Chapter 11 Chapter 11 The First Pot of Gold in Cultivation
The vague sense of crisis made Lin Xinghuo dare not delay. He used pine needles to start a fire, lit both earthen stoves, and started to deal with the wild boar overnight.
Dahuang had a hearty meal on the mountain. Now, Wolf Head was lying on his paws, comfortably lying near the warm stove. Soon he began to snore. The three little fox cubs leaned against Dahuang's belly, but they were so sleepy that they closed their eyes but refused to sleep.
Luckily, there was a well in the backyard. Uncle Cen had brought people to help purify it during renovations, and Lin Xinghuo had used it and found the water to be even better than the old village well. Perhaps the underground sewer connected to the Nanshan spring? Lin Xinghuo went back and forth to fetch and boil water, preparing to give it a quick scrub, at least until he could get started.
She had never properly butchered a pig before, let alone seen one. Lin Xinghuo wanted to use the simplest and most brutal method, starting with a pig leg to see what was different about this pig and why it had such a special reaction to her wooden sign.
The pig skin was so tough that it took Lin Xinghuo some effort to cut a hole in it. Lin Xinghuo looked at the kitchen knife in her hand and was glad that she had used her utmost strength when chopping the wild boar.
But the next moment, her entire attention was drawn to the blood slowly oozing from the pig's legs - they were the wild boars they encountered yesterday at noon, and it was almost midnight, a full day and a half, and the pig's blood hadn't coagulated yet?
But Lin Xinghuo was sure that other wild boars didn't have this problem. When she left the wheat field just now, the wild boars in the village had already started to be processed. An old butcher said, "The blood has all congealed in the meat, and the meat doesn't look good. Everyone else washes it carefully before cooking it."
Not only was it uncoagulated, but the pig's blood was also pitifully small, only enough to fill an enameled jar. The pig's blood was a strange red, with a strong fishy smell that burned the eyes when approached.
Lin Xinghuo closed the lid of the enamel jar and temporarily placed it high on the wooden shelf in the west room. The blood reminded her of the vermilion ink used in talisman drawing. Taoists did use rooster blood instead of angelica wine to mix cinnabar. Lin Xinghuo planned to find an opportunity to try using wild boar blood to mix the vermilion ink. Perhaps the talismans she drew would retain their vibrant color longer.
After the blood was all gone, the fishy smell of the wild boar actually became much lighter.
Lin Xinghuo worked all night to clean up the pig. Even though she kept using breathing techniques to regulate her breathing, she was exhausted at one point. She only continued after meditating and circulating her Qi.
But the harvest was quite good, with tusks, pig stomachs, pig gallbladders, pig bones, fat, and fur all of which were unusual. It was just a pity that the pig skin was torn into pieces by the novice Lin Xinghuo.
The axe that had done such a good job was finally taken down. It broke into several pieces right after it was pulled out, but the handle was shattered even more thoroughly. It was worth it!
Lin Xinghuo's eyes sparkled. He didn't care about the wood chips on his hands. He forced himself to calm down and carefully comprehend the newly discovered method.
Because the hatchet had chopped too deep and the pig's skull was too hard, Lin Xinghuo had just gathered all his strength to pull out the knife, but even with his strength almost gone, he still couldn't move it. As his internal energy was rapidly turning chaotic, the true energy hidden in his Qi Sea suddenly flowed up through his meridians and injected into the wooden handle...
After successively breaking a wooden dustpan, a clay pot, a kitchen knife handle, a sewing needle, and so on, Lin Xinghuo had mastered this method and had also discovered its limitations and difficulties: materials like wood, straw, and cloth were relatively easy to infuse with Qi; ceramics and glass were more challenging; and iron was particularly challenging. After many attempts, Lin Xinghuo only succeeded with a sewing needle. As for modern industrial synthetic products like urea bags, Lin Xinghuo could only apply Qi to their surface, not absorb it. It was like other materials being alive and flowing, while nylon bags were dead and rigid. The small piece of nylon bag quickly turned yellow and crumbled into powder after Lin Xinghuo's experiment.
Not only the material affects the effect, subtle control is even more important. Only stable injection and uniform distribution can enhance the object itself without damaging it.
***
"Let's just have a quick breakfast first, and then we can eat meat at noon!" Lin Xinghuo stroked the fox cub who was whining and acting coquettishly. She planned to have a quick breakfast and then cook the wild boar meat.
Cook sweet potato porridge in the southern stove and add plenty of water.
Lin Xinghuo shoveled all the broken items, unwanted scraps, and mud from the wild boar into the stove, added another large stick of firewood, and sat cross-legged on the bluestone in the backyard. Legend had it that the first rays of morning sunlight contained purple energy. She hadn't believed it before, but now Lin Xinghuo was a bit more inclined to believe it. She even regretted her limited knowledge in her previous life, not reading more basic novels about cultivation. Perhaps she could have used it as a reference, which would have been better than the navigating the river by feeling the stones now.
After completing two small cycles of Luck, Lin Xinghuo looked up at the sky and realized it had taken her less time than last night. Her mind was racing: battling the wild boar, appreciating her emotions, and understanding the Dharma. In just two days, she had made continuous progress, especially in her state of mind. She believed that after further consolidating her understanding, she would see even greater improvement.
It was a pity that the villagers would probably keep their distance from her from now on. Lin Xinghuo felt a little regretful, but that feeling was gone.
"Pa pa pa!" At this moment, the sound of clapping came from outside the fence, waking Lin Xinghuo from his thoughts.
"Little fairy! Are you awake? We are here to deliver the meat!" Wang Huzi's loud voice directly scared the sparrows on the branches away.
Lin Xinghuo turned to the front and saw Wang Huzi holding his daughter in one hand. Wang Caiduan's small, fleshy hands clapped, occasionally pulling some dried meat from the large pouch sewn on his belly to grind his teeth. Behind them, two young men were pulling a cart, surveying the courtyard with a mixture of anxiety and curiosity.
In this era, living in isolation is a dream, and living one's own life behind closed doors is a luxury. The only reality is community, Lin Xinghuo thought.
Wang Huzi put his daughter down, rubbed his hands, and said with a smile, "Half a roe deer, five rabbits, and ten grouse are all ready. Caiduan's mother is a master at hand-smoking meat, so she sent half a chicken for you to try." He had fallen asleep last night exhausted, but his wife had thought of the matter and had meticulously smoked a chicken with pine needles and cedar branches as a thank you to the Little Fairy. Although the preparation was a little short, the taste was truly delicious. Jin Zhaodi tore the remaining half into strips and put a bag in her daughter's pocket. Little Caiduan loved it and wanted to share it with her good friend, Little Fox, so Wang Huzi took over the job of delivering the meat.
Lin Xinghuo knew at a glance that almost all the grouse were divided among their own family. It seemed that the villagers believed the rumor that foxes loved to eat chickens.
Wang Caiduan folded his hands and said good morning to the fairy, then peeked out to look for the little lucky fox. Lin Xinghuo laughed and let them in.
After getting permission, the little girl ran to push the door of the main room without any hesitation. As soon as she opened it a crack, a cloud of black smoke came out impatiently.
Lin Xinghuo rushed back to open the pot, but found that the porridge had dried up long ago, and the bottom of the iron pot was leaking. Strangely, the smoke was not strong, and the smell was also light, unlike the time she burned the rice at Buxian Temple.
She glanced at the hearth and saw that the large piece of wood had completely burned out, leaving only a small pile of red ash. Lin Xinghuo simply scraped off the ash, and red flames swirled around like tongues of fire, instantly igniting the wood in her hand. She also noticed that the clay stove's inner walls, made of mud, had burned to a smooth, black, purple-brown surface.
"You..." Wang Huzi and others didn't know what to say.
Wang Caiduan had already started playing with the little foxes that came strolling from the backyard. The little girl took out dried meat and fed it to the fox cubs like offering a treasure. The big fox and the second fox ignored it. Only the smallest fox, the third fox, took away a small piece, as if to say, "I'm giving you face." But Da Huang accepted everything that was offered. Wang Caiduan stuffed the food into her own hand with her left hand and stretched out her right hand to feed Da Huang. She was very busy and happy. After a while, the little girl leaned on the wolf.
Wang Huzi licked his lips. Although he knew that Dahuang wouldn't bite, his heart was still tense. The image of Dahuang tearing into the wild boar the previous day was still fresh in his mind, and he couldn't help but feel nervous. The two young men were filled with awe. Cai Duan'er was incredible!
Lin Xinghuo pulled Dahuang's ears and once again felt that the big bad wolf was a bit stupid. The little foxes all knew the benefits of pork head, but it was the only one who was greedy for it without knowing it.
Three slabs of meat were cut from Da Huang's share of the suckling pig, strung with hemp rope, and presented to the three adults as a thank-you gift. The two young men, too embarrassed to accept the meat but also too afraid to refuse, looked to Wang Huzi, asking him to make the decision. Wang Huzi saw the fairy lady's slender fingers poke, and the rope followed them through the three-finger-wide strip of pork. He hissed inwardly, "Listen to the fairy lady. Take it when I tell you to." With such skill, what kind of meat could he not get? Pushing and shirking only made him dislike her.
After the little girl shared the meat in her pocket with Da Huang, the group said goodbye. Before leaving, Wang Huzi also helped convey the old secretary's message, asking her to go to the brigade headquarters the next morning and then take them to the commune to report. The next round of barefoot doctor training will run from November this year to April next year, with classes one to two days a week. Due to the heavy snow in the local area during the winter, the trainees can choose to stay in the commune dormitory.
Lin Xinghuo didn't ask who the other student was; after all, it was a young educated youth he didn't know well. When Wang Huzi mentioned it, he said he didn't know who it was. Lin Xinghuo didn't care, and Wang Huzi looked down on the Youth Academy even more: "They might still be fighting among themselves, fighting over each other, and nothing's decided yet. Anyway, you can't change your report tomorrow, so you can go if you want."
The old secretary also said that if it was early enough after reporting tomorrow, they could stop by the county town. He had already informed his nephew that his niece-in-law wanted to meet Lin Xinghuo to get a feel for the situation. Lin Xinghuo glanced around the house without noticing: a broken iron pot, shattered earthenware pots...it was indeed time to go to the county town.
The three adults and one child looked normal as they walked away. However, after they had only walked a dozen steps, one of the young men said, "The little fairy lady can also make elixirs."
Another person chimed in: "It's just that the tool doesn't fit the hand, it seems like it's been refined and messed up?"
"I heard that alchemy uses a three-legged furnace, but unfortunately we don't have one in our village. It would be great if we could find one for the little fairy lady from outside!"
Wang Huzi scolded him, "Don't go out and talk nonsense, you'll cause trouble for the village! The village is peaceful because of the little fairy lady's ability. Even the educated youth don't dare to make trouble now. It's different outside. The winds blowing lately are even more weird! Several educated youth in the Corps have committed suicide..."
The story of the Little Fairy spread the fastest. Before noon, the whole Buxian Village knew that "the Little Fairy could make elixirs."
Lin Xinghuo: ...Whatever you want.
At noon, Lin Xinghuo was busy kneading, blanching and drying meatballs. The fox cubs were enjoying themselves while chewing meatballs. Dahuang could only eat half of a meatball and could not eat any more. He chased his tail in circles for a while and then suddenly jumped out of the house and ran towards the mountain.
Even if Lin Xinghuo had known that this meat was extraordinary, he wouldn't have expected it to be so delicious. It didn't even have the slightest fishy smell, and it was so tender and fresh it didn't even taste like pork.
She simply chopped it up and added two eggs to make meatballs. Because of the fox cub and rhubarb, she didn't even add salt, let alone scallions or ginger. She just stirred it vigorously, kneaded it into balls, and boiled it in the pot. When the meatballs floated, she considered it done.
Not only is it delicious, it’s also very filling.
Since Lin Xinghuo began practicing introspection, she could go two days without food, but she needed to eat a lot when she was hungry. Her stomach was like a bottomless pit, and even Da Huang couldn't keep up with her appetite. You know, wolves can last for half a month after a full meal.
But she only ate three of these walnut-sized pork balls and felt eight-tenths full. The essence of food is to provide energy, and Lin Xinghuo suspected that this pork was particularly rich in energy. The fox cub's ability to consume more pork than Da Huang might be related to his spiritual aptitude. This pig king's body was full of treasures, proving he was indeed "otherworldly." The fact that the wild boar king could spot and be drawn to her wooden sign proved that it truly appealed to extraordinary animals...
Lin Xinghuo didn't have time to explore more carefully: she had to cook as much pork as possible while the red ash in the chest was still there.
The main hall had two earthen stoves. The iron pot in the south stove had burned out, so the north stove had to be used instead. Lin Xinghuo had noticed that the water in the iron pot was boiling, but the meatballs wouldn't float up after being dropped in. When they were fished out, they were still undercooked. Suddenly, a sense of purpose struck him. He moved some of the red ash still quietly burning under the south stove over to the north stove. As if by some miraculous chemical reaction, the pork balls cooked through and floated.
Her hands, chopping the meat, were almost invisible, and the newly installed knife handle shook loose several times. By the time the embers were completely extinguished, she had only managed to chop half of the meat, leaving half a tank of pork meatballs.
Looking at the minced meat his men had chopped, he couldn't bear to use the bristles and skin as fuel to cook the meatballs. By now, Lin Xinghuo had become increasingly aware of the Pig King's uniqueness. Even the scraps were so useful, not to mention the fur.
I scooped up the last pot, poured it into a porcelain bowl and placed it on the square table, ready to take a nap.
Even Lin Xinghuo couldn't bear it after not sleeping for nearly three days. At her current level, meditation could not completely replace sleep.
He picked up the fox cubs lying on the bench basking in the sun, latched the door, and went back to the east room to catch up on some sleep.
***
As the sun set in the west, Lin Xinghuo slowly woke up, feeling refreshed and full of energy.
During the quiet and peaceful sleep, a faint "click" sound was heard in a regular pattern. Lin Xinghuo looked around but found nothing, so he moved the little foxes, who were still asleep, off his body and went outside.
"!" Lin Xinghuo, who had been practicing Taoism since childhood, rarely got frightened. This time, he almost cried out -
On the square table in the main hall, a creature resembling a bobcat lay prone. With a 'snap', a sharp claw popped out from its thick paw pads, inserted it into a meatball, and slowly devoured it. Then, with a 'snap', a second claw popped out, piercing the meatball, eating it. Then, a third, a fourth... It even switched claws one by one, inserting them into the meatball and eating it!
Lin Xinghuo watched it devour four or five meatballs without a reaction, then slowly backed away to reach for the kitchen knife on the stool. Although he had the courage to fight, he felt he might not be able to defeat this mountain cat.
The thing glanced at her disdainfully and continued to enjoy the meatballs.
If the enemy doesn't move, I won't move either. Lin Xinghuo narrowed his eyes and looked at this thing carefully. The more he looked, the more wrong it seemed. The more familiar it became:
That unusually thick tail, those small, round, outward-pointing ears, that bitter and vengeful face, and the sesame seeds on the forehead!
This is a caracal!
And he is such an arrogant monkey that he deserves a beating!
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It's a caracal.
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