Tai Zhu Xuan Xiang: Me and My Eight Golden Gourd Sisters

The little golden pumpkin changes every day, growing bigger and bigger, and the luster on its skin becomes more and more lustrous.

Perhaps because of the three ferocious beasts that were killed in succession a few days ago, the platform has been much calmer at night recently, and nothing dares to bother us anymore.

Cai Xuan stood under the trellis, looking at the thick, strong melon vines. He felt they could support the increasingly heavy little golden melons, so he didn't bother with them anymore. If the vines couldn't hold on later, he could find a way to support them with a net or put something underneath to catch them.

He scooped up some of the collected urine, diluted it with water, and used it to fertilize the giant pumpkin vine. He also turned over the compost he had previously placed in the pit to make the fermentation more even.

After finishing all that, I looked up at the sky and saw a clear blue sky with not a cloud in sight.

He suddenly realized that he had been here for so long, but he had never been to the top of Stone Mountain. Why not go up and take a look today, and observe the surrounding terrain as well?

So he mixed some chopped dried dragon whiskers with the Nine Oxen Divine Power Powder, fried a few pancakes as dry rations, filled a thermos with water, slung his basket over his shoulder, picked up his wood-chopping knife, and headed up the mountain.

There are two paths to the top of the mountain.

One path leads through the cracks in the rocks behind the cabin; this path is shorter but difficult, requiring you to climb, jump, and crawl among the boulders. The other path leads up into the woods to the right of the cabin; although it's longer, it's easier. Several dirt paths, carved out by rainwater, exist within this woods. Following these paths and then driving your own car for a while will also lead you to the summit.

Cai Xuan didn't want to climb and jump on the rocks, so he chose the second path.

Although there are some stones on this road, there are far fewer than on the first road; it's just that the trees in the forest are denser.

Cai Xuan cleared the way as he walked uphill.

Before long, he saw the large-leaved tree he had previously cut down to cover the roof and use as a rain shelter. This tree was incredibly tall, with a trunk so thick that two people couldn't wrap their arms around it. Unlike what he had seen before, now beneath the tree's dense leaves, small, round fruits had grown, resembling jackfruit in shape, bumpy and green with a hint of yellow.

I don't know when it will be cooked, or if it will be edible.

Cai Xuan glanced at it a few times and continued upwards.

A short distance further on, a large peach tree, emerging from a crack in the rocks, suddenly appeared by the roadside. It was in full bloom, its branches laden with vibrant pink blossoms, layer upon layer, shimmering like rosy clouds in the sunlight. Bees or some other insects buzzed busily among the flowers, seemingly oblivious to their surroundings.

Several green lizards were lying on the rocks next to the peach tree, their verdant backs almost blending into the moss on the rocks.

They crouched quietly, occasionally sticking out their long, slender tongues to snatch insects from the flowers and devour them. Seeing someone approach, the blue lizard merely glanced at them indifferently before continuing to enjoy its feast, completely ignoring the intruder.

Further up, we found plants that looked like pear and persimmon trees. It wasn't fruiting season, so we couldn't tell for sure, but the branches and leaves were growing very lushly.

After walking a while longer, the view suddenly opened up, and a large forest of arrow bamboo and photinia bamboo appeared before us.

Arrow bamboo is round and straight, with a uniform thickness, making it perfect for arrow shafts; photinia bamboo is like a miniature version of moso bamboo, slender yet resilient. Both types of bamboo can produce bamboo shoots, but Cai Xuan searched but found none, presumably because the season was not yet right.

We continued uphill through the bamboo forest.

Not far along, in a wide area surrounded by rocks, Cai Xuan was pleasantly surprised to find several tea trees. The trees were not tall, with glossy green branches and leaves, and thick, fleshy leaves. He went up to smell them, and a refreshing, slightly bitter tea aroma filled his nostrils.

If there's time, we can pick some tea to drink. Cai Xuan noted the location and continued walking towards the top of the mountain.

At the summit is an enormous boulder, upon which are placed several large stones. One stone's surface is pitted and slightly sloping due to wind and rain erosion; another stone, shaped like a giant tower, sits majestically at the back.

Cai Xuan climbed to the top of the mountain, put down his basket, jumped onto a slightly sloping rock, and gazed into the distance.

The vast, boundless forest stretches to the horizon, merging with the clouds. Layer upon layer of mountains, like solidified green waves, rise and fall endlessly. In the distance to the right, a river of unknown origin meanders like a giant dragon, its waters shimmering with silver light under the sun.

Cai Xuan temporarily named it Longjiang.

At the foot of the right side of Stone Mountain, downstream of the mountain stream, there is a small tributary that gathers spring water from the mountains and flows slowly towards the Longjiang River.

To the left, there are several other stone mountains, arranged in a staggered pattern, like a crescent moon nestled among the verdant forest. The mountains are grayish-white and rugged, forming a striking contrast with the surrounding green trees. From a distance, they look like several silent giants looking down upon the earth.

At the very edge of this row of rocky mountains, another river rushes in from the distant mountains, surging mightily, and merges with the Longjiang River, becoming one, and rushing forward with even greater momentum.

Cai Xuan squinted and looked into the distance, watching the river widen and widen. Suddenly, a thought popped into his mind: Could that be the estuary?

If so, then we won't have to worry about salt anymore.

The rocky mountain beneath our feet isn't actually very high, but among the surrounding peaks, it stands out prominently, like a crane among chickens. The Longjiang River is just in front of the rocky mountain; you can reach it by crossing a few low ridges.

Cai Xuan thought that if he had time, he would open a road to the riverbank. The aquatic products there must be plentiful.

"Awooo—"

Cai Xuan was observing the surrounding terrain when he suddenly heard a series of sharp, piercing howls filled with intense killing intent coming from below. Looking down, he saw two groups of ferocious beasts facing off in the forest not far to the left of the foot of the stone mountain, in an open area above the stream.

A group of red-maned jackals, about twenty or thirty in number, each as strong as a calf, with a row of stiff red manes standing upright on their backs, as if on fire, particularly conspicuous in the sunlight. They crouched low, baring their fangs, staring at the opposite side, emitting low growls from their throats.

The other group consisted of porcupines, fewer in number, but their entire bodies were covered in black and white, steel-like spikes. The spikes gleamed coldly in the sunlight, each about a foot long and extremely sharp.

The porcupines, not to be outdone, barked and roared at the red-maned jackals.

The two sides faced off for a moment, the murderous intent in the air so strong it was almost tangible.

Suddenly, the largest and most robust red-maned jackal reared up and howled, launching the first attack. In an instant, its body moved like a red lightning bolt, plunging towards the porcupine herd. The other red-maned jackals followed closely behind, launching simultaneous attacks from all directions with perfect coordination, clearly not the first time they had done this.

The porcupine herd erupted in chaos, turning around in unison to point their sharp quills at the red-maned jackal.

In an instant, sharp spikes gleaming with cold light shot out, densely packed and covering the sky like a torrential rain, engulfing the onrushing pack of red-maned jackals.

The red-maned jackals that charged ahead too fast were unable to dodge in time and were immediately struck by the dense barrage of sharp quills, collapsing to the ground, unable to move. Seeing the danger, the red-maned jackals behind them jumped to the side to avoid the dense rain of quills sprayed by the iron-spiked porcupine.

Wait until the rain of spiky rain stops before rushing forward.

Although the porcupine is covered in quills, its belly and face are soft, vulnerable areas.

A red-maned jackal seized its opportunity and pounced, biting the neck of a porcupine. The porcupine screamed in agony, violently thrashing its body, its quills flying everywhere, filling the red-maned jackal's mouth with blood, yet it refused to let go. Another red-maned jackal charged from the side, flipping the porcupine over with a single paw, revealing its soft belly.

Two red-maned jackals immediately pounced and bit down hard, tearing a bloody hole in the porcupine's belly.

A porcupine surrounded by enemies, unwilling to die, charged at the nearest red-maned jackal, unleashing a burst of sharp quills.

In an instant, sharp thorns bloomed like pear blossoms, and the red-maned jackal, unable to dodge, was struck squarely. The thorns rained down, piercing its eyes, its heart, and its body, each sharp, hard spike deeply embedded in its flesh. The red-maned jackal didn't even have time to utter a mournful howl before collapsing to the ground, dead.

The battle was extremely fierce, with blood everywhere, wetting the ground, and a strong smell of blood gradually filling the air.

There are many red-maned jackals, and even if some die, their numbers are still greater than those of iron-spiked porcupines.

Besides its quills, the porcupine has nothing else that can threaten the red-maned jackal, so once it shoots out all its quills, it is basically a lamb to the slaughter.

After a while, the porcupines could no longer withstand the attacks of the red-maned jackals and began to scatter.

The lead porcupine let out a sharp screech, and the rest of the porcupines turned and fled desperately into the depths of the jungle. The pack of red-maned jackals chased into the forest, but after a short while, they emerged from the woods, abandoning their companions and the porcupines' corpses, and ran off in a disheveled state.

Cai Xuan's eyes lit up as he looked from the mountaintop. After observing the terrain, he discovered that the open area was located above the stream at the foot of the mountain!

It's the dry season now, the stream isn't deep, and a three-wheeled vehicle can easily cross it.

The thought crossed his mind, and he immediately turned and ran down the mountain. He ran and slid all the way, much faster than when he went up the mountain. He returned to the cabin, put down all his belongings, and then ran to the cave to get his tricycle and head towards the place where the red-maned jackal and the iron-spiked porcupine had fought.

The mountain stream was full of coarse sand. When the tricycle drove on it, the wheels sank into the soft, yielding surface, like walking on cotton. It was difficult to exert any force, but fortunately, it could still move forward with difficulty. Cai Xuan carefully held the steering wheel, afraid of getting stuck in some deep pit and not being able to get out.

After a while, they finally arrived at the place where the red-maned jackals and iron-spiked porcupines were fighting.

Cai Xuan stopped the car, cautiously surveyed the surroundings, and finding no ferocious beasts, quickly ran over, picked up the carcasses of the porcupine and the red-maned jackal, and loaded them onto the tricycle.

He couldn't finish moving them all in one trip, so he made several more trips before finally loading all the carcasses of the porcupines and red-maned jackals onto the truck.

Cai Xuan was overjoyed by this unexpected gain: "As expected, Heaven is indeed protecting us."

I've decided that by the end of the year, I must prepare a large sacrificial offering to properly worship the Jade Emperor.

He carried the porcupine and the red-maned jackal back to the cabin and began to deal with them.

The red-maned jackal is a treasure trove. The stiff red mane on its back can be plucked and made into brushes, which are useful for scrubbing pots and shoes. The remaining hide can be tanned and made into clothing or blankets to keep warm in winter. The dog meat can be eaten, the bones can be used to make soup, and even the internal organs and blood, after being processed, can be buried in the ground as excellent fertilizer.

As for the iron-spiked porcupine, besides its edible meat, its iron-hard quills are also useful; they can be made into arrows or used as awls.

Cai Xuan peeled off the entire skin of the porcupine, pulled out the sharp quills one by one and put them away. The meat, like that of the red-maned jackal, was cut into long strips, smoked, and hung on the kitchen beam to air dry slowly, so that it could be preserved for a longer time.

After a long day's work, looking at the chunks of smoked, golden-brown meat hanging from the kitchen beams, Cai Xuan couldn't help but sigh, "All that hard work storing grain is less valuable than a single stroke of luck. Life, what a fleeting thing!"