"Damn, there really is water!"
"Xiao Shu, you’re impressive, I just followed the crowd, to be honest... I wasn’t that convinced..."
"Who would’ve thought there actually was a stream here? Xiao Shu, how did you know? Do you have a map or something?"
Tang Shu smiled, "The trees on the left side are indeed lusher, but there’s not much undergrowth. The eastern side is the opposite. It’s probably because the ground is closer to the water source."
In the forest, to locate water, one doesn’t necessarily need to look at how dense the trees are, but rather at the strength of the undergrowth on the ground.
"I could only figure out that there’s a water source to the east, whether there is one to the west, I have no idea."
Perhaps, with a bit of luck, we might come across a small puddle?
A few of them exchanged glances, "Hopefully... they’ll stumble upon it too."
After all, everyone is part of the same team; if one person is thirsty, it slows everyone down.
The group quickened their pace and soon arrived in front of a small waterfall.
The clear water flowed down over smooth stones, mist rising into the air, a consequence of the high ground temperature.
"Hey, hey, there are fish here, and they’re so colorful and beautiful!"
"I thought we were going to have to resort to eating those edible weeds to fill our bellies. Never expected we’d get to enjoy some wild game!"
Suddenly energized, some fetched water while others started a fire. Tang Shu, however, was tasked with catching fish.
"Xiao Shu, this time there’s no such grass. Can you catch the fish? Let me help you."
"No need, I’ve got this."
Tang Shu broke off a branch from a nearby tree and sharpened one end with his dagger before heading straight for a red fish in the clear freshwater.
The next instant, a tropical fish wriggled on his stick.
"Will six or seven be enough for the five of us?"
Turning to ask the others, Tang Shu was met with four pairs of stunned eyes.
Geng Qiuqiu swallowed, lighter in hand, "I mean, it’s not the first time I’ve seen this, but it still freaks me out."
"No one can match that accuracy, Xiao Shu really is the best!"
"So cool, why can’t I do that—"
"Though the fish look pretty, we can’t starve. Xiao Shu, that should be enough, let’s leave some for the ecosystem, shall we?"
Five minutes later, the five of them sat around the fire, each holding a stick with a tropical fish on it, sipping water and seasoning their lunch.
"I’ve got cumin, does anyone want some?"
"Oh my, you actually brought cumin?!"
"That’s not all, I’ve got pepper powder too!"
"Seriously, did you think we came here for a feast?"
"Yeah, I thought since it’s hard to get these things abroad, what if we ran into some prime beef or something? Pepper powder is essential, right?"
So, how on earth did you imagine stumbling upon beef in the middle of a forest?
It was half an hour later when everyone had eaten their fill and were belching with satisfaction; the fish Tang Shu had speared were large, with even the smallest weighing over a pound. When the group stood up, they were almost all burping contentedly.
"As expected—staying with Xiao Shu means there’s meat to eat; it’s a law!"
When the team showed up full of vitality at the meeting point again, they stunned the other five foreign friends.