can't do much to us," Xu Yi reassured Lu Ke.
He was right; canines aren't like felines and struggle with fences.
Felines are a different story; they even climb trees—a meter-high fence wouldn't stop them.
Fortunately, felines are mostly solitary. Even if not entirely solitary, it's usually the females hunting alone.
The wolf pack howled a bit before calming down, likely after taking down their prey.
Xu Yi continued working on the clay, entirely unaffected.
Perhaps Xu Yi's calmness was contagious, steadily soothing Lu Ke's nerves.
"Xu Yi, we've made enough clay bricks for today," Lu Ke noted, eyeing the lined-up bricks under the eaves.
"You go take a bath first; I'll make a few more. With plenty of bricks, we can make a proper stove, so you won't have to squat to cook anymore," Xu Yi shared his plan.
Chapter 60: Chapter 60: The Wild Boar's SkeletonWith mud bricks, not only can we build an earth kiln and a stove, but we can also make a fireplace.
If conditions permit, we can even make a heated bed.
That way, winter will be much more comfortable.
So, you can never have too many mud bricks.
"I'm going to take a bath first." Seeing that Xu Yi had more plans, Lu Ke said nothing more, picked out the glowing red stones from the fire, and prepared hot water for her bath.
"Wow!"
The sensation of water pouring down from above was very refreshing, and Lu Ke really enjoyed the process.
She prepared four small tubs, and before showering, she had already scrubbed her body.
After rinsing off, Lu Ke thought for a moment and decided to wash her undergarments too. After all, she had sweated so much today that they wouldn't be wearable without washing.
As for embarrassment, let's set that aside for now.
Using charcoal to dry them would take no more than half an hour.
Focusing intently on making mud bricks, Xu Yi didn't notice that Lu Ke was drying her undergarments.
"Lu Ke, do you know how to turn cotton into thread?" Xu Yi thought to himself, having only one pair of undergarments wouldn't suffice; washing them frequently would wear them out.
There's quite a lot of cotton in the sleeping bag, and if it can all be spun into thread, a few pieces of cloth could be woven.
As for the clothes and pants they're currently wearing, being made of polymer materials, they aren't quite suitable for making underwear.
"I remember it used to be done with spindles and spinning wheels to directly spin cotton into thread." Lu Ke glanced back, but Xu Yi was in another corner of the room, closer to the water source, and she couldn't see him now.
"Are you asking me to turn the cotton in the sleeping bag into thread and then weave it into fabric?" Lu Ke asked.
This isn't a small project and would require a considerable amount of time.
In that case, it would mean Lu Ke couldn't contribute much else in terms of labor.
"That's the plan, after all, our jackets aren't suitable to be made into undergarments." Xu Yi directly admitted, as this was indeed a practical issue.
They couldn't possibly live like savages, could they?
"I'll try it tomorrow," Lu Ke said with a flushed face, knowing Xu Yi must have noticed she washed her undergarments.
"Yeah, anyway, what's most abundant for us right now is time, there are still over four hundred days." Xu Yi said while treading on the mud.
Indeed, if they could survive for 500 days, there would be plenty of time.
Even their fans thought 500 days was too challenging.
"I think Xu Yi is a bit overconfident thinking he can survive for 500 days."
"Didn't he say he would change locations every hundred days? I think it would be amazing if he could last a hundred days."
"Don't mention a hundred days, if he can last a month, I'll chase him, bringing a million dowry."
"Our Xu Yi only has eyes for Loli Ke, why would he look at anyone else?"
"Xu Yi is mysteriously confident; although he and Lu Ke have already challenged for 9 days, they've relied on luck. Good luck always runs out eventually."
"Maybe tomorrow they'll go out and encounter a wolf pack, forcing them to quit the challenge."
"You're all just bitter, unable to see others doing well. I think they'll persist for more than a month, even longer."
"Normally, the later it gets, the easier it becomes, because your experience keeps increasing, and tools are added. The hardest part is the beginning."
"Indeed, the start is quite difficult; look at all the people who have stuck with it, their situations keep improving."
Those who have survived 9 days have already solved the camp, water, and food issues.
These three major issues must be resolved, or they would have quit long ago.
Watching the live broadcast, browsing the comments, time passes quickly for people in front of the screen.
Before long, it was already past eleven, and Lu Ke couldn't resist the wave of drowsiness, slipping into bed.
Xu Yi also wrapped up his work; after all, mixing mud was hard labor and Xu Yi's physical strength was limited.
He spaced out in front of the fire briefly, clearing his mind before preparing some hot water to bathe himself.
After freshening up, Xu Yi went to rest.
The next day, in the morning light, they welcomed their tenth day in this world.
After breakfast, Xu Yi headed out carrying a backpack.
Today's task for him was to find wood suitable for making bows and arrows and to look for some wild vegetables along the way.
Lu Ke's task today was to build an earth kiln, as there were already enough mud bricks, presumably enough to meet the needs. If not enough, building would reveal how many were still needed.
Xu Yi walked through the woods, cutting his way with a machete as he went.
Upon encountering various trees, Xu Yi would take a few chops to check their hardness.
Unfortunately, after spending half the day, Xu Yi didn't find any suitable trees.
Moreover, he didn't see any usable wild vegetables or greens either.
In other words, he gained nothing over the entire morning.
"Wow~ Wow~"
On his way back, Xu Yi heard a sound similar to a crow's caw.
Judging by the sound, it was very close to him.
So, Xu Yi followed the sound to investigate.
"Animal skeleton?"
Xu Yi saw a skeleton, seemingly still fresh.
As soon as the crow saw Xu Yi approach, it flew away but didn't go far, landing on a nearby tree and cawing.
"This is a wild boar, are there wild boars active nearby?" Xu Yi rubbed his nose and glanced around.
He realized that this wild boar had been attacked by a wolf pack.
And it wasn't just one wild boar; the footprints were chaotic, indicating at least three or four wild boars. However, they all escaped, leaving only this one to be attacked and eaten by the wolves.
Xu Yi immediately thought of last night's howling wolves, less than a thousand meters from the camp; it was surely the wolves' work.
They were indeed still active around here.
Xu Yi decided to continue checking the area in the afternoon.
If he could manage to deal with a wild boar, they would have food for quite some time.
If the wild boar was very fat, they could also get quite a bit of fat, making it possible to produce soap.
On his way back, Xu Yi made marks; he planned to check it out again in the afternoon.
Back at the camp, it was already 12 o'clock, and Lu Ke was still busy.
"Almost done?" Looking at the earth kiln, Xu Yi happily asked. After all, once the kiln was finished, they could continue firing pottery.
"Yeah, almost done. You rest a bit, I'll cook lunch now." Lu Ke wiped off her sweat and smiled happily at Xu Yi.
She was quite satisfied with her work; this earth kiln was much better than the one they had dug before and should be usable for a long time.
Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Killing the Snake"No need, you take a break, I'll do it." Said Xu Yi as he picked up the steel pot.
After all, it wasn't a difficult task—Xu Yi could also cook.
Lu Ke nodded and didn't argue with Xu Yi over it.
Before long, the fish soup was ready.
Xu Yi hadn't mentioned anything to Lu Ke about the wild boar and the wolf pack.
If he had, Lu Ke would definitely be worried.
After lunch, Xu Yi rested for a while, then headed out again.
Once outside, Xu Yi walked in the direction marked by the wild boar's skeleton.
A few minutes later, Xu Yi arrived at the location.
Then, he started following the traces.
The footprints were still quite clear, so Xu Yi traced them forward.
About twenty minutes later, Xu Yi came to a more open area.
This was a puddle of water.
If there was enough water, it could easily form a small lake here.
Xu Yi realized he had taken the wrong direction.
This should be the wild boars' watering spot.
After being attacked by the wolves, they fled in the direction of their camp.
"This is actually a great hunting spot." Xu Yi scanned the surroundings—the view here was quite open. If any prey appeared, it would be easy to spot.
He thought that once his bow and arrows were ready, he could stake out here for a while to see what animals came to drink water.
"Hiss~"
Suddenly, Xu Yi heard a faint sound.
Snake!
Xu Yi's scalp tingled as he looked in the direction of the sound.
About five or six meters away, a snake lay hidden, seeming to be hunting as well.
Xu Yi immediately searched with his eyes; many animals have camouflaging fur, making them hard to spot at first glance.
Then, he saw something move in the grass. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a small badger.
Xu Yi was puzzled. Badgers primarily eat snakes, yet this one seemed to have been targeted by a snake. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
The snake was as thick as an arm, not a small one.
Encountering such a snake, if it coiled around him, it would be extremely dangerous.
If it was feeding, Xu Yi could quickly approach and cut it with a high probability of not getting entangled.
After all, Xu Yi's knife was exceptionally sharp, and he felt he wouldn't even need much force.
So, Xu Yi used his Stealth Skills.
Once the Stealth Skills were activated, Xu Yi seemed to merge seamlessly with his surroundings.
This skill was indeed excellent, but he couldn't move.
If he moved, he would 'break the spell'.
The snake cautiously crept closer to the small badger, inch by inch.
Nearly there!
Xu Yi focused on the snake and saw it coil its body.
It was about to strike.
Xu Yi murmured to himself while gripping his machete tightly.
Suddenly, the snake launched like an arrow straight at the badger.
The badger jumped up, ready to flee.
The snake quickly lunged and bit the badger.
Xu Yi immediately moved in; the badger struggled non-stop, trying to escape.
The snake held its bite, without coiling around, just biting the badger fiercely.
Xu Yi reached the snake's side and, while it was still biting the badger, decisively struck.
With one slash, the snake's head was detached from its body.
The speed was so fast that the snake's body hardly reacted.
Then, the snake's body started thrashing, seemingly trying to coil around something.
Xu Yi naturally wouldn't give it the chance as he watched the snake's body writhe.
The snake's head still gripped the badger tightly, showing no sign of letting go.
There was no doubt the badger was dead, whether bitten or poisoned, Xu Yi wasn't sure.
Thus, Xu Yi didn't plan to take the badger's body. It looked to weigh only two or three pounds, not big enough to feel like a loss.
After waiting for more than ten minutes, Xu Yi saw the snake's body stop reacting, moved forward, and picked it up.
The snake was about three to four meters long, quite hefty, much larger than the one he had dealt with by the water source before.
After packing the snake into his basket, Xu Yi slung it onto his back and prepared to leave.
At this time, Xu Yi noticed a tree as thick as a thigh, giving a very sturdy impression.
It wasn't tall, only around two meters in height.
Xu Yi hadn't seen this type of tree before; the bark was somewhat smooth, with a dark hue.
Xu Yi walked over and greeted it with his machete.
His hand tingled slightly from the shock, numbing a little.
Looking at the cut, it only penetrated a tiny bit.
Xu Yi grinned, immediately excited.
This tree was harder than he had imagined.
Without a word, he took off his basket and started chopping.
It took Xu Yi over ten strikes to fell the thigh-thick tree.
The inside of the tree was also dark, indicating its uniqueness.
Xu Yi cleaned up the crown and branches, then picked up his basket and tree and headed back.
This trip out had indeed been fruitful.
Not only had he killed a snake weighing thirty to forty pounds, but he had also found ideal wood.
With this wood, Xu Yi could start crafting a bow.
Concerned that the blood scent might attract animals, Xu Yi hurried his pace.
Walking briskly, it took Xu Yi half an hour to return to the camp.
Back at the camp, Xu Yi dropped the wood on the ground and removed his basket.
Then, Xu Yi closed the door.
"What's going on?" Lu Ke, seeing Xu Yi close the door shortly after returning, curiously ran over.
She had already finished stacking the clay kiln, ready to pile firewood inside for firing.
"I brought back a snake, afraid something might follow." Xu Yi explained.
Only then did Lu Ke notice the large snake in the basket, exclaiming, "It's huge."
"Yeah, I need to rest a bit before dealing with it." Xu Yi, a bit out of breath from the hurried return, naturally needed a break.
Lu Ke glanced at Xu Yi's already flushed shoulder and then said, "Let me do it, you rest."
"You're not afraid?" Xu Yi looked at Lu Ke; he had dealt with the previous one himself.
"No fear, it's already dead, nothing to be afraid of, just meat." Lu Ke smiled and then carried the basket to the water's edge.
After emptying out the snake, she straightened it out.
She drew her dagger and cut downwards.
First, the snake skin had to be peeled.
Though it was her first time, Lu Ke handled the sharp dagger efficiently, not troubled in the least.
Soon, Lu Ke had peeled off the snake skin, washed it, and hung it out to dry.
Chapter 62: Chapter 62: Don't Worship Me, Bro"Loli Ke is so amazing, handling such a big snake barehanded!"
"She did wrinkle her nose a bit when she was skinning it, probably forced herself to do it."
"Or maybe Loli Ke thought it was too small and not enough to eat."
"This snake is already considered small. Any bigger, and it would be a python."
"Or it could be a green anaconda."
"Aren't they worried about the smell attracting other animals if they're dealing with it right at the camp?"
"It's better than dealing with it outside. At least the camp has a fence for protection."
"After all, this is about survival. If they worry about that, might as well give up the challenge altogether?"
"Snakes do have quite a few parasites. Aren't Xu Yi and the others worried at all?"
In the live-streaming room, Lu Ke's handling of the big snake sparked a heated debate.
Lu Ke, at the beginning, did force herself to do it.
After all, the fear of snakes is something that's genetically ingrained in many of us.
However, she didn't want Xu Yi to see her fear.
After all, as a hunter, Xu Yi wasn't afraid. How could she be scared of a lifeless body?
But as she slowly processed it, she became more courageous.
After all, it was all meat.
The last time she and Xu Yi ate it, it tasted quite good.
While processing it and rinsing with water, the fishy smell wasn't that strong.
"Xu Yi, there's a lot of snake meat this time, how do we handle it?" Lu Ke, having cleaned the whole snake, turned to look at Xu Yi.
"Save some for tonight and tomorrow to cook, and smoke the rest."
Although smoked meat doesn't taste that great, there's no other preservation method for now.
"It would be great if we had some saltpeter," Xu Yi muttered.
"Saltpeter? What kind of rock is that, and what's it used for?" Lu Ke asked puzzled since she didn't really know much about these things.
"It can be used to make ice. That way, we could refrigerate our food." Xu Yi explained, as making ice with saltpeter is common knowledge in historical writings, and Xu Yi had naturally looked up related information.
"Xu Yi, you sure know a lot, don't you?" Lu Ke practically sparkled with admiration, never expecting Xu Yi to know about making ice with saltpeter.
"Don't idolize me, I'm a legend," Xu Yi cheekily stroked his bald head.
"Pfft."
"Xu Yi, that joke is so old." Lu Ke was amused by Xu Yi's words.
Xu Yi watched Lu Ke's smile, touching his nose.
He had to admit, a woman's smile can bring joy and relax you physically.
Lu Ke moved the stone slab to the water stream, taking a pottery bowl to hold the snake meat.
"You finished making the earthen kiln, right?" Lu Ke glanced over, it seemed done.
"Yeah, it's ready. You can start firing it now," Lu Ke nodded, easily slicing off a piece of snake meat.
With such a sharp knife, many tasks had become much easier.
"I'll go gather some firewood then, while it's still daytime," Xu Yi noted, as the firewood was running low.
"Alright, be careful," Lu Ke reminded him since the firewood at home was indeed sparse.
Xu Yi, feeling well-rested, grabbed a machete and headed out.
Outside, there were plenty of trees Xu Yi had already cut down, so he didn't need to go far.
These trees weren't large, generally as thick as an arm.
Since Xu Yi and company didn't have an axe, they couldn't handle larger trees.
Using the machete, he chopped them into segments, bundled them together with vines, and carried them back.
Xu Yi had already closed the gate to the fence, so he stacked the firewood bundles outside. When dusk approached, he would move them inside.
Whenever he found a suitably sized sapling, Xu Yi cut it down and left it to dry for a few days.
By evening, there were nine bundles of firewood outside the fence.
After opening the gate, Xu Yi moved all nine bundles back inside.
Meanwhile, Lu Ke had already started cooking the snake meat.
Xu Yi had previously told her that snake meat needs to be cooked for a long time.
The aroma of snake meat was already filling the air.
Lu Ke served the snake meat into bowls, and together with Xu Yi, they stacked the earthen kiln with firewood inside and out.
All nine bundles were used, as it needed to burn for a while to turn the bricks red-hot.
Once they finished, Xu Yi and Lu Ke picked up the perfectly hot snake soup and began enjoying it.
"It's so sweet," Lu Ke commented after taking a sip of the soup, looking at Xu Yi.
"Indeed, it tastes a bit different from the last one," Xu Yi nodded.
"Yeah, I only added a pinch of salt, not much at all," Lu Ke knew the salt hadn't been filtered thoroughly, so she could only use a small amount.
"That's the natural flavor of the snake meat. We should definitely have more in the future," Xu Yi talked while eating.
After all, snake soup is not only delicious but also nourishing.
"Eating's not a problem for me, but I'm still not brave enough to catch the snakes," Lu Ke stuck out her tongue, admitting she wasn't bold enough to catch snakes with Xu Yi.
"Don't worry, I won't make you do that. You're in charge of things in the camp," Xu Yi chuckled. He could tell Lu Ke was a bit afraid of snakes. But what she's doing now is already very brave.
Signing up wasn't Xu Yi's decision; it was a choice made by this world's version of him.
Once signed up, there was no turning back. So, he had to bring Lu Ke along and help her grow step by step.
These past 10 days, Lu Ke's performance had been commendable, never falling behind.
That's why Xu Yi felt that the Body Enhancement Agent was particularly worthwhile.
If not for Lu Ke's skilful hands, they wouldn't have pottery to use.
Not only that, but Xu Yi's comfortable shoes were also woven by Lu Ke's nimble fingers.
If all went well, in a few days, Xu Yi would be able to wear the clothes Lu Ke made.
Having such a capable assistant made Xu Yi very happy.
As for hunting, Xu Yi never expected Lu Ke to do it.
What, a grown man like himself relying on a woman to hunt and feed him?
"I can learn to hunt, once I finish making all the pottery we need. Then I can start learning," Lu Ke expressed. She had no issues with Xu Yi's arrangement, but she wanted to learn some hunting skills too.
"Sure, once I make the arrows, I'll craft a recurve bow for you. You can practice archery," Xu Yi had no objections to Lu Ke wanting to learn. After all, it never hurts to have more skills.
Especially in the wild, having accurate archery skills is a vital survival skill.