Capítulo 2: Chapter 002 The Transformation of Beasts - How Deceptive
The Big Salamander wailed and cried.
It watched helplessly as the turtle calf gobbled up its red carp, piece by piece. That would have been fine, but after finishing the fish, it even hit him!
Why was this turtle brat in this pond too? Wouldn't it be nicer for it to go to the vast lakes of the Gobi, where it couldn't swim to the end?
Looking pitiful, the Big Salamander took advantage of Su He's inattention and stealthily swallowed a carp.
Su He couldn't be bothered with it and stayed motionless at the bottom of the water.
He felt a bit overfed.
The red carp with doubled quality were very filling, and somewhat hard to digest; he needed a warm place to hide from the sun and have a good sleep.
If it weren't for the wolf pack on the shore, he would just find a shallow spot, dig a hole, bury himself in and leave only the nostrils for breathing. That's how he had hibernated every year since he reincarnated into a turtle.
Of course, he could also sleep at the bottom of the water like other turtles.
On the very first day after emerging from his shell, Su He discovered that not only could he breathe through his nose and mouth, but he could also breathe underwater, though the mechanism was hard to describe.
The butt!
Or should it be called the cloaca? That should be the term, Su He wasn't very clear because he was only average in biology.
The cloaca could not only be used for urination but could also inhale water to absorb the oxygen. However, this way of breathing was very weak, barely better than nothing.
He didn't know if all turtles could do that, or if it was just his species, or maybe it was because he was a transmigrator and had some special traits?
If he chose to go into deep sleep, after filling his lungs with air and reducing his body's activities to the minimum, coupled with breathing through his butt, he could sleep quietly at the bottom for six or seven days.
Su He rarely resorted to this way of breathing; at first, he couldn't get over the psychological barrier, and later on, it simply became an unfamiliar habit.
But being unaccustomed didn't mean he couldn't do it.
Holding his breath, Su He dug out a cave at the bottom of the pond, then swam up to the surface to mess with the wolf pack and breathe. After he had his fill of air, he sank to the bottom and crawled into the cave, slowly closing his eyes.
Soon, he fell into silence and slept deeply.
The pond wasn't big, just about two acres, with no real predators in the water, and surrounded by a wolf pack that kept guard, ensuring no other predators came close. Su He could sleep peacefully.
But his sleep was restless, tingling sensations all over his body. He constantly dreamed of being caught, put in a pot, and boiled with the water churning and the steam scalding his shell painfully.
After the scalding came intense itching; he almost wished he could peel off his shell and scratch to satisfaction.
While Su He alternated between pain and itching, days passed by, and the wolf pack became increasingly restless.
The wolf pack's patience wasn't that short, but the scent of the Demonic Fruit that had permeated the pond began to fade as Su He remained in deep slumber!
The sleeping turtle's breathing became extremely faint.
The Wolf King grew irritable, even lashing out at the other wolves three or four times, and coerced the pack to dive into the water more than a dozen times a day in search.
The pack was angry but didn't dare to speak out.
To make matters worse, fish carcasses had stopped floating to the surface in recent days; the wolves had nothing to scavenge and needed to hunt, but the Wolf King failed to organize an effective hunt.
It didn't dare stray far from the pond and only directed the hunts from a nearby small hill, significantly reducing the wolf pack's hunting efficiency.
The wolves were hungry.
Deer herds were running around, occasionally glancing at the wolf pack. The lush areas near the water that they had once feared to enter were now open for them to roam freely, as the wolves were kept by the Wolf King from leaving the pond.
These bushy grass areas had become a paradise for the deer.
Not far away, a snake had just swallowed a frog and was then captured by the Grey Falcon descending from the sky.
A faint smell of blood permeated the air.
Hunters were also prey; no one could guarantee their own survival from one moment to the next.
Quiet and peaceful days went by.
At the bottom of the pond, Su He felt as if he were truly doomed this time, feeling surrounded by boiling water, his shell peeling off layer by layer, perhaps being cooked, his whole body sinking toward the bottom of the pot.
Falling…
Falling…
Su He suddenly woke up, looked around, and he was still in the pond. But the cave he had hidden in had collapsed—it was he who had squeezed and crashed it!
Judging by the remaining air in his lungs, he had only slept for five or six days.
But Su He had grown from the size of a small plate to that of a basin, and the cave he had dug could no longer fit him, having been split open by his burgeoning girth. His body had grown heavier and sunk into the mud, which explained why he kept sinking toward the bottom of the pot in his dreams.
His surroundings were littered with pieces of his peeled-off shell.
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Turtles also shed their shells, but not like crabs do, zipping out of their old ones and growing new ones all at once. Rather, they shed layer by layer, piece by piece.
About twice a year, they can shed their shells.
As they shed, they gradually grow larger, a step by step process.
But this time, after a deep slumber of five to six days, more than one layer of shell was shed. And the color of the shed shell had changed, from a drab grey to a deeper hue.
It had taken on a blackish tint.
This was a good thing, as it made for better camouflage when buried in the mud.
Su He's head peeked out cautiously, making sure there was no danger before gently pushing through the water, slowly heading for the surface.
In just a few days, the pond's surface was mostly covered in lotus leaves that hadn't yet reached their largest size; in another five or six days, these green leaves would completely blanket the pond.
Then it would be time for the lotuses to bloom, and Su He was waiting for that, for he had an appointment with a human.
With a gentle paddle of his forelimbs and a kick of his hind legs, Su He poked his head above the water to look around.
The Wolf King was meting out a harsh beating to two wolves, while only three continued to patrol around the pond; the rest were circling the Wolf King, baring their teeth and emitting threatening growls.
It was unclear whether they were threatening the Wolf King or cheering him on as he thrashed the other wolves.
But Su He had a distinct feeling that the wolves no longer held the same respect for the Wolf King! Five to six days of absence and the Wolf King's authority had evaporated!
Hey there, Wolf King!
Goodbye, Wolf King!
The Wolf King's attention was drawn away by something else. Su He had already descended back to the bottom after coming up for air, but by the time the Wolf King realized, he hastily left the two beaten wolves behind and dove into the pond with a splash.
With a depth of about two zhang in the middle of the pond and lotus leaves for cover, Su He was absolutely safe at the bottom of the water.
The Big Salamander was swimming about cheerfully underwater, having become much livelier in just a few days.
Su He decided to reinforce its memory, so he gave it a thrashing and snatched two of its large shrimp as well.
The dice rolled, landing on three.
Shrimp × 8.
Two shrimp became eight; not tripled, but cubed this time.
But still bad luck! Su He wanted an improvement in the quality of the shrimp.
Nonchalantly, he flicked the shrimp towards the Big Salamander and watched as it devoured them in confused gulp.
Unfortunately, the dice seem to have a maidenly streak; once it has rolled for an item, snatching it back won't prompt another roll. Otherwise, one could cycle infinitely.
Above water, the Wolf King returned to shore resentfully, his gaze upon the motionless pond becoming profoundly human-like and introspective. After a few moments, he turned and sprinted deep into the forest, ignoring the howling of the wolves behind him.
About two or three hours later, the Wolf King came back with a small beast, about the size of a cat, which resembled an old rat in its mouth. He flung it into the pond, where the terrified creature immediately darted away, keeping a good distance from the Wolf King.
An otter?
Su He was momentarily stunned, then became enraged.
Damn otters!!
Since when did a wolf start using tools?!
Otters are natural predators of turtles, their quick reflexes and speed allowing them to hunt turtles larger than themselves with ease.
They smash up the little turtles and dig the flesh out from the limbs of the big ones.
Hiding in their shells is of no use!
You rascal! Your second uncle's third uncle! Playing dirty tricks!
This otter was roughly the same size as Su He.
Danger!
Su He's limbs thrashed fiercely as he rushed for the surface, seizing the opportunity while the otter was still panicking and disoriented from escaping the wolf. He bit into the back of its neck and yanked it down into the water, dragging it to the bottom.
The otter could only hold its breath for five to six minutes, while Su He could last seven days; that was his only advantage.
Fresh from escaping the wolf only to be suddenly attacked again, the otter was struck with terror, its body twisting desperately in an attempt to look back, kicking and scrabbling at the water.
Despite being bitten by a turtle, the otter didn't relax in the slightest. Having its back neck bitten made it impossible to fight back effectively!
Clutching its own fur, the otter desperately clawed at Su He's head with its front paws, while its hind legs, cat-like, kicked at Su He's shell in an attempt to push him off or tear the shell apart.
Su He let it struggle, barely feeling the tear on his right hind leg the otter was inflicting. He was determined to keep a vice-like grip on the neck and bear down to the bottom of the pond. Flipping over to mount the otter, he anchored himself with his claws in the underwater grass, not letting go for a second.
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