Chapter 65: The Qixi Festival Gift

Chapter 65: The Qixi Festival Gift

After a short while, the lynx cried out again.

As it turned out, it was perched just above the log bridge.

It was probably eyeing the fish in the bamboo back-basket.

If that was the case, things became a bit tricky.

If he threw his spear, it would definitely end up in the river.

Hitting the target would be fine, but missing would mean losing the spear, which would be a devastating loss.

Therefore, Xu Yi picked up a few stones instead.

If these things ended up at the bottom of the river, it wouldn't hurt at all.

A spear was different. Today was already the twelfth day, and they only had two spears, having failed to find any suitable materials to make more ever since.

Hitting the target with a stone would be pure profit.

Even if he missed, scaring the creature away would still resolve the immediate crisis.

Afterward, he could use a few fish to set a trap and deal with it properly.

Right now, even though Xu Yi possessed a hunting bow, traps were still much more efficient for him than archery.

This was because he had never had any experience shooting arrows.

A gun?

He had used them abroad and hunted plenty of game with them.

However, weapons like that simply did not exist here.

If the production crew were to hand out firearms, the danger level of the survival challenge would skyrocket.

Thus, Xu Yi preferred that such things remain unavailable.

For now, he could still manage to survive here.

If things became overly dangerous, neither he nor Su Keke would be able to hold out for the full hundred days.

In fact, he harbored a lingering suspicion.

The fact that they hadn't encountered any dinosaurs yet might be due to interference from the production crew.

If those hovering filming spheres could emit some kind of ultra-high-frequency sound wave—one specifically targeting dinosaurs—it could prevent them from appearing too early.

Of course, this was merely Xu Yi's own speculation.

So far, quite a few eliminated contestants had been killed by dinosaurs.

He took a deep breath and hurled the stone in his hand.

"Just missed, barely missed."

Xu Yi watched the lynx scamper away, feeling deeply regretful.

Perhaps the lynx's meat wasn't particularly tasty, but catching it would unlock a new system reward.

It had been a long time since he last consumed a new species of animal or received any new rewards.

Xu Yi went over to gather some fish and began to process them.

However, unlike before, Xu Yi did not throw away the fish entrails this time; instead, he collected them using large leaves.

After breakfast, he planned to craft a trap to capture the lynx.

Today's breakfast featured nothing particularly novel—just the leftover roasted fish and chicken mushrooms from last night, accompanied by stream snail soup and river snails.

Among all the challengers, such a breakfast could already be considered quite lavish.

Today, Xu Yi intended to collect some soil from a termite mound so he could finally start making pottery.

Additionally, he needed to chop some brushwood to build a long bench for the first floor of the treehouse.

Therefore, his schedule for the day was quite packed.

Today, Xu Yi decided not to let Su Keke go out.

She could stay safely in the treehouse and continue processing the salt-bearing berries, a task that required time and patience.

Having Su Keke to help out gave Xu Yi a distinct advantage over the other challengers.

Although Su Keke was only six years old, she was already capable of handling quite a few chores.

After breakfast, Xu Yi emptied the fish trap into his back-basket and discovered that the catch was much larger than the previous few days, including several crabs and river shrimp.

Consequently, they could enjoy a rather hearty meal for lunch.

Only then did it feel a little bit like celebrating a holiday.

Xu Yi then reset the fish trap in the river, letting it continue to do its job.

Next, using the fish entrails saved from this morning, he set up a snare trap right on the riverbank.

Under normal circumstances, that lynx would undoubtedly return to the riverbank to look for another opportunity to snatch some fish.

The moment it showed up, the trap would inevitably spring into action.

With the trap set, Xu Yi returned to the camp.

Armed with a bucket and his spear, Xu Yi set off in the direction of the termite mound.

Today was already the twelfth day in this world, and Xu Yi wondered if the snare traps he had set up the day before yesterday near the chicken mushroom patch had managed to catch any small animals.

Upon arriving at the location, Xu Yi found that the traps had not disappointed him.

"Big harvest today! All three snares caught something."

Xu Yi ran over joyfully. The three captured animals were still alive and wriggling.

They probably sensed his approach and were trying to escape.

However, their movements were very sluggish, indicating they were on the brink of exhaustion.

"Two mountain rats and a rabbit."

"This is the best Qixi Festival gift possible."

Xu Yi smiled broadly, quickly dispatched the three creatures with his machete, and tied them together securely.

He then reset the three snare traps.

In addition, Xu Yi picked eight unopened chicken mushrooms. Chicken mushrooms at this stage of growth offered the absolute best flavor.

Along the way back, Xu Yi gathered a generous amount of firewood and bound it into a neat bundle.

He filled his bucket with fine soil from the termite mound and carried it back, balancing it on a sturdy branch across his shoulder.

He still needed his spear ready to defend against sudden animal attacks; this place remained persistently dangerous.

Just because they hadn't encountered any major predators yet didn't mean they were completely safe.

On the way back, Xu Yi heard the roar of a wild beast in the distance, but since it was far away, he didn't bother investigating.

What if he stumbled upon a tiger or a black bear?

Should he fight for his life, or run for it?

Therefore, heading straight back to the camp was undoubtedly the wisest choice.

Su Keke wasn't sitting inside the treehouse; instead, she was waiting on the ladder.

That way, she could keep an eye out for Xu Yi, and if any danger arose, she could immediately scramble up into the safety of the treehouse.

Hearing movement behind her, Su Keke instantly turned her head to look.

"Keke, I'm back."

Xu Yi called out first, and upon hearing his voice, Su Keke happily answered him.

Without hesitation, Su Keke scurried down and ran toward him.

"Look what Daddy's traps caught!"

After setting down his load, Xu Yi lifted the captured animals for her to see.

"Wow, a rabbit and mountain rats! Daddy, you're amazing!"

Su Keke clapped her hands in delight. These animals had arrived at the most opportune moment.

Having eaten fish every single day, she was starting to grow a little tired of it.

"We'll have roasted rabbit with fish soup for lunch, and braised mountain rat with more roasted rabbit for dinner."

Xu Yi arranged the meals clearly, having no intention of saving any of the meat for later.

After all, today was the Qixi Festival.

As a traditional holiday, Xu Yi felt it was important to let Su Keke experience it and give her a sense of ritual.

"Come on, let's go get them cleaned and prepared."

With that, Xu Yi led Su Keke away to process the rabbit and mountain rats.

As they passed the log bridge, Xu Yi caught sight of a flash of red in the distance, prompting a smile to spread across his face.

"Wait here for Daddy for just a moment; I'll be right back."

With those words, Xu Yi hurried over to the wild blossoms, picked them, and brought them back.

Then, he handed them to Su Keke.

"Here, a gift for my adorable little princess. Happy Qixi Festival."

Su Keke happily took the fresh blossoms, took a gentle sniff, and broke into a radiant smile.

Afterward, Xu Yi sat down with Su Keke and recounted the legendary tale of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl.