Naming Technique of the Night

Chapter 115: 115. Nests making

This time while camping, just as Uncle Li Dong said, he really didn’t bother to have Qing Chen go through the trouble of starting a campfire himself; instead, he took the young man straight to the riverside.

It seemed that this teacher was genuinely planning to bum a fire and share a meal, without any sign of embarrassment.

“Teacher,” Qing Chen asked while walking, “Just now, when Qin Cheng was trading with the wilderness man Zhang Tongdan, they nearly had a dispute over four bottles of medicine. It looked like Zhang Tongdan was about to draw his gun. Here, do people treat their own partners that fiercely?”

“Of course,” Uncle Li Dong replied, “Wilderness people struggle against nature for their lives; their living conditions are harsher than you can imagine. So when it comes to something that can save their lives, they fight for it, which naturally makes them seem fierce. But that Qin Cheng wasn’t really planning to take the medicine away. He just wanted to make Zhang Tongdan owe him a favor.”

Qing Chen pondered this thoughtfully.

Uncle Li Dong said, “Xiao Chen, everyone in this world is going through hardships. The little guys learn early on how to face the world, and everyone has their own way of surviving. On this trip, watch and listen more. The teacher can’t always be by your side. After accompanying you for a part of your journey, you will have to walk the rest of the road on your own.”

Qing Chen suddenly realized that there was more to his teacher’s words.

The two approached the shallow river where the water was clearer than that of any river in the Outer World. The riverbed, several meters wide and filled with pebbles, was so clear that even at a depth of two meters, one could see down to the very bottom.

Not to mention, the environmental protection in the Inner World was far superior to that of the Outer World.

“So many fish,” Qing Chen observed, suddenly noticing hundreds of fish swimming leisurely in the river. “Teacher, shall I just go down and catch them?”

The fish in this river seemed as if they were from a fish farm.

These fish were also sizeable, with each appearing to weigh three to five pounds.

Uncle Li Dong gave him a look and said, “Go into the river to catch fish? Wait a moment.”

With that, he took out a bundle of fishing line from his backpack, tied one end around his hand, and attached a fishhook to the other end.

Uncle Li Dong broke off a small piece of a protein bar and threw the fishhook into the water: “Watch closely.”

No sooner had the words left his mouth, the river’s surface churned as if boiling, with dozens of big fish rush toward the fishhook from within a few dozen meters to take a bite.

In the turbulent water, a large fish bit down on the hook, its sharp mouth pierced by the hook.

The scent of blood from the wound drove the fish into a frenzy; they were no longer attracted by the protein bar, but viciously bit into the flesh of the fish that was hooked!

In just a few seconds, the flesh of the caught fish was stripped away, revealing thick bones.

Uncle Li Dong timed it perfectly, suddenly pulling on the line, and several big fish that hadn’t had time to let go were flung onto the shore all at once!

Qing Chen watched silently, utterly astounded: “Teacher, are these piranhas?”

“Not exactly,” Uncle Li Dong shook his head. “According to records from the new era of humanity, fish from earlier years had not completely evolved into this form. It must have been that some superior species died in a particular water body, causing the river to change, just like the big whale in the Forbidden Sea.”

Qing Chen walked closer to examine the still writhing fish and noticed sharp teeth in their mouths, which was unusual for freshwater rivers.

Uncle Li Dong glanced at him and said, “Remember, every river in this world is dangerous. Don’t attempt to enter the water until you’ve passed the sixth life-and-death threshold. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be called fishing; it would be more like setting a trap.”

Meaning that entering the river before reaching A-Class was certain death.

Uncle Li Dong picked a few leaves with his fingertips and casually flicked them into the air.

In Qing Chen’s eyes, the once soft leaves suddenly turned into blade edges, and though they didn’t appear to fly fast, they forcefully embedded themselves into the fish’s heads.

“How’s that?” Uncle Li Dong asked with a smile.

“Teacher is incredible,” Qing Chen said sincerely.

After speaking, Uncle Li Dong’s smile grew thicker, with a sense of pride in front of his student.

“That is the effect of the Qi inside your body,” Uncle Li Dong said, “Logically speaking, it should only emerge after passing the fifth life-and-death trial, begin to show its power in the sixth, and reach perfection covering the whole body in the seventh. But you are a bit special, it’s appearing even before you’ve passed the first one.”

Qing Chen listened intently.

Uncle Li Dong continued, “Aside from capturing the flying leaves and flowers, everyone’s Qi acts differently. My Qi can cause a burning sensation. Just like that time when I sparred with Guo Huchan, even though I was holding back, he still had to sit in meditation and endure the pain. Your Uncle’s Qi can make people feel nauseous. It’s still unknown what yours does.”

After thinking for a bit, Qing Chen asked, “So aside from capturing the flying leaves and flowers, Qi doesn’t cause actual harm when it touches people but makes the opponent feel uncomfortable during a fight?”

“Yes,” Uncle Li Dong nodded.

In his mind, Qing Chen thought, isn’t this just like a negative buff?!

He turned his eyes to his own teacher, and Uncle Li Dong laughed, “Your Qi won’t have any effect on me at all, and it might not even be useful against ordinary people. Better wait until your Qi has grown stronger before trying it on others.”

“Oh.”

…

When the two returned to the camp, the bonfire was already blazing fiercely.

Uncle Li Dong handed the five fish to Qin Tong, “I caught five fish, we can have an extra dish tonight.”

After speaking, he naturally sat down by the bonfire, with no intention of taking Qing Chen to make a fire elsewhere, and even said to Qing Chen, “Come, you sit too.”

Meanwhile, Qin Yiyi had shared her suspicions with her brother Qin Tong and father Qin Cheng while the two were out fishing.

Once Qin Cheng found out that Qing Chen was not a servant, his attitude immediately changed.

Although he guessed that Uncle Li Dong was only a C-Class, C-Class was actually better, as the Old Qin Family wouldn’t be able to connect with someone of a much higher level!

“In-law… no, how should I address this gentleman?” Qin Cheng asked.

Hearing her father’s slip of the tongue, Qin Yiyi stood up, pulled down Qing Chen’s backpack, and whispered, “I’ll help you set up your tent.”

She quickly took out a tent from the backpack and ran away.

“My surname is Mu, and this here is my student, you can call him Xiao Tu,” Uncle Li Dong said with a smile.

Qing Chen: “…”

So, the character “Chen,” which has such an elegant feel, when broken down becomes “Xiao Tu,” such a plain name?

Qin Cheng exchanged glances with Qin Tong and the others, now that Uncle Li Dong had personally confirmed that Qing Chen was not a servant, they were naturally delighted inside.

“Master Mu,” Qin Cheng said, “I understand you’re an expert. There’s something I’d like to discuss with you.”

Uncle Li Dong smiled, “Go ahead, it’s no trouble.”

“Our drones have been destroyed, so our means of self-defense are not ample,” Qin Cheng pondered before saying, “So, if we encounter danger on the road, please Master Mu lend a hand, and then we won’t charge you the travel fee.”

In Qin Cheng’s view, there probably wouldn’t be any significant danger before reaching the Taboo Land. He just wanted to bring up the matter of waiving the travel fee to draw their relationship closer.