Chapter 28: Fishing for Scorpions

In the Yangtze River basin of China, particularly in the central and western regions, one often sees people with fishing rods and nets by the riverbanks during the summer, angling for crayfish.

Unlike river shrimp, crayfish are not picky about water quality or food. Fishing for them is quite simple: a bamboo pole, a piece of cotton string, and a bit of bait—like chicken liver—is all you need.

Since the guide card mentioned that these "Sand Scorpions" are essentially the "crayfish" of the land, why not try to catch them the same way one would catch crayfish? Wait, no—are they giant scorpions?

A moment later, Chu Jiu had finished his preparations.

He reassured the shivering little Chestnut Sprite, "Don't be afraid. We have a way to deal with it."

"You don't need to charge forward; just have the Dodo bird pace back and forth in place."

"If you feel like the situation is turning sour, have the Dodo bird turn around and run immediately. Don't stop for anything."

Sheldon, his face pale, braced himself and insisted, "I—I won't run! I won't abandon you guys!"

Chu Jiu smiled. "Good."

He fastened his safety harness and used a Wind-Breath Fruit to slowly ascend to a height of about ten meters.

Next, he took out a long, slender bamboo pole and used a special "fishing line" to tie a small Bamboo Flower Chicken to it.

This "fishing line" was actually made of spider silk, harvested from a [Treasure Spider's Web]. Its tensile strength was extraordinary; even the giant scorpions in the sand below could not easily snap it.

Following Chu Jiu’s instructions, the Dodo bird retreated to a spot fifty meters away from the cotton field, its claws rhythmically tapping the ground.

This steady, rhythmic vibration soon caught the attention of the Sand Scorpions.

The three Sand Scorpions that had been prowling near the cotton field lifted their deep black tails and began to "swim" through the sand toward the Dodo bird.

Sheldon scratched his head. "Anyway, as soon as we see flames, we start trembling."

Not only that, but Chu Jiu had also made a significant investment, tossing two pieces of sliced [Succulent Pork] onto the ground.

"The great fire burned for seven days and seven nights, leaving the forest in ruins."

However, he soon forgot to cry—because he realized that in the few minutes he spent tearfully praising how delicious the food was, nearly half of the crayfish in the pot had already disappeared!

It was Sheldon, the furthest away, who had already begun to cry silently, desperately wanting to bury his face in the Dodo bird's feathers and flee.

In such a short time?

"Monsters from unknown origins tore the sky apart, and raging fires fell upon the Sunny Plateau."

"Perhaps the gods heard our prayers, as days of torrential rain finally extinguished the mountain fire."

Their homes were all built from tree branches, with banana leaves for roofs and vines for stairs.

Chu Jiu was startled and quickly said, "That’s not how you eat it!"

Sheldon was no longer afraid or trembling; his face was flushed with excitement.

Chu Jiu patted his little head. "Do you know? Cotton isn't actually a flower."

How did they kill them?

They decided to temporarily interrupt their feeding and snatch this heaven-sent delicacy first.

The little kitten twitched its whiskers, its tiny paws scratching at the sand, thinking to itself:

"Must we use fire..."

"Many years ago, we were able to use fire, and we knew how to roast food."

Even though Chu Jiu had guessed that the giant scorpion would be monstrously large, seeing a creature nearly a human's height still caused his expression to shift.

The Sand Scorpion that hadn't managed to grab any pork, and had missed its target again this time, was clearly enraged.

Although the head of this creature, magnified nearly a hundred times, looked truly bizarre, Chu Jiu, having seen countless monsters, showed no special reaction. Little Canned Food didn't even blink.

It was all handled in an orderly and methodical fashion.

Soon, Chu Jiu began to light the fire and set up the pot.

Watching the chaotic battle below, Little Canned Food meowed, "Commence the slaughter!"

"That day, it was this aroma that attracted me, leading me to secretly follow them."

Not eaten that way? Then how could it be eaten?

At first, Chu Jiu didn't notice the strangeness of Little Canned Food.

As they watched, the aroma from the pot began to drift out.

The little Chestnut Sprites began to drool uncontrollably.

In less than a minute, the three fierce monsters that had just terrified the Chestnut Sprites into wanting to flee were all dead. With a loud thud, they collapsed into the sand, kicking up clouds of dust.

For a moment, those few tail stingers exposed above the sand stopped moving.

Compared to Sheldon, Eleanor ate much more refinedly.

Its round eyes narrowed slightly, aiming at the back of the Sand Scorpion that had jumped the highest—Fire an arrow!

Thinking this, the little kitten's eyes turned into unhappy semi-circles.

The other two Sand Scorpions were also pierced through their backs.

Chu Jiu immediately secured the fishing rod to his harness and gripped his bamboo bow with both hands.

Sheldon was skeptical: Can a Sand Scorpion that looks this fierce and ugly really be eaten?

The Chestnut Sprites' camp was hidden in the woods. More accurately, it was hidden in a large tree.

Thinking this, Sheldon mustered his courage and rolled forward a few times, stopping in front of the unbagged scorpion meat. He held a piece of meat in both hands and opened his mouth wide—

Chu Jiu wondered, what was wrong with the little guy? When it shot through the Sand Scorpions, although it pretended not to care, one could tell at a glance that it was actually quite happy.

Eleanor sighed and continued:

It was clearly a terrifying monster that we Chestnut Sprites couldn't avoid, one that could easily hunt other magical creatures!

However, Little Canned Food just pursed its lips and stayed silent, not even moving its tail.

A quarter of an hour later, Chu Jiu served up a pot of spicy "crayfish" and a large platter of stir-fried *Jian-shou-qing* mushrooms with chili.

Thus, these two Sand Scorpions also revealed most of their bodies from the sand, beginning to fight over this fresh, flying food just as they had fought over the pork.

Chu Jiu said with a smile:

On a chestnut tree several dozen meters high lived hundreds of Chestnut Sprites.

Though he couldn't believe it, Sheldon drove the Dodo bird courageously toward the "crime scene."

Sheldon instantly turned into a joyful, open chestnut: "Yay! Yay! This is great!"

At this moment, even tears streamed down his face:

"Fire is too terrifying..."

Even the usually composed Eleanor couldn't help but say, "It really smells too good."

And between the eyes was the most vulnerable spot of the Sand Scorpion.

Finally, the Sand Scorpion that had failed to beat its companions noticed the food above!

At this moment, the little kitten was so happy it just wanted to roll around again.

With a *whoosh*, the Sand Scorpion froze in place, half its body still standing upright.

Stimulated by such an enticing aroma, even the firelight that they usually avoided at all costs became less frightening. A few of the bolder Chestnut Sprites even rolled quietly toward the cooking fire, silently taking in a few more whiffs of the fragrance.

According to the guide card for the cotton seeds, after leaving the natural environment of the Sunny Plateau, they would grow into normal-sized cotton.

"My ancestors... also..."

They wouldn't just turn into "fiery, explosive chestnuts" at the drop of a hat.

Chu Jiu gently scratched its chin, his voice as soft as the cotton around them: "Have you never seen a 'Cloud Mountain' like this?"

It didn't take much time for Chu Jiu to find the bright red chili field.

Chu Jiu looked at Little Canned Food, his distinct black-and-white eyes curving into crescents: "Such an interesting Cloud Mountain, you really don't plan on rolling around on it?"

Before setting off, Little Canned Food curiously meowed: "Is this to make spicy stir-fried scorpion meat for the Chestnut Sprites?"

Although Sheldon enthusiastically invited Chu Jiu to see his little hut, Chu Jiu politely declined—

It wasn't until Sheldon whistled that they saw Chestnut Sprites of all sizes bouncing out from behind the leaves one by one, waving their little arms happily at Chu Jiu and the others: "You're back!"

*

Chu Jiu took a few steps into the cotton hills and couldn't help but stop in front of a Cloud Mountain that stood over a person's height. He reached out to hug the soft, white cotton in front of him, nearly burying his head in it, and sighed softly: "This is truly wonderful..."

Sheldon licked his lips and said to his companions:

As the only one who hadn't gained anything, the last Sand Scorpion had its head and thorax fully extended, its pincers waving faster, likely sensing if there was any other food around.

"As for the reason, I’m afraid you’d have to ask my mother."

"Then I’ll surely become a mature, big chestnut very soon!"

"The Sunny Plateau back then was different from now. There was no endless rain, nor were there so many gargantuan monsters."

To the Chestnut Sprites, Chu Jiu was a giant in every sense of the word; one wrong move could crush their little huts into splinters.

Sheldon seemed to half-understand: "...Cooked... until done?"

"The best way... well, stir-frying it with chili."

In the end, he used his skills to find a hidden cave for their meal. The little Chestnut Sprites followed behind the giant Chu Jiu like the little people in *Gulliver's Travels*, rolling and jumping their way into the cave.

Little Canned Food nodded: "I see."

Chu Jiu was silent for a few seconds before honestly speaking his thoughts:

Since there were only two pieces of pork, the six pincers had fought over them, and in the end, four pincers remained firmly clamped onto the succulent, juicy fresh meat.

Chu Jiu gave a soft "Ah," not expecting such a past behind the "Chestnut Sprites' fear of fire."

Those three arrows, as if equipped with some kind of homing device, struck exactly in the center of the two black dots on the Sand Scorpion's back.

Little Canned Food: "Meow." — "Not bad, quite interesting."

Little Canned Food's triangular ears twitched slightly, and its whiskers quivered.

For the *Jian-shou-qing* mushrooms that had poisoned Eleanor earlier, Chu Jiu first rendered some pork fat, stir-fried Sichuan peppercorns to bring out the aroma, added garlic slices and chili, and finally poured in the thinly sliced mushrooms, stir-frying them repeatedly for six or seven minutes before plating them.

Sheldon: "Scared! But I want to eat!"

"But I don't know why we are so afraid."

*

Those [Stingers] and [Pincers], naturally, could be fashioned into weapons.

The Chestnut Sprites cheered, pulling out sharp little twigs to use as cutlery, spearing pieces of "crayfish" and mushrooms, and popping them into their mouths without pause, all of them beaming with joy.

Sheldon's soft cyan fur shivered, and he whispered:

"You really are—the most reliable partner!"

Chu Jiu couldn't help but want to laugh: "Even if it has to be stir-fried over a fire, you're not afraid?"