The stove made crisp crackling sounds.
These sounds had a kind of magical power that could instantly calm anxious and panicking hearts.
The firelight not only brought warmth, but also a sense of happiness and hope!
It took a full four hours from starting to make the mud stove to finishing it.
But for them, it was worth it!
It was really, really worth it.
With the mud stove, the rest would be simple.
Roast the bamboo charcoal and firewood next to the stove to dry out the moisture before putting it into the stove, then there wouldn't be thick black smoke, and at that point the stove lid could be opened to do other things.
The small bear cave gradually became lively.
"Lu Zhe, is there any use left for these remaining mud? If not I'll throw it all away!"
"No use, throw it away."
"Gua'er, let's you and me pull up the hemp rope to hang everyone's wet clothes to dry!"
"Okay, but where do we tie it?"
"Hmm...tie it on the bamboo strips, see if we can wedge it in the rock crevices!"
"I'll try!"
"I'll go fetch water to boil, oh right, should we use the steel helmet to boil water or the 92 mess kit?"
"The mess kit still needs a stand to hang it, let's use the steel helmet first, just plonk it down and it'll work, remember to fill it one quarter full, too much and it'll be hard to carry and spill over."
"Got it!"
"Feeling a bit hungry now, say what you all feel like eating, I'll roast it!"
"Any bunny?"
"No bunny, any who feel like eating Gua'er?"
"None, I feel like eating Hunzi Yao."
"Who's Hunzi, even when he goes out he brings punitive measures!"
"Even if you slay me I'd understand, why bring punitive measures?"
"Hang it on the jungler's wild body, got nothing to do can still steal his blue..."
"Stealing saplings, Yao Yao!"
"Oh right, don't we still have a smoked bear's paw? We gotta eat that quick, leaving it too long it'll go bad."
"Oh, why don't we make bear's paw soup."
"Good idea, but it's gotta be cleaned thoroughly, otherwise it feels weird!"
"With ample water, it can definitely be cleaned out completely, add some salt, plus some chili peppers and vegetables, full nutrition."
"What should I prepare for everyone to drink!"
"Lemon tea is good!"
"Lemon tea +1!"
"Me too!"
"Lemon tea for everyone then."
...
Seeing the five girls busily working away happily in the cave, Lu Zhe also felt a kind of domestic warmth.
Looking at how the first batch of gathered firewood and bamboo was nearly used up, Lu Zhe decided to risk going out again to gather some more reserve firewood.
So as not to worry them, Lu Zhe said, "You guys keep at it, I'm heading out on my main account."
"Be careful Lu Zhe!"
"It's windy outside, don't get blown away!"
"Mm, thank you!"
By now the raging storm outside was growing even bigger, lightning and thunder crashing relentlessly.
The wind force was at least level 8!
If not for his own system enhancements, he really might get blown away.
Oh well, hurry up and gather some firewood and head back!
Just as Lu Zhe was about to draw his knife, "kacha", the crown of a coconut palm was blown off by the wind and came crashing toward him. Lu Zhe nimbly dodged backward.
"That was close!"
At the same time, deep worries arose in his heart!
In order to survive in this kind of environment, thinking of growing strawberries and watermelons?
Unless he found a place that could withstand storms and raging winds, with ample sunshine at normal times, the conditions were far too harsh.
Oh well, stop thinking so much for now.
This crown wasn't too big, and still had the tree trunk attached. He could just carry it back directly, might even get one or two potential points.
Lu Zhe hugged the coconut palm crown and lugged it back to the small cave.
Seeing Lu Zhe lug back an entire tree crown, the few girls were scared witless!
"Lu Zhe, it's too big!"
"It won't fit in our little cave!"
"These things can all be used, just wait and see, I'll process it!"
Lu Zhe stripped all the coconut palm leaves off and passed them into the cave, making several huge piles. All that remained was a 3 meter long, thigh-thick bare tree trunk, still hanging with two huge bunches of coconut fruits.
"See, it'll go in easily now." After speaking, Lu Zhe brought the coconut trunk in, then hurriedly shut the bamboo door closed.
Shen Bing quickly grabbed a freshly dried towel to wipe the rainwater off Lu Zhe's body: "Hurry and warm yourself by the fire, don't catch cold."
Ning Shu looked at the coconut palm trunk and said, "Lu Zhe, why'd you put that kind of thing in our little cave?"
Tang Xiaoguo frowned, "Right, the dimensions are too crazy."
Lu Zhe explained, "Coconut palm leaves can be spread on the floor as a mat. Put the bearskin on top and it won't get dirty. Later everyone can use the bear hide as a blanket to sleep on."
Tang Xiaoguo ladled half a bamboo canister of bear paw meat soup, and sank into deep thought, saying:
"We eat its meat, drink its soup, live in a home made from it, sleep with blankets made from its fur, and to boot we threw its monkey. Question, what is the area of the mental scars this bear must have right now?"
Jiang Yao said, "Probably about that much."
Following Jiang Yao's line of sight, on the clothesline hung an adorably cute little bear. Its body still had stubborn blood stains that couldn't be washed off, looking somewhat miserable and bedraggled.
Upon seeing that little bear, Lu Zhe's heart shuddered violently!
It was this thing that had dropped down from the heavens last time, nearly giving him a nosebleed.
Ning Shu's face reddened as blue veins bulged at her temples, growling, "You guys are way too much, is that some kind of bear?!"
Shen Bing pointed at the remaining section of thick tree trunk Lu Zhe had brought back and said,
"Isn't there still some unused tree trunk here?"
Lu Zhe glanced at Shen Bing and chuckled, "More is always better."
After finishing dinner, Lu Zhe started processing the coconut palm tree.
The bottom section of coconut palm tree trunks were rather sturdy and dense. They could be used to make boards and furniture. The top sections of the trunk were more soft and porous. With Lu Zhe's forceful physique and the sharpness achieved from the 30 spike blade he had meticulously sharpened, he could handle the cutting and carving easily.
While Lu Zhe was chopping firewood, Ning Shu and Gua'er weaved together coconut palm leaves as a floor mat, covering the entire cave. Lin Qianqian and Jiang Yao boiled pot after pot of water, some to make hot water bottles, some to use for washing up.
They were all girls who loved being clean. Even in the harshest environments, they still strove to present their best side as much as possible.
Finally, everyone took out the bear hide together and spread it on the coconut leaves.
After wiping it down with a wrung out towel, the originally easy-to-clean bear fur was instantly clean and new looking.
Eight dainty snow white feet trod upon the soft smooth bear fur, somehow looking even whiter. Lu Zhe couldn't help taking an extra few glances too.
But remembering what happened when he discovered Shen Bing that night, Lu Zhe hurriedly averted his gaze, silently reciting the Chu Shi Biao military treatise to himself.
"Here Lu Zhe, try these on!"
Turning back to look, Shen Bing was passing Lu Zhe a freshly baked dried pair of shorts.
She wore clothes made from banana leaves. Her bosom was practically bursting the leaf open.
Lu Zhe's head started spinning slightly. He hurriedly avoided looking directly.
That's how things happened that night, the consequences of insufficient self-control!
Shen Bing suddenly realized the effect she was having on Lu Zhe. Blushing, she hurriedly tugged the leaf upward a bit, "Uh...Sis didn't mean that on purpose."
"I-It's fine!"
"Wipe yourself clean and change into these shorts, so you don't catch cold!"
"Feels a bit improper..."
"No worries, I'll block view of you with a layer of clothes!"
Lu Zhe felt that for today, it'd be best for him not to squeeze together with the girls. Restrain himself a bit!
Slipping up repeating the mistake he made that night, trying to survive with two little expectant mothers would be truly troublesome then.
. As long as he maintains the villain image and follows the plot to the grand finale, he can obtain generous rewards and return to the real world. So Gu Chen'an entered the role and began to act as a scumbag villain, but who would have expected that the female leads could hear his inner thoughts. Miss Su from the Su family was shocked: "I originally thought Gu Chen'an was a scumbag, but I didn't expect he turned out to be a gentleman! What? You said I have to call off the engagement? I definitely won't, I'll piss you off!" Bai Yuan Tian was dumbfounded: "Young Master Gu is usually unreasonable and a complete brat, but he actually calls me little sweetie in his heart? What, Young Master Gu even said he likes me?" As the female leads' images collapsed more and more, the plot also collapsed with it. Gu Chen'an looked at all this chaos. "Ladies, don't aggro me, if you keep this up the male lead really will stab me, I still need to survive to the grand finale!"
s + Rent Collection Wealth】 At the start, he inherited a rundown house in the urban village from his grandfather. The house had no tenants, but the moment he was diagnosed with a terminal illness, a self-proclaimed empress from the Tianxuan Continent arrived as his first tenant. Ye Chuan soon discovered that with every new tenant moving in, not only did he receive massive daily payments, but he also obtained unique items related to their backgrounds. 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Tiger Strength Pill—dramatically enhances physical power!】 【Acquired Bai Qianshuang’s related item: Deer Blood Pill—significantly boosts vitality!】 …… From that day on, all sorts of bizarre tenants began appearing in the house: the empress from Tianxuan Continent, an apocalyptic sorceress from the Magic Realm, a mysterious scientific girl who fell through a spacetime rift… Every single day, he received strange, powerful items and endless money. Then one day, he suddenly realized—he had become invincible. Enough, enough! Stop giving me more!
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
nd fell into a coma while saving his younger sister from an out-of-control car. He became a vegetable. No one knew that his consciousness had crossed into a world of cultivation. Over the course of sixty years, he began as the lowest kind of mine slave, struggling to survive amid mountains of corpses and seas of blood. By sheer chance, he eventually obtained the complete memories of a fallen Immortal King. Alchemy, medicine, formations, feng shui, physiognomy, artifact forging… Every great inheritance of the cultivation world was now his. But when he opened his eyes again, he discovered that ten full years had passed in the modern world. To pay for his treatment, his father had sold the family’s shop and house, leaving himself covered in lasting injuries and illness. His mother had cared for him day and night, and more than half of her hair had already turned white. His younger sister, who had been only fifteen back then, was now twenty-five. To help repay the family’s debts, she had been forced to lower her head and put on a smiling face in places of glittering lights and endless revelry. Only then did Chen Xuan understand that what he had lost was not merely ten years. He had lost the life his entire family was meant to have. The good news was that he had brought back the memories of an Immortal King’s entire lifetime. The bad news was that his soul had returned alone—his cultivation had not come with him. Spiritual energy was scarce, resources were depleted, and the modern world still had firearms, surveillance, capital, and laws. If he wanted to protect his family, break free from everyone’s control, and become truly invincible beneath the heavens, he would have to start all over again.
