Master Liu quickly withdrew his hand like a flash of lightning.
Despite his flushed face, Liu Zhenhan gritted his teeth and began to chew the soft rabbit meat that was stewed to the point of tenderness. He mixed it with broth and helped the little fox spirit to swallow it all down.
"You have to understand, this is to save you." Liu Zhenhan was sure the little fox probably didn't understand a word he was saying, but he couldn't help defending himself anyway.
After all, it was a bit embarrassing for anyone to eat pre-chewed rabbit meat that's been cooked twice.
The little fox was half nestled in Liu Zhenhan's arms, having eaten a rabbit leg and drank some soup. Her beautiful big eyes were now almost open, still somewhat listless but nevertheless as captivating as Liu Zhenhan had thought.
After feeding her, Liu Zhenhan still had one more greedy little thing waiting for him. After attending to them both and feeding them the rabbit meat, Liu Zhenhan was finally able to eat the leftovers along with the remaining soup. He also cleared out the two or three big melons that had cracked open from the food he brought back yesterday. The melons had skin like a watermelon, but the flesh was golden yellow instead of red. The seeds were red and tasted a bit like a sweet melon- sweet and crisp.
Liu Zhenhan had originally planned to save a melon for the little fox and Guoguo, but then thinking that the cracked melons couldn't be stored for long, he decided to eat them all himself.
Having had its fill of rabbit meat, Guoguo crawled into the wolf-skin mat and went to sleep. Liu Zhenhan found that every time Guoguo used that energy ball, it would become lethargic and need rest.
Although he had initially planned to take a look around the island, this plan was put on hold due to the fox and Guoguo needing his attention.
Spendings half the morning and afternoon, Liu Zhenhan used a curved knife as a hoe and dug a small water storage pit near the entrance of their dwelling. Whether it would yield water was uncertain even for him.
If it doesn't yield water, then I'll use you as a toilet! Liu Zhenhan swore at the pit he had dug.
The labor intensive task also resulted in his wound on his arm bleeding again. Discovering this, Liu Zhenhan cancelled his plans to catch a few more fat rabbits from the grassy nest, despite the memory of their delicious taste making him lick his lips.
At noon, Guoguo had eaten most of the rabbit, the little guy's appetite was such that you could best describe it as a greedy eater. His stomach seemed to be a portal to another universe.
Returning home and seeing Guoguo and the little fox deep in sleep, Liu Zhenhan didn't want to disturb them. So, he picked up his stored bow and arrow from the corner and decided to go hunt some seabirds for dinner. After all, having seabird eggs for days is quite tiresome.
Just then, his stomach started to ache. The pain caused Liu Zhenhan's brows to furrow.
Perhaps he caught a cold, Liu Zhenhan thought to himself. If he were to get sick here, it would absolutely be a disaster.
Taking off the white robe he used as a backpack, he hastily put it on to keep warm. A while later, his stomach stopped hurting, so Liu Zhenhan took his bow and arrow and went outside. Here, the seabirds were rather silly, maybe they had never encountered a hunter before. They would sit on the red willow trees grooming their feathers. As long as Liu Zhenhan kept his distance, they wouldn't fly away, and this allowed his terrible archery skills to come into play.
After shooting down seven or eight birds, Liu Zhenhan felt he was getting the hang of archery. It felt somewhat similar to shooting guns, except there was no sight to aim at, it was all down to feeling. Once you get the trajectory and range of the bow and arrow, it's not all that hard. Plus, these birds were so dumb, standing there like live practice targets.
Straight after shooting down the birds, Liu Zhenhan unknowingly crossed the red willow forest he had crossed yesterday and arrived at the seaside. The shore was clean, all the remnants from yesterday's storm had been washed away by the tide.
Looking at the vast sea with a tinge of regret, Liu Zhenhan wished that even a corpse would float up on the surface. The white robe he wore was fine, but it was too large. The extra material dragged on the ground, not only dirtying it but also risked tripping him over. It would be more trouble than it was worth. The real pity was that he forgot to get a pair of shoes when he boarded the ship yesterday, and now, his feet were pierced by a few thorns.
Since he had made it this far, he wasn't in a hurry to return just yet. Liu Zhenhan found a long stick, attached a few strips of cloth torn from his robe, and made a makeshift fishing rod.
He tore some feather-covered skin from the hunted seabirds and used it as bait. Liu Zhenhan then jumped onto the nearest reef and cast his fishing rod.
The breeze lightly swept over the red willow forest, and the rustling leaves seemed to make fun of his fishing rod —♦ how could he hope to catch a fish with no hook?
Liu Zhenhan's focus wasn't really on the fishing rod. He held his bow and arrow half-cocked, the aggressive wolf-tooth arrow aimed at the seabird meat under the water. One of his feet stepped on the fishing rod and the other on his polished curved knife. As soon as he saw a fish bite, he'd let an arrow loose first. If that didn't work, he wasn't above diving into the water for a brawl.
The seawater was clear, and the seaweed under the waves gently swayed back and forth. On the shimmering water surface was the afterglow of the setting sun.
Liu Zhenhan stood as still as a terracotta soldier, carefully observing the water.
A large, spiny fish swam out from the seaweed. Before it could even bite the bait, a sharp wolf-tooth arrow had already pierced through its head at close range. A kick of the fish's tail stirred up a cloud of silt within the clear seawater and also mixed with blood. Picking up the fishing pole, Liu Zhenhan immediately stabbed at the big fish. The sharp end of the rod pierced through the fish's belly. Pulling the fish up to the rock by its cloth-made fishline, Liu Zhenhan felt gleeful as can be.
"I can make fish soup for the little fox now!" He said to himself happily, looking at the massive fish weighing about four to five pounds.
By the time he got home in the evening, it was pitch dark already. He quickly set a fire and touched the little fox's forehead after putting down his game.
Not bad, the temperature has returned to normal, it seems the earth stove has its uses after all. Liu Zhenhan happily rubbed his hands together.
Liu Zhenhan went to look at the pool he had dug up after a busy half day of work. Fortunately, it had collected a bit of water already. He could feel a dampness from the earth beneath the pool. He pinched a bit between his fingers; it was a dark clump.
He picked out three fat seabirds and cleaned them up, coated them with fine salt, wrapped them in grass, layered them in mud, and threw them into the pile of fire. Liu Zhenhan then began to clean up a big fish, noticing that there wasn't much fresh water left in the shell pot. He cut off half of the fish, salted it twice, hung it near the wind, and used the remaining half to cook a pot of egg stew with fish.
While he was doing this, the little fox was blinking her eyes constantly, watching him intently. Liu Zhenhan was somewhat embarrassed under her bright gaze.
"Eat up..." Liu Zhenhan, holding the large seashell pot, picked all the fish bones using chopsticks he had snapped from a tree branch. He brought the fish to the little fox's mouth.
The little fox looked at him, tears began to roll down her eyes. Liu Zhenhan felt like his heart was ripping apart. Clumsily, he wiped the tears from her eyes. He blew on the food to cool it down, then gently placed it into her mouth.
The little fox uttered a string of strange syllables, Liu Zhenhan did not understand what she was trying to say.
"I'm sorry!" Liu Zhenhan scratched his head, embarrassed, he said: "I can't understand what you're saying. You eat first."
As the little fox chewed, tears kept streaming down her face. Liu Zhenhan didn't know how to comfort her, he just continued to feed her bit by bit.
Perhaps she is missing her family. Just like me. Liu Zhenhan couldn't help feeling a bit sad.
The cheeky creature, with its dog-like nose, smelled the aroma and immediately crawled out of the wolf skin blanket, happily jumping onto Liu Zhenhan's head. After a brief show of affection, it jumped down and stared eagerly at the pot of fish soup.
"Shoo, shoo, shoo!" Liu Zhenhan's face turned red like a big apple. That little brat had scared him so badly that he almost spilled the pot of fish soup in his hand.
After folding the wolf skin blanket neatly, Liu Zhenhan gave some fish soup to the little fox. The little fox closed her eyes, her face turned a rouge red, as if she was intoxicated. The mystifying bonfire light illuminated her beautiful and enchanting face.
"No wonder they say beauty causes the downfall of the country!" Liu Zhenhan gasped internally. He had never believed till now that the little fox in front of him could have such meaning.
She was too alluring. Whether her eyes were open or closed, whether she was crying or drinking soup, she had a unique charm. Earlier when he was feeding her the soup, he, who always prided himself on his disciplined training and psychological restraint, couldn't help but linger for a moment on her captivating, rose-like lips. Moreover, Liu Zhenhan felt the floral scent on her growing stronger, making him somewhat obsessed. Remembering his thoughts during the afternoon hunt, how he couldn't stop thinking about her, Liu Zhenhan felt a heat on his face.
He opened the mud seal of the "Beggar Bird," tore off the meaty part of its thigh and gave it to Guoguo. Liu Zhenhan himself was also feeling a bit hungry.
Seeing Liu Zhenhan chew up the bird meat, the little fox bashfully closed her eyes and gently shook her head.
Liu Zhenhan felt awkward and with some embarrassment he turned his head and thoroughly devoured the rest.
After dinner, Liu Zhenhan picked the fish bones out of the food the little fox had finished. He strung a suturing line through the splintered bone, and then carefully stitched up the wound on his arm, which was caused by the "water arrow" discharged by the rabbit. The bonfire was flickering, Liu Zhenhan had an indifferent look, as the small fox next to him worriedly furrowed her brows.
Actually, Liu Zhenhan was in a lot of pain at this time, but seeing that the little fox was watching him, he put on a brave face.
After tying a knot on the fish gut above his wound, and moving his arm a little, Liu Zhenhan smiled satisfactorily.
Picking up the seashell pot, full of blood and fish scales, Liu Zhenhan was about to throw it away when he suddenly froze.
On the calm water surface of the pot, a horrific face was reflected back. Still fiercely set eyebrows, intimidating eyes, a stout and rugged stubble, except for the fact that the center of his face had two massive, skyward holes in place of his nose, accompanied by an abnormal twist, and the inside of the holes had patches of blood scabs forming.
"Is this...I...Liu...Zhen..Han..?" Liu's body shivered, the seashell pot dropped from his hand making a "clang" sound as it hit the ground, rolling a few times. The edge of the pot hit the stone wall of the stove and a thin fragment fell off.
Liu's heart also broke into pieces at this moment.
**************************************************************************************
We'll reveal the identity of the little fox tomorrow~~~~!!! Any savvy readers who have read "Orc Empire" should have guessed it by now, right?
China Reading Website www.cmfu.com welcomes all book lovers to come and read. For the newest, fastest, and most popular serial works only found in China Reading Original outlets!