Keeping the bowstring taut all the time and in the strung state will cause the bow pieces to fatigue and lose their elasticity. In addition, the small-tip bow is very old and the wood has changed a lot. There is an old saying that "If you want to shoot accurately, bake the bow and get into bed." The bow pieces need maintenance, and over the years, no one would put it in bed for maintenance, so the condition of the bow will not always be good. Holding it like this for a long time will eventually make the bow useless prematurely.

So I could only move a little closer to Yingchun and aim the arrow at her neck so that the bow was in the unstrung state. At the same time, I could also see clearly that there was a special pattern engraved on the dagger. It looked like a lizard, but with wings. Watching Yingchun moving back and forth, I could also see clearly that it was on both the front and back sides.

Yingchun saw that I was looking at it carefully and said carefully, "This is a gift from the ugly monster. It's not bad, right?"

"Yeah." I answered perfunctorily.

"That time, I went out of the yard in a huff, and suddenly I felt something drilling into my body. I was about to scream in fear, but suddenly something rushed over and knocked me down. I fainted before I could scream. When I woke up, I was already in the abyss under the tunnel, and there I saw the ugly monster for the first time. I was very scared at first, afraid that it would hurt me, but first it gave me live fish and then a jewelry box. When I opened it, there were priceless things inside, but the box was already very broken, and I didn't know where it found these things. Seeing that I was alert, it went down to the underground river again, and then found these things and gave them to me." Yingchun said.

"Found it at the bottom of the river?" I asked.

Yingchun nodded and said, "I felt that it didn't seem to have hostility, so I became friends with it. After that, I often had stomach cramps, and it gave me some special water plants to eat. After I ate them, it worked. Later, my anger subsided and I planned to go back to find you, but I found that you were gone. So I could only let the ugly monster stay with me and rely on it to hunt for food until you came back."

"Water plants? Can water plants detoxify insect poison?" I was very surprised.

"If there are mermaids under the deep pool, then the environment must be suitable for them to live. Mermaids are good at eating fish and insects, and the water plants at the bottom of the pool serve as their food to balance the diet of meat and vegetables, and they must also be used to regulate their stomachs. Survival of the fittest, and since those water plants are chosen to be eaten, they should be able to balance the excess fish and water insects in the stomach, so they can just deal with the disaster of poisonous insects hidden in the body." Bai Lu said with her back to me.

One is good at hiding, and the other is good at removing the insects hidden in its body. They are indeed natural enemies.

After Bailu diagnosed Yunwen's condition, she used the earthen pot stove to stew the medicine. Yingchun stewed the meat and bones herself, and followed her sister's example to add some dry ingredients to make the soup more fragrant, which made me salivate.

Since it was Yingchun's meal, it was all cooked in the same soup base. Pork, dried black fungus, wild vegetables, and wild mushrooms were basically the same, just like the skewers served on the street.

But since we have done it, let's just eat it. Perhaps it's because of habit, everyone gathered at the table to eat, talk and laugh, as if nothing happened. But when I reacted, I quickly picked up the bow and arrow and pointed it at Yingchun's neck, and said to Bailu: "You go over and eat with your back to me. If you dare to turn your face, I will definitely stab you."

"I understand! Brother Zhou Bo, please let Yingchun go, I will go over to eat." Bai Lu said, tears streaming down her face in anxiety.

I know that this is indeed a bit too much for the two sisters, but I have no choice. I dare not let my guard down and cannot take this gamble easily. Once I relax, and Bai Lu looks at me with those bloodshot eyes intentionally or unintentionally one day, then Yunwen and I will definitely have no way to survive. Survival is my bottom line, and protecting Yunwen so that she can stay alive is the promise I made to her.

Bai Lu walked to another place with her back to me, chewing food like wax, and said, "Brother Zhou Bo, I am actually scared too, although I understand why you do this."

Afterwards, the medicine was cooked and they had eaten the meal. They seemed very nervous, afraid that I would chase them out and let them continue to catch a cold. But I really didn't want that to happen. They would suffer, and how could I feel comfortable about it?

"Listen to me," I said.

They immediately looked at me warily, and Bai Lu was afraid that I might misunderstand, so she turned her head away immediately, but she still wanted to listen to what I said.

"No matter how you plan to distribute the food, the three stale fish and the remaining five pieces of pork can only last for three to five days. But I don't plan to hunt anymore. Even if the mermaids come back from your side, I advise you not to do that. Every animal has other duties besides being eaten by us. Next, I will go to the mountains and forests to find food. You stay here during the day and help me take care of Sanfu and Yunwen. This is your responsibility. If you dare to make any mistakes, I will not forgive you." I said.

When they heard that I was sympathetic and allowed them to stay in the house, they nodded immediately.

"Okay, after I go out, Song Yingchun, you go water the fields. If you agree, I will get some sea water and filter some fine salt. You can marinate the meat when you are free. It's better to eat sparingly these days than to waste food on big fish and meat. Song Bailu, you will be responsible for looking after Yunwen. She will toss and turn over, so don't let her fall off the bed. Take good care of her. Also, get some hay for the horses and take good care of them." I said.

"I understand." Bailu and Yingchun answered together.

"Also, if the mermaid comes back, Song Yingchun, you'd better think carefully about what to do. You will bear the consequences at your own risk," I said.

Song Yingchun's eyes were red. She stood up, grabbed my sleeve, and said, "I know what to do. I will teach it a lesson. It's its misbehavior that caused us to be like this. I will chase it away and never see it again. Please don't do this to me, okay? I'm so scared, Brother Zhou Bo, please go back to your normal self, please."

I shook her off and said, "It's not it that made things like this, it's you, reflect on yourself."

After saying that, I threatened Yingchun with an arrow in one hand, and carried a backpack with a military water bottle in the other hand. I had the Jinque sword on my waist. After I moved a little further away from Yingchun, I pulled the bow and arrow to the full, and was ready to be on guard at all times, and then I opened the back door and went out.

After going out, I was still cautious until I arrived near the tunnel, then I relaxed my tense nerves, entered the tunnel, crossed the cable bridge at the end of the tunnel, and reached the elevator. I turned on the iron pestle switch and went up to the tall trees near the coastline, then followed the roadside I made to the beach. I wanted to get some sea water first, find some fine sand and coarse sand, and use activated carbon to filter the sea salt to make some fine salt.

As I was walking forward, I suddenly saw wolf footprints. My first reaction was to find a tree to hide under. The footprints were fresh, so they must be nearby. I hid behind the tree and observed for a while. I heard a sound from the bushes nearby. To ensure my own safety and prevent them from surrounding me and attacking me, I climbed up a tree first. Standing high, I could see far.

Just in time to see what they are doing right here.

After climbing up the tree, I looked down and saw that the rustling sound was getting closer and closer, coming towards me, so I quickly climbed up a branch to see what they were doing.

When I reached a higher and thicker branch, I leaned forward to see the situation. I still had the nine arrows left by Yunwen in my backpack, and I thought that if I encountered a dangerous situation, I would still have a chance to shoot the leader wolf.

I pulled aside the leaves and looked down, and what I saw almost scared me to death!

I saw the wolves were holding a corpse, which had been bitten to pieces and full of holes. It must have been dead long ago. However, looking at the body, one could still make out that it was a human-like figure with a fish tail, claws on its hands, and webbed feet on its palms.

Even from such a distance, one could see that in addition to the arrow wound on its shoulder, it also had multiple bite wounds, traces of bird pecking, and many wounds from being torn apart by jackals, dogs, and wild beasts. The most terrifying thing was that its fish tail was rotten by some kind of fangs. This should have been done by a wild boar, and the wolves seemed to be the last ones to benefit.

I sighed. It had offended too many creatures on a daily basis. Moreover, its blood attracted many scavengers. It was winter and food was scarce. It was in a weak position and was attacked by the group and killed.

"Nature is indeed fair." I said regretfully.