The tribe had already started preparing food, and Han Cheng scooped up some charcoal from the burning fire with a broken clay pot.
After some thought, he asked Lame, who had come over, to bring some dry branches and join him.
Arriving at the tree trunk where holes were drilled yesterday, he placed the charcoal from the pottery piece on the ground and used the dry branches brought by Lame to create a fire.
After the flames burned for a while, he used two wooden sticks to pick up a properly sized charcoal and placed it in the hole he had drilled in the tree trunk yesterday.
Once the charcoal left the fire pit, the flames immediately shrank, emitting a greenish smoke and giving the illusion of imminent extinction.
Having dealt with fire frequently over the past year, Han Cheng wouldn't let it die out . He took a deep breath, puckered his lips, and started giving artificial respiration to the piece of charcoal in the wooden hole.
Of course, not the mouth-to-mouth kind; otherwise, Han Cheng's lips would be ready to eat like sausages after a series of actions.
The charcoal, already turning black, received Han Cheng's divine breath, and many areas immediately turned red, regaining vitality.
It seemed that artificial respiration was indeed an essential skill for daily life. It could not only be used to save drowning girls but also successfully rescue dying embers.
Revived by Han Cheng's divine breath, the charcoal began to glow and radiate heat.
Its emotions were so intense that the wooden sticks beside it began to burst out fiery emotions.
Han Cheng was tearful watching the mortise gradually deepen and expand under the burning charcoal.
He had to cry. Damn, this stubborn tree trunk was too smoky, and it stung his eyes so much that he could hardly keep them open.
Han Cheng paused the artificial respiration on the charcoal that had already diminished significantly to prevent himself from tearing up before even creating a single mortise.
He stood up, looked around, and tried to find something suitable to use as a blowtorch.
Unfortunately, he didn't find anything suitable.
If there were bamboo here, it would be great. Just punch through the bamboo joints. It would be an excellent blowtorch.
At this moment, Han Cheng deeply missed the bamboo forest in the village from his later years.
It was a pity that Han Cheng had not seen any trace of bamboo after more than a year here.
Of course, this was also related to the dangerous external world. He often stayed in the tribe due to safety concerns.
Without a suitable item, Han Cheng could only continue to be imaginative.
He focused on a large pile of bones accumulated in the tribe over the years.
Due to the large-scale production of bone shovels, many bones were consumed. Nevertheless, it didn't matter. This didn't prevent Han Cheng from finding a suitable bone for a blowtorch.
The bones used for bone shovels were flat and sheet-like, while a blowtorch required long cylindrical bone rods.
Han Cheng found a bone about two to three centimeters in diameter and over twenty centimeters long.
He couldn't discern which animal the bone came from, as everyone in the tribe had been eating fish since he arrived.
Taking a look, it was quite good. There were no damages, and the marrow inside the bone had also been poked and eaten to some extent. A little adjustment, and it would be ready for use.
Han Cheng found a thin piece of wood and began poking the hole inside the bone rod.
After poking for a while, there were light taps on the ground, and black residues dropped from it. Han Cheng looked closely and saw a faint light, indicating that the bone rod had penetrated.
He rinsed the bone rod with water, placed one end against his mouth, and blew air. After trying a few times, he found the airflow was not smooth. Continuing to use a thin piece of wood to poke, followed by blowing air again, he tested the effect of ventilation.
Han Cheng raised his head confusedly, blowing air into the bone rod.
Because in front of him appeared two feet and a large bowl. The bowl contained steaming salty fish soup with generous green vegetables.
"Divine Child, have some soup. Is it not delicious?"
He looked up to see the familiar face of the Eldest Senior Brother. However, today, his face was cautious, like a child who had done something wrong.
He said this while offering the bowl, filled mostly with meat and a small amount of soup, to Han Cheng. At the same time, he extended his other hand, attempting to take away the bone rod still pressed against Han Cheng's mouth.
The Eldest Senior Brother’s behavior wasn't strange. Initially puzzled when he first saw the strange actions of the Divine Child, he quickly understood.
The Divine Child was hungry.
Hungry enough to nibble on an old bone rod.
This was all his fault. If he hadn't been so absorbed in his activities last night and woke up late this morning, causing the cooking to be delayed, the Divine Child wouldn't have been hungry enough to eat this old bone rod.
Therefore, as soon as the salty fish soup was ready, the Eldest Senior Brother quickly ladled a thick bowl and hurriedly brought it to the starving Divine Child.
"Soup isn't delicious."
Han Cheng blinked in confusion, glancing at the Eldest Senior Brother, who seemed somewhat nervous and self-blaming, and at the bone rod pressed against his mouth. Suddenly, he understood.
Han Cheng sniffled. Did he look like someone so hungry that he couldn't resist an old bone rod?
"This, for blowing fire, not for eating."
Han Cheng quickly explained to avoid getting labeled as a bone-sucking maniac and to relieve the Eldest Senior Brother's guilt after understanding what was happening.
Looking at the Eldest Senior Brother's eager eyes fixed on the bone rod, Han Cheng felt it wouldn't be easy to shake off this label in the disciple's eyes.
With the vastness of the sky and earth, eating was the most critical thing. Whether he was a bone maniac or not, Han Cheng decided to fill his stomach first before worrying about anything else.
Han Cheng washed his hands, grabbed the bowl, and began to eat heartily.
Not far away, the Eldest Senior Brother, holding a bowl of food, ate while occasionally stealing glances at the Divine Child.
He had just tried to take away the bone rod because he was worried that the Divine Child might put it in his mouth again.
Han Cheng puffed up his cheeks and continued blowing fire.
The blowtorch made from the bone rod was quite handy. It increased the distance between Han Cheng and the burning charcoal, preventing him from suffering the torment of smoke. Moreover, the blown air had a greater force due to the smaller hole in the bone rod. This made it more conducive to the combustion of the charcoal and saved effort compared to blowing directly with the mouth.
As the charcoal continued to glow and emit heat, the mortise on the tree trunk became larger and deeper faster than when using a stone chisel.
However, a new problem arose. The areas that had already been burned continued to combust. At this rate, by the time Han Cheng achieved the desired depth, the mortise would be destroyed.