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Translator: Silavin
*Chirp chirp…* Strange beast calls constantly echoed in the primitive forest, fortunately muffled by the lush trees. Su Bai and his group were in a shaded area, spared from the scorching sun.
Although they could avoid the intense sunlight, mosquito bites were still a problem. Almost everyone was covered in bites.
Cang Shi seemed unbothered, only occasionally swatting away the flying mosquitoes. His purple eyes were fixed on the floats on the lake surface.
Others were getting irritated though, like Hei Ya, who kept scratching his thighs and arms, looking extremely uncomfortable.
“Don’t you have any way to repel mosquitoes?” Su Bai felt this was a major problem. He had sprayed some floral water before leaving, but since it was not a product of this era, he had left it in the Teepee.
“When we go hunting, we usually smear some mud or apply plant juices on our bodies,” Cang Shi explained.
Su Bai found the idea uncomfortable. [Being covered in mud would be unpleasant once it dried up… Plant juice is better, but applying the wrong plants could easily cause skin diseases. It could be itchier and more severe than mosquito bites. Worse, it might even lead to ulceration on the skin…].
“Neither of these methods are any good.” Su Bai said disapprovingly.
“These are our only two options, but we’ve mostly gotten used to it.” Cang Shi patted his arm.
“Let’s look for some mosquito-repelling plants on our way back,” Su Bai calmly stated. However, he knew how unrealistic that was. Still, how could one get used to mosquito bites? Even wild beasts living outdoors use their tails to drive away mosquitoes, let alone Humans.
“Okay…” Cang Shi suppressed his curiosity, thinking he would ask the Shaman about mosquito-repelling plants after fishing.
Yan Hua’s delicate red eyes were full of mysterious smiles; she had also sprayed some floral water before leaving.
“Shaman, can I pull it up now?” Cang Shi called out excitedly.
This was his fourth attempt. The previous three times he pulled up, there were no fish, but the bait was completely eaten.
“Yes, you can pull up now.” Su Bai saw the float sink quite low, suggesting it might be a big fish.
“Okay!” Cang Shi yanked hard, pulling the hook high and splashing a lot of water.
A big fish was pulled out of the lake, slightly smaller than the one Su Bai had caught. It was of a different species, without teeth and scales, looking fiercer and uglier, somewhat like a mutated catfish.
The moment it landed, Hei Ya and others, following the method used for the previous fish, grabbed wooden sticks and started frantically hitting the fish’s head.
The reason for this was to try to knock the fish unconscious, so it would not be hard to catch as it flopped around.
“Enough, enough. That’s plenty…” Su Bai quickly stopped them. If he had not intervened, the whole fish would have been unrecognisable. The head was already smashed to bits…
He had been thinking of eating chopped chilli fish head, but now, it seemed like he would be getting smashed fish head instead.
“Yes.” Hei Ya and the others stopped their wooden sticks.
“Next time, just hit it a few times, and only one person should do it.” Su Bai instructed, feeling a bit sorry for the mangled fish.
“Alright.” Hei Ya awkwardly threw away the stick in his hand.
Everyone returned their attention to the lake surface. Due to the commotion, the Stone Armoured Crocodiles by the lake were disturbed.
They suddenly plunged into the lake, causing a pause in fishing. They had to wait until things quieted down again to continue.
Time passed minute by minute, and by the afternoon, Su Bai and the others had caught quite a few fish.
It was difficult at first, but practice makes perfect. With Su Bai, an experienced angler, present, they gradually got the hang of it.
“Hahaha… We’ll have fish to eat tonight!” Cang Shi said, holding seven or eight fish strung on a vine in one hand and a fishing rod in the other.
Yan Hua was also holding a big fish, which she had caught using Su Bai’s fishing rod.
“Shaman, what’s the best way to cook this fish?” Hei Ya asked, baring his sharp teeth.
“We’ll discuss that when we get back. It’ll be dangerous for everyone if it gets dark.” Su Bai cautioned.
“Yes!” Everyone immediately sobered up and started packing to leave the small cliff.
After moving some distance from the cliff, Cang Shi suddenly asked, “Shaman, what do those mosquito-repelling plants you mentioned? What do they look like?”
“The first characteristic is their special smell. Some look like beast teeth, some like…” Su Bai briefly described the features of several plants, such as pitcher plants, jasmine, lavender, and so on.
These plants all have special scents because insects’ behaviour mainly relies on their central nervous system. This included various sensory organs, and they had a sense of smell. The special scents of these plants could affect insects’ perception of smells, thus preventing them from biting.
“Everyone, split up and search, but keep moving towards the Tribe as we look. We must return back before sunset.” Cang Shi began assigning tasks after listening.
Su Bai watched particularly attentively, as he was the only one who knew exactly what these plants looked like.
“Shaman, is this it?” Yan Hua clutched a plant in her hand.
The plant in the cow horned girl’s hand was a carnivorous plant, a type of pitcher plant that mainly survives by catching insects and small animals, hence its name.
“Yes, that’s one of them. It’s called a carnivorous plant.” Su Bai was a bit surprised, not expecting results so soon after giving instructions.
However, he was also puzzled. [Wait. This type of plant usually grows in swampy areas. Why would it appear here?]
Su Bai felt something was off and immediately asked in a solemn tone, “Is there a swamp nearby?”
He was worried since swamps were known as terrifying man-eating grounds. If one sinks deep enough into a swamp, most of the time, if unprepared, they would die.
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