Bab 35: Section 36: The Strange Flying Squirrel
Editor: Henyee Translations
Food was extremely important!
A food shortage would push the entire exploration team into a desperate situation. Even the mere pressure of a shortage could trigger panic and chaos within the group.
After discussing with Cang Xu, Zhenjin went alone to Zi Di's tent.
This tent was second only to Zhenjin's in terms of size.
There were no guards outside the tent.
Zhenjin had initially planned to assign some personnel to Zi Di, but she had clearly stated it was unnecessary.
She had her own means of defense.
Zi Di had already retired for the night. Configuring potions for the entire team was greatly exhausting and required intricate workmanship, which had left her worn out.
Zhenjin paced outside the tent. Though the issue was serious, he did not want to disturb Zi Di lightly.
"Let her have a good rest."
As Zhenjin was thinking this, Zi Di, asleep in the dim tent, lightly twitched her nostrils and then slowly opened her eyes.
"Is that you, my lord?" Zi Di's voice came from within the tent.
Zhenjin had just turned to leave, but hearing her voice, he immediately turned back: "It's me, there are some matters I need to discuss with you."
Soon, there were rustling sounds from inside the tent, and it wasn't long before Zhenjin saw Zi Di, fully dressed, lift the curtain and personally welcome him in.
"My lord, please come in." Zi Di invited Zhenjin into the tent.
Zhenjin went straight to the point.
Zi Di shook her head: "I'm sorry, but this time I have to disappoint you."
"Although your method is feasible, I need a key material to produce the corresponding potions."
"And I have nearly used up this material, keeping only a small reserve for emergencies."
"What material is it, and can it be found here?" Zhenjin was not willing to give up.
Zi Di shook her head, looking troubled: "Perhaps somewhere on this island, this material grows. But I have no leads on it."
"Even if we obtain such material and produce enough potions to use on the sheep, it would be a bit of a loss. Doing so would expose the secret of the green grass."
The use of potions on the sheep would clear the chaotic magical power in them, revealing them as victims.
The true source of magical power—the green grass—would then be exposed.
The green grass here was a Magic Plant, far easier to carry and transport after being plucked than sheep meat.
Zhenjin: "I have already disclosed this secret to Cang Xu."
Zi Di was slightly taken aback before understanding: "My lord, you did the right thing. Cang Xu is indeed a rare talent."
"He might have already deduced this secret but did not reveal it, proving his wisdom."
"Or perhaps he hadn't deduced it, but now that you have shared such an important secret openly, he will surely realize your intention to regard him as one of your own."
"Congratulations, my lord, on recruiting such an excellent advisor."
Zhenjin shook his head and recounted the subsequent events to Zi Di.
Zi Di was quite surprised: "There is such a Fighting energy technique?"
She immediately frowned, her tone somewhat worried: "My lord, such a Fighting energy technique offered easily may not hold much value."
"Cang Xu is a scholar, not a Beast Tamer, and crucially, he does not possess Transcendent power."
"If this Fighting energy technique were highly valuable, he could have exchanged it with other nobles for greater benefits."
Zhenjin held a different view: "Cang Xu is not someone who doesn't know measure. He acts with consideration. He understands the value of this green grass, so what he offers should be of equivalent value."
"This is his bargaining chip to retain independence and decline my recruitment. As such, it makes me value him even more."
At this point, Zhenjin smiled slightly.
Regarding the food shortage problem, Zhenjin inquired again of Zi Di.
Zi Di had no good solutions, and simply said: "This island is vast and filled with dangers but also rich in resources. We can only advance and explore. Perhaps we will find a better food source than the sheep. Moreover, before finding you, my lord, we set up a few camps along the way where some supplies were stored. If we can find our way back, obtaining those supplies could alleviate the food shortage issue."
With a nod and a touch of disappointment, Zhenjin prepared to leave.
Just as he lifted the curtain, a hint of hesitation flashed across Zhenjin's face, but he ultimately turned and asked: "Zi Di, do you still have the blood from that monkey-tailed Brown Bear?"
Despite asking, Zhenjin didn't hold much hope.
The blood of the monkey-tailed Brown Bear contained magical power, making it a Magic Material. However, the magical power in the blood dissipated rapidly over time, making it difficult to preserve and costly to store.
But Zi Di's response pleasantly surprised Zhenjin.
She still had some of the bear's blood.
"Give it to me." Zhenjin said.
Without questioning, Zi Di opened a small leather pouch at her waist and handed a few glass bottles to Zhenjin.
Holding the vials of bear blood, Zhenjin left Zi Di's tent.
He was the strongest in the entire group.
Now, with the food shortage, most would weaken from taking potions, reducing their strength.
Zhenjin was unable to activate his Fighting energy; in this situation, his ability to mutate his hands into claws became his strongest means.
"According to my previous speculation, drinking this bear blood should replenish the corresponding magical power in my body and possibly trigger the initial mutation again!" Holding the glass vial, Zhenjin thought to himself.
His eyes resolute, he reaffirmed: "Of course, unless absolutely necessary, I will not drink this blood."
The chaotic external magical power would erode his body, reducing his potential.
But as the words of the Bai Needle Clan Leader echoed in his memory, sometimes you couldn't fear risk, nor shrink from sacrifice!
Morning.
White mist lingered among the towering trees.
Green moss and various colorful mushrooms adorned the forest floor.
An orange fawn was foraging in the woods.
It spotted a low shrub and was about to approach when a series of rapid sounds came from the other side of the bushes.
"Squeak, squeak, squeak..."
Alarmed, the fawn turned and darted away.
Moments later, as the squeaks grew closer, they were mingled with human shouts.
"Chase!"
"Don't let those Flying Squirrels get away."
"Use the crossbow, use the crossbow now."
The voices grew louder, and then three Flying Squirrels, squeaking wildly, leapt over the bushes in a frantic escape.
The pursuers were hindered by the bushes, their speed dropping as they watched the Flying Squirrels vanish into the forest.
"What a pity!"
"Sigh, still couldn't catch up."
The leaders of the pursuing group were the brothers Lan Zao and Huang Zao.
Huang Zao, unwilling to give up, wanted to keep chasing, but Lan Zao stopped him: "Have you forgotten Lord Zhenjin's orders? Do not stray from the main group. We are already far from Lord Zhenjin now."
"I just wanted to gather more food. These Flying Squirrels are large, their meat is safe, and they are quite fatty," Huang Zao sighed.
The food in the exploration team was running low, and this unseen pressure weighed heavily on everyone.
But recalling Zhenjin's orders, Huang Zao clenched his teeth and gave up.
Returning to the group, they saw Bai Ya and others already handling the Flying Squirrel carcasses, skinning, cutting, cleaning, and then roasting them.
More than ten days had passed. Zi Di had concocted enough potions to resolve the magical power erosion in the team members' bodies. After a few days of rest, Zhenjin led the team out.
The group had gone through the crisis of poisoning. Nearly everyone's physical condition and combat skills had deteriorated, but having faced hardships together, they were now more cohesive and harmonious.
Their journey henceforth brought several more crises which they overcame through Zhenjin's bravery and united effort in repelling attacking Magic Beasts.
"I'm sorry, Lord Zhenjin, we only managed to kill two Flying Squirrels," Huang Zao reported, ashamed, to Zhenjin.
Zhenjin nodded and instructed: "Give these to Bai Ya and the others for processing."
Not everyone was skilled in handling animal carcasses.
As the son of a hunter, Bai Ya had received such training since childhood and was very skilled in it.
The incident of sheep meat poisoning had made this young man stand out. He had earned the nickname "Lucky Boy," and nearly everyone in the exploration team had been helped by him. His diligent, enthusiastic, and straightforward nature had earned him good rapport.
Huang Zao carried the two Flying Squirrels to Bai Ya.
Bai Ya was already skinning a Flying Squirrel, having removed its innards and was now trying to sever its neck.
After several chops, the neck bone was still intact.
"Hey, Lucky Boy, use this." Huang Zao smiled, handing Bai Ya a knife.
One glance and it was clear that the knife was crudely made—the hilt was roughly polished wood, and the blade was fixed in place, bound with rope and other materials. Yet its blade shone with a sharp, cold glint, neither all-steel nor iron; it was one of the Blade Spider's limbs.
This weapon naturally belonged to Zhenjin, but after the poisoning incident, the exploration team's combat strength had declined. To best augment their fighting power, Zhenjin had selectively lent some blade weapons to his subordinates.
Bai Ya accepted the knife, encountering it for the first time.
His initial impression was how light it felt, not nearly as heavy as he'd imagined.
Bai Ya aimed at the Flying Squirrel's neck and struck down with the blade, and a flash of coldness crossed his eyes. The previously stubborn neck bone snapped in two immediately.
Bai Ya was visibly astonished; where cutting the bone before had felt like chopping metal, numbing his hand after several attempts without success, this blade cut through like slicing bread. It was almost effortlessly simple.
"This knife is incredible!" Bai Ya admired the blade sincerely.
"Of course, after all, it's from a Silver Level Magic Beast," Huang Zao chuckled.
Bai Ya shook his head: "No, I mean Lord Zhenjin. That Silver Level Blade Spider must have been terrifying, but the lord defeated it. He truly deserves to be called a Holy Temple Knight!"
Exuding admiration and reverence, Bai Ya couldn't hide his feelings.
Huang Zao, nodding in agreement, responded: "Yes, indeed. Encountering Lord Zhenjin is our luck. Forget everything else, just earlier with those Flying Squirrels, Lord Zhenjin threw his daggers hitting every target! Most of the Flying Squirrels were killed by him!"
"Wait, with this blade, I can process the head Flying Squirrel's body." Bai Ya remembered something and, filled with excitement, ran to another spot.
The head Flying Squirrel's body radiated a Bronze-tier life breath, though the aura was fading quickly and would vanish completely in less than half a day.
A dagger was lodged in the head Flying Squirrel's eye socket—a fatal wound dealt by Zhenjin himself.
Bai Ya gripped the Spider Blade tightly, carefully positioned it, and began cutting, quickly peeling open the Flying Squirrel's hide.
The head Flying Squirrel's skin was very tough; regular iron-made blades couldn't easily cut through it.
But under the Spider Blade, everything yielded easily.
"Hmm?" Bai Ya paused his hand.
"What's wrong?" Huang Zao asked.
"The head Flying Squirrel's flesh seems different from the other Flying Squirrels," Bai Ya tentatively replied.
Huang Zao looked puzzled: "I see no difference."
"No," Bai Ya's expression grew serious. He first returned the knife to Huang Zao, then pressed down and searched around the Flying Squirrel's innards and bones.
After a while, Bai Ya spoke with more certainty: "There are indeed many subtle differences. I had better take this to Lord Cang Xu for inspection."
"Hmm, good idea," Huang Zao agreed.
Hadiah
-- Hadiah diterima Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone