The Third was helped from the lakeside into the house. Her face was pale, her forehead beaded with cold sweat, and blood dripped steadily from her bloody right hand.
Seeing such a large gash, the inexperienced children were a bit frightened. Xin Xiu asked the others, "Do any of you know how to stop her bleeding?"
The Sixth immediately stood on tiptoe and said, "I saw a kind of grass over there. In our village, people use that grass to cover wounds!"
Xin Xiu nodded, "Alright, go pick some and bring it here."
The Second frowned, clenching his fist, "Was it that same crayfish again?! It's too arrogant. It nearly hurt The Third before, and now it's back!"
"How despicable! We must teach it a lesson. It's just a crayfish, does it really think we're afraid of it? Let's go kill it!" The Fourth young master spoke fiercely and was about to leave when Xin Xiu headbutted him to sit down.
"What's the rush? First, go to the iron stove and bring back some hot water for The Third to clean the wound on her hand. Otherwise, it'll be difficult to apply medicine later. If you want to fight the crayfish, wait until we've taken care of The Third's injury."
The Third seemed to be in severe pain. After all, it was such a long gash. She endured the pain, her cheeks tightened, unable to utter a word. Little Ninth sat by the bed, sniffling, and suddenly began to cry. The Seventh, the chubby girl who had been swimming with The Third and witnessed her arm being cut by the crayfish, was also infected by the tears and started sobbing.
Xin Xiu's expression remained relaxed as she patted each of their heads, "Why are you all crying? The Third's injury isn't that serious. It'll heal in a while. Besides, we're in a place where immortals gather. When we meet them, we can say a few nice words and ask them to help heal our future junior sister and disciple. It's a simple matter, isn't it?"
Seeing her smile, the two little ones gradually stopped crying. Even The Third's expression softened as she looked at her. Xin Xiu patted the injured one's head again, "Don't worry, we're cultivating immortality here. I guarantee you won't even have a scar."
The Third blinked her slightly reddened eyes, "I'm not afraid of scars. When I get better, I want to train hard. One day, I'll kill that big crayfish with my own hands!"
Xin Xiu replied, "That won't do. We can't wait that long. Tomorrow, I'll take The Second and the others to catch that crayfish and cook it."
She raised an eyebrow and snorted with laughter, "It hurt my sister, so we'll eat it!"
If there was one thing Xin Xiu had, it was protectiveness over her own. Her mother used to say she was born to be a mountain king, probably a monkey from Flower Fruit Mountain in her past life.
None of them had experience in cleaning wounds. The Second had the courage, but one hand was inconvenient, so Xin Xiu did it herself. While cleaning The Third's wound, she talked to divert attention: "I remember once when I was younger, I made a swing myself. But I didn't tie it securely. As soon as I got on and swung once, I fell off. There happened to be a large, sharp rock under the swing, and it cut my leg, leaving a big gash. The blood just gushed out."
The Third, not looking at her own wound, watched Xin Xiu and asked, "Then what happened?"
Xin Xiu continued, "I was eleven at the time. I wasn't afraid of the wound, but I was afraid my dad would come back and lecture me, which was annoying. So I didn't say anything and hid in my room, trying to clean the wound with tissues... with cloth. I used a lot, but the bleeding wouldn't stop. Later, after losing too much blood, I started feeling dizzy."
"In the end, my dad found out. He didn't say anything at first, just cried as he took me to see a doctor... a physician. After my wound was treated, he scolded me until he was blue in the face."
Thinking of her father, whom she might never see again, Xin Xiu paused briefly before smiling as if nothing had happened, "But after I healed, I still went back to play on the swing."
She took the green herb paste from The Sixth's hand and applied it to The Third's arm, "Alright, The Third, don't move this arm for now. Let's see how effective this herbal medicine is. If it doesn't work well, we'll think of something else."
After hearing her story, the chubby girl climbed onto her knee, "I want to play on a swing."
Xin Xiu replied, "Sure, I'll make you a big swing in a couple of days."
She turned her head and saw The Fifth, her filial son, standing in the corner, his face twisted with hesitation, as if he was holding back something extremely difficult, fidgeting uncomfortably.
Xin Xiu asked, "The Fifth, what's wrong?"
The Fifth replied, "I... I think I can... can try..." His voice got smaller and smaller, and no one heard the last two words he said.
Xin Xiu grabbed him, "Keep your head up and speak a little louder."
The Fifth glanced at her and indeed spoke a bit louder, but still hesitantly, "I... I was planting trees earlier, constantly reciting the lessons we heard at night, and I saw... saw light spots. Earlier, when I accidentally broke a sapling, I put a lot of light spots into it, and it... it slowly grew back. And with fruit pits, I've tried using green light spots to make them... sprout, so I thought..."
The more Xin Xiu listened, the brighter her eyes became. She decisively pricked her thumb on a splinter, creating a very shallow small scratch. "You want to try if it works on people, right? Come, try it on me."
Under the gaze of several pairs of bright, eager eyes, The Fifth mustered his courage. He held Xin Xiu's finger, concentrating hard, struggling to capture the green mist gathering around, mixing and condensing it into light spots that fell on Xin Xiu's finger.
Xin Xiu couldn't see it, but The Sixth, who also had a wood spirit root, saw it and exclaimed excitedly. Xin Xiu watched as the tiny scratch on her hand slowly healed, her eyes widening.
It was just a small scratch that would have healed naturally in a day or two, but The Fifth seemed very tired, his little face almost as pale as The Third's.
He looked somewhat dejected, "It seems... different from when I was planting trees. Trees and seeds don't need this much, and I don't get tired."
Xin Xiu tapped his forehead, making him sit down, "What nonsense are you talking about? You're amazing!" They had all arrived here at the same time, less than two months ago. While the others hadn't even fully memorized the phrases they heard at night, let alone touched any spiritual energy, this little guy had already figured out how to manipulate spiritual light on his own. Even though Xin Xiu didn't understand it fully, she knew it must be incredibly powerful.
This guy was clearly a super genius. Realizing this once again, she patted his thin shoulder, "Good job, very impressive. Don't think about healing The Third now, your skills are still shallow. Don't exhaust yourself."
Although he couldn't heal The Third, The Fifth still looked a bit deflated. The others, including The Third, excitedly surrounded him, asking how he had done it, all wanting to create miracles themselves.
After chatting for a while, they heard Xin Xiu calling and turned around. They saw that she had gone out at some point and taken down the curtains in the room.
Xin Xiu threw the pile of curtains on the ground and clapped her hands, "Come help, we're going to weave a big net to catch the crayfish!"
The curtains came with the big house. Xin Xiu tested them and found them very sturdy. A net made from these should be able to catch the big crayfish. Its large size was the crayfish's advantage, but it certainly wasn't as agile as they were. Moreover, the crayfish was just big, its intelligence obviously hadn't improved. If they, with their brains, couldn't catch a brainless crayfish, Xin Xiu felt she wouldn't deserve to be called Xiu.
"That crayfish likes to move around in a patch of water plants on the south side, near some reeds. After we finish weaving our net, we'll set it up nearby. The Second, you're a good swimmer and brave, so we'll mainly rely on the two of us working together. The Fourth and The Fifth, you'll be on standby. When the time comes, hold onto the ropes tied to the net. When you see our signal, wedge the ropes into the cracks between the rocks on the shore."
As they discussed capture tactics, they wove the net. The main force in net-weaving was The Sixth, who had experience catching crayfish in her village before. She was quick and skillful. Xin Xiu assigned her to logistics, to watch over the younger children on the shore when the time came.
It took them a whole day to weave the large net. The next day, just as Xin Xiu had told The Third, she indeed took several of them to catch the crayfish.
Xin Xiu was as steady as an old dog, The Second as excited as a mad dog, and the rest were nervous and thrilled, watching the two of them jump into the lake with the net.
"The Second, keep your iron sword ready. Remember to ensure your own safety. Don't let a crayfish snap you in half."
"Don't worry, boss. You're the one who needs to be careful. I've escaped from that lobster's claws several times already!"
"You seem pretty proud of yourself, kid. Let me show you what real skill looks like!"
The two of them each grabbed an end of the large net and swam in different directions, quickly spreading it out among the water plants. They tossed the wet ropes onto the shore, and Xin Xiu brushed back her hair, calling out to The Fourth and The Fifth on the bank, "Hold the ropes loosely, and remember to tighten them when the time comes."
A huge dark shadow moved slowly through the water plants. Xin Xiu and The Second, having shed their white outer garments, were like tiny insects in the water as they silently pulled up the net.
The splashing sound of water made the two on shore tense up. They simultaneously grabbed the ropes, frantically wedging them into the rock crevices they had chosen earlier. The net was violently jerked, pulling the ropes out of the crevices a bit, but the force only wedged them in more tightly.
"Quick! It's really caught in the net!"
"Ah, it's struggling! Where are the boss and The Second? I can't see them!"
"Should we go down to help?"
Xin Xiu concealed herself behind a large reed stem, planning to wait until the lobster had tired itself out before approaching. But it wasn't just the lobster that was going wild - there was also a one-armed little madman.
Seeing The Second sneaking closer with his sword raised, Xin Xiu shook her head, but didn't show much disapproval. Instead, she smiled and also dived into the water, swimming over with her large iron plate for self-defense.
She wasn't exactly a well-behaved child herself.
Passing by the lobster's tail and The Second, Xin Xiu made a hand gesture. She had eaten countless small lobsters and peeled shells at least tens of thousands of times. Finding the right spot, she grabbed onto the net, positioning herself just out of reach of the lobster's claws, and inserted the iron plate into a gap in the shell.
On shore, several people ran to pull the ropes, while The Third sat to the side nervously cradling his arm, his eyes fixed unwaveringly on the large lobster thrashing its claws in the water.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up and he leapt to his feet!
"The lobster's not moving! Quick, pull hard!"
...
With everyone's combined effort, the large lobster was dragged ashore. Xin Xiu and The Second pushed from the lake, and as soon as they got on land, they collapsed exhausted onto a large rock to rest.
This lobster was very big, but judging from the color of its shell, it wasn't very old, so the meat should be fairly tender. After resting enough, Xin Xiu got up and wedged her iron plate into the lobster's joints, then used a rock to hammer the plate, dismantling the lobster as if she were quarrying stone. The others followed her lead, and they managed to take apart half of the large lobster.
"Let's eat the claws first today. Look how big they are, there must be plenty of meat inside," Xin Xiu said, hands on her hips, glancing at The Third's arm. "You are what you eat - eating a claw might help your wound heal faster."
The Fourth felt the claw shell. "It's so thick, won't it be hard to pry open and get the meat out?"
Xin Xiu replied, "Why pry it open? We'll take it straight to the forge, put the whole claw on top to roast, and hammer it while it's cooking. Once it's cooked and the shell is crispy, of course we can smash it open. We're supposed to be learning blacksmithing anyway, so what's wrong with hammering a lobster shell?"
As she suggested, the two detached large claws were moved to the furnace. After the fire was lit, everyone watched as the originally grayish-blue lobster claws slowly turned red under the scorching heat of the furnace.
"It's about ready. Those with metal spiritual roots, come on up. Let's start hammering!" Xin Xiu stepped onto a rock with an iron hammer and began forcefully striking the lobster shell. She was much more serious about this than their earlier half-hearted attempts at blacksmithing - after all, this was something delicious.
The aroma of roasted lobster made everyone's mouths water, and the red color was indeed very appetizing.
The sound of hammering the lobster shell rang out incessantly, slowly changing from "bong bong bong" to "crack crack crack" as they began to break through.
Xin Xiu jumped down to get the marinade she had prepared. She had found many things around to use as seasonings - chili, Sichuan pepper, cinnamon, garlic, and so on. This place truly had an abundance of spices and herbs.
She slowly poured a large bowl of seasoning into the cracks of the lobster shell, then looked a bit regretful. "There's not quite enough seasoning, and I couldn't spread it evenly. The claw is too big to flip easily. Oh well, it'll have to do."
The fragrance grew stronger, and Xin Xiu had to remind The Second to keep his mouth closed while swinging the hammer, lest he drool on the food. She also called for The Fourth to wipe Little Ninth's drool, which was about to soak through his bib.
Finally, the roasted giant lobster claws were taken off the furnace. Everyone gathered around, waiting to eat. Xin Xiu peeled back a few cracked pieces of the red lobster shell, and the aroma of lobster meat coated in spicy seasoning, roasted over high heat, burst out in steaming waves. It filled everyone's nostrils, making them all swallow hard.
The three observers from the World in a Basin also swallowed reflexively. One couldn't help but ask, "If I go help treat that junior sister's injury now, could I join them for the meal?"
Another frowned and said, "No, the Grand Elder said that a year in the World in a Basin is for training. Apart from the initial guidance, we're not allowed to interfere!"
"But earlier, Senior Uncle Shentu sent them a house, and Senior Uncle Jingchengzi went in too."
"...If you were a senior uncle, you could go in too."
"Look at the state of you two." The remaining senior sister looked at them disapprovingly, pointing at her junior brother. "Shame on you! You're supposed to be cultivators, yet you're so tempted by mere food."
Just as the junior brother was feeling ashamed, the senior sister continued, "You're a grown cultivator. If you want to eat lobster, can't you make it yourself?"
"Senior sister, I don't know how," the junior brother replied innocently.
The senior sister sighed. "Really now. Fine, I'll go ask that junior sister in the World in a Basin how she made it, and tell you when I get back. You two keep watch here for me."
With that, she entered the World in a Basin.
The two junior brothers were left confused.
As Xin Xiu and the others were engrossed in their meal, they saw a beautiful immortal descend from the sky. She was kind and gentle, beautiful and benevolent. She lifted The Third's arm and said with a slight smile, "I am Senior sister Gui Xin. I saw this junior sister was injured, so I came especially to heal her."
With a slight movement of her hand, she slowly passed it over The Third's arm, and the wound healed. The children were surprised and grateful.
Senior sister Gui Xin graciously accepted their thanks, her gaze seemingly accidentally sweeping over their half-eaten lobster claws. She raised her hand to cover her mouth, then spoke softly, "How clever of you. I've been cultivating for many years and haven't tasted such mortal delights in a long time."
Xin Xiu made room for her. "Why don't you join us for a bite, Senior sister Gui Xin?"
Gui Xin smiled warmly and sat down on the spot, taking out her own jade chopsticks from her sleeve. "Then this senior sister will have a little taste."
