Chapter 139: Recovery
The golden eagle narrowly avoided having its leg bitten off by the giant fish as it lunged upward. Flapping its wings, the eagle rose more than a meter into the air, just barely evading the fish.
Xia the cat was tense, his back arched, eyes locked on the giant fish, ready to pounce.
But Giant Tiger acted first. With a thunderous roar, he lunged toward the ice hole like a flash of white lightning. His powerful paw slammed into the fish with a loud “smack,” sending it flying several meters before crashing onto the ice.
The actions of the golden eagle, Xia the cat, and Giant Tiger all happened simultaneously.
When the giant fish hit the ice, a loud crack followed, shattering the ice beneath it. The fish was about to slip back into the water, and once it escaped, catching it again would be nearly impossible.
Without hesitation, Xia Huo Qu flung his fishing net, covering most of the fish.
Meanwhile, the ice around the hole fractured into several pieces under Giant Tiger’s weight. His front paws plunged into the freezing water, and he seemed on the verge of falling into the icy river. But, in a moment of sheer strength, he pushed off from the shattered ice and leaped seven or eight meters, landing back on solid ground.
Once Giant Tiger was back on land, he immediately bit into the giant fish, pulling it away from the water’s edge.
Xia the cat, a bit behind, rushed over and sank his little pink mouth into the fish’s belly, helping drag it ashore alongside Giant Tiger.
The fish struggled fiercely, its tail slapping wildly against the ice. Xia the cat, being much lighter, was repeatedly lifted off the ground, hanging in the air several times as he clung to the fish.
Xia Huo Qu, seeing this, urgently shouted, “Xiao Nong, get back on land!”
“Rawr!” Xia the cat growled, unwilling to back down.
With his mouth full of fish blood, Xia the cat couldn’t spit it out and just swallowed it down. The blood was both fishy and sweet, and after gulping it, a warm sensation spread through his chest and belly. Fueled by this heat, he became even fiercer, tearing into the fish’s belly and drinking more blood.
Meanwhile, the golden eagle swooped down from the sky, his sharp talons sinking into the fish’s head. Flapping his wings, he helped Xia Huo Qu and Giant Tiger drag the fish ashore.
Once the giant fish was out of the water, it lost most of its advantage. Giant Tiger and the golden eagle were relentless, and together they managed to pull the fish farther from the ice.
Though the giant fish was still alive, its ability to fight back was greatly diminished.
After dragging the fish a safe distance from the river, Giant Tiger and the golden eagle transformed back into human form, dressed themselves, and waited for the fish to freeze to death in the cold.
Xia the cat, having drunk a considerable amount of fish blood, was now covered in blood around his mouth and chest.
Kong Zhi walked over, picked up the fluffy Xia the cat, and pried open his mouth to check, “Are you hurt?”
“Meow,” Xia the cat squinted his eyes and shook his head.
Satisfied that Xia the cat wasn’t injured after checking his soft chest and belly, Kong Zhi let him go. Xia the cat licked his lips and showed off his long, soft fur, now stained with blood.
Too tired to clean himself, Xia the cat looked up at Kong Zhi, signaling for help.
Kong Zhi grabbed some clean snow and used it to scrub the blood from Xia the cat’s fur.
Xia the cat tilted his head back, letting Kong Zhi work.
Yan Xi Nian approached, scratching Xia the cat’s chin and asking, “Xiao Nong, you drank a lot of fish blood—how do you feel?”
“Meow,” Xia the cat purred contentedly.
Kong Zhi quickly cleaned the blood from Xia the cat’s fur. The cat then wrote in the snow with his paw: “Feeling fine.”
Xia Huo Qu came over, asking, “Can you change back into human form?”
Xia the cat paused for a moment, feeling his body, and then wrote: “Might need to eat more fish meat.”
Talking about fish made everyone realize how hungry they were.
Xia Huo Qu glanced at the ice and said, “Let’s catch a few more nets of fish, then we can cook dinner and rest.”
Even though the battle with the giant fish was short, it had been intense.
The river’s surface had been torn open, and dark fish backs could now be seen in the water, making the fishing process much easier.
Xia Huo Qu and his companions set up six drift nets and two box nets before returning to deal with the giant fish.
The dogs, who had earlier run off with their tails between their legs, now cautiously approached as the group worked on the fish.
Though the fish was still alive, Xia Huo Qu and his team handled it carefully. Yan Xi Nian and Kong Zhi each grabbed a large cleaver and began chopping at the fish’s head from the sides.
The fish thrashed violently with every blow, but the two were nimble, dodging its movements while the dogs barked fiercely from a safe distance.
After a grueling effort, they finally chopped off the fish’s head, removed its guts, and scraped off the scales. All the unwanted parts were tossed to the dogs.
The fish was so large that it spilled out an enormous amount of blood, which they collected in bowls to enjoy with the fish later.
Cleaning and scaling the fish alone took them over two hours, leaving them all exhausted.
Once the giant fish was dealt with, they reeled in their fishing nets. The six drift nets and two box nets were filled with fish.
They sorted the fish, giving part of the catch to the dogs and leaving the rest to freeze by the roadside.
Just from those six nets, they had caught over a thousand kilograms of fish.
The dogs devoured about half, leaving several hundred kilograms of fish frozen in a mound like a small hill by the road.
After sorting everything, the group began preparing the fish for dinner.
The best cook, Xia Lu Nong, had turned into a cat. The others weren’t great cooks, so they didn’t bother with anything fancy and simply decided to slice fish for a hotpot.
The hotpot was set up on the snow.
Three people and a cat gathered around the pot, sweating from the heat.
The meat of the giant fish tasted far better than its fierce appearance suggested—tender, flavorful, with few bones. Xia the cat took a big bite, not even needing to spit out any bones.
The best part was the difference in taste: when lightly cooked, the fish melted in your mouth, soft and delicate; when boiled longer, it was rich, flavorful, and tangy-spicy.
Xia the cat had always loved fish, but with this giant one, his appetite grew even larger. On his left was his brother, on his right Kong Zhi, both cooking fish for him, just barely keeping up with his demand.
As Xia the cat’s body had grown bigger, so had his appetite.
He ate three whole pounds of fish, then lay on the ground, too full to move.
The cold snow beneath him was almost completely blocked by his thick fur. The fish in his stomach slowly digested, releasing warmth that made him feel cozy.
Xia the cat, full and satisfied, drifted off to sleep, feeling as if he were tipsy from good wine.
Kong Zhi rubbed his belly, feeling his stomach directly.
Xia the cat lazily curled his long tail around Kong Zhi’s wrist, stopping him from rubbing any more.
He was way too full—any more rubbing and he might throw up.
Kong Zhi gently stroked Xia the cat’s thick, furry tail, but after being swatted by it, he switched to rubbing his back instead.
Nearby, the dogs came over to join in the fun. Xia Huo Qu and the others threw bits of fish to them, but not too much, worried that the high salt and spice content would harm the dogs.
After tossing another piece of cooked fish to them, Xia Huo Qu glanced at the cat and Kong Zhi and said, “If you’re full, take Xia Lu Nong back to rest. We’ll take the first watch.”
Kong Zhi nodded, lifting the still-breathing-with-a-full-belly Xia the cat. “Alright, we’ll head to sleep first. Call us if you need anything.”
“Woof!” The big yellow dog barked at them.
Kong Zhi looked at Xia Huo Qu.
Xia Huo Qu exchanged a glance with the dog and said, “It’s probably saying it’ll help keep watch.”
The yellow dog gave a serious nod, seemingly agreeing.
Yan Xi Nian chuckled. “Alright, let’s assign a few dogs to help with the watch.”
The yellow dog barked again, this time with no protest.
Kong Zhi carried Xia the cat back to the sleeping bags, carefully wiping his paws clean before tucking him in.
Xia the cat sprawled out, belly up, letting Kong Zhi do as he pleased while he slept soundly.
Outside, it was freezing, but inside the sleeping bag was a soft, warm cat like a little furnace. Kong Zhi smiled, hugged the cat, and soon fell asleep.
After sleeping for two hours, Kong Zhi felt the temperature in the sleeping bag rising, and his arms were full.
He opened his eyes and found that the cat in his arms had turned back into a young man at some point.
The young man, eyes closed, was sleeping soundly—Xia Lu Nong had transformed back into his human form in the middle of the night.
Kong Zhi hadn’t seen him in his human form for days. Unable to resist, he bent down to kiss his lips, then quietly got up to fetch some clothes for him from a nearby box.
When Xia Huo Qu and the others returned, it would be awkward if he wasn’t dressed.
Xia Lu Nong’s alertness was still sharp. By the time Kong Zhi started dressing him, he was groggily waking up, about to open his eyes.
Seeing the frustration on his sleepy face, a childlike pout in his expression, Kong Zhi kissed his forehead and whispered, “It’s me. Go back to sleep.”
He gently patted Xia Lu Nong’s back as he spoke.
Feeling the familiar presence, Xia Lu Nong’s frown softened. Soon, he was snuggled back into Kong Zhi’s arms, falling into a deep, sweet sleep.
Later in the night, Xia Huo Qu and Yan Xi Nian came in to switch shifts with them.
Xia Huo Qu immediately noticed his brother had turned back into human form, quietly sighing in relief.
Yan Xi Nian also noticed and whispered, “Hey, Xia Lu Nong’s back to normal—we’re stronger than ever now.”
Both Xia Lu Nong and Kong Zhi stirred when they entered.
Rubbing his eyes, still half-asleep, Xia Lu Nong mumbled, “Brother, Xi Nian.”
“Yes?” Yan Xi Nian answered, “How are you feeling? All better?”
Still drowsy, Xia Lu Nong yawned while leaning on Kong Zhi and replied with closed eyes, “Much better. My powers are back too. I can go out and plant bamboo tomorrow.”
