Since we're fishing, fishing line is essential. The strongest material I can find right now is a type of hemp-like herbaceous plant, which has been used since ancient times to make hemp rope and sacks.
The process of extracting hemp fibers is a bit tedious, requiring the green outer skin to be peeled off the hemp stalks. Then, the green outer skin is boiled in water until it is thoroughly cooked, and then repeatedly pounded with a wooden mallet to fully expose the hemp fibers.
Then, the hemp fibers are taken to the river to rinse off the residue, and then boiled and pounded repeatedly. This process needs to be repeated at least three or four times to obtain pure white hemp fibers. Finally, they need to be dried in the sun to complete the process.
I did manage to store some dried hemp fiber in the basket I put on the wild boar's back, but I didn't have the means to process it that way before.
So I soaked those green skins in water for a day and a night, and then started rubbing them back and forth with stones to grind the flesh on the green skins, exposing the hemp fibers inside.
The hemp thread made this way is naturally not as good as the one that has been boiled repeatedly, but at the time I just wanted to add these hemp threads to the long rope I was braiding to increase its strength, so I didn't think too much about it.
There is only one way to use this semi-finished hemp thread to make fishing line: make the hemp fibers more tightly wound. The tighter the hemp fibers are wound, the stronger the material will be.
Therefore, I need to find a suitable lubricant to tan these dried hemp fibers to improve their later winding effect.
Before, I could have used the wild boar's fat to lubricate the hemp thread. But now I've turned all the wild boar meat into jerky, and there's not a drop of fat left.
Just as I was racking my brains over this, a collective scream came from the woods.
Upon hearing the shout, I broke out in a cold sweat and, disregarding the work I hadn't finished, immediately ran towards the nearest tree.
I've heard that sound before; it's the piercing screams monkeys make when they encounter leopards. It hasn't been that long; could another foolish leopard be coming?
After living in the wilderness for so long, my nerves have become as sensitive as those monkeys'. At the slightest disturbance, I'll climb a tree immediately.
I'm so used to climbing up and down that I'm probably almost as fast at climbing trees as those monkeys.
But after I climbed the tree for a while, I still didn't see any suspicious animals in my field of vision. Just then, the clever monkey king jumped down from another tree toward me.
I knew something big must have happened, otherwise these monkeys wouldn't be so nervous.
Soon the monkey came up to me, looking very anxious. It scratched its ears and cheeks and gestured for a while, and when it saw that I didn't understand, it grabbed my hand and tried to pull me down from the tree.
I knew this clever monkey wouldn't have dragged me to the ground for no reason; something must have happened that they couldn't solve, which is why they came to me.
Since it dared to carry me on the ground, it proves that what we encountered was probably not a ferocious beast like a leopard, but most likely something else that was slow-moving and could threaten their safety.
I nodded and followed the monkey down the tree. It ran ahead of me, barking and urging me on, as if it were in a hurry.
I picked up my wooden spear and gave chase. The monkey was incredibly fast; I had to exert all my strength to barely keep up with a creature several times smaller than myself.
Just then, the monkey stopped by a pond, pointed at the open space beside it, and let out a series of shrieks. By then, I was exhausted from running and was panting heavily for fresh air.
When I looked in the direction the monkey king had pointed, I was still startled. What was there was none other than a python as thick as an arm.
To be precise, a monkey was still coiled inside the python's body at that moment. It's unclear how the monkey managed it, but it wasn't completely constricted by the python; a leg and an arm were still outside.
It used its hands and feet to drag the python's body to the open space. It must be said, this monkey was quite lucky; it wasn't dragged directly into the water by the python, but rather pulled to that open area.
At this moment, all the monkeys were terrified, baring their teeth and screaming at the python, but none of them dared to go forward.
Seeing that the monkey was in imminent danger, the monkey king, perhaps having learned from watching me fight the leopard, also grabbed a branch and smashed it against the python.
However, the monkey's strength was limited, and the branch it used was not thick enough to cause any real harm to the python.
Upon seeing this, I immediately stopped hesitating, rushed forward, and thrust my spear into the python's body.
My wooden spear is frequently sharpened and has become very sharp. Animals like pythons can't withstand my piercing wounds at all, and soon a bloody hole appeared on the python's body.
The python, feeling the pain and sensed the threat, stopped bothering the monkey and immediately released it to escape.
"Trying to run? Die!"
I shouted and used my spear as a club, striking the snake hard on the spot three inches from its head. The snake wasn't very big to begin with, and this was the most vulnerable point where the spinal nerves converged. The blow instantly rendered it helpless, and it could only writhe in pain on the ground. It seemed it wouldn't survive.
Looking at the monkey, it lay weakly on the open ground. I could see teeth marks and traces of blood on its left leg. It seemed it had been attacked and bitten on the leg by a python in the water, before being coiled around most of its body.
I went up to the monkey, picked it up, and examined it. The monkey seemed to recognize me and cooperated without any resistance.
I noticed that its left leg was a little swollen, probably because the python had wrapped it too tightly, causing poor blood circulation. I tried touching and moving its arms and left leg, but the monkey didn't show any signs of discomfort.
I breathed a sigh of relief; thankfully, no bones were broken. If the python had completely constricted the monkey's body, given its strength, it would likely have broken many bones, and there would be no need to save it now.
I smiled and waved to the anxious monkey king beside me, saying, "Don't worry, I'll take it back and let it revitalize its blood, and it'll be fine."
I've seen this method used on my own dog. Animals will react when you touch a spot that hurts, and the more severe the pain, the stronger the reaction.
This monkey was quite lucky; it was just that the blood flow in its legs was blocked, and it was also a little weak from the fright.
I went to the pond, scooped up some water with my hands and fed it to the monkey, which obediently drank it.
I picked up the monkey and headed towards my camp. If I warmed it by the fire and rubbed its injured left leg, it should recover quickly.
After all, I'm their boss, so I have to do something for my family too.
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