Chapter 74
Chapter 74
Edited by Squid
Hong Zao had been active in this area for a very long time, and was extremely familiar with the geographical terrain. Knowing that Shu Jintian only drank fresh water, he led Shu Jintian to a freshwater river with familiarity and ease.
When he had time, he would catch some freshwater fish to eat, so he knew the river here like the back of his hand.
Hows your wound? Let me see, Shu Jintian told Hong Zao, and came closer to look at the injury.
Possibly due to the mermans constitution, Hong Zaos wound did not turn pale or infected from soaking in water. On the contrary, his wound had shrunk slightly and was already showing signs of healing.
Hong Zao did not care at all. Seeing that Shu Jintian was looking at it, he turned his head to lick the wound. He was already used to such a minor injury, but he felt his heart warm due to Shu Jintians concern for him, and even gave him the illusion of his wound being very serious.
Guoguo spat out his forked tongue and grinned with his mouthful of baby teeth in schadenfreude. Who told him to kidnap female father? Serves him right to get bitten.
Looking at it, itll probably be fine. You should remember to get more rest and be more careful next time ah! The sight of Hong Zaos injury made Shu Jintian uncomfortable as it reminded him of Shu Hanyus wound.
He didnt know how big snake was doing. That day when he fell in the sea, big snake was covered in cuts. Did he get any heavier injuries later?
Shu Jintians heart felt stifled and his breathing stuttered in discomfort. The wet clothes on his body also felteven clammier.
Cough cough cough! Shu Jintian frowned and coughed, then carried Guoguo in one arm and began undressing to take a bath here.
Shu Jintian then looked at Hong Zao, the meaning in his look self-evident.
He already felt a little uncomfortable bathing in front of other people, but after knowing that this person also harboured thoughts towards him, Shu Jintian found it even harder to let loose.
Hong Zaos cheeks abruptly reddened and he stuttered, I- Ill go find some food, Ill be back soon.
Hong Zao then ran off after speaking, instantly vanishing. Shu Jintian sighed in relief, and then nimbly took off his clothes. He bathed using the wet clothes, then washed them clean, and finally wrung them dry and put them on.
Fortunately, the weather was extremely hot now and wearing wet clothes wasnt very uncomfortable; in fact, it had a cooling effect.
Shu Jintian padded the ground with leaves and sat down, hugging Guoguo and saying in distress, Guoguo, are you hungry? You didnt eat much last night, so you must be hungry now ba!
Bapbapbap Not hungry, baba.
Guoguo was perched on female fathers legs and was speaking earnestly, but the sounds he made were still hard to understand. This made him very upset. Clearly he already knows how to speak, yet why couldnt he say it? T^T
Im also very hungry ah. It would be nice if there was tinder. These days, Shu Jintian had only been eating some sour wild fruits, and was barely able to continue living. Now, Shu Jintian was already starving to the point of edginess. He casually picked up a rock and slammed it on the ground.
Most of the ground here was stony, and the fist-sized rock emitted peng sounds when it collided with the ground; the sound was a little sharp to the ears.
Right, we can hit rocks against each other to start a fire ah. There are so many rocks here, so therell inevitably be one suitable for fire-starting. Guoguo, lets go find rocks!
Shu Jintian saw a few shattered little rocks, carefully set Guoguo down, and picked up a couple to try and start a fire.
Guoguo curiously laid on his stomach, approaching Shu Jintian with his eyes opened wide. Seeing female father beating rocks, he curiously spat out his bright red forked tongue. He clearly sensed the rocks temperature rising, and amazement gushed out of Guoguos eyes.
The heat that was very obvious to Guohguo couldnt be sensed by Shu Jintian at all, and he only realised that some stone parts were a little warm when he finally gave up. Shu Jintian abandoned this sort of black rock and decided to try with other rocks.
Baba~ Guoguo quietly called papa habitually, picking up the rock Shu Jintian had tossed to the ground. Parts of the rock still had a slight warmth left, making him even more amazed.
Shu Jintian searched for rocks along the riverside and Guoguo obediently crawled along behind him, picking up the rocks Shu Jintian threw down to play with. Shu Jintian occasionally turned his head back and saw Guoguos appearance of earnestly researching, and couldnt help quietly laughing.
Shu Jintian attempted for a few times and finally realised that a white rock could create a spark. Moreover, the purer the white, the greater the spark.
Finally, Shu Jintian found two white rocks with the least black impurities and finally cracked a very obvious spark.
After striking the rocks, the spark was visible to the naked eye, and a clear scent of gunpowder could even be smelled.
The merman swam in the river for a good while before he returned to normal, soaking in the water and laughing foolishly. Recalling that Shu Jintian and the little Spiritual Snake were still waiting for him to feed them, he caught a few fish and also brought a few of the red fruits that Shu Jintian liked eating.
From afar, he saw Shu Jintians back, sitting on the ground. Hong Zao quickened his pace and shouted, Xiao Tian, Im back!
Ah! Shu Jintian was immersed in the joy of successfully starting a fire, and was startled from suddenly hearing the mermans voice.
Youre back? Hurry up and look, I started a fire! Shu Jintian said excitedly, filled with a sense of accomplishment.
It would be great if big snake was here. He really wanted to share this joy with him.
The lighter he had stolen wasnt filled in the first place, and after using it for so long, only half was left of the oil, and he had always been thinking about how to retain the tinder. Now, it was great, he finally had an existence that could replace the lighter.
Hong Zao then saw the small fire before Shu Jintian. He was first frightened, hastily looking around. Seeing that all the other places were fine, he calmed down.
This place was an active volcano with frequent volcanic eruptions. He once personally witnessed it, where half of the large island was covered in lava. The entire island was covered in a red light. Even the plants that grew from the lava remnants would similarly burst into flames so long as the magma covered them.
But looking at the situation, the volcano wasnt erupting now, so how did this fire come about? Were dryland beastmen able to create fire? How interesting!
This, was made by you?Hong Zao pointed at the bonfire, then pointed at Shu Jintian.
Yes ah! Shu Jintian was in a very good mood and was also a little more accepting towards Hong Zao. The two returned to the state before the awkwardness.
How amazing. But this fire is very dangerous, so you should be careful.Hong Zao curiously approached the bonfire and poked the blaze with a finger. He immediately was burnt by the fire and hastily withdrew his finger. He should sit further away.
Shu Jintian hadnt eaten cooked food in a long time and was now unbearably hungry. Seeing Hong Zao bringing fish, he swiftly treated it and then skewered the whole thing to roast. Then he had a full meal of roasted meat, gave Guoguo one to eat, and even allowed Hong Zao to try some.
When he finished eating the roasted fish, the sky had already darkened. Shu Jintian held Guoguo as he found a rock crevice with Hong Zao. Spreading some soft grass inside, he basically settled down there.
When it came time to sleep, Shu Jintian finally suddenly remembered to be vigilant and sat on the grass pile while looking at Hong Zao.
Hong Zaos heartbeat abruptly quickened. To hide it, Hong Zao hastily turned around and laid down with his back facing Shu Jintian.
Baba~~ Guoguo kept licking his mouth, doing his best to get rid of the strange taste in his mouth.
Shu Jintian was stunned, and his eyes widened in disbelief. He emotionally said, Guoguo, what did you say? Did you call me papa just now? Be good, call me one more time.
Bebaba~~ Guoguo finally made sounds that were slightly more satisfying, and felt very happy.
Be good, call one more time, Guoguo. Shu Jintian seemed to be in a dream. He was dazzled by delight and spoke foolishly.
Baba~ Guoguo called again, his expression serious, yet he still went off-tune.
Be good, Guoguo~ Guoguo really is smart. Ill teach you to say some other words, okay? Shu Jintian dotingly gathered Guoguos soft body in his embrace and spoke tenderly.
Ah ah ah~~ Okay! Guoguo said in his heart.
Since baba liked him speaking, he should learn as soon as possible. Although he could actually understand everything, he just couldnt produce the right sounds. (_)
At night, the father and son were muttering to each other, their voices growing smaller until they completely disappeared. Hong Zao finally relaxed his body and slowly turned his body. After hesitating a long time, he tried to come closer to Shu Jintian.
Sure enough, the female stuck over again, hugging him tightly. It was completely different from his daytime behaviour while he was awake.
Hong Zao enchantedly inhaled the scent on Shu Jintians body. Xiao Tian was clearly dependably hugging him, yet he couldnt understand his heart at all.
When Shu Jintian woke up the next morning, Hong Zao expressed that he wanted to take him away with realistic motions again, but was stubbornly rejected by Shu Jintian.
He didnt know where in the world Hong Zao wanted to bring him to. If he ran about everywhere, it might be even harder for big snake to find him; it was better if he stayed where he was.
Seeing Shu Jintian with such a firm attitude, Hong Zao finally conceded.
Forget it, it didnt matter even if the Spiritual Snake came. He just needed that beastman to know Xiao Tian was willing to be with him, and he probably wouldnt forcibly take Xiao Tian away ba!
Xiao Tian probably liked him ba. Thinking of Shu Jintians dependence on him at night, Hong Zaos face had a smile.
Shu Jintian had the habit of looking for white rocks everywhere, and would collect them whenever he saw a good one. Though there were many rocks here, pure white ones were very rare. Shu Jintian searched for three days and only found three fist-sized rocks, and a long, dagger-like rock that was twenty centimeters long and five centimeters wide.
The rock that he used with difficulty in the past was discarded, and the fire from the new rock was even larger, which made making a fire much easier.
Usable materials were much rarer here compared to the last island, and this completely dispelled Shu Jintians thoughts of making a raft. After Shu Jintian found enough rocks, he liked sitting on the beach. Sometimes he would teach Guoguo how to speak, but more often he would stare afar blankly. Every time he sat there, he would stay for several hours.
During the day, Shu Jintian did not treat Hong Zao coldly or warmly, and Hong Zao did not know how to speak to Shu Jintian, so he would just swim in the direction Shu Jintian was looking at. He occasionally leapt out of the water and did an agile flip, attempting to attract Shu Jintians gaze with this. When he came up, he would also conveniently bring along food like fish and kelp.
As time passed, Shu Jintian grew more uneasy and anxious. Time was ruthless; regardless of how helpless people were, ten days still passed with the dark night and bright day alternating.
The wind was light today, and Shu Jintian moved the fire to the beach so that he could eat while watching, lest he miss Shu Hanyu.
This island didnt have many wild animals, and even birds did not really stop here to rest. The edible meats were practically just fish, and Shu Jintian couldnt help retching upon smelling the fishy smell.
Are you okay, Tiantian? Are you unwell again? Hong Zaoh promptly patted Shu Jintians back lightly.
Wu~ Im fine. Shu Jintian spat out the acidic water in his mouth. Seeing Hong Zao come over, he was a little embarrassed.
Are you really fine?Hong Zao understood this sentence and looked at Shu Jintian in concern. Seeing that his complexion wasnt bad, he relaxed somewhat.
Help me gather some firewood ba. There doesnt seem to be enough wood. Shu Jintian held some firewood and gestured at Hong Zao.
Alright, Ill go now.Hong Zao didnt think too much and readily agreed.
Seeing Hong Zao leave, Shu Jintian finally spat out a few mouthfuls in discomfort. Clearly there was nothing in his stomach, yet he couldnt resist wanting to puke as soon as he smelled the fishy smell. It took a good while before Shu Jintian could barely restrain his nausea, painfully braced against the ground as he rested.
Suddenly, faint rustles came from afar, and Guoguo also cried out ah ah ah.
Shu Jintian thought of something and shuddered all over, hastily raising his head.
He saw a thoroughly dark green boa swimming out of the water, swiftly slithering towards him while spitting out his tongue and hissing.
Big snake Shu Jintian suddenly froze, speaking hoarsely.
They met in his dreams countless times, but every time it was just an illusion, yet Shu Jintian always believed it in self-deceit. Until now, the overly realistic scene conversely made Shu Jintian afraid to believe it. His eyes were wide as he looked at the big python coming closer to him.
Was it real this time? Or was he dreaming again?