Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

Through the soul imprint, Liu Xingmo communicated more precisely with his mind: "What exactly did you do?"

Bao Hei proudly raised its head and responded with a simple thought:

Separate! Pass it on!

At the same time, on the smooth and sturdy tortoise shell, there was an invisible and intangible energy rotating.

As the rotation speed increases, the energy separates into two streams.

One stream was like flowing molten gold, brilliant and dazzling; the other was like stagnant black smoke, dim and deep.

The golden light disappeared, flowing through the body, and finally, Bao Hei opened its mouth and spat out the golden light, which then entered its master's body.

Liu Xingmo was overjoyed: "You really learned how to separate luck? This golden light is good luck, right? And that black smoke is bad luck?"

Baohei opened its mouth wide and began begging for food again.

Liu Xingmo, disregarding sleep, picked up his money bag, drove his insect cart, and headed to the West Town market for the early morning market.

……

The morning mist had not yet dissipated and was slowly flowing through the mountains and forests in late autumn.

The bare tree trunks were covered with a thin layer of frost, gleaming with a cold white light in the dim morning light.

Several early-rising tits hopped on the branches, their clear chirping unable to penetrate the heavy chill of the night.

But this mountain forest is not desolate; early risers have already begun their work.

Liu Xingmo sat on a handcart and arrived at the bustling market.

How to use this "good luck" is indeed a mystery. But going to crowded places and trying your luck should not be a bad idea.

A vast open space paved with flagstones sits on a gentle slope of the mountain. Mountain paths leading from the orchards branch out in all directions, eventually connecting to this market.

The little people set up their stalls, selling large fruits and vegetables.

The glossy, smooth persimmons gleamed with a golden light. A woman used a large knife to cut off a few slices of persimmon flesh and gave them to a group of children playing in the market.

The sweet potatoes, freshly dug from the ground and still covered in wet mud, were being cut into pieces by two burly men pulling a large saw, sweating profusely.

There were also pumpkins the size of buildings displayed on the ground, with a doorway cut out on one side of the pumpkin skin. The pumpkin owner sat inside, waiting for customers to come and choose the pumpkin flesh they liked.

Liu Xingmo looked left and right, but didn't find any extraordinary wealth to take advantage of.

"Hey bro! Come quick, I've got some good stuff today!" The familiar shout came from the fish market vendor.

Liu Xingmo turned his head to look.

Today's goods are the same old items: snails, fish fry, and shrimp, arranged on large lotus leaves.

However, there was another large, black object, sitting quietly to the side.

Its shell was jet black, flattened, and had sharp edges. It was clearly a large river clam, nearly as long as a person.

Liu Xingmo's heart stirred, and he leaned closer to examine it carefully.

The clam shell was tightly closed, showing no signs of being forcibly opened. Judging by its size, it's quite old.

He casually asked, "How much is this?"

"We're all old acquaintances. Twenty catties for one yuan." The boss took out a steel crowbar, ready to kill the clam and extract the meat.

"Wait, can we sell the whole one? We have a big-bellied animal at home that can eat a whole one."

"Well..." the shopkeeper did the math, "This one's huge, it must weigh at least 500 jin (250 catties) of meat. I'll give you a discount, 20 yuan!"

"Twenty yuan? You made twenty yuan just by scooping it out of the river and dragging it here?" Liu Xingmo held out his hands, gesturing wildly with his fingers. "Fifteen! That's the most I can do. Who would buy and eat this kind of soft, fishy meat, except for someone like me who likes seafood?"

"Hey!" The boss was so angry that he was blowing his beard and glaring. "Third-tier strength experts personally went down into the river to fish for it and then wholesaled it to me. The cost price is 15! Buy it if you want, or don't buy it if you don't."

"Then let's make it 18. With a profit of 3 yuan, and after deducting the shipping cost, you'll still make a profit."

"Fine! Okay then." The boss gritted his teeth and agreed. "You little rascal, you really don't know how to put on a show for us."

Liu Xingmo handed over one copper coin and eight iron coins.

The boss reached out and took it.

Liu Xingmo's lips curled into a smile, and he said mysteriously, "Tell me, is there a pearl inside this clam?"

"Pearls? No way... That old beaver is a master at catching smuggled goods, he couldn't possibly have misjudged them."

"Anyway, you've taken the money! This clam is mine now!" Liu Xingmo stretched out his right foot and stepped on the hard shell. "Open it now and see if there's a pearl inside!"

"Hey! So you've got this dirty idea in mind, kid?" The boss grinned slyly. "Alright! You'd better keep your eyes peeled."

"I'm keeping an eye on it." Liu Xingmo put his right foot down.

The boss picked up a steel-cast, pointed crowbar, twirled it in his hand a couple of times, and then went to the river clam.

"Brother, give me a hand and help me out with some stones."

"no problem."

Liu Xingmo found a few pieces of broken stone.

The boss first inserted a crowbar under the clam shell and lifted the wobbly giant to one side.

Liu Xingmo quickly stuffed the stones into the hole.

The boss loosened the crowbar, giving the clam some support and making it more stable.

At this moment, people around the market were also attracted by this action and gathered around.

People from the Central Plains have this trait: they love to join in the fun.

In the blink of an eye, the fish market was packed with people inside and out.

They were whispering and making a lot of noise.

"What are you doing?"

"Opening the river mussels!"

"This stuff probably doesn't taste good, right?"

"Maybe there are pearls!"

"That's top-quality carving material. My maternal grandfather's family has a delicate ball carved from a pearl, worth several hundred yuan!"

"Who bought the river clams?"

"That's the kid who never does anything productive and just goes fishing all the time!"

"Hey! Isn't that the storyteller?"

……

Liu Xingmo also noticed the onlookers. He wore a calm and composed smile, crossed his arms, and exuded an air of confidence.

The fish market vendor twisted his waist to loosen his muscles, then seized the opportunity and suddenly exerted his strength.

With feet firmly planted on the ground, the waist and hips suddenly rotate, using the waist to drive the chest, the chest to drive the shoulders, the shoulders to drive the arms, and the arms to drive the hands.

The force flows layer by layer, and with a clever trick, it converges on the crowbar.

"Snap!"

The tip of the crowbar traced a bright silver arc before plunging into the gap between the two shells of the clam.

"Well done!" "Well done!" The onlookers cheered.

The boss put all his strength into the crowbar, prying open the tightly closed clam shell.

"Hey bro, give me a hand again!"

"Understood."

Liu Xingmo picked up a stone and placed it in the crevice of the clam shell.

The boss loosened the crowbar, moved it to the tightly closed part of the clam shell, and began to pry it open again.

Liu Xingmo also placed stones in the pile.

Once the opening was large enough to fit a person inside, the boss secured the crowbar, turned around, and retrieved a gleaming long knife.

This knife is light, thin, and incredibly sharp; it is the ancestral fish-killing knife.

All seafood will taste fresher the faster and more efficiently it is killed.

The boss shook his arms, then inserted his long knife into the clam shell and cleanly and neatly sliced ​​it along the seam between the meat and the shell.

The clam shell, which had been tightly locked together, suddenly loosened.

Liu Xingmo took a deep breath, stepped forward, reached out and grabbed the clam shell, then suddenly flipped it open.

The jet-black, round river clam, like a treasure chest, reveals its true form to everyone.