strictlysupreme Chapter 68 Spear Making
Chapter 68 Spear Making
After finishing his meal, Cai Xuan brewed a cup of tea, sat on a wooden chair with the ceramic cup in his hand, leaned against the railing, and slowly sipped it.
The wafting aroma of tea rises with the night, mingling with the fresh scent of grass and trees, bringing a sense of tranquility.
Xi'er and the other little ones followed suit, each brewing a cup and sitting in a row next to him, sipping their tea slowly. Six people, six ceramic cups, six aromas of tea, intertwined to create a warm and cozy scene under the moonlight.
"Xi'er, have you finished digging out the mud over there?" Cai Xuan asked.
"We're done digging!" Xi'er said excitedly, holding the cup in both hands. "But I know a place with even better mud than that!"
"where?"
"You wouldn't understand even if I told you." Xi'er raised her chin slightly, looking proud.
How would I know if you didn't tell me?
"You just don't know!" Xi'er refused to say.
Yun'er, Shu'er, Xin'er, and Xuan'er couldn't help but laugh when they heard their conversation. The three little golden gourds hanging under the wooden frame also swayed happily, seemingly finding their conversation amusing as well.
Xuan'er's bright eyes crinkled into crescent shapes with laughter.
Cai Xuan shook his head helplessly and didn't press the matter.
He had already figured out this little one's personality. She would speak when she wanted to, and she wouldn't speak no matter how much you asked her.
Having made protective leather armor for the unborn golden gourds, Cai Xuan decided to dismantle a few steel plates from the tricycle to forge spears for them. The tricycle was almost completely dismantled; he planned to use the remaining steel to forge a pot, like an alchemy furnace, to make soup. However, his skills weren't quite there yet, so he'd wait a while.
For the next few days, he didn't go out, spending all his time in the blacksmith's workshop hammering away at the iron.
Xi'er and her sisters took turns going out, either to play, hunt, or pick fruit, doing all his work.
Just as dawn broke today, Xi'er, Yun'er, and Xuan'er set off with a wheelbarrow and a bunch of baskets, not knowing what they were going to do.
Cai Xuan stood on the platform, watching the three small figures disappear into the morning mist. Xuan'er possessed the supernatural abilities of seeing and hearing from afar, which greatly aided her in hunting and reconnaissance. Therefore, the sisters liked to take her with them when they went out; with her around, they could keep track of every blade of grass, every insect, and every bird within a radius of several miles.
Moreover, because Xuan'er was born later, she cultivated for a longer period of time inside the golden gourd and, with the help of the giant golden gourd vine, had already cultivated the "Primordial Chaos Crossing the World Treasure Raft" to the upper stage of the Original Dao Chapter, far surpassing her sisters' progress. Her strength and physique were already extraordinary, and ordinary ferocious beasts were no match for her, so Cai Xuan felt at ease letting her go out to play with her sisters.
Today, Xin'er is helping with the forging of spears.
She was born with the supernatural ability to control fire, and could breathe out blazing flames, which were perfect for refining steel.
The steel plate was placed on the furnace. Xin'er leaned closer, opened her little mouth, and a flame shot out. The flame leaped upwards, the steel plate softened rapidly, and the edges began to show signs of melting.
Cai Xuan quickly grabbed the iron tongs, placed it on a stone, and began to forge it with a hammer, making a "clanging" sound.
Sparks flew and iron filings flew everywhere as the steel plate slowly transformed into the shape of a spearhead.
Because Shu'er's supernatural powers were not suited for blacksmithing, she helped with cooking in the kitchen.
Of the girls, apart from Xi'er, who was outgoing and restless, the others were all skillful and dexterous. Shu'er was gentle and meticulous, Yun'er was calm and focused, and Xin'er was enthusiastic and efficient. They had only watched Cai Xuan cook a few times before learning the basic techniques and could now cook some simple dishes on their own.
Cai Xuan was very pleased with this, no wonder he said "a daughter is her father's little cotton-padded jacket".
Although he wasn't their father, he watched them emerge from the golden gourd, made clothes for them, forged weapons for them, cooked for them, and accompanied them as they grew up. They weren't his little darlings, but they were even more precious to him than his own.
Xi'er led Yun'er and Xuan'er along the path where they had last encountered the Green Scaled Snake.
The morning breeze was cool, and the dew on the grass blades was not yet completely dry, shimmering with a crystal-clear luster in the morning light.
This time, instead of clearing a path as they walked, they went straight into the forest and made their way through the gaps between the trees. When they couldn't walk any further, they climbed up the trees and leaped across the thick branches.
Xi'er, guided by an unseen intuition, led the way.
Xuan'er walked in the middle, her eyes constantly scanning her surroundings to observe the nearby activity.
Yun'er, holding a spear, brought up the rear, her little face bearing a serious expression.
After traversing the dense jungle, the three arrived at a mountain pass nestled between two mountains. The pass was narrow, with steep cliffs on both sides, and only a narrow path allowed passage. Beyond the pass, a vast grassland suddenly appeared before them.
The grassland stretches as far as the eye can see, with lush green grass undulating like waves in the wind, dotted with wildflowers in yellow, purple, white, and red, creating a vibrant tapestry of colors.
On the distant horizon, several low hills lie quietly on the earth like sleeping giants.
The sky was a clear, deep blue, with a few white clouds drifting lazily by, casting huge shadows across the grassland.
Scattered across the grassland were herds of antelope, their lithe bodies and brownish-yellow fur accentuated by their four long, curved horns that gleamed white in the sunlight. Some grazed, some frolicked, and others cautiously raised their heads, ears pricked, observing their surroundings. In the distance, some larger herbivores, resembling some kind of bison, covered in thick black fur, grazed slowly with their heads down.
Xi'er glanced around and was about to walk onto the grassland when Yun'er grabbed her arm, saying, "Big sister, be careful. The grassland is too open; you'll be easily spotted."
"What are you afraid of? If you find out, just hit me!" Xi'er said nonchalantly, but still walked lightly.
Xuan'er remained vigilant at all times, frequently using her supernatural powers to look left and right to avoid attacks from ferocious beasts.
The three of them crouched low, using the tall grass as cover, and stealthily crossed the grassland, arriving at a low-lying area in the middle. The grass here was shorter and slightly darker in color than elsewhere, as if something underground was nourishing it.
Xi'er took out a small shovel specially made by Cai Xuan for digging in the wild from her basket and started digging away the turf.
Yun'er also picked up a small shovel and dug with Xi'er. The two worked together seamlessly. Xi'er was in charge of digging, while Yun'er was in charge of piling the excavated soil to one side. In no time, they had cleared a pit about two feet square.
Dig a few inches deeper, and the soil suddenly becomes soft. When you dig down with a small shovel, you bring out a patch of white, mutton-fat-like mud.
The mud paste has a delicate texture, is oily and shiny, and exudes a sweet fragrance. A subtle and ethereal quality permeates it.
"This is it!" Xi'er's eyes lit up, and she immediately sped up her digging.