LSLFBW: Chapter 66

This area was composed of low hills with few tall trees, so the scenery in the distance could be seen at a glance.

Based on Qi Bai’s experience of traveling in the past few days, it would take at least several hours for them to cross this hilly area.

Such a thought made Qi Bai’s heart sink slightly. After all, according to the schedule they had when they set out, they should’ve encountered the sea today at the latest. This obviously wasn’t the case now.

Lang Ze’s voice was heard. “There is no need to go on. Just stop here today.”

Ma Shu and Ma Ling nodded. They never questioned Lang Ze’s decisions.

Lang Ze observed for a while at the top of the hill. Finally, he chose a direction and led the team down the hill.

The breath of spring became stronger. The vines and weeds started to sprout.

Ma Ling casually bit off a young bud from a tree. Then he saw Qi Bai stop by the roadside, staring at a piece of land in a trance. He made a sound, and the two people walking in front turned back.

Lang Ze turned around and came behind Qi Bai. The moment he lowered his head, the tall beast shape with long fur wrapped around Qi Bai.

He rubbed Qi Bai’s head gently with his chin as if regretting that he didn’t notice something wrong with Qi Bai.

Qi Bai grabbed Lang Ze’s fur and asked him to look down at the plants on the ground. “Lang Ze, do you think this is a bean?”

Lang Ze glanced at the plants on the ground. There were no beans, only young sprouts connected together.

Lang Ze looked up at the cave not far away. This was their temporary camp for the day. He signaled to QI Bai and took Ma Shu and Ma Ling to the cave to unload the saddle.

Qi Bai nodded randomly, his mind completely attracted by the little sprout in front of him.

Maybe Qi Bai didn’t recognize the seedlings of other plants, but he was too familiar with the one in front of him.

Qi Bai could recognize the two cotyledon petals and the delicate hypocotyls even though they had just broken through the soil. After all, who hadn’t eaten bean sprouts?

He just didn’t know what type of beans these were.

Looking at the slightly yellow cotyledons, Qi Bai hoped that what grew would be soybeans. It didn’t matter if they were other beans as long as they weren’t poisonous.

Beans had so many uses, from bean sprouts in the early stages of growth to tofu, soy milk and dried tofu. Even the harvested bean stalks could be used as feed.

Not to mention that planting beans could fertilize the soil, so it was suitable to plant them when reclaiming wasteland…

The moment Lang Ze turned into a human form and walked over, he saw Qi Bai drooling at a patch of green sprouts.

Lang Ze would pay attention to the plants around him, but he wasn’t careful enough to remember the growth stage of each plant. He just remembered the key point that Qi Bai had said. “You want to find beans?”

“Beans, wheat, or barley.” Qi Bai nodded. Seeing Lang Ze’s puzzled expression, he changed his explanation. “It is the type of plant with thin stems but long ears.”

Lang Ze nodded. “Beans will only be available after summer. I will find these plants for you at that time.”

Lang Ze had seen all these plants that Qi Bai said, but he didn’t think these things were delicious.

In particular, the long-spiked plants described by Qi Bai were usually used by the tribe to weave straw ropes. Unless they were hungry, few people used them as food.

Qi Bai’s eyes curved. No matter what the matter was, Lang Ze would be able to complete it as long as he made the promise. “Once the time comes, I will make you lots of delicious food.”

“Okay.” Looking at Qi Bai’s smiling face, Lang Ze suddenly started to look forward to summer.

Qi Bai carefully dug out a few bean sprouts from the soil, transplanted them into his bamboo tube, and watered them a bit.

The big bamboo tube was originally a water bottle that Qi Bai carried with him. Now it had been temporarily requisitioned and used as a temporary home for the young seedlings.

However, his space was limited now. The existing plants here were all familiar to Qi Bai. He had confirmed with everyone that these plants didn’t grow in the tribe. Now, a new general had been added to the bamboo tube.

Qi Bai had high hopes for it and took better care of them.

The moonlight in the valley was peaceful. After a simple dinner, they gathered around the fire and started to study tomorrow’s route.

Lang Ze spoke first. “We set out from the tribe. Even though we bypassed some high mountains on the way, our direction of travel didn’t change. We always headed due east.”

Qi Bai nodded. His sense of direction in the mountains and forests wasn’t as clear as Lang Ze’s. However, as long as he reached an open area, he would be able to tell things clearly. His senses were similar to Lang Ze’s.

Qi Bai agreed and said, “So we must change direction now.”

Last time, it took them three days to return to the tribe from the seaside. Therefore, their goal this time was to find a shorter route.

If they had been traveling in one direction for three days without reaching the sea, this meant there was no need to continue exploring this road.

“Looking at it this way, our previous thoughts were wrong. The sea isn’t that big,” Lang Ze said in a light tone.

This might be the common point between Lang Ze and Qi Bai. They wouldn’t care too much about what had happened, but would analyze the situation at hand and find ways to solve the problem as soon as possible.

Qi Bai thought for a moment before saying, “Maybe it isn’t that there is no sea here, but the scope of the sea has changed., Just like…”

“A river?”

“Yes, that’s right. It is like a very long river.”

Qi Bai drew an inverted ‘S’ coastline on the ground. “Perhaps we have just reached a concave area. It seems that if we head southwest, we might be able to find the sea.”

However, QI Bai couldn’t be as sure as before. This trip had taught him a lesson.

After all, the Beastman Continent was vast and had complex terrain. They couldn’t assume that the coastline was to the east just because they saw the sea.

“Beastmen are never afraid of unknown lands.” Lang Ze noticed Qi Bai’s depressed mood and said, “We can at least find the seashore that we reached last time, so it doesn’t matter if there is no sea in the southwest.”

Qi Bai raised his head and saw the determined look in Lang Ze’s eyes.

The depression in Qi Bai’s heart seemed to have dissipated a lot. He unknowingly smiled widely.

Ma Shu and Ma Ling listened for a long time in confusion. Fortunately, it was fine as long as Lang Ze understood these things. They just had to keep up with the team.

The next morning, Qi Bai yawned loudly because he had been standing guard by the fire in the second half of the night.

They were about to leave here. Before leaving, Qi Bai reminded Lang Ze to remember this place. He wanted to come and check it at the end of summer.

If the bean sprouts he brought back didn’t survive, he would have to rely on the beans here.

Seeing Lang Ze nod in a good-tempered manner, Qi Bai changed into beast form and crawled into the bamboo basket beside Lang Ze’s neck.

There was a big bamboo tube in the bamboo basket. This was where Qi Bai had placed the seedlings last night.

Qi Bai opened the lid of the kettle with his little paws and carefully confirmed that none of the seedlings were crushed and there were no signs of withering. Then he put the lid back on, rolled himself up into a ball in the animal skin and started to peacefully catch up on sleep.

Lang Ze was right. Every piece of unfamiliar land was a treasure to them. Even if there was no sea here, it would still be an unexpected joy if there were soybeans.

After an unknown amount of time, QI Bai heard the happy neighing of Ma Shu and Ma Ling. The bamboo basket under him seemed to become more bumpy.

The little leopard opened his eyes and became energetic in an instant. He stuck his head out of the bamboo basket and saw the coastline connected with the sky.

Just looking at the setting sun reflecting the rosy glow, Qi Bai rubbed his cheeks with his paws. He was unable to believe that he had slept for a whole day.

After changing the route and seeing the sea again, the other three were obviously as excited as Qi Bai.

Even Ma Shu, who had always been deeply afraid of the sea, forgot his fear at this moment.

They ran quickly towards the sea. Qi Bai stretched out his paws and waved toward the sea in the wind.

This area wasn’t the sea area they reached last time, but this didn’t affect everyone’s actions.

Everyone found a flat place, put down the rattan basket, and immediately got busy.

They were already very familiar with the process of boiling salt.

Ma Shu stayed in the camp to make a fire, Ma Ling went to the rocky beach to look for a stone pot that could be used to boil salt, and Qi Bai and Lang Ze plunged into the forest, carrying firewood out in bundles.

Not long after, a row of long stone stoves were built on the ground connected to the beach with some rough stones stacked on top. The stones were filled with seawater.

The clay pot brought by Lang Ze played a great role. Just by putting the clay pot and the big stone on the fire at the same time, the speed of boiling salt was immediately distinguished.

The moment the seawater was boiled, Qi Bai couldn’t wait to ask Ma Shu and Ma Ling. “Except for the crabs and seaweed, I picked up the rest!”

Ma Ling gulped and nodded. “You must come back soon.”

“I know.”

As he said this, he kicked off his animal leather boots and ran towards the beach without looking back. They wouldn’t go out hunting tonight. On the one hand, they had to watch the fire where salt was boiled. On the other hand, everyone was looking forward to the seafood that Qi Bai would cook.

Big crabs, octopuses, shrimps, and clams. After more than four months, Qi Bai accepted all the seafood. He held a clamp made of branches in his hand, and all the seafood he saw was put into the rattan basket.

Of course, Qi Bai had another important purpose for this trip.

It was oysters.

Lang Ze looked at the oysters almost filling up the rattan basket and asked, “Are there too many?”

What they were using now wasn’t the rattan basket that the tribe usually used to hold meat. They were specially woven ones for use on horned beastmen, which was at least twice the size of ordinary rattan baskets.

Even Lang Ze doubted if they could finish it.

“It’s okay, take these back first.” Qi Bai wiped the seawater that splashed on his face and kept it a secret. “These aren’t just for eating. I have a lot of use for them.”