The two found two fir trees of moderate thickness and cut them down.

Kong Zhi neatly shaved off the thorns on the bark and specially polished one of the sticks for Xia Lunong to use.

Both sticks were more than two meters long. Xia Lunong weighed them and felt that the weight was just right.

Kong Zhi looked at his expression and asked, "Are they still handy? Do you want to find another stick?"

"No, these two are enough. Let's go back first."

"Okay." Kong Zhi said, "You sit on my back in human form."

Kong Zhi turned back into a golden eagle. Xia Lunong sat on his back, holding the long stick across his abdomen and reaching out to hug his neck.

Kong Zhi took a few steps and took off.

Xia Lunong squinted and looked down, feeling that the evening breeze was particularly comfortable.

When they returned to the lotus field, Xia Huoqu and Yan Xinian had stopped digging lotus roots and were facing the lotus field to process river clams.

They chatted while processing, and there was a large wooden basin filled with clam meat at their feet.

Xia Lunong looked down from the sky and saw the pale yellow and plump clam meat in the basin.

Kong Golden Eagle flapped its wings and landed.

Xia Lunong threw the wooden stick down first, and then climbed off him.

Yan Xinian saw them coming back and shouted, "Xiao Nong, Kong Zhi, come here quickly, I'll show you something good."

"What good thing?" Xia Lunong picked up the wooden stick, put it on the side of the raft, and leaned over to take a look, "Clam meat?"

"Of course not, look what this is?" Yan Xinian said, picking up the bowl next to him and handing it to Xia Lunong.

"Pearls?!" Xia Lunong was amazed at the first sight, "How can there be so many pearls in the river clams?!"

The bowl was filled with pearls of various sizes and shapes. The most prominent one was the nearly perfectly round pink pearl on top.

"Isn't this so beautiful?" Xia Lunong's eyes were full of amazement. He picked up the pearl and held it in front of his eyes. "This pearl is as big as a longan, and there is a halo on it!"

"It should be the reflection of the light of the sunset." Yan Xinian smiled, "You can play with it."

Xia Lunong looked at it for a few more times and put the pearl back. "I'm a grown man. What's so fun about it? I'd better keep it and see if it can be used for something in the future or exchanged for something."

After putting it back, he couldn't help but look at it twice more and muttered, "This is so beautiful! I didn't expect that there would be such a thing in the ordinary river clam!"

Xia Huoqu looked at the open river clam in his hand, touched the side of the shell, and instantly took out a handful of pearls and handed them to him to play with. "I have this too."

Xia Lunong took it and took a look at it in the dim light.

The pearls in my hand are also of different sizes, about twenty in total, mostly the size of soybeans, with many flaws on them and not round enough in shape, obviously not as good as the pink pearl that is close to a perfect round shape.

Xia Lunong put the pearls in her hand into the bowl and stared at the pink pearls. "These are really the most beautiful pearls I have ever seen. I don't think I will see more beautiful ones in the future."

"Maybe." Yan Xinian said, "I'll take you to the beach to play in the future, maybe you can find more beautiful pearls."

Xia Lunong shook her head, "'Once you have been to the sea, you can never be impressed by water', I don't think so."

Kong Zhi put on his clothes, picked up the pearls from behind him and put them in front of his eyes to take a look, "If you like them so much, I'll make you a small thing to play with?"

"Huh?" Xia Lunong turned her head, "Pearl necklace?" Kong Zhi

raised his eyes, "You can wear it if you want."

"No, no, no," Xia Lunong said politely, "I was just kidding."

Kong Zhi stroked the pearls with his fingertips and looked at his chest, "I'll make you a brooch."

Xia Lunong was curious, "You can also make these things?"

"I learned a little before."

Yan Xinian asked, "What do you mean by learned a little? Carving? Jewelry design?"

"Almost." Kong Zhi said, "My grandfather's family opened a jewelry store. I grew up under his lap when I was a child, so I learned a little."

Xia Lunong knew that all his family members had passed away, and now he was the only one left, so he changed the subject abruptly, "Let's continue cutting lotus stalks before it gets dark."

Xia Huoqu looked up at the sky and said, "It's already hard to see anything, and I don't know what's hidden in the water. It's too dangerous. Let's talk about it tomorrow morning."

"Then let's talk about it tomorrow morning. Let's cook and eat first."

The rice was already cooked, and enough firewood had been collected.

Xia Lunong looked around and there was nothing special to do, so she simply took out a sack of lotus stalks from the car and peeled the lotus stalks and took the lotus seeds with Kong Zhi.

The peeled dried lotus stalks were thrown into the fire as firewood.

It was close to the Mid-Autumn Festival in August. The moon was almost full in the sky. The moonlight was particularly bright, and the clear light sprinkled down, covering everything with a layer of white veil. Even without a bonfire, they could see everything clearly.

Several people were busy all day, and now they sat by the fire, eating, drinking tea, admiring the moon, and smelling the lotus fragrance. It was so comfortable, as if all the fatigue of the day had dissipated.

Xia Lunong sat on a low stool, resting her head on her empty thighs, listening to their chat, and she felt drowsy.

His brother patted his shoulder

gently, "If you are tired, go to sleep. We will keep watch here." Xia Lunong yawned, "You kept watch for the first half of the night last night. Today, it's your turn to go to bed early. Kong Zhi and I

will keep watch for the first half of the night." "The biological clock has been fixed. Today, we will keep watch for the first half of the night, and you will continue to keep watch for the second half of the night." Xia Lunong did not argue with his brother, "Then Kong Zhi and I will go to sleep." "Go to bed early and get a good rest." Xia Lunong changed into beast form again today and got into Kong Zhi's bed. He was very tired today and slept very soundly. He fell asleep as soon as he changed into cat form and shrunk to Kong Zhi's chest. After being woken up, he stretched painfully, turned back into human form in the quilt, and muttered softly, "I felt like I just closed my eyes one second ago, and you woke me up the next second." "I let you sleep a little longer, I can be on duty alone, but you repeatedly told me to wake you up." "I'm not the only one who is sleepy." Xia Lunong put on her T-shirt in the quilt, "Help me get my pants." Kong Zhi handed him his pants. He put on his pants in the quilt while muttering softly, "Tomorrow when I go back, I must take a nap and sleep until the sun shines on my butt before waking up."

Kong Zhi saw him squirming in the quilt and touched his hair. "Well, hold on for another night."

Xia Lunong whispered, "This is all we can do for now."

The two of them went out.

Yan Xinian and Xia Huoqu were still talking by the fire.

Seeing them coming, Yan Xinian said, "Why did you wake up on your own?"

"Maybe my biological clock has come." Xia Lunong yawned, "Brother, you guys go to sleep."

Xia Lunong was still sleepy when

he sat by the fire. It was a bit cold at night, and it was warm and comfortable to sit by the fire.

Kong Zhi patted his shoulder, "Let's look at the stars side by side."

"I guess I'll fall asleep after a while."

"Then go to sleep."

Xia Lunong exerted his willpower and held on desperately. Even if he was sleepy, he didn't fall asleep. They stayed safe until morning that night.

Early the next morning, there was fog outside, and the visibility was no more than five meters.

Xia Huoqu and Yan Xinian got up and saw thick fog at first glance.

Yan Xinian was quite surprised, "Why is there such a thick fog today?"

Xia Huoqu said, "When the sun comes out, maybe the fog will dissipate. Let's have breakfast first."

Xia Lunong looked up and said, "Breakfast is ready. Brothers, wash your hands and come over to eat. This morning we will have bamboo lotus rice with fried bird meat."

"Okay." Xia Huoqu said, "The fog hasn't dissipated yet. You can have breakfast slowly. Don't be in a hurry."

Xia Lunong handed him the rice, "We dug most of the lotus roots and lotus seeds yesterday. We should be able to go back this afternoon. If we go back early, we may be able to return to the base before 10 o'clock in the evening."

Yan Xinian asked, "Do you want to go back to the base?"

"Of course! It's inconvenient everywhere outside, it's more comfortable to go back to the base." Xia Lunong said, looking at the thick fog outside, and sighed, "I told Kong Zhi in the early morning to get up early to work, finish early and go home early, but I didn't expect the weather to be bad, and this plan can only be completely aborted."

Xia Huo said, "It's just fog, it will dissipate after the sun comes out. After dinner, we will clean up the car first, and then cook lunch. We won't take time to cook and rest at noon. We will continue to work directly after dinner and try to go back early in the afternoon."

"That's fine too." Xia Lunong said, "Then let's have bamboo shoot lotus seed rice for lunch, topped with a layer of diced lotus root and bird meat. I happened to bring some lard from last time, so when you're ready to eat, add a spoonful of lard and soy sauce, mix well, and it's guaranteed to be delicious."

Yan Xinian smiled, "I haven't finished breakfast yet, and you're making me hungry again."

Xia Lunong said, "Delicious food, just describing it can make people drool. I'm full. , I'll go wash the rice first. By the way, the water we have stored is not enough, how about I use my superpower to plant another bamboo?"

Xia Huoqu stopped him, "No, save your superpower, you still have to work in the wild all day today, and you can go back in the evening, be careful."

Xia Lunong felt that his superpower would be useless, but since his brother said so, he did not argue and honestly saved water.

After breakfast, several people did their own job and went to work separately.

Xia Lunong was responsible for packing things. Except for the pot and the small stool for cooking rice, he put all other things in the truck.

The sun came out and the fog dissipated a little.

Xia Lunong looked at the lotus field in front of him and felt that something was strange. He looked again and saw nothing.

His intuition was always very sharp. After realizing that something was wrong, he said, "I don't feel so good today. Everyone be careful."

Xia Huoqu turned around and looked around, saying, "Maybe something came out after the fog. Xinian, you and Kongzhi change back to beast form and go around this area to see if you find anything. Xiao Nong and I will wait for you in the camp."

Yan Xinian and Kongzhi nodded.

The giant tiger ran around on the ground, and the giant golden eagle circled in the sky.

Their vision and sense of smell were very developed, but after a circle, they still found nothing.

Yan Xinian said, "It's still the same smell as yesterday. There are only snakes, rats and other small animals nearby. It shouldn't be a big deal. We just need to be careful later."

Xia Huoqu nodded.

This is the only way now. The wild is full of dangers. Even with their strength, they can't guarantee that everything will go well.

Xia Huoqu said, "Then let's start working now. Today, Xinian and I will dig lotus roots. Xiaonong and Kongzhi will go to cut lotus stalks. Don't go too far. Just go as far as you can."

Several people divided the work and cooperated.

Kongzhi asked Xia Lunong to follow him, while he pushed the raft forward.

They had already cut all the lotus stalks near the shore yesterday, and now they had to go deeper.

The Changhe Swamp is very large, and they still have a lot of lotus stalks to cut.

Xia Lunong found that the excitement of harvesting lotus roots and lotus stalks had passed yesterday, and today, harvesting lotus stalks was just mechanical labor.

It was still a sunny day, and the sun was very hot, making Xia Lunong sweat profusely.

He wore a hat and wiped the sweat over and over again, his cheeks were all red, and his clothes were wet.

After more than an hour of hard work, the bulging lotus stalks were about to press the raft into the water.

Kong Zhi took a look and said, "We can't harvest anymore. We have to transport the lotus stalks back now and come back to harvest them later."

Xia Lunong nodded.

This time, he was in the front, holding the raft, and Kong Zhi was in the back.

The raft broke through the peaceful swamp, dragging out long ripples, startling the fish and other small animals in the swamp.

The fish jumped out of the water, making a "pulling thorn" sound.

Xia Lunong smelled the lotus fragrance and felt a little more relaxed.

They transported the lotus stalks back. Xia Huoqu and Yan Xinian dug hundreds of lotus stalks and piled them up in a mess on the shore.

Xia Lunong glanced and said, "Brother, are you digging lotus roots faster today?"

"Practice makes perfect. It's faster than yesterday. What about you? How do you feel? Did you encounter any problems?"

As Xia Lunong and his team went deeper into the lotus field to cut lotus stalks, the distance between the two teams became farther and farther. They could no longer hear each other's voices when talking at normal volumes.

Xia Huoqu was worried about his younger brother and couldn't help asking one more question.

Xia Lunong shook her head, "It's okay, we're doing well there too."

Xia Huoqu said, "Don't let your guard down, hold on for another morning, we'll be back in the afternoon."

Kong Zhi moved the sacks of lotus leaves onto the back of the truck, took the empty sacks and said to Xia Huoqu, "Brother Huoqu, let's continue to cut lotus leaves."

"Go ahead, be careful." Xia Huoqu waved his hand, "Take a break if you're tired, we don't have to fill the truck before we go back." Kong

Zhi pushed the raft in front to explore the way, and Xia Lunong followed behind.

They pushed towards the depths of the lotus field.

Xia Lunong looked back at his brother and his former brother, and found that they had become two silhouettes, and suddenly felt a little uneasy.

Kong Zhi noticed that Xia Lunong had stopped behind him, and turned around to ask, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Xia Lunong turned her head back, "I feel uncomfortable working separately from my brother and the others."

Kong Zhi curled his lips.

Xia Lunong said, "Let's go, let's finish cutting the lotus leaves and go back early."

Kong Zhi continued to push the raft forward.

Neither of them saw that in addition to the waves dragged by the raft, there were several smaller waves.

The waves quickly approached Xia Lunong's raft, and several slender figures emerged from the water and climbed onto Xia Lunong's raft.

Xia Lunong felt that the weather was really hot, and she took the hat on her head and fanned herself.

Just when he was feeling comfortable, something cold suddenly touched his pants.

The coolness went directly to his legs through his thin pants.

Logically, he shouldn't be so sensitive, but at this moment, his intuition played an important role!

Without thinking, he shouted, "Ah!" and took two steps forward. He turned into a cat in mid-air, and flew to Kong Zhi's raft with all four limbs.

Kong Zhi's face changed drastically, and he turned around to catch him. Only then did he realize that there were actually several snakes crawling on Xia Lunong's raft.

The snakes had patterns on their bodies, and their necks were flat and thick. They were actually several king cobras!

The fur on Summer Cat's back stood up, turning him into a big cat ball. His ears stood back, and he opened his mouth to breathe, making a rough sound of howling.

He had never been so scared in his life. His mind was blank at this moment, and he could not remember anything except some simple animal reactions.

The scene in front of him was too scary. There were king cobras swimming around and trying to climb onto their raft.

Their raft was floating on the water, surrounded by water, and no one could tell how many king cobras there were under the water. For a moment, they had no way to escape, and felt like they had no way to go up to the sky or down to the earth.

Xia Huoqu and Yan Xinian had already heard their cries. Without a second thought, they transformed into beasts and ran along the edge of the field.

However, distant water cannot quench a nearby fire, and they were too late to rescue them.

The king cobras were coiled on Xia Lunong's raft, raising their upper bodies and ready to attack.

Each of these king cobras was thicker than their forearms, at least one meter long, and had amazing jumping abilities. If they were attacked by these king cobras, the consequences would be disastrous. Kong Zhi

tensed his muscles. At this moment, they had nowhere to go, and danger was imminent.

He could certainly turn back into a golden eagle, but it would take time to do so. He could escape from danger, but he would have nowhere to put Xia Maomao in his hand.

He had no confidence that he could transform back into a golden eagle by holding the cat.

The cat in his hand was too small and soft, and he was afraid that during the transformation, the sharp and hard claws would directly scratch the summer cat and make several bloody holes.

Putting the summer cat on the raft would not work either.

He knew in his heart that once he put the cat down, these spectacled king snakes would immediately attack.

In a flash, everything happened in a flash.

Kong Zhi stared at the spectacled king snake opposite him, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

The sweat flowed into his eyes, stinging his eyeballs, but he did not blink.

The movements of the spectacled king snakes slowed down to the extreme in his eyes, at the moment when the first spectacled king snake retracted its body and prepared to attack.

He finally made up his mind and threw the summer cat in his hand into the air with all his strength, directly throwing it dozens of meters high.

Summer cat was thrown into the air without warning, and he was so scared that his heart almost stopped beating.

A huge wind poured into his mouth, and he couldn't scream, and could only watch the sky and the earth spinning.

After he was thrown to the highest point, he began to fall down due to the influence of gravity.

He watched the spectacled king cobra getting closer and closer to him, but he could do nothing.

At the same time, Kong Zhi didn't even have time to take off his clothes, and his clothes and pants were directly torn, and he turned into a huge golden eagle.

When Summer Cat was about to fall into the water, he dangerously caught Summer Cat on his back, then flapped his wings, kicked the raft under his feet, and flew into the air.

Summer Cat landed on his broad back, bit his feathers directly with his mouth and claws, and grabbed his back feathers with his claws.

This process was so strong that Summer Cat even scratched blood.

After smelling the blood, Summer Cat calmed down a little and began to think about their current situation.

He saw the giant wolf and the giant tiger rushing over, and roared when he saw them take off.

The golden eagle also called out in response.

Summer Cat "meowed", nervous and anxious. He didn't know if Kong Zhi was injured at all, but he was fine, his skin and flesh were intact.

This was too bad. He never thought that he would be besieged by king cobras.

If it was another kind of snake, they wouldn't be so desperate. Maybe they could catch the snake and make snake soup.

But the king cobra was too poisonous. They didn't dare to touch it.

"Meow--" Xia Maomao reminded Kong Zhi to go back.

Now there were king cobras below. They had to go back to the shore and change back to human form before they could communicate about this. Kong

Zhi circled in the air and landed at the temporary base.

The giant tiger and the giant wolf also came.

The giant tiger still had something in its mouth. It was the king cobra that had just besieged them. Now he had bitten the snake into two pieces to vent his anger.

Several people changed back to human form, put on clothes, and talked about what had just happened.

The king cobra that the giant tiger bit off had lost its head, and only the snake body was left rolling on the ground.

Yan Xinian took two sacks and threw the snake body in, "What happened just now? Why are there king cobras besieging you?"

"I don't know. In fact, nothing happened. I was fine on the raft, and suddenly I felt a chill on my legs. I subconsciously changed into a beast form and ran out, only to find out that it was a king cobra." Xia Lunong was still frightened, "I was wondering why I had been feeling something was wrong since this morning. It turns out it was because of the snake."

His legs were still weak and he couldn't stand at all. He simply pulled over a stool and sat down on it.

Xia Huoqu's legs were weak. He took a big sip of water and said, "It's easy to understand. There are lotus roots and lotus buds here. There is plenty of food. It should attract some birds and other small animals. I guess the king cobras usually lie in ambush here. We were unlucky and ran into them today."

Yan Xinian said, "Fortunately, nothing happened. It's a blessing in disguise. We were careless this time. We must be more careful next time."

They each summed up, and Kong Zhi was the only one who didn't speak.

Xia Lunong looked at Kong Zhi, wanting him to say something, but then she found that Kong Zhi was not in a good state. His hands were shaking and his face was pale.

This was the first time Xia Lunong saw him so frightened after knowing him for so long. He was so scared that he hasn't recovered yet.

Xia Lunong suddenly became anxious, not caring about her weak legs, she stood up suddenly, stretched out her hands and hugged him tightly, "Don't be afraid, it's okay! I'm here, nothing happened just now!"

Kong Zhi began to tremble.

Xia Lunong hugged him tightly, patting his back again and again.

Yan Xinian also stretched out his hand to pat his back and whispered, "It's okay, we'll go back now."