Chapter 132: Speculation
Xia Lu Nong had been hit so hard by the situation that he became withdrawn.
He refused to leave the house, crouching inside all day.
Kong Zhi, seeing this, suddenly picked him up, as if lifting a potted plant, and carried him outside.
Caught off guard, Xia Lu Nong was lifted off the ground. His face turned pale, and he quickly grabbed Kong Zhi’s clothes, wrinkling them in the process. “Put me down. I can walk on my own.”
Kong Zhi replied, “It’s just a few steps.”
After setting Xia Lu Nong down outside, Kong Zhi went back inside to grab the bamboo.
Just one glance at the bamboo made Xia Lu Nong feel disheartened. He still couldn’t believe that he had grown it himself.
He turned his head away listlessly, refusing to look at the bamboo.
Kong Zhi took out a machete and said, “I’m going to cut the bamboo now.”
Xia Lu Nong didn’t respond, so Kong Zhi waited until he finally gave a half-hearted acknowledgment.
Starting at the base, Kong Zhi swung the machete and split open the bamboo. Unexpectedly, a flood of water gushed out from inside, soaking the ground at his feet and even wetting half his pants.
But it didn’t stop there. The water seemed endless, continuously dripping and forming a small puddle in the dirt.
Even Xia Lu Nong, who had been slow to react, could tell something was wrong. He stood up, staring in shock at the puddle, then looked at Kong Zhi. “Did you only split one bamboo segment? Or did you cut the whole thing? How could there be so much water?!”
Kong Zhi handed him the bamboo.
Xia Lu Nong quickly took it, holding it in both hands and examining it from bottom to top.
The bamboo was intact, aside from the one segment that had been cut open. The rest of it was still whole.
It seemed like all the water had come from just that one bamboo segment.
Xia Lu Nong stared at the bamboo in his hands.
The bamboo was only about as thick as a bowl, with segments around twenty centimeters long. There was no way it should have been able to hold so much water.
He blinked hard, his mind foggy from lack of sleep, unable to make sense of the situation or think about what could have caused it.
Frustrated, he shook his head and turned to Kong Zhi with a pleading look.
Kong Zhi shrugged, “I have no idea either.”
Xia Lu Nong suggested, “Should we split open the rest of the segments?”
Kong Zhi took the bamboo back and said, “I’ll go get a bucket from inside.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded blankly.
Kong Zhi placed the bamboo on the ground and went inside to grab a bucket.
Just as he came back out, Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian also returned.
Xia Huo Qu asked, “What’s the bucket for? Why is there so much water on the ground? What were you doing?”
“I just split open a bamboo segment,” Xia Lu Nong pointed to the ground, still confused. “It seems like a single segment can hold that much water.”
Xia Huo Qu looked at him and asked, “Feeling better now?”
Xia Lu Nong had been completely withdrawn since returning the previous afternoon, not saying a word.
His family had given him space, letting him rest after a quick dinner.
Xia Lu Nong nodded, still in shock. “This bamboo doesn’t seem ordinary.”
“What’s so unusual?” Xia Huo Qu glanced at it and asked, “Is it dangerous?”
Kong Zhi weighed the bamboo in his hand. “It’s just regular bamboo. Hard to imagine it being dangerous.”
Yan Xi Nian suggested, “Why don’t I try? You all stand back a bit. Should I just put it in the bucket and split it open?”
Kong Zhi replied, “I’ll handle it. I’m more familiar with this.”
Without wasting any time, Kong Zhi set the bamboo upright in the bucket and split another segment with the machete.
The lower part of the bamboo fell into the bucket with a thud, followed by a rush of water that filled more than half the bucket.
The amount of water, at least twenty pounds, seemed impossible to have come from such a small bamboo segment.
When they had carried the bamboo earlier, they hadn’t noticed it being heavy at all. It was hard to believe it had held so much water.
All three of them stared at Xia Lu Nong.
Kong Zhi asked, “What were you thinking about when you planted the bamboo yesterday?”
“Nothing in particular, just the usual,” Xia Lu Nong replied, examining the bamboo, his mind even more muddled.
Xia Huo Qu said, “Don’t rush. Let’s take our time to figure this out. Have a seat, and I’ll make you some honey water.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded, trying hard to recall what he had been thinking when he planted the bamboo the day before.
He sat down, holding the bamboo, deep in thought for a long time.
After Xia Huo Qu brought him the honey water, he downed it in one gulp and said, “I really didn’t think about anything special yesterday. I just wanted the bamboo to grow faster and produce more bamboo fruit.”
Xia Huo Qu said, “Think carefully. Something must have gone wrong, or else it wouldn’t have turned out like this.”
He glanced at the bamboo. “The bamboo didn’t produce any fruit, but the segments are storing so much water. Did you think about anything related to water?”
“No,” Xia Lu Nong shook his head, then quickly remembered. “I wasn’t thinking about water. But yesterday afternoon, I did zone out for a bit, thinking how it’d be great if we could carry more supplies when we go out.”
Xia Huo Qu asked, “That’s it?”
The more Xia Lu Nong thought about it, the more certain he became. He nodded, “Yes, I just briefly thought that it’d be nice if we could carry more supplies when we’re out.”
The four of them turned their gaze back to the bamboo.
Yan Xi Nian asked, “Do you think that after Xia Lu Nong thought that way, the bamboo developed something related to storage? A spatial ability?”
Xia Lu Nong was stunned and responded first, “There’s such a thing as spatial abilities? That’s not very scientific, is it?”
Yan Xi Nian said, “Of course there is. In this vast world, nothing is impossible. And your ability isn’t exactly scientific either.”
Looking at the bamboo, Yan Xi Nian continued, “The more I look at it, the more it resembles a spatial ability. Think about it—such a small bamboo segment stored so much water, and when we lifted it, there was no change in weight. Isn’t that a typical trait of a spatial ability?”
Xia Lu Nong was dumbfounded. “But isn’t my ability supposed to be a planting ability? How could it be related to space?”
Xia Huo Qu, deep in thought, said, “Maybe we’ve all been wrong from the start. Your ability might not be just a planting ability but something else entirely.”
Xia Lu Nong muttered, “If it’s not planting, then what? Could it be wish-fulfillment? Whatever I think, it happens?”
He laughed at himself after saying that, finding the idea absurd.
How could someone’s ability be wish-fulfillment? He wasn’t a genie, capable of making everything he wanted come true.
Yan Xi Nian said, “Actually, I think it could be a mix of both—a planting ability that also grants wishes. You can only get what you want by growing it yourself.”
Xia Lu Nong felt dizzy and rubbed his forehead, saying slowly, “I need a moment to process this.”
“Take your time,” Xia Huo Qu said. “I’ll go get a couple more buckets to see how much water this bamboo can store. Once we split open all the segments, we might understand what’s really going on.”
Xia Lu Nong sat dazed in his chair, watching his brother and the others start splitting the bamboo.
They had two bamboo stalks, which ended up filling nine buckets with water.
The water was drinkable, with only a slight bamboo fragrance, otherwise identical to mineral water.
Xia Huo Qu confirmed, “It’s certain now. Each segment of the bamboo contains its own small space.”
Xia Lu Nong looked at the scattered buckets around the yard and then at his own hands, still unable to comprehend how this had happened.
Kong Zhi said, “If you can’t figure it out, don’t stress. We’ll keep exploring it, and one day we’ll understand.”
Xia Huo Qu patted his brother’s head, “You didn’t sleep well last night, did you? Go take a nap. Maybe you’ll have a clearer mind afterward.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded, stood up like a sleepwalker, and shuffled back to his room to rest.
He thought he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep, but with his mind in chaos, he drifted off the moment he hit the bed, not even bothering to cover himself. Later, Kong Zhi came in and tucked him in.
He slept until past four in the afternoon.
When he woke up, the grogginess had mostly faded, and he felt like he was finally starting to recover from the shock.
He ran out and saw only Kong Zhi in the living room, organizing some rope. “Where are my brother and the others? Did they go out again?”
Kong Zhi replied, “Yeah.”
Xia Lu Nong muttered, “Why are those two always together? They do everything as a pair, even more inseparable than we are.”
Kong Zhi said, “About the same, I think.”
“Huh?” Xia Lu Nong blinked. “What’s about the same?”
“Their level of attachment,” Kong Zhi said as he walked over and patted Xia Lu Nong’s head. “Feeling better?”
“Much better. I think my brain is finally working again,” Xia Lu Nong replied. “I think you guys are right. My ability might not be purely a planting ability. If it were, I wouldn’t have been able to grow bamboo that stores water.”
Kong Zhi nodded in agreement. “That’s pretty obvious.”
Xia Lu Nong plopped down on the couch. “But I still don’t think I have some wish-fulfillment ability. I can’t just make plants grow whatever I want.”
Kong Zhi asked, “Then how do you explain the bamboo’s spatial ability?”
Xia Lu Nong paused, then carefully explained, “I think yesterday’s bamboo turned out that way because of two reasons.”
His expression grew serious. “First, my ability really can influence plants to grow in different ways depending on my intention. Sometimes I want roots, sometimes I want leaves, and sometimes I want fruit. Usually, I can grow what I want.”
Kong Zhi nodded. “That sounds right. What’s the second reason?”
Xia Lu Nong continued, “The second reason is that plants have the potential to mutate naturally. My ability just accelerates and amplifies that mutation.”
Kong Zhi tilted his head, signaling him to elaborate.
Xia Lu Nong explained, “Look, ordinary bamboo can already absorb water from the soil and store it in its segments. So when I wanted water, I grew bamboo to store it. It just increased the storage capacity. The bamboo didn’t actually mutate.”
Kong Zhi was starting to understand. “So when you wanted the bamboo to have storage abilities, your ability triggered a mutation, and it developed spatial powers?”
Xia Lu Nong nodded enthusiastically. “Exactly. That’s what I think happened. I’m not sure if this theory is correct, but we can experiment in a few days to find out.”
Kong Zhi said, “That’s a very useful and interesting conclusion.”
Xia Lu Nong replied, “Whether it holds up or not, we’ll have to wait for the experiment to confirm. But I think this is probably the truth.”
Kong Zhi asked, “How much of your ability do you have left?”
Xia Lu Nong shook his head. “I used up almost all of it yesterday, and it hasn’t recovered yet. I think I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to use it again.”
Kong Zhi said, “Then rest for now. We’ll run the experiment tomorrow or the day after.”
“Alright,” Xia Lu Nong agreed. “Now that I have a rough idea of what’s going on, when we experiment, I’ll focus on expanding the internal space of the bamboo without drawing water. Maybe that will work better.”
Kong Zhi finished organizing the ropes, stood up, and asked, “What do you feel like eating? I can go to the cafeteria and order some stir-fry.”
“Let’s cook for ourselves. I want to eat meat. I used so much of my ability today, and I’m starving,” Xia Lu Nong said, rubbing his stomach.
He was already thin, and now that he was hungry, his stomach seemed to cave in.
Kong Zhi replied, “I’ll head to the cafeteria and see if there’s any beast meat. I’ll bring some rice to trade for it.”
Xia Lu Nong stood up and said, “I’ll go with you. After sleeping half the day, I feel stiff all over.”
Today, the cafeteria had crocodile meat.
Xia Lu Nong had never eaten crocodile before. When he saw the huge, over three-meter-long crocodile, he was shocked. “How is this crocodile so big? How did you bring it back?”
Li Ming Fei, who was helping Old Huang process the crocodile, overheard him and said, “Hu Wen Xuan and Ba Niu brought it back. Impressive, right? This thing is terrifying!”
“That’s terrifying for sure. They didn’t get hurt, did they?” Xia Lu Nong asked.
“They did, but nothing too serious.” Li Ming Fei turned the crocodile’s head slightly to show them. “Ba Niu shot it in the eye. See this bloody hole?”
Old Huang, who was skinning the crocodile, lightly kicked Li Ming Fei. “Stop messing around. You’re making it hard for me to cut.”
Afterward, Old Huang looked over at Xia Huo Qu and Kong Zhi and smiled. “So, want some crocodile meat? This stuff is great for building strength.”
Xia Lu Nong, staring at the massive creature, asked, “How do you even cook crocodile meat?”
“I’ve heard it tastes similar to beef. Just slice it thin and stir-fry it over high heat. You guys have those amazing chili peppers, right? Add some of those and some pickled peppers, and I guarantee it’ll taste incredible.”
Xia Lu Nong, intrigued, said, “Okay, give me ten pounds.”
“Alright,” Old Huang chuckled, sharpening his knife with a nearby whetstone. “Hold on, let me finish skinning this, and I’ll get the meat for you. A pound of crocodile meat is worth ten pounds of rice or ten credits. Did you bring enough rice or credits?”
Xia Lu Nong was startled. “Why is it so expensive? We traded lamb for rice before, and it was only five pounds of rice for one pound of lamb.”
Old Huang explained, “Crocodiles are dangerous. Even though they aren’t as bad as the snake you guys faced, it’s close. So, are you still taking ten pounds, or less?”
Kong Zhi stepped in, “We’ll take the ten pounds. Just give us the meat now, and we’ll bring the credits later.”
Old Huang smiled brightly, “I like big customers like you! Hold on a bit!”
As Xia Lu Nong looked at the enormous crocodile and mentally calculated their stored supplies, he realized they’d better go out scavenging soon. Otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to afford meat in the future.
They took the crocodile meat back home.
Crocodile meat is pure lean meat, and it looked quite similar to beef. Xia Lu Nong decided to treat it like beef, marinating it first and preparing some pickled peppers and ginger before stir-frying it over high heat.
There were many people at their house, and they ate a lot of meat.
He split the ten pounds of crocodile meat, stir-frying about five pounds, while the remaining five pounds he blanched and stewed in broth.
Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian returned from checking on the sheep.
As soon as Xia Huo Qu entered, he handed Xia Lu Nong a bag of wild fruits. “How are you feeling now? Better?”
Xia Lu Nong, inspecting the fruits, replied, “I’m almost fully recovered. Don’t worry about me.”
Xia Huo Qu nodded, “Good. If anything comes up, just take the time you need to adjust.”
Xia Lu Nong smiled at his brother and continued examining the wild fruits. “What kind of fruit is this? I’ve never seen it before.”
“Akebia,” Xia Huo Qu said. “We tasted them earlier—they’re pretty sweet. Try one and see if you like it.”
“But isn’t it October now?”
Yan Xi Nian chimed in from the side, “It’s the lunar August. These are probably the last batch of wild fruits, and we were lucky to find them.”
Xia Lu Nong nodded, “Thanks, Brother Xi Nian. Thanks, brother.”
“No need to thank us. What are you guys cooking? It smells amazing! I’m about to drool.”
“Crocodile meat,” Xia Lu Nong said. “Ba Niu and Hu Wen Xuan brought back a three-meter-long crocodile, and the cafeteria is splitting it up. We got some.”
“Wow, that’s impressive!”
The whole family washed their hands and sat down for dinner.
The crocodile meat tasted similar to beef but was chewier.
To ensure it was safe to eat, Xia Lu Nong stir-fried it a little longer. The crocodile meat had a satisfying chew and became tastier the more they ate it.
Xia Lu Nong loved the flavor and ended up eating three bowls of rice and at least a pound of meat, filling his stomach to the brim.
As per their usual routine, Yan Xi Nian and Xia Huo Qu did the dishes. Afterward, the family gathered in the living room to chat.
Xia Lu Nong shared his theory about his ability.
Xia Huo Qu said, “Your idea makes sense. We’ll find out in a few days when we test it.”
Xia Lu Nong agreed, “That’s what I’m thinking too. Brother, Brother Xi Nian, how about we run the experiment before heading out again? If I really can grow bamboo with spatial abilities, we might be able to carry a lot more stuff on our next trip.”
Xia Huo Qu said, “That’s a good idea. We don’t need to rush to leave. Let’s try to head out before the snow comes. If it does snow, we’ll just take it slow.”
As he spoke, Xia Huo Qu glanced at Yan Xi Nian.
Yan Xi Nian immediately said, “I agree. Let’s figure out the ability first. That’ll give us more options to work with.”
Xia Lu Nong said, “Then I’ll stay home for the next few days and focus on experimenting with my ability.”
Xia Huo Qu suggested, “Let’s go outside for that. There are too many people around the base, and we should keep this as secret as possible.”
Xia Lu Nong agreed, “That works. But for the experiments related to planting abilities, we’ll need to find some fertile land.”
Xia Huo Qu said, “We’ll head to the valley where we keep the sheep. The soil there is better now, especially with all the sheep manure. It’s more fertile and relatively hidden, perfect for our experiments.”
Xia Lu Nong thought for a moment and nodded, feeling it was a good idea.
They had been eating lamb for some time, and now the flock was down to just over thirty sheep.
With the flock this small, even if the sheep were to attack them, they posed no real danger anymore. Xia Lu Nong was confident he could get away even if he were surrounded by the sheep alone.
The next morning, after eating crocodile meat noodles, the four of them grabbed seeds and fertilizer and set off for the valley.
Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi arrived first.
A few minutes later, Yan Xi Nian and Xia Huo Qu also arrived.
To ensure the bamboo would grow well, Xia Lu Nong specifically cleared a plot of land, watered it, and then placed the bamboo seeds on the ground.
He had carefully selected the bamboo seeds for this experiment, choosing the largest and fullest ones. They felt heavy in his palm.
Looking at the bamboo seeds in his hand, Xia Lu Nong glanced at the other three and said, “I’m starting now, okay?”
They had already driven the sheep far away.
The three stood guard around Xia Lu Nong, and with plants all around them, they had an extra layer of security.
Xia Huo Qu said, “Go ahead, we’ll keep watch.”
Xia Lu Nong took a deep breath, nodded, and placed a single seed into the soil.
This time, he wasn’t aiming for the bamboo to absorb water or grow tall; he wanted the bamboo to mutate and develop spatial abilities.
With that thought in mind, the bamboo sprouted little by little and began to grow visibly.
The bamboo grew slowly, but the group patiently waited nearby.
After about half an hour, the bamboo had grown from a sprout into a plant.
This bamboo was short and thick, with the stalk reaching about ten centimeters in diameter and growing just over a meter tall before stopping. Then, the entire bamboo plant began to turn yellow, and its leaves withered.
Xia Lu Nong held his breath, watching the bamboo as it grew to that height and then completely withered.
He measured the bamboo with his hand and saw that the part above the ground had six sections.
With his eyes fixed on the bamboo, Xia Lu Nong gulped and said, “Let’s cut it open now and see what’s inside. Then we’ll know.”
He nudged Kong Zhi, “You guys do it. I’m a little nervous.”
He took half a step back to make room, his palms sweaty.
