Chapter 50. Fuqu happily pulled...
Fuqu happily pulled Cangli to play; she hadn't seen Cangli for quite some time and missed him terribly.
"Master, look, I've woven some beautiful new cloth; I'll make clothes for you!"
Fuqu took out a large roll of shimmering fabric from her seashell and handed it to Cangli, saying:
"I added pearl powder to it, it's so beautiful! I also used a dragon scale from the inkstone. Immortal Master, you can use it to make clothes!"
Cang Li was taken aback for a moment: "You're keeping such a valuable thing? Didn't you say that many aquatic creatures in the sea would bully you? You can use it to refine into a magic robe for protection. You don't need to give it to me. No one on land will bully me."
Fuqu stubbornly pushed the cloth towards Cangli: "Immortal Master, please take it. The one I gave you last time was one I wove myself. I was afraid you wouldn't like it, so I didn't say anything. I can continue weaving when I get back. This is the most beautiful one I've ever woven. I want to give it to you, Immortal Master."
Cang Li was quite surprised. She didn't expect that such a beautiful cloth was woven by Fu Qu herself. Didn't she say last time that it was woven by a mermaid?
Seemingly sensing Cang Li's doubts, Fu Qu explained guiltily, "The last one wasn't very nice. I was afraid the Immortal Master wouldn't like it, so I said it was woven by a mermaid. The cloth woven by mermaids isn't as nice as the cloth I woven!"
Cang Li couldn't help but laugh out loud, thinking that Fu Qu was quite similar to her own children.
The black dragon angrily surfaced from the water:
"You used my dragon scales to weave cloth just to give to this guy!?"
Mo was furious. Half a month ago, Fuqu shyly asked him for the dragon scales she had shed. Mo was overjoyed. Instead of giving her the ones she had shed before, he plucked a new one for Fuqu, waiting for her to weave cloth and give it to him as a gift.
After waiting for half a month, the gift still hadn't arrived, so Fuqu gave it to the human who disliked the dragon.
Feeling guilty, Fuqu stammered for a while before pulling out half a roll of poorly woven cloth: "Here's some for you! Look, I've saved it for you."
Mo took it, examined it for a long time, and then looked at the exquisite roll of cloth in Cang Li's hand. Mo: ...
Fuqu looked up at the sky. It wasn't her fault; she just felt that the immortal was so powerful, yet his clothes were so drab and unattractive. She wanted the immortal to dress beautifully, in a way that suited his status!
Cang Li was overjoyed. Right in front of Mo, he took the fabric away, pinched Fu Qu's cheek, and said:
"Then I'll accept it. I'll treat you to a trip to the human realm later."
Fuqu was delighted: "Great! I'll go play with you. I've never left the sea before!"
Mo blocked their way from behind: "You're not allowed to go! Aquatic creatures won't fare well if they stay away from water for too long."
Fuqu was unhappy, but what Mo said was true.
Cang Li said with ill intent, "There's a big river in front of my house, so there's no shortage of water. Fuqu, I'll build you a small wooden house in the river, decorated with gemstones from the mountains. It'll be sparkly and absolutely beautiful."
Fuqu's eyes widened; she couldn't wait to go with Cangli.
Mo's face turned red with anger. He knew this human was no good! He had stolen his family's Fuqu!
Cang Li saw that Mo was about to explode with anger, so she decided to stop while she was ahead. She was mainly afraid that Mo would lose her temper, since she still wanted the dragon clan to protect the human race, especially when the human race came to collect salt.
Another issue is that the rainfall in the cave area is inconsistent each year. The dragons have the ability to summon clouds and rain, but the area where humans live only experiences one major rainstorm each year that floods the crops, and there is no rain at other times. Therefore, Cang Li secretly wants to send a dragon to the human area to bring good weather and abundant harvests there.
"Fuqu, are you coming to play with me?"
Cang Li asked Mo directly.
Mo was stunned for a moment, his fierce eyes turning somewhat blank. This human was inviting him to go together?
Before Mo could speak, Fuqu tugged at his arm and shook it: "Mo, let's go together. I need to familiarize myself with the way so I can visit the immortal by myself in the future."
Mo subconsciously nodded in agreement. Fuqu happily twirled around, then turned and plunged into the sea, not forgetting to say to Cang Li:
"Immortal Master! I'm going back to pack my bags! I'll go have fun with you this time!"
Cang Li smiled and agreed, saying it didn't matter whether he went early or late.
Mo glanced awkwardly at Cang Li and said gruffly, "I'll reluctantly make the trip for Fu Qu's sake!"
After saying that, he disappeared off the coast. As a polite dragon, Mo felt that it was only right to bring a gift when visiting someone's home.
Cang Li clapped his hands, smiled, and turned back to continue working. Seeing the tribespeople looking curiously at the spot where Mo and Fuqu had disappeared, Cang Li offered an explanation:
“Those are my friends, one is Fuqu from the aquatic tribe, and the other is Mo from the dragon tribe. They live in the sea. Mo has a bit of a temper, but don’t be afraid. They will be going back with us for a while this time.”
After digging out a basket of salt, Amu said to Cangli, "So they are friends of the chief! They are really amazing, able to live in the water. Someone from our tribe fell into the Yellow River and drowned before."
Cang Li: "Our races are different. They can survive in the water, but they can't live on land for long. Everyone has their own shortcomings. You don't need to feel inferior to others."
Amu laughed heartily. She liked the way the chief spoke; it was simple and easy to understand.
Half a month later, Cang Li dried two batches of salt. Each of the hundred humans he brought carried sixty or seventy catties of salt on their backs, and the rest were packed into Cang Li's backpack. New seawater was added to the salt pond, and Cang Li reorganized the team to prepare for the return journey.
Fuqu and Mo followed Cangli to the human realm.
With two more combatants, the way back was much easier than the way there. However, carrying things slowed them down considerably. By the time they reached the cave, Cang Li was just in time for the first snowfall.
The temperature was very low. On the way, Cang Li was worried that the human race's heating facilities were inadequate and people would freeze to death. However, the hundred or so people following Cang Li were hunting on the road and had animal skins to keep warm, so no one froze to death.
When the group appeared by the river, no one noticed them, probably because it was too cold and people were all staying in their homes to avoid the cold.
Cang Li led the people back to the cave. They had just arrived, so they needed to rest for a while before returning to their respective tribes.
The bamboo door of the cave was covered with thick straw and tightly closed. Cang Li told Amu and the others to put the salt in the open space, and then disperse to rest in the small sheds of Shi Tou and Bai Yun. Then, he led Fu Qu and Mo to open the door of the cave.
It was warm inside. Ji and Jie, imitating Cang Li, started a fire in the cave and brought in their food. When they saw Cang Li push open the door, the children's initially wary eyes instantly brightened with joy, and they rushed to Cang Li, shouting:
"Sister!"
"Sister!"
Cang Li touched each of their heads and asked, "How were you all while I was gone? Were you cold? Why aren't you wearing the cotton-padded coats I made for you before?"
When the cotton was harvested, Cang Lishi made cotton-padded clothes for the children. Although they were a bit ugly, they were very practical.
The children in front of them weren't wearing cotton-padded clothes; they were still wearing the ugly animal skin clothes they had made for last winter.
Ji told Cang Li, "We went out this morning. Wearing cotton clothes will get you dirty with mud. Sister, are you hungry? Who are these two older brothers and sisters?"
Cang Li hurriedly introduced Fu Qu and Mo: "They are friends of mine who came to visit us. Ji, go and cook some food, make a lot, and I'll go check on the others."
The man agreed and went to cook. Cang Li turned and went out to check on the others.
Ji put the rice into the pot, and when he turned around to say something to Cang Li, he found that Cang Li had gone out, so he had to give up and decided to wait for Cang Li to come back before talking to him.
Fuqu pulled Mo along, curiously wandering around the cave. Jie followed the two of them, as her elder sister had told her that guests should be treated with courtesy.
After leaving the cave, Cang Li went to check if the humans living nearby had prepared winter clothes as she had instructed. She had planted a lot of cotton this year, and although she couldn't provide everyone with a thick set of cotton clothes, she could provide two or three people with a set to take turns wearing. She would lead her people to continue planting cotton in the spring and she was sure that everyone would have a set of winter clothes.
Cang Li crawled into the wooden sheds one by one. The sheds were all surrounded by straw to block out the cold air and wind. The space inside was not small. Two or three people lived in each shed. In the middle, a fire pit was dug, just like a cave, and a fire was burning inside, which made it very warm.
Seeing that no one was freezing, Cang Li instructed them to move the straw bedding further away from the fire, and to take food from the mountain cave where the grain was stored if they needed it. Then he went to the next wooden shed.
After walking around the wooden sheds near the cave, Cang Li glanced at the opposite bank of the river. It was quiet there, but she could see smoke rising from the chimneys. Cang Li breathed a slight sigh of relief. Tomorrow, she would lead her people to visit the various tribes. It was the first time the human race had experienced winter, and Cang Li was still a little worried.
Cang Li stood by the river for a while, then saw a fish trap hanging on the bank. He casually pulled it up and caught two big silver carp. Cang Li carried the fish and turned back, as it wouldn't be right to leave Fu Qu and Mo in the cave for the children to entertain.
Slowly making his way into the cave, Cang Li was still pondering how to ensure the survival of humankind and whether the calamities of the myths could be avoided...
Because he was thinking while walking, Cang Li's mind went blank, and he accidentally bumped into someone. Cang Li covered his forehead, took two steps back, and looked up to see a beautiful woman with a very unpleasant expression.
Cang Li: ?
She had never seen this stunningly beautiful woman in light blue before. Cang Li scratched her head and asked, "..."
"Excuse me, I bumped into you without noticing. But who are you? What brings you to our human realm?"
The man's expression was icy. He glanced down at Cang Li, and seeing that Cang Li possessed extraordinary talent, his expression softened considerably.
"You are the leader of the human race?"
Cang Li was a little unhappy. This person was good-looking, but he was far too rude. He looked at her as if she were an ant. Cang Li's expression turned indifferent. She was too lazy to pay attention to this rude guy. She picked up the fish and walked back to the cave quickly. What a joke. She even cursed Zhen Yuanzi and dared to order Tai Qing around. No matter who this person was, once he came to her human territory, he had to follow her rules!
The beautiful woman, ignored, looked even more displeased, and after a long pause, she uttered:
"Utterly rude, uncivilized savages!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he was ridiculed:
"We're not going to curse them for being born from eggs and moisture today? Well, they are, after all, a race created by Nuwa, blessed by heaven and earth. It's inappropriate to curse them like that anymore."
A handsome young man dressed in red descended gracefully from the sky, his gaze fixed on Cang Li's back, his eyes filled with interest.
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