章 34: Fanweed and Whipping Tree
編集者: Atlas Studios
Jiang Xuan chose the smaller bamboo tube grass and dug out more than 10 stalks. He carefully wrapped them in green moss and placed them in the animal skin bag.
The three of them moved on, looking for more carnivorous plants.
As they walked, a swamp appeared ahead.
"Be careful, all of you. The swamp is very dangerous. If you accidentally fall into it, you'll be in trouble."
Chi Shao led the way. When she saw something wrong with the ground, she would poke it with her spear first. If there was water after she poked it, it meant that there was a swamp below.
The most dangerous part of the swamp was the lush grass.
They tended to cover the swamp below. When a person stepped on it, he would sink right in. If he couldn't get out of the swamp in time, he would sink deeper and eventually become part of it.
"Although the swamp is the most dangerous, many of the plants that eat insects grow near the swamp because there are enough mosquitoes here."
"Pop!"
Chi Shao killed a big mosquito that wanted to suck her blood and continued to search around.
"Buzz, buzz, buzz…"
Many mosquitoes flew over and circled around the three of them, wanting to take the opportunity to suck some blood. It was very annoying.
"Sister, is there a way to stop these mosquitoes from biting us? They're so annoying."
Jiang Xuan kept waving his hands, but the mosquitoes were very agile and could not be chased away at all.
"Hold on. I'll look around."
Chi Shao searched the area. Her eyes lit up when she saw a low clump of plants.
This plant was very unique. Its leaves were like small fans that unfolded. It was very cute.
She walked over carefully and used her bare hands to brush a few of the tender leaves of this plant. Then she kept rubbing them.
"It's called Fanweed, because its leaves grow like fans. If you encounter this grass in the future, brush off its leaves, then squeeze out its juice and smear it on your body. The mosquitoes won't come close."
After rubbing out the juice, Chi Shao directly smeared it on Jiang Xuan's face, arms, and legs. After that, he continued rubbing it. Then he smeared the juice of the fanweed on himself and Stone Loach.
Jiang Xuan raised his arm and smelled it. The smell was a little pungent, similar to stinky grass, but it was different from the smell of stinky grass. It was a strange smell.
"Eh, it really works!"
Soon Jiang Xuan realized that after a mosquito flew over, it did not circle around him like before. Instead, it quickly flew away.
Stone Loach noticed this too and looked equally excited.
On the other hand, Chi Shao was very calm, because she had used such things before.
The tribesmen had lived in the primitive forest since they were young. They knew the animals and plants in the forest very well and could make use of them according to the situation.
A tribe that did not understand the forest could not survive in the forest.
After solving the problem of the mosquitoes, the three of them continued to search for plants that ate insects.
"Croak…"
In the swamp, a huge frog let out a cry like muffled thunder. There were also all kinds of scary water creatures swimming in the water.
Above the swamp, on the sparse trees, various birds stood on the branches and stared at the water below. From time to time, they passed quickly over the water, eating fish, mosquitoes, or small water creatures.
"Hiss…"
A huge black python swam through the water, startling many birds and beasts.
This was a dangerous swamp. Not only were there devouring swamps, but the animals and plants here were also very dangerous.
Jiang Xuan walked to the other side of the swamp and saw a red tree. It looked like a willow tree, but there were fist-sized fruits growing on its trunk.
This fruit emitted an enticing fragrance that made people salivate.
"Careful, don't go near that tree!"
When Chi Shao saw Jiang Xuan walking over, she immediately pulled him back.
"Is this tree dangerous?"
Actually, Jiang Xuan had always been very vigilant. He just wanted to observe up close.
"Of course it's dangerous. That's a Whipping Tree. If you approach it accidentally, all its branches will whip you. In the past, people had been beaten to death by whipping trees."
Chi Shao pointed to the ground at the base of the whipping tree. "See those bones? They're all prey killed by the whipping tree."
Jiang Xuan looked over and saw that there were indeed many white bones under the whipping tree. However, they were covered in moss. If one did not look carefully, one would not be able to tell.
Chi Shao picked up a dead branch as thick as her arm and said, "Look."
Chi Shao raised the withered branch like a spear and suddenly threw it at the whip tree.
"Clap! Clap! Clap!"
"Crack, crack, crack…"
When the withered branch touched the branch, all the branches of the whipping tree moved and snapped the withered branch into several pieces.
The whip formed by the branches could actually produce an explosive sound. It could be seen how terrifying its strength was.
"Amazing!"
Jiang Xuan looked at the scary whips and praised them from the bottom of his heart. The attack power of these magical plants was not inferior to that of animals.
It was even harder to guard against a sudden attack than an animal.
Of course, they had a fatal weakness. They couldn't move.
As long as those who knew it were careful to stay out of its range, there was no danger.
Chi Shao continued, "Although the whipping tree is scary, its fruit is good. It's said that eating it can increase one's strength."
"Is it really that amazing?"
Jiang Xuan found it unbelievable. This sounded like a myth.
"I've only heard about it. I've never eaten it because the whipping tree is too powerful for ordinary warriors to pick its fruit."
Chi Shao was quite regretful about this because the hunting team of the Deer Tribe was relatively weak. In the past, they would try their best to avoid the whipping tree and did not dare to approach it to pick its fruit.
Jiang Xuan thought for a moment and said, "The most powerful thing about the whipping tree is its branches. If there's a way to prevent its branches from hitting people, it's not impossible to pick its fruits."
Jiang Xuan pondered for a moment and said, "Since we've encountered it, how can we not give it a try?"
Stone Loach was eager to try. "Chief, do you need me to do anything?"
"We need some very thick dead branches and vines."
"I'll find some right away!"
There were a large number of dead branches scattered in the swamp, and vines could be seen everywhere. They were all easy to find.
The three of them collected many dead branches and vines and piled them into a large heap.
Then Jiang Xuan chose dried branches of similar length and lined them up like a raft. Then he wrapped them with vines and tied them up.
This shield made by Jiang Xuan was very wide and big. It was made of thick branches that looked very sturdy.
"There, that's a sturdy giant shield."
Jiang Xuan used vines to make a few hand-holding rings under the huge shield. He let Chi Shao and Stone Loach grab the rings together and raise the entire shield.
"Are you going to use this thing to stop the whipping tree?"
Chi Shao was very smart and immediately guessed Jiang Xuan's intentions.
"That's right. The whip of the whipping tree doesn't bend, after all. As long as we hide under the shield, those whips won't hit us."
"Will this really work?" Chi Shao was still a little afraid of the whipping tree. After all, she had been warned too many times when she was on the hunting team and had heard many scary legends about this tree.
"Let's find out. If it doesn't work, we'll retreat."
At Jiang Xuan's encouragement, the three of them raised their huge shields and slowly walked towards the whipping tree. They were nervous and excited.
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