Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

Selling wine at a leisurely pace, the day passed.

The wind stopped, the rain ceased, and the clouds dispersed.

A bright moon hangs in the sky, and countless stars sprinkle the summer night. The entire city lights up, and lost fireflies hover in the sky.

Liu Xingmo sat at the bow of the boat, swaying with the rippling water.

Liu San Niang also sat at the bow of the boat. She took off her embroidered shoes and used her jade feet to paddle in the water.

The water reflected countless lights: the bright moon, the silvery stars, the bright red lanterns and fireflies, as well as the buildings, corridors, eaves and windows under the light.

All of this became hazy in the spreading ripples, like another illusory and dreamlike world.

Liu San Niang stopped splashing the water, and the water droplets slid down the curve of her calves and disappeared into the water.

As the water calmed down, that other world appeared even more real, reflecting the image of the woman on the boat.

Her red dress was as fiery as fire, her skin as white as snow, and her eyes were deep and dark, like a bottomless abyss.

She murmured, "The human world is so wonderful."

"Hahaha!" Liu Xingmo laughed. "What's wrong, Third Sister? The way you're talking makes it sound like you're not a person, but a monster."

Liu San Niang turned her head, looked at the man beside her, and smiled faintly without saying a word.

For some reason, Liu Xingmo couldn't meet that gaze directly. He turned his head away, exclaiming with an exaggerated expression, "Wow! Your eyes are so creepy, you could be a female ghost!"

"Then what am I?"

"A female ghost in red!"

"My lord, this humble woman is here to drain your yang energy!"

"Hahaha!" After laughing loudly, Liu Xingmo turned his head and met the red-clad woman's dark gaze, which gave him goosebumps. "Third Sister, you're joking, right?"

"Young master, what do you think?"

"It's getting late, let's go home early."

……

Amidst the twinkling lights of countless homes, the canoe sailed towards the mountains to the east of the city, when with a muffled thud, its bow struck the riverbank.

Liu Xingmo jumped onto Bao Hei's back, deftly untied the rope, and then waved goodbye.

Goodbye, Third Sister!

The woman on the boat didn't reply, but just smiled faintly, watching the young man ride the old turtle and disappear into the grass where fireflies fluttered.

The moonlight gently caressed the woman's face, casting deep shadows on her features. She seemed to be laughing softly, seemingly grieving, before finally settling into a serene stillness devoid of joy or sorrow.

……

Liu Xingmo had a lot to do when he got home.

Replenish firewood and food in the kitchen, feed the livestock, and repair the roof...

He finally arrived at the culture room.

Two specially made large vats, each three meters wide, contain wriggling, floating clumps of green flesh covered in tentacles.

On one of the lumps of flesh was a Ganoderma lucidum the size of an umbrella. Unfortunately, the Ganoderma lucidum had withered and was being consumed as nutrients. This was a purple Ganoderma lucidum that I found in the wild a few days ago.

"It failed. Large fungi like mushrooms can't coexist with *Tai Sui*? Only small fungi can?"

As Liu Xingmo spoke, he inspected another large water vat.

The jade-like mass of flesh, under the light of the spirit stone lamp, had patchy flaws. Red, blue, green, and other multicolored patches also extended tiny tentacles, wriggling in the murky liquid.

"Other bacteria have successfully formed a symbiotic relationship, but I don't know if that's the right thing to do. I've heard that oxytetracycline and erythromycin are produced by those bacteria, so hopefully they can produce more potent compound antibiotics."

Liu Xingmo wrote down his experience in his notebook and added a follow-up training plan.

the next day.

The doorbell still didn't ring.

Liu Xingmo pushed open the window.

The sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly.

The entire Midtown was shimmering with golden light, making the wooden houses and buildings indistinct, like a mirage.

Su Mali didn't stay up late yesterday and got up this morning.

"Xingmo, let's go out for a walk! This town looks like it'll be fun."

"Okay, let's go."

The two went out hand in hand, riding on the burly old turtle, of course.

The floodwaters overflowed the weeds, and the emerald green leaves swayed in the water. After settling overnight, the water was crystal clear, like a gurgling spring from the mountains.

Baohei tentatively stretched out its claws on the shore before jumping into the water.

As the water splashed, Liu Xingmo and Su Mali felt their bodies suddenly sink, then quickly float back up.

Baohei swam nimbly, paddling with its four claws.

"Awooo—!" A gray wolf howled in the distance as it waded through the water, dragging its canoe along the flooded streets.

A woman in a red dress stands on the boat and waves.

Sumali also waved to her old neighbor.

Liu Xingmo asked in surprise, "Mary, when did your relationship with Liu San Niang become so good?"

"When you're at work or out of town, she's the only one who talks to me. Of course, there's also Da Bo and Xiao Mei now."

"Oh, really? So she wasn't joking after all..."

"What is it? Tell me quickly, it looks really interesting!"

"Um, well, let me tell you a story..."

Today, the water level dropped a bit, from the height of a three-story building to the height of one and a half stories.

The water, three or four meters deep, was so clear you could see the surface directly. Sunlight streamed through the ripples, casting shimmering halos onto the restaurant's signboard, transforming the familiar town into a palace in the water.

Sumali looked at the street and pointed out which shops she had visited with great interest.

Liu Xingmo held up a leaf parasol, the blazing sun casting pale green shadows through the veins of the leaves.

Today is a good day. The residents of the ancient city are familiar with life on the water, and they are busy rowing their small boats through the streets.

Peaches and apricots weighed down the bamboo gourd, while the emerald green watermelon floated on the water.

At this time, adults shed their serious facades, and lively children ride lobsters and crabs, playing and frolicking.

On the tortoise shell, Liu Xingmo set up a dining table, displaying the food he had bought along the way.

Sumali was unusually lively, holding her husband's hand, wanting to buy this and that.

As the two ate the cold dishes that filled the table, the mountain breeze carried the aroma of cooking smoke from some unknown house, along with the lingering fragrance of rice, noodles, and fish.

Liu Xingmo stopped using his chopsticks.

"What's wrong? Xingmo?"

"Let's go look around. It's still more reassuring to eat a hot meal."

"You really know how to enjoy yourself."

The turtle changed direction and swam to a street lined with restaurants and eateries.

Rafts and small boats were strung together, along with huge capybaras carrying firewood.

Liu Xingmo traveled by boat from another person's boat and bought two fried frog legs and a stack of sesame cakes.

After another round of feasting, my stomach was finally satisfied.

Sumali lay on the tortoise shell, gazing at the azure sky: "Life here is so leisurely."

"What's wrong, Mary? Are you suddenly feeling sentimental about life too?"

"What does 'also' mean? Are there other people sharing this sentiment with you?"

"It's nothing. By the way, what were you like in the Western countries?"

"That's a boring story."

"I love listening even when I'm bored!"

……

An old turtle was swimming on the surface of the water, and the owner and his wife were lying on its shell.

The distant chirping of cicadas echoed as a red dragonfly swiftly skimmed across the water, creating a ripple.