Chen Yang did not ride a horse on this trip because the place he was going to was not suitable for horseback riding.
The place he was going to was the swamp where they had discovered the island in the middle of the lake.
He was going to find crocodiles, which are also large carnivores with relatively obvious weaknesses. Unlike other animals, they are not as agile. Last time, he and Ye Wu both dared to challenge the authority of crocodiles.
Because he had already traveled the same route, Chen Yang moved much faster, reaching the edge of the swamp at dusk. He then withdrew and returned to the swamp the next day to search for the crocodiles.
While Chen Yang was heading south along the lake, Li Su'er and her group, heading north, had also traveled a long way, but they hadn't made any special discoveries, only finding some wild fruits and vegetables. However, they felt that the temperature was getting lower and lower.
Moreover, they had noticed that the forest was becoming increasingly sparse, so they chose to move laterally westward, guessing that they should be able to see the western boundary river after walking for a while longer.
The West Boundary River flows southwest, from northeast to southwest. This means that its upstream is closer to the east than its downstream. Therefore, Chen Yang and Ye Wu were able to see the West Boundary River after walking through the dense forest for three days.
Keep in mind that riding a horse on the plains is more than ten times faster than walking through the dense forest, yet it still takes a whole day to get from the Xindu camp to the western border river.
Li Su'er's decision to head west was also suggested by Jiang Bo.
The upper reaches of the West Boundary River extend deep into the dense forest, lacking the spectacular sight of the river dividing the land into two parts. However, the temperature is still affected and rises. As people migrate from cold to hot areas, the types of flora and fauna undergo significant changes, resulting in relatively abundant resources.
Yun's oil press has been designed. He looked at many manual oil presses from various places and found one that was most suitable for the current micro-world, making slight modifications. This is because there are many processes that the current micro-world cannot achieve.
Some parts require iron, but Hong Gui said after looking at them that it was no problem and he could forge them. However, he is currently working with Jiang Bo on a millstone.
A stone mill may seem simple, but it actually requires a certain level of skill; only a good mill can grind good soy milk and flour.
Their first attempt at making a millstone failed, so they changed to a different type of stone and started again, this time making a relatively smaller millstone.
A millstone is still necessary; otherwise, grinding flour by hand would require the entire camp to be involved. With a millstone, horses can also be used for grinding, saving a lot of manpower.
So, even though it was very troublesome, Jiang Bo and Hong Gui continued to make the millstone.
The next day, when they entered the micro-realm, the sun was already up in the sky as before, but clouds began to appear, a sign that it was going to rain. Ding Qihan was right after all.
Chen Yang wasn't particularly worried. The spring rain wasn't heavy and wouldn't affect his progress, although the swamp would be slightly more dangerous after the rain.
However, as the saying goes, spring rain is as precious as oil.
This spring rain can make everything grow. Not only the plants they planted, but many plants in the micro-world will also begin to sprout or mature after the rain. Therefore, Chen Yang is very happy to see the spring rain.
He approached the swamp, looking around with every step and probing the path with his spear. He wasn't sure if there were crocodiles or water snakes under his feet; encountering either would be bad.
However, before encountering crocodiles and pythons, Chen Yang first encountered an even more troublesome creature—leeches.
He walked for a while before he noticed a leech on his calf, which looked like it had been sucking his blood for a while.
When leeches suck blood, they release anticoagulants and substances that can paralyze nerves, which are not noticeable unless you pay attention.
He swatted the leech away, climbed up a tree, and treated the wound simply, applying some herbs.
Before going out, he asked Linni to give him some herbs to stop the bleeding. In the swamp, the air was damp, and wounds were prone to infection. If ignored, the infection could worsen and even lead to death.
"Wow!"
Chen Yang turned his head and almost fell off the tree. There was a python more than a meter long and as thick as a baby's arm on the branch. He had noticed it just now.
The python had already noticed Chen Yang and was now poised to attack at any moment.
Chen Yang knew that most pythons were non-venomous; they relied on their powerful muscles to constrict and kill their enemies. However, pythons could bite, and Chen Yang didn't want to be bitten, especially since their constricting power was very strong.
He stretched out his spear, which indeed coiled around it and charged at him, its jaws wide open.
Snakes are amazing creatures; their mouths can open to several times their body size, allowing them to easily swallow creatures much larger than themselves.
Chen Yang swung his spear violently, pinning the python against the tree. The python continued to charge, and it took Chen Yang all his strength to finally stop it.
The python hissed and desperately coiled around the spear, but the spear shaft was made of hard material, and it could not possibly break it.
Chen Yang took out his stubborn blade and slashed fiercely at the head of the python that was coiling around the spear shaft, severing its head.
The headless python's body was still coiled around the spear. Its nerves were still intact, still carrying out the commands it had given in life; it could even twitch a couple of times after being skinned.
Chen Yang breathed a sigh of relief, sat on the tree to skin and bleed the python, then cleaned it and continued on his way.
He was going to the small piece of land where they had hunted crocodiles last time. It was probably no coincidence that two crocodiles could appear there at once; it must be a crocodile habitat.
The muddy swamp made it difficult for him to move forward, and the mosquitoes and leeches were impossible to avoid. Chen Yang had to make a fire on the spot and use the torch to drive away the mosquitoes in order to continue.
Fortunately, he brought his own tinder; otherwise, even for him, starting a fire would have been extremely difficult in such a damp environment as the swamp.
Last time he came to the swamp, he was always on guard against crocodiles, but this time he couldn't wait for them to appear. This made Chen Yang sigh, and the change in roles between hunter and prey made him realize how wonderful it is to be a human with higher intelligence.
As he moved forward, Chen Yang unexpectedly encountered another small water snake, which left him speechless. Why did he keep running into snakes all day?
By the afternoon, when Chen Yang arrived at the small piece of land, he still hadn't found any crocodiles. The sky was beginning to darken, so he had no choice but to set up camp there.
After finishing the roasted snake meat, he left, putting out the fire as well. He didn't want to fight crocodiles that night. If, like last time, a second crocodile appeared without his knowledge, he would truly be playing with his life.
Just to be on the safe side, he retreated from the tree so that if any crocodiles appeared when he reappeared the next day, they wouldn't be alerted.
(End of this chapter)
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