BXBX NOVEL Chapter 16: An Invitation from the Guild
“One of the six essential skills for wilderness survival is finding water sources, and one must master the ability to find water by observing animals,”
Bi Fang climbed over a ridge, listening intently to the various sounds of the forest, hoping to hear the sound of flowing water, while simultaneously sharing some of his experience with the audience.
“Places where cattails, willows, water lilies, daylilies, and mustard plants grow usually have high water tables and good water quality; in the woods, if a particular area’s trees sprout early or yellow late, it suggests there is groundwater; and there are some plants that only grow where there is water, like willows and Chinese parasol trees, which usually have groundwater beneath them.”
“In summer, areas where mosquitoes gather, frogs, large ants, and snails live usually have water—these are all cues I use to make a judgment.”
[It turns out that wilderness survival is not about having a strong body, but rich knowledge!]
[Yeah, Master Fang’s knowledge base is terrifying.]
[It’s not all about knowledge, though. If you replaced him with an equally knowledgeable old professor, could he do as much? I suspect they’d be exhausted after just sitting for a while.]
[Yes, I want to know.]
When Bi Fang mentioned the concept of the six skills, the viewers’ thirst for knowledge was immediately triggered.
“Of course, no problem.”
Bi Fang nodded, another purpose of his livestream being to teach everyone the essential knowledge for wilderness survival: “First of the six skills, don’t fight battles you aren’t sure about, prepare thoroughly before going into the wilderness.”
“Second, learn to identify directions, so you don’t get lost.”
“Third, learn to find water sources.”
“Fourth, learn to send distress signals.”
“Fifth, recognize food, learn to hunt.”
“Sixth, learn to rescue yourself, don’t panic when things happen.”
“With most of these six points, we can handle most situations with ease.”
[6, concise summary.]
[Master Fang’s experience is so extensive, he must have been to many places, right?]
[How to survive in the wilderness scientifically (dog’s head).]
[Knowledge is power!]
The path in the mountains became gentler, indicating that Bi Fang was nearing the bottom of the incline, and the diversity of plants around him had noticeably increased.
Bi Fang took a deep breath, the moist air rushing into his chest along the respiratory tract, finally carrying away the waste gases.
He wasn’t wrong, the water source was nearby!
Thirsty, Bi Fang quickened his pace and climbed over another mound of earth…
“Whoosh whoosh, whoosh whoosh…”
The sound of a small stream suddenly came through. Bi Fang turned his head, laughing at the camera: “Did you hear that? The sound of running water.”
[Clear as a bell (applause).]
[Just hearing this sound, I feel thirsty even if I’m not.]
[Wu Hu, we’ve got water to drink!]
Bi Fang took big strides, quickly passing several large trees and bursting out of the woods, the view, previously obscured, suddenly opened up.
Just as expected!
A small stream, three to four meters wide, was flowing leisurely from west to east.
The water hitting the rocks in the streambed sent up clear splashes, and the stones below had been polished smooth and fine by years of water flow.
The dense forest canopy blocked out the sunlight, casting only scattered patches of light and shadow that flickered in the wind. It was a season of lush vegetation, and the wild grass on the ground grew in thick batches, like a heavy blanket.
It wasn’t easy.
Bi Fang looked across to the other side of the stream, his heart filled with joy.
[So beautiful, this mountain stream is so clear!]
[This makes me want to go on a trip to Qinling.]
“Dream on! You can’t see such scenes at tourist spots, where it’s packed with people and garbage. Only in true unpopulated wilderness like this can you come across it. But without Master Fang’s abilities, you can’t even get there.”
“We can only satisfy ourselves by watching the live stream.”
Bi Fang could no longer hold back. He squatted down, stretched his hand into the stream, and the cool water flowed over his fingertips, taking away the noise and fatigue from his whole body.
He washed his hands, brought his fingers together, cupped some water from the stream, and drank it eagerly. But after a few sips, still not quenched, he plunged his head into the stream and began to gulp!
“Gurgle, gurgle…”
“Ahh, refreshing!”
After drinking several mouthfuls, Bi Fang straightened up, took a deep breath, and felt much of his strength return.
“It tastes so sweet!”
“Seeing Master Fang like this makes me thirsty too.”
“There it is, the dragon’s drink!”
“Drinking raw water directly? Isn’t that unclean?”
“But this is mountain spring water—how could it be unclean? Isn’t the bottled mineral water you drink proud to come from a mountain spring?”
“Cough, well, you can’t really say that.” Bi Fang coughed once and wiped his mouth before explaining, “Due to increasing pollution, authentic mountain spring water is actually quite rare nowadays, and even if it’s real, it’s still processed. Most factories use groundwater, which truly can be drunk directly.”
“But I was really too thirsty. This creek is very active, and its self-purification ability is not bad, so I drank some. However, if possible, it’s still better to boil the water. Many common diseases, including cholera, hepatitis A, and giardiasis, are caused by drinking unclean water.”
“And here’s another tip for everyone—if you’ve been really thirsty for a while, don’t drink water in large gulps. You need to sip slowly, otherwise, it can cause severe vomiting, and the body won’t effectively absorb the water!”
As he spoke, Bi Fang drank a few more mouthfuls, this time his actions noticeably gentle, sipping slowly.
“We’ve already mentioned it’s a tip—aren’t you writing it down, class rep?”
“Stop scolding, I’m writing it down, I’m writing it down.”
“Is it going to be on the test (joking)?”
“Maltose donated 10 VIP cards to the host— I don’t recognize any of these diseases.”
“That’s All for Tonight donated an airplane to the host—We said it was an easy point, how could you get it wrong?”
As time passed, the number of viewers in the live stream grew quickly, easily surpassing one hundred.
It was clear that Bi Fang’s performance yesterday had attracted a large number of fans. Most of those present today had also been there yesterday.
Lu Junming was no exception. As an employee of an internet celebrity agency, his job was to scout for quality hosts to sign contracts with.
In the meantime, he boosted the popularity of the agency’s current hosts. Basically, he flitted around with a high-level account, draining cups, and boosting the achievements of his agency’s talent.
Yesterday, he had been browsing live streams on his phone and casually opened the outdoor section, just in time to enter this Master Fang live broadcast. He saw the host fighting snakes, building shelters, and even fire-making by wood-drilling, and he was astounded!
Who wasn’t afraid of death to broadcast like this?
Definitely staged!
Seasoned pros like Lu Junming wouldn’t be easily convinced. He was sure that there must be a whole team behind this host; otherwise, who would dare to risk so much?
He had seen this type of gimmick before—appear to suffer on the surface, but as soon as the live broadcast ends at night, enjoy the good life.
However, this form of live streaming was truly captivating; it could be said to have created a new genre in outdoor live broadcasts with very high popularity. If he could sign it for his agency, it would be a great achievement!
Promotion and a raise were just around the corner!
Nevertheless, Lu Junming didn’t make contact right away but logged in with his alternate account early today to continue watching.
After all, the other party was a newcomer. If he was too eager to sign a contract, it could inflate their ego, so he needed to play it cool.
That’s also why he dared to do this; the other party hadn’t been promoted, the traffic wasn’t big, and it was in the rather niche outdoor section. Finding it was a complete fluke, so he wasn’t worried about other guilds snatching it away!
After hanging on for a day yesterday, that should be sufficient. If he waited any longer, the choice piece of meat might end up in someone else’s mouth.
After observing for a long while, Lu Junming logged out of his alternate account, ready to switch to his Emperor’s Vest to show off!
With his Emperor’s account, signing contracts was as good as done, wasn’t it?