Chapter 18: Eel

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Chu Jiu was stunned for half a second, then quickly held back Little Can and said, "No, we can’t chase after it!" He pointed ahead—

The wild boar that had just dashed forward didn’t bother to dodge the trees in the forest; instead, it charged straight through them. Under the tremendous impact, several sturdy trees either wobbled precariously or were snapped in half at the trunk, crashing down with a thunderous roar. This startled countless birds into flight, while several small beasts scattered in all directions.

If they pursued the boar now, not only might they fail to catch it, but they risked being struck by the falling trunks.

Was this wild boar deliberately creating obstacles?

Little Can let out a "meow," leapt onto Chu Jiu’s shoulder, and said, "Use the slingshot!"

By then, the boar had already disappeared into the thicket. A simple slingshot would hardly be effective.

Yet without hesitation, Chu Jiu pulled out the slingshot and a “bursting pinecone.”

Little Can sprang onto Chu Jiu’s arm, grasping the pinecone tightly with its small paws while clutching the rubber band in its mouth, stretching it to the limit.

Squinting its eyes, it released the band, shooting the pinecone like a bullet.

Miraculously, the pinecone weaved through the branches and vines, tracing an arc through the air, before landing atop a fallen tree trunk with a crisp, firecracker-like crack.

Had it missed?

Chu Jiu thought silently.

Seconds later, a rumbling sound came from ahead—

The tree that had already been knocked askew seemed to be the final straw, toppling forward and pinning down another half-withered tree behind it.

Though the withered tree hadn’t been struck by the boar, it couldn’t bear the weight of the falling sturdy trunk and collapsed backward under it.

One after another, like dominoes, a chain of trees crashed down with thunderous booms.

Suddenly, piercing the reverberating forest sounds, a sharp, shrill howl rang out.

As the howl faded, the forest gradually fell silent.

The frightened birds and fleeing beasts slowed their pace.

Little Can hopped back onto Chu Jiu’s shoulder and said, "Done. The boar’s dead. Let’s go get the trotters."

Chu Jiu, still dazed, asked, "Huh?"

What had he just seen?

Had Little Can used a pinecone to topple a tree, triggering a chain reaction that precisely crushed the boar to death?

The pinecone’s explosion point, the tree’s falling angle, the sequence and speed of the trees collapsing, and the boar’s running path—

How incredibly precise the calculation must have been for everything to fall into place so perfectly.

With a head full of question marks and exclamation points, Chu Jiu followed the fallen trees and indeed found the boar flattened like a pancake beneath the trunks.

He hesitated, then asked, "How did you know that hitting that spot with the pinecone would bring the boar down?"

Little Can answered, "Just by looking."

Chu Jiu was speechless.

Perhaps the little cat’s brain was not as small as he had imagined?

While gathering materials, Chu Jiu asked, "By the way, how did the boar hear your purring and start running away?"

Little Can responded, "Meow!" — "Hmph!"

Chu Jiu pondered for a moment. "...So wild boars are afraid of cats? That’s a new discovery."

Little Can, puzzled, replied, "...Meow?" — "Huh?"

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Chu Jiu packed up 10 portions of fresh pig trotters, 99 portions of quality pork, 99 portions of tough bristles, 30 portions of coarse but sturdy beast leather, 4 sharp beast teeth... and many other precious materials. He patted Little Can’s head with a smile and said, "In any case, you’re amazing! This meat will last us through winter!"

Little Can remained calm, seemingly indifferent to the praise.

But its blue eyes, narrowing with delight, betrayed its feelings: Hehe, praised! So happy!

*

After stripping the fallen forest boar of all usable materials, it was time to find a place to spend the night.

Using the “Camper’s Intuition,” Chu Jiu followed the flying little golden hamster, which led the way.

As before, whenever the plump golden hamster appeared out of nowhere, Little Can’s eyes would widen and fixate on it, occasionally reaching out front paws as if to swat it down and hold it as a toy.

The hamster had to flap its wings frantically, flying higher and farther from Little Can’s grasp.

After about an hour of nervous flight, the hamster brought them to their camping destination: the Shelter Lake.

[Shelter Lake:

Here, fresh, sweet lake water can be collected—perfect for brewing tea.

Not only do humans like this lake water, but various animals do as well.

To peacefully enjoy the water, animals have formed an unspoken agreement: no attacks are launched around the lake.

No matter how weak a creature is, once it stays by the shore, it is as if entering a sanctuary.

For humans, whether boiling water for tea or grilling food in the breeze, no disasters will come.

However:

Hunting any creatures here for food is forbidden.

Staying longer than 12 hours is prohibited.

Otherwise, all creatures will gradually lose clarity of mind and eventually collapse by the shore, becoming fertilizer for the plants.]

Indeed, there were a few animals around the lake.

A golden-armored crocodile crawled slowly in the muddy shore, ignoring the long-snouted tapir nearby; a jade-green peacock descended from the sky, its magnificent feathers shimmering in the sunset, settling gracefully beside a saber-toothed beast and lowering its long neck to drink.

A scene of peace and harmony.

Chu Jiu felt joyful and said to Little Can, "This place is nice. The shore’s open and flat—perfect for pitching a tent."

He had learned the recipe for a “simple wilderness tent” from the Hunter’s Guide but had never found a suitable flat spot in the dense forest.

Chu Jiu took out coarse linen, pointed wooden stakes, long wooden planks, leather, and woodworking tools, then activated the Simple Tent using his spiritual energy.

The pointed stakes drove themselves into the ground; the linen flew up to wrap around the wooden planks...

Materials and tools danced through the air, assembling the tent methodically.

Chu Jiu didn’t idle either.

He gathered firewood and flint to start a campfire, preparing to roast two eels he had picked earlier that morning.

Yes, eels he had picked.

[Ribbon Silver Eel: A peculiar species of fish. They live perched atop the smooth bark of frostflower branches. Their flat bodies shimmer with a faint silver glow, fluttering in the wind like ribbons tied to the branch.

Yet they are indeed fish.

No one knows why they appear in treetops. It is speculated they spend their youth in streams and climb trees near adulthood to suck sap.

A philosopher once mused that eels “neither lay eggs nor mate; they grow out of thin air and are a mysterious miracle.” This phrase suits the Ribbon Silver Eel perfectly.

Harvest location: deep within the Forgotten Forest.]

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Chu Jiu laid the “miraculous wonder” flat on a clean grass leaf and sliced it cleanly from neck to tail, splitting it into two fillets.

He cut the fillets into small pieces, sprinkled salt, skewered them with wooden sticks, and placed them over the fire, turning them as they grilled, brushing a thin layer of Bloodthirsty Bee honey on top.

The rosy-hued honey coated the tender white eel flesh evenly, turning each piece a tempting caramel color.

The fish sizzled, the skin curling gradually.

Little Can watched in fascination, its little nose twitching in the evening breeze, sniffing the alluring sweet aroma.

Soon, the eels were perfectly grilled.

Chu Jiu held a skewer in front of Little Can’s mouth. "Here, eat."

Little Can hesitated for a moment, then took a step back. "Meow, meow meow." — "You cooked it, you eat first."

Surprised, Chu Jiu teased, "Hey? Didn’t you say you never share dried fish?"

Little Can tilted its head and solemnly replied, "Different."

Chu Jiu laughed. "Different? Because grilled eel isn’t dried fish?"

Little Can turned its head away, saying nothing.

Chu Jiu stopped teasing, took one skewer for himself, and handed the rest to Little Can. "Alright, let’s share."

Only then did Little Can bite into the eel, instantly savoring the meat.

The sweet honey perfectly enveloped the fish, seeping into its texture. One bite revealed the fish’s natural tender smoothness, the rich sweetness of the honey, and a hint of smoky firewood aroma—blending harmoniously, making both man and cat half-close their eyes in delight, exclaiming:

“Delicious…”

“Meow…”

Little Can polished off most of the eel.

Chu Jiu ate two skewers, then roasted some hot, fragrant crispy sweet potatoes by the fire. Sitting by the flames, peeling the sweet potato skin, he stared at the nearby lake and chatted idly with Little Can.

Of course, Little Can never spoke first.

But that didn’t dampen Chu Jiu’s enthusiasm for talking.

In his previous life, he wasn’t a talkative person, rarely confiding in roommates or classmates.

Yet with this little cat, he could speak freely, saying whatever came to mind.

After a while of this one-sided conversation, Chu Jiu checked the status of his Howling Rabbit on his backend panel.

Since leaving the Howling Rabbit alone to guard the place, Chu Jiu checked its spiritual beast status several times daily.

The Howling Rabbit seemed in good spirits, the chibi icon still showing a heart. The fields were progressing smoothly, needing no further commands from Chu Jiu.

The sweet potatoes were gone.

Chu Jiu licked his lips, stretched contentedly, and said, "The tent’s ready. Let’s wash up by the lake and then get some sleep."

Though cramped inside, with no room to stretch out fully, Chu Jiu had never slept in a tent before and felt a small thrill.

Just then, behind him came a clatter and crash, startling nearby monkeys into the trees.

By firelight, he saw the tent they had just set up had collapsed on its own.

That shouldn’t be!

Items crafted with spiritual energy according to a recipe couldn’t possibly be shoddy and collapse at the slightest touch!