abnabooks Chapter 7 Imperial Dew
Chapter 7 Imperial Dew
The moon is full today.
The world was silent.
High above the vast sky, a bright, clear moon hangs high, its gentle light flowing like water. All living things below seem to be waiting for something, raising their heads in anticipation, even the grass and trees stretching their branches upwards as if trying to reach for that radiant light.
Suddenly, the moon abruptly pulled back the falling moonlight, as if taking a deep breath.
Suddenly, the world went dark. Then, drops of the Emperor's nectar, shaped like olives and crystal clear, gushed out from the moon's core, like ten thousand golden threads cascading down, winding and connecting, falling to earth.
At this moment, all was silent beneath the dome.
All the birds, beasts, insects, fish, and plants fell silent, leaving only the faint sounds of greedily devouring.
Wherever a drop of imperial nectar fell, the grass and trees stretched, and all living things were invigorated. One drop landed precisely on a giant golden gourd seed. The originally shriveled seed suddenly swelled up, rapidly growing larger, and spewing out a dazzling, five-colored radiance.
"Buzz—"
A clear, resonant sound, like the dawn of creation, echoed through the thick earth's veins, and the seed burst open in response. Multicolored light intensified, bursting forth from the crack, and a tender green shoot slowly emerged from the fissure.
The bud tip breaks through the shell and quickly stretches upward.
The radicles then grow downwards, their tendrils like silk, greedily absorbing nutrients from the soil.
The life force within the surrounding large golden pumpkin seeds seemed to be summoned, surging towards the sprouting seed like rivers flowing into the sea, endlessly. Blessed by this life force, the sprouting seed grew rapidly.
Roots, like dragons, plunge into the earth, rapidly absorbing nutrients from the soil; stems break through the soil, growing taller and thicker at a visible speed; tender green buds and leaves unfold one after another, gleaming with an emerald luster under the moonlight.
In just a short while, the large golden pumpkin seed grew into a seedling the size of two palms, full of vitality and standing proudly, unlike the fragile seedlings that had just broken through the soil.
A moment later, the imperial liquid disappeared, and the full moon returned to normal.
All living things that received the blessings of heaven cheered in unison. A series of howls, cries, and roars rose and fell, echoing between heaven and earth, shaking the mountains and causing the grass and trees to rustle.
Are they all in heat? Can't a person get any sleep?
Cai Xuan was sound asleep when he was awakened by these wailing and howling sounds, which left him speechless.
Unable to fall asleep, he got up and started scrolling through his phone. He had watched the videos downloaded on his phone countless times; he could practically recite them by heart.
After scrolling through his phone for a while, Cai Xuan tossed it aside and began to think about his next move. First, he needed to clear a path, drive the tricycle to the cave he'd discovered before, and then start storing food. He didn't want to run out of food one day; hunger was unbearable.
Fortunately, food is plentiful here, so storing food is not difficult.
Secondly, we need to make two buckets to carry water for irrigating the fields; otherwise, how long would it take to irrigate the fields by carrying water in plastic bags one by one? Besides, plastic bags aren't very durable; if they get torn by something, we're doomed.
Cai Xuan didn't know anything about carpentry, so making buckets out of wood was out of the question. However, the sheet metal outside the two doors of the tricycle was quite large; with a little hammering, it could be used as buckets. He also wanted to make a few pots while he was at it; he couldn't keep using the small metal box that held compressed biscuits as pots, could he?
After a while of lost in thought, the ghostly wails outside finally stopped, and Cai Xuan went back to bed to sleep.
The next morning, when he was cooking porridge, he added some fresh sweet potatoes. They were sweet and delicious, and didn't need any other ingredients.
He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but after eating the Nine-Oxen Divine Power Potato, he felt like he had become stronger, just like when he ate the Three-Colored Crab. It was strange. This thought only flashed through his mind for a moment, and he didn't think about it much.
After finishing our meal, we went to inspect the fields.
Suddenly, they discovered that one of the large pumpkin seeds had sprouted and grown into a seedling the size of two palms.
What kind of magical world is this? It sprouted overnight?
However, considering that he himself could time travel, it didn't seem strange that a seed could grow into a seedling. Cai Xuan didn't worry about it and continued to look at the giant pumpkin seedling. Usually, pumpkin seedlings that grow to this height would droop. But this giant pumpkin seedling didn't; it stood firmly in the ground, straight and upright, without any sign of bending over.
Cai Xuan originally planned to clear a road, but when he saw the large golden pumpkin seedlings growing, he immediately changed his mind, picked up a hoe and dug a hole next to the wooden house.
Soon, a large pit, one meter long, one meter wide, and one meter deep, was dug.
He filled the pit layer by layer with wood ash, fertile humus, and compound fertilizer, then transplanted the large pumpkin seedlings from the ground and planted them, watering them thoroughly. After planting, he carried a piece of wood over, placed it next to the pumpkin seedlings, and then found some thin mountain vines to gently tie the seedlings to the wood, guiding them to climb up the trellis that had already been set up on the second-floor platform.
While placing the wood, Cai Xuan accidentally pricked his hand with a splinter, and blood immediately flowed out, dripping onto the large golden pumpkin seedling.
He was busy treating his wound and didn't notice what was happening. By the time he returned, the blood had been completely absorbed by the pumpkin seedling, leaving no trace.
After planting the giant pumpkin seedlings, Cai Xuan took out a machete, hoe, and saw to prepare to go down the mountain to clear a path, driving the tricycle to the cave he had discovered last time. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something, quickly put down his things, and ran back to the toolbox in the kitchen to find a large steel nail.
He heated the steel nails red-hot with firewood, then sandwiched them between two pieces of wood and placed them on a stone. He then hammered them into thin steel strips, bent one end into a hook, and inserted the other end into a wooden stick and tied it securely. A simple eel-hooking tool was thus made.
As for catching loaches, we still need cages, which is troublesome, so we'll leave it for now.
After setting up the eel hook, he ran towards the spring ditch to test its effectiveness, and also to take his small iron box with him, along with some three-colored crabs to eat. Those crabs were incredibly fresh, fresher than any other crab he had ever eaten before, to the point that he couldn't forget them.
Arriving at the spring ditch, looking down, the bright red eel was still there, lying at the entrance of the hole with its mouth wide open, waiting for passing loaches and shrimp to fall into its trap.
I don't know whether to call it stupid or it was doomed.
Cai Xuan immediately picked up the eel hook and reached in. To avoid startling the red eel, he moved very gently and slowly, inching closer to its body and mouth... Just as he was about to hook it, the red eel unexpectedly darted forward and swallowed the hook whole.
Good heavens, Cai Xuan didn't expect this guy to be so fierce.
He immediately grabbed the hook, pulled hard forward, and the sharp hook tip pierced the red eel's mouth, pulling it out of the hole.
The red eel, as thick as a wrist, struggled wildly, churning the clear spring water into a murky mess. Cai Xuan nearly lost his grip, quickly squeezing it tightly with his gloved left hand. The eel writhed violently in his hand with astonishing strength.
Perhaps the commotion was too loud and alerted something.
Something suddenly emerged from the murky mud and darted forward at high speed.
Cai Xuan reacted swiftly, stepping on it in one swift motion. Looking down, he was astonished to see a giant turtle! It was truly enormous. The shell alone was the size of two palms, and its body was edged with gold. The golden-edged turtle, now pinned down, thrashed about with its four legs, its long neck reaching out to bite.
Cai Xuan wasn't about to let it succeed. He stomped his foot hard, stomping it directly into the soft sand, making it unable to bite him.
He never expected to be so lucky. He had only come to catch a red eel, but he ended up with a giant turtle for free. It seems he truly is a blessed man.
The red eel struggled for a while, then gradually lost its strength and stopped moving.
Cai Xuan looked at the red eel in his left hand and the golden-edged turtle under his right foot, momentarily at a loss for what to do. After thinking for a moment, he took off his outer clothes, wrapped the golden-edged turtle and red eel together, picked up the small iron box on the ground, and walked back. He had originally wanted to catch three-colored crabs, but seeing such a bountiful harvest, he lost interest.
Looking at the things he was carrying, Cai Xuan couldn't help but marvel once again at how abundant the resources were here; it would be hard to starve to death.
Back in the cabin, he began to process the red eel and the golden-edged giant turtle.
Both were easy to prepare; simply cut them open and remove the internal organs. The golden-edged soft-shelled turtle was a bit more troublesome, requiring the removal of the turtle fat inside to prevent an overly fishy smell. After cleaning, it was chopped into pieces and placed in a small iron box to cook. Even after removing the internal organs, the golden-edged soft-shelled turtle was still quite large, filling the small iron box to the brim. Cai Xuan then added some sweet potatoes and goji berries, almost overflowing the box.
There was only a small iron box in the wooden house that could hold larger items, but now that they had cooked a large golden-edged turtle, there was no room for a red eel.
Cai Xuan simply took the eel outside to grill, and the sauces he had brought finally came in handy.
He didn't use any other seasonings, just beef chili sauce.
First, find a stick and pierce it through the belly of the cleaned eel. Then, use a crisscross cutter to make slits on it, making the meat easier to cook and absorb the flavors. After making the slits, spread beef chili sauce on it, then coat it with peanut oil, and then put it on the fire to grill.
Before long, a meaty aroma mixed with beef chili sauce wafted out.
In the kitchen, the small iron box simmering the golden-edged turtle was constantly emitting steam.
Cai Xuan swallowed hard and continued flipping the eel. He hadn't had roasted meat in a long time and was getting a little hungry.
After grilling for a while longer, the eel meat turned golden brown, coated with a layer of glistening oil. He went to the kitchen and got two twigs to use as chopsticks, picked up a piece of meat, and put it in his mouth. Instantly, an unprecedented deliciousness exploded in his mouth, so delicious that his soul almost flew away.
Cai Xuan swore that he had never eaten such delicious roasted meat in his life.
He quickly picked up the roasted eel meat, turned off the fire, and went to the kitchen.
The giant turtle was almost cooked, so he adjusted the seasoning, lifted the small iron box off the stove, and placed it on the table. The table was made from a huge piece of wood, and the chairs from smaller pieces of wood; he had made them all beforehand.
He took an empty can and scooped out a can of stewed golden-edged soft-shelled turtle with sweet potatoes to eat.
With one bite, an endless deliciousness rushed straight to the top of his head, and he felt as if he had floated up to heaven, rather than on earth.
It was so delicious and fresh! He swore that even the wild game he had eaten before couldn't compare to even a tenth of the flavor of this. He didn't care about anything else and buried himself in eating. But even with his huge appetite, he had only eaten half of it.
"belch"
Cai Xuan let out a burp, feeling like the food was almost choking him. He quickly stood up and went for a walk to help digest, and also buried the entrails left from killing the red eel and the golden-edged turtle in the soil where the pumpkin seedlings were planted as fertilizer.