boyutpedia Chapter 6 It turns out tigers can swim.
Chapter 6 It turns out tigers can swim.
The cave where the two white tigers lived was somewhat barren, with almost no tall trees and not particularly close to a water source. So Linni directed Baishu down the mountain to explore the world further down.
Linni sat on Baizhu's back, descending the steep mountain path. The further down they went, the more the scenery changed. The land was gradually covered by lush vegetation, with all sorts of plants appearing before them. There were flowers and grasses taller than a person, their colorful blossoms vying for attention; and various plants laden with unidentified fruits, their abundance tempting to look at. As they ventured deeper into the forest, the trees grew increasingly tall and dense, forming a green ocean.
Linni looked around excitedly, filled with curiosity about this strange and beautiful world. She kept picking the fruits that looked delicious and filling her pockets. However, when she reached for a bunch of orange, grape-like fruits, Baizhu suddenly stretched out a tiger's claw and slapped her hand away. Linni was startled and looked at Baizhu in confusion, asking, "Is this fruit poisonous?"
Bai Shu looked at her and said, "Awoo."
Linni smiled and took out a black fruit the size of a coin from the bag: "What about this one?"
Bai Shu tilted her head: "Huh?"
Linni pinched the fruit open; it looked a bit like a grape inside. She looked at Baizhu, then slowly put it in her mouth. Baizhu tilted her head and watched her—without stopping her. "Then it should be edible?" She gently licked it: it was sweet and sour. She ate half of it; it was delicious!
So Linni discovered a new way to find edible food. Besides judging whether something was edible by observing whether small animals ate it, Atractylodes macrocephala also had this function. She would carefully pick any fruit that Atractylodes macrocephala didn't object to and taste it. She actually found several kinds of fruit. Of course, there were also some fruits that Atractylodes macrocephala didn't object to, but they tasted particularly strange.
Lunch was roasted meat at the foot of the mountain. Linni realized that it wasn't just the bear meat from yesterday that was tough; all the animal meat was incredibly tough! She had to use a folding knife to cut it into pieces to eat. After lunch, Linni took a nap in the shade of a tree—the day had been far too long, a nap was just right. When she woke up, she found that Baiji had also come looking for her. Linni then played with the two white tigers at the foot of the mountain for a while before returning to her cave. That evening, Linni didn't want to eat roasted meat anymore. She added some firm fruit to the boiled meat slices, slicing the animal meat thinly, and found it surprisingly delicious.
The days passed quietly as Linni explored happily and easily, and in the blink of an eye, twelve days had passed since she came into this world.
She tried calling Yao twice during this time, but there was no response.
She also went with Bai Shu and Bai Ji to the primeval forest where she came to this world. The leaves that fell from the particularly tall and majestic trees in the forest looked like the leaves of sycamore trees. She also found the place where she appeared, and sat on Bai Shu's back to climb back up to the tree hole where she slept the night she came to this world, but she found nothing.
There are quite a few large trees with hollow trunks like these in the forest. They grow particularly thick and look somewhat like mushrooms, with hollows naturally forming in their trunks. Some trunks even have two layers of hollows. The hollow Linni slept in that day was the largest tree she had found so far, while the others were only a few square meters to about ten square meters in size. Actually, Linni really liked these hollow trees; living there must feel like living as a forest sprite.
However, this forest was significantly more dangerous than the one at the foot of the mountain where Bai Shu and Bai Ji lived. Lin Ni encountered many large and ferocious wild animals: bears, tigers, lions, gorillas, wolves, wild boars—you name it. Lin Ni repeatedly exclaimed how fortunate she was that she hadn't encountered these beasts when she was alone! Was there some kind of "newbie protection period" when she first arrived? In this primeval forest, Bai Shu and Bai Ji dared not leave her side for a moment. The only saving grace was that these wild animals all acted alone, so the two white tigers were easily dealt with.
Linni went twice and then stopped, instead exploring the area around the mountain where she lived.
She made a small crossbody bag from the shortest animal hide in the cave, and put a lighter, several bags, a folding knife, and seasonings inside. She also slung a water cup over her shoulder. She often played with the two white tigers in the surrounding mountains and forests. This life was really very pleasant!
The daytime temperature in the mountains and forests was around thirty degrees Celsius, making it quite uncomfortable. To escape the heat, Lin Ni specifically sought out places with water to play. Playing in the water was alright during the day, but it got really hot at night. It had rained a few times in the past few days, none of them too heavy, each lasting only about half a day. Lin Ni guessed that it must be summer in this world. Of course, no one could answer that question for her. Apart from Yao, with whom she had that one passionate night, she hadn't seen a single person in recent days. If it weren't for the flame mark on her left shoulder reminding her that there were beings resembling humans in this world, Lin Ni would have suspected that this was a primitive world devoid of human life.
On this day, Linni and the two white tigers discovered a small lake on the mountainside of a mountain in the south. The lake was only the size of a basketball court. It was formed by the confluence of a spring on the mountain and several streams from nearby mountains. The lake water was very clear, and you could see all kinds of fish swimming in it. Then the lake water flowed south and formed a large waterfall in front of it.
Listening to the rushing water, Linni and the two white tigers arrived at the lakeside. They watched the surging water rush down, forming a hundred-meter-long waterfall. Below the waterfall was a pool larger than a football field. The cascading water crashed against the rocks with a deafening roar, creating bursts of spray. A misty spray filled the sky, forming a dazzling rainbow.
Linni took two steps back, a little frightened. She'd always viewed waterfalls from below, finding them magnificent; now, looking down from above, it was rather breathtaking. She glanced back at the small lake; it was just the right size for her to swim around in a few times. As long as she didn't get too close to the waterfall, she should be fine, right?
Linni put down her things and started warming up on the shore. The two white tigers watched her for a while before jumping into the water. Linni watched them in surprise; she hadn't expected tigers to be able to swim! As she warmed up, Linni watched them swim around, feeling incredibly envious. A little while later, Baishu threw fish onto the shore, and Linni laughed, "Baishu, you're amazing! Not only can you swim, but you can catch fish too!"
Hearing her words, Bai Ji also started throwing fish onto the shore, quickly accumulating over a dozen. Lin Ni shouted, "That's enough! Bai Ji, you're amazing too! You can't eat that many, that's enough!"
The fish only stopped swimming when dozens of them had been laid out on the shore. The larger fish weighed over ten kilograms, while the smaller ones weighed two or three kilograms, and they were thrashing about on the water. Lin Ni couldn't stand the splashing water, so she took off her sportswear and went into the water wearing only a sports vest and her underwear. Although it was a little embarrassing, she thought that since there was no one else around, it would be too uncomfortable to come out soaking wet in long pants.
The lake water was very cool, and it felt so good to soak in it on this hot afternoon! Lin Ni swam happily in the water.