Mountains and giant beasts, cabins in the woods

"It's growing too fast; its immature soul can't adapt to its newborn body. Also, as a contracted beast, its soul is fused with a soul imprint, and its body is infused with blood energy."

Great-grandfather, with a solemn expression, continued:

"In short, this old turtle has too many foreign substances mixed in with its body, and it cannot adapt to them in a short period of time. This situation will lead to disharmony between its spirit and body, damage to its foundation, and a decline in its physical condition."

"Huh? You mean, Bao Hei will regress from a primordial beast to an acquired one?" Liu Xingmo was dumbfounded.

"That's right," the elder, who appeared to be a young man, said, then changed the subject, "However, it relied on a superior secret technique to quickly adapt its body and mind to the changes. It managed to withstand the drawbacks of rapid growth. It's truly amazing, such a thing actually exists..."

Liu Xingmo dared not hide it: "Great-grandfather, I deciphered a secret technique called 'Turtle Shell Technique' from the ancient book given to me by Curator Liu Linghou."

"Turtle Shell Kung Fu? Who created it?"

"Li Yannian".

"Hahaha!" Great-grandfather's brows relaxed, and he laughed heartily. "It's that old fellow! His legacy has fallen into your hands! What a strange twist of fate!"

"I will return the ancient book now, so that the library can have one more book and it will also benefit other people in the village."

"No need! You can keep it yourself. Our Mountain Goddess doesn't get along with that old tortoise, and she doesn't want to see her descendants practicing this secret technique."

"Oh! What should I do?"

"Don't panic. You're just a junior; we won't make things difficult for you. Use the secret technique yourself, don't make a fuss or show off. As for this old turtle, give it time to recover; don't force it to grow too fast."

"I see."

Great-grandfather reached out and patted Liu Xingmo on the shoulder, then strode onto the main road, his steps seemingly slow but actually hurried, disappearing into the distance with the flow of people.

Liu Xingmo watched his elders leave, then turned to look at Bao Hei.

They stared at each other, both with lingering fear in their eyes.

These days, I have been diligently cultivating Baohei according to the methods recorded in "The Record of Tortoises and Soft-shelled Turtles".

Although the book mentions that this matter needs to be dealt with slowly, neither the man nor the turtle took it to heart.

Fortunately, the hidden "Turtle Shell Kung Fu" has the miraculous effect of stabilizing one's foundation.

That said, Li Yannian is truly an extraordinary person. We can investigate him later and, while we're at it, dig into the background of the Mountain Goddess.

After resting well, Liu Xingmo rode the old turtle again and embarked on a long journey through the long night.

It was late at night when I got home.

Sumali lit an oil lamp and opened the door for her husband.

Liu Xingmo entered the room, rubbed his hands together to warm them, and then covered his ears. Soon, his ears felt tingly and itchy.

The autumn wind tonight already carries the chill of winter.

After warming himself up, Liu Xingmo carried all the goods from this trip back into the house one by one.

It mainly contains various kinds of dried fish and dried shrimp. There's also a large crab, which is still alive.

Su Mali smiled slightly, a slight upturn at the corners of her lips: "Xingmo, my dear husband, you've been out fishing for five whole days. Aren't you happy? Very satisfied?"

"Yes! Let me tell you, the depressions and ponds in the swamp are like a concentrated pool of fish from several rivers. You could stun a big fish by just tapping it twice with a stick!"

"Hehe. You came back today for the newspaper job, right? I think you should just quit your editor job and become a full-time fisherman. Wouldn't that be much happier?"

Sumali's smile widened, and with her pale skin and blood-red lips, she possessed a ghostly, eerie beauty.

Liu Xingmo's lips tightened, realizing that things were in serious trouble.

He left his wife at home, alone for several days. It's normal for her to be sullen and unresponsive.

Liu Xingmo took out a cloth from his pocket, unfolded it layer by layer in his hand, and finally presented it to his wife like a treasure: "Mary, look what this is?"

Sumali's gaze sharpened: "What a huge gold ore!"

"That's right! I went out of town to hunt for treasure, and this is my haul. Your husband is quite capable, isn't he? He earned several gold coins in one go!"

"Hmph, you really know how to make excuses."

"Hey, calm down, let's get some supper first. I've been freezing on the way here."

Liu Xingmo found a cleaver, deftly removed the crab legs, chopped them into several pieces, and put them in a steamer to steam.

He then washed his body with hot water to get rid of the fishy smell of the river.

By this time, the crab legs were also steamed, about the thickness of a wrist, and neatly arranged on a plate.

The thick shell is bright red, and the crab meat inside is white and tender, emitting a rich aroma.

Reach out and grab a piece, gently push one end with your fingers, and the snow-white flesh slides out from the other end.

With one bite, the shredded meat is distinct and so tender it seems to melt on the tongue. The umami flavor is not overpowering, but rather subtle and refreshing, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

He pushed out another piece of crab meat and dipped it in the sauce. It was aged vinegar with ginger shreds and scallions floating on top, the yellow and green hues soaking into the deep black.

Take another bite of the crab meat, and the tangy aroma first dances on your tongue, followed by an even more pronounced sweetness. It's crisp yet chewy, with each strand of meat soaked in savory juices.

Liu Xingmo wolfed down his food like Bao Hei, quickly filling his stomach.

Sumali ate with elegance and speed, like a noble lady enjoying an afternoon pastry.

However, the crab shells on her table were piled up like a small mountain, no less than those on her husband, who came from a local family.

……

The bleak autumn wind howled and wailed in the night.

The wooden house in the tree is lit with warm lights.

The candlelight illuminated the figures of the couple.

Tonight is very long.

A late-night snack lasted until the early hours of the morning.

Early risers were already out working, taking advantage of the morning dew.

Liu Xingmo hurriedly lay down to sleep with his wife in his arms.

……

As dawn broke, a rooster crowed.

Liu Xingmo rubbed his eyes, forcing himself to crawl out of his warm bed. He knew that if he went back to sleep, he probably wouldn't be able to get up all morning.

A long, slender, white arm emerged from under the covers and rested on the man's leg.

Sumali muttered under her breath, "Are they leaving already?"

"I have to go to work now! I'll spend time with you after get off work tomorrow."

"Hmm, come back soon..."

"I know, I know."

Liu Xingmo bent down and kissed his wife's forehead, then quickly put on his clothes and went out to work.

I had planned to ride Bao Hei to the city center, but after thinking about it carefully, I decided it wasn't wise to make a scene.

There's a saying from an old life: I'm afraid my brothers will suffer, but I'm also afraid they'll drive a Land Rover.

In my current situation, as a small business owner, showing off in front of my employees could easily lead to problems with income distribution.

Walk along the birch-lined avenue, board the Wild Rabbit Bus, and travel over mountains and valleys to reach the Central City Street.

Pushing open the door to the library, the giant macaque was sitting at the front desk as always.

"Hello, curator!" Liu Xingmo greeted.

"You're here? Hmm? You look tired!" The curator stretched out a furry paw and pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses. "Dark circles under your eyes, pale as a ghost. Young people must be careful with their temper."