Chapter 68 – Imagination
Xia Lu Nong had never seen a rabbit this big before.
The rabbit was larger than a dog, with a single horn like that of an ox on its head. Its red eyes made it look especially fierce.
Xia Lu Nong stared, dumbfounded.
Kong Zhi turned around. “What are you looking at?”
As he spoke, his breath brushed against Xia Lu Nong’s neck, startling him and causing him to step back, nearly slipping again.
Kong Zhi reacted quickly, grabbing Xia Lu Nong’s thin wrist and pulling him upright. “Careful!”
His voice was loud enough to startle the rabbit, which perked up its long ears and immediately darted away.
Xia Lu Nong, his focus entirely on the rabbit, shouted in surprise, “The rabbit!”
Kong Zhi glanced to the side and saw the rabbit just before it disappeared from view. He steadied Xia Lu Nong by gently guiding him to hold onto a nearby tree.
Then, in one swift motion, Kong Zhi took off his shirt and pants and transformed into a giant golden eagle.
Xia Lu Nong felt a gust of wind, scented with pine, blow past him, making it hard to keep his eyes open. By the time he managed to open them again, Kong Zhi had already vanished, and the air echoed with the piercing cry of the golden eagle: “Screee—!”
Looking up through the thick pine trees, Xia Lu Nong quickly lost sight of Kong Zhi.
From the moment he spotted the rabbit to when it fled, and Kong Zhi transformed to give chase, only a few seconds had passed.
Clutching his bag of mushrooms, Xia Lu Nong cast a wistful glance at Kong Zhi’s abandoned backpack, letting out a soft sigh. Predators sure had the advantage.
Not wanting to wander around alone, Xia Lu Nong decided to sit and wait. The pine forest was quiet and odorless, with no signs of large predators, so he felt relatively safe.
He didn’t have to wait long. About six or seven minutes later, Kong Zhi called from the sky. Xia Lu Nong looked up.
Kong Zhi loosened his talons, and a large rabbit dropped to the ground a few meters away, landing with a thud. Blood oozed from its nose and mouth, and after a few twitches, it stopped moving.
Xia Lu Nong grabbed a tree for support and hurried to catch the rabbit as it slid down the slope. After chasing it for several meters, he finally managed to lift it.
The rabbit weighed at least 20 to 30 pounds!
Holding it in one hand, Xia Lu Nong nearly strained his back under the unexpected weight. He had to grab onto the nearby tree to regain his balance.
Eyes wide, he marveled at the enormous rabbit in front of him.
After the great catastrophe, he had grown accustomed to seeing skinny people and animals. This was the first time he had seen such a fat rabbit.
Underneath its sleek fur, there were even rings of fat that resembled swimming rings!
Xia Lu Nong struggled as he dragged the rabbit back to their original spot. When he looked up again, Kong Zhi had already disappeared, leaving only a small patch of blue sky overhead.
Xia Lu Nong stuffed the rabbit into a sack, tied it up, and continued waiting. Before long, Kong Zhi dropped a brightly colored large bird from above, let out a “screech,” and flew off again.
The bird hit the ground with a dull thud, and Xia Lu Nong went over to pick it up. He realized it had an extra leg, but other than that, it hadn’t mutated much. The bird was still alive, though barely, with only a faint breath remaining.
Xia Lu Nong weighed it in his hand and guessed it weighed about ten pounds. It was plump, certainly fatter than the chickens he had raised at home. This was a bit absurd.
Eyes wide in disbelief, Xia Lu Nong placed the bird into the sack and waited for the next one.
Kong Zhi made several trips back and forth, dropping rabbits and birds for Xia Lu Nong. In the end, the sack contained two rabbits and five large birds.
Kong Zhi finally landed and folded his wings, transforming back into his human form. Xia Lu Nong quickly handed him his clothes.
Just before he put them on, Xia Lu Nong noticed small cuts on Kong Zhi’s arms and back, still bleeding. He frowned and grabbed Kong Zhi’s wrist. “The wounds are still bleeding; we need to find some herbs.”
Kong Zhi glanced at his back, pressed his shirt against the largest wound, and said, “It’s fine. The bleeding will stop soon.”
Noticing Kong Zhi struggling to manage his wound, Xia Lu Nong swiftly took his shirt and pressed it against his back to offer assistance. “Was the rabbit hard to catch?”
“Not too bad. They all ran into the grass. If they’d made it into the forest, I wouldn’t have caught them,” Kong Zhi replied.
As Xia Lu Nong continued to apply pressure, he asked curiously, “Did you catch the birds in the grass, too?”
“Yeah. They were too big and fat to fly, only able to glide. I caught them easily.”
After Xia Lu Nong’s arms started to ache from holding the pressure, Kong Zhi moved his back muscles and said, “That’s enough. It’s stopped bleeding.”
He reached back to take his shirt, but Xia Lu Nong, noticing how blood-soaked it was, blocked him and said, “Wearing a wet shirt is uncomfortable. Why not wear mine instead?”
Xia Lu Nong was wearing two layers: a T-shirt and a sun-protection jacket. He figured he could give Kong Zhi one of them. He hung Kong Zhi’s bloody shirt on a branch and was about to take off his own.
But Kong Zhi took back his shirt, shook it out, and put it on, saying calmly, “It’ll dry soon.”
Xia Lu Nong couldn’t stop him in time and ended up staring at him for a moment before sighing inwardly.
He lifted the sack of rabbits and birds and brought it over to Kong Zhi. “We’ve collected sufficient resources for today, and your injury needs attention.” Why don’t we head back?”
“Do we have enough mushrooms?” Kong Zhi asked.
“Plenty. If we need more, we can come back next time. “Safety comes first,” Xia Lu Nong asserted firmly.
Kong Zhi met his gaze, hesitated briefly, and said, “It’s not that dangerous. Even if some wild animal comes, it’s probably just bringing us more food.”
“You said ‘probably,’ but there’s still a small chance of something going wrong, right?” Xia Lu Nong sighed again. “Let’s just go.”
Kong Zhi responded calmly, “We’ll gather a bit more. After lunch, we’ll head back.”
He picked up the sack, leading the way. Xia Lu Nong followed, watching him for a while to make sure he wasn’t forcing himself. Only then did he relax a little.
At lunchtime, after Kong Zhi had transformed and hunted, he was exhausted. Xia Lu Nong insisted that he eat an extra half a portion of food, making sure he finished a box and a half of rice.
After they finished eating, they sat on some rocks, staring blankly at the view of the base below. From their vantage point, they could see the tall walls surrounding the base and even the guards patrolling them.
They sat there for a while before Xia Lu Nong suddenly said, “I never thought I’d be living like this.”
“Neither did I,” Kong Zhi replied, his tone calm. “Sometimes life isn’t meant to be overthought.”
Xia Lu Nong glanced at him. “You sound like a poet when you say things like that.”
Kong Zhi responded, “It’s just your imagination.”
“Ha! Then maybe a musician?”
After resting a bit longer, they resumed mushroom hunting. By now, Xia Lu Nong had learned that the best places to find large, plump mushrooms were in damp, shaded spots. Especially in areas with a faint smell of rot—those almost always had mushrooms.
After circling the area, they quickly gathered another sack full of mushrooms.
Xia Lu Nong peeked into the sack and said, “Let’s stop. This is more than enough for us. If we collect any more, we won’t be able to carry it back.”
Kong Zhi had no objections. “Alright, let’s go back.”
They climbed to a more open spot, where Kong Zhi transformed into his beast form again. Xia Lu Nong tied their haul onto him before transforming himself.
Now, the golden eagle only had to carry the rabbits, birds, and mushrooms, with a cat clutched in its beak. The load wasn’t too heavy.
When they returned to the base, it was still early, and everyone was outside working.
Xia Lu Nong stored their haul safely at home and then insisted on taking Kong Zhi to see Dr. Ou, asking her to use her abilities to heal Kong Zhi’s wounds.
“The worst one is the cut on his back,” Dr. Ou said after examining him. He smiled and added, “But really, it’s not necessary. Beast folk heal quickly. That cut will be fine in about a week.”
Xia Lu Nong glanced at Dr. Ou, then at Kong Zhi, and hesitated before saying, “A week is still painful. Especially in summer, with the heat and frequent sweating, plus all the bathing. If we don’t treat it, it’ll likely get infected. Please heal it.”
Dr. Ou replied, “Of course, no problem. It just feels like a bit of a waste.”
Xia Lu Nong couldn’t help but say, “How can it be a waste if it makes the patient feel better?”
Dr. Ou smiled kindly. “You’re right. Kong Zhi, turn your back to me, and I’ll transfer my ability to you.”
Kong Zhi silently turned around.
After Dr. Ou finished transferring her power, she wrapped the largest wound with gauze. “It should be healed by tonight. Just don’t take a bath until the scabs fall off.”
Kong Zhi nodded.
Xia Lu Nong added, “I’ll make sure he follows that.”
“Good,” said Dr. Ou. “As for internal medicine, you won’t need any. Just give me ten pounds of rice or eight pounds of grain for the treatment.”
Spending eight pounds of rice for a wound that would heal in a week didn’t seem like a big deal to Xia Lu Nong.
He grabbed Kong Zhi and suggested, “Let’s bring the game to the cafeteria for preparation and have them sort through the edible mushrooms.”
“Alright.”
Xia Lu Nong turned his head, “The wild rabbit should definitely be braised or dry-cooked; otherwise, it might have a strong gamey taste. How do you want to prepare this large bird?”
Kong Zhi thought for a moment. “Let’s make soup. It’s been a while since we’ve had any.”
Xia Lu Nong’s eyes curved with a smile. “Alright! Once the kitchen prepares it, I’ll whip up some bird soup, enhancing it with the mushrooms we gathered today—it’s going to be absolutely delicious!
Kong Zhi said, “I’d also like some dry-cooked eggplant.”
“No problem, consider it done! The bird’s fat will be perfect for frying the eggplant. Chefs used to use chicken fat for braising eggplant. Since this bird is also poultry, we can try using its fat.”
Kong Zhi’s eyes also curved into a smile. “Sounds a bit greasy. How about something refreshing on the side?”
“Got it.” Xia Lu Nong snapped his fingers. “We’ll make some smashed cucumber with garlic and vinegar—the freshness of the cucumber will cut through the grease perfectly!”
“And for the main dish? Rice?”
“Rice is good,” Xia Lu Nong agreed. “But let’s add something more. I’ll make some wontons, using the bird meat and mushrooms. We’ll cook them in the bird soup—everything ties together.”
As they planned the meal, Xia Lu Nong didn’t wait for Kong Zhi’s input and added, “For dessert, we’ll have watermelon. I saw that some are almost ripe. I’ll use a bit of my ability to speed things up.”
Kong Zhi, standing nearby, warned, “Using your ability to ripen fruit again? Watch out, or Brother Huo Qu will scold you.”
“Haha, just keep it a secret for me, alright?”
Thanks for the chapter! They’re eating like kings, lol