In front of the Stone Mountain Bamboo Forest lies a vast expanse of flatland, slightly lower in terrain, wet and filled with water, particularly where the creek flows, growing mostly shrubs and wild grasses, with fewer tall trees.
Jiang Xuan planned to choose a depression near the creek to dig a pond, to test a fishing method he had in mind.
"Sister, will you come with me to set a trap?"
The world here is too dangerous, even being not far from the bamboo forest, Jiang Xuan decided to bring Chi Shao along, as an extra insurance for his little life.
"What kind of trap?" Chi Shao asked curiously.
"A fishing trap."
"Is it possible to use traps for fishing?" Chi Shao was a bit surprised.
The people of the Deer Tribe also eat fish because the Southern Wilderness is very rich in water resources, with mountain springs and streams everywhere, fish are abundant, and the tribe's people won't miss any opportunity for meat.
However, they usually just smash with sticks, catch with bare hands, or use long spears to fish in the stream, without even a spear for fishing.
As for deeper waters, like small rivers, they avoid them.
Because in the past, many people went into the water and were directly dragged into the water by terrifying big fish, unable to be saved.
"You'll understand once you come with me." As they say, seeing is believing, Jiang Xuan didn't explain too much.
"Alright, I'll go with you."
Chi Shao trusted Jiang Xuan very much because he was her younger brother, and besides, Jiang Xuan had proven his abilities by building bamboo houses and making Bone Plows.
"I want to go too!"
Gou Teng quickly grabbed another Bone Plow: "I can help you dig the trap. I'm very strong, and I dig very fast!"
"And me, if we encounter beasts, I can help hunt them."
Shi Qiu immediately brought along his Bamboo Bow and Bone Spear, as he did not want to stay in the bamboo house.
The youngest, Nan Xing, hugged his Wooden Spear and looked at Jiang Xuan eagerly: "You're all going, you can't just leave me behind, right? What if a beast breaks in? I'm so small..."
Jiang Xuan sighed helplessly: "Alright, alright, everyone goes."
Upon Jiang Xuan's response, the three youths immediately beamed with joy, each carrying their own weapons, ready to head out.
"Since everyone's going out, no one will be there to watch the fire pit, so put a few big logs, so we won't have to start the fire again when we get back."
Behind the bamboo forest is Stone Mountain, with forests on both sides. Since dry bamboo doesn't burn well, they've picked up plenty of dry trees and stacked them under the eaves for firewood.
Chi Shao brought two large sections of dry trees from outside the bamboo house and put them into the fire pit. These logs burn slowly and can last a long time.
After securing the door, Jiang Xuan carried a Bone Plow, brought a bamboo tube, and then headed out with the others.
"Chirp, chirp, chirp..."
"Chirping, chirping..."
The five of them walked along the creek, with the sounds of birds chirping and insects chirping in their ears. It had been some time since autumn began, and the plants were gradually turning yellow. This must be the insects' last hurrah.
The further they walked down, the flatter the terrain became, and the creek got deeper, with the fish swimming in the water growing larger in size.
Chi Shao clutched her short spear, listening carefully to the surroundings. As the only warrior in the group who had joined the hunting team, she knew that one must never let down their guard, no matter the place.
When the creek seemed very deep, Jiang Xuan stopped walking. At this point, they were over two hundred meters from the bamboo house.
Don't underestimate these two hundred meters. In a place dense with vegetation, opening up a path through the shrubs and wild grasses over two hundred meters is no easy task.
Of course, after they walk this path a few more times, flattening down or even clearing away the vegetation along the way, the path would become much easier.
Jiang Xuan surveyed the surroundings, finally choosing a low-lying area beside the creek, with sparse wild grasses, and said, "Let's dig here."
"Alright, I'll handle these grasses first."
Gou Teng swung the Bone Plow, sweeping the wild grass on the depression and using the Bone Plow to hoe out each plant, making the work much easier.
The movement stirred by Gou Teng scared away the fish in the creek, hiding for the time being.
But there's no need to worry, as once the commotion dies down, they'll reappear.
Jiang Xuan and Gou Teng used the Bone Plow to clear the grass, Chi Shao used the Stone Knife, Shi Qiu used the Bone Spear, Nan Xing used the Wooden Spear, all working hard to clear away the grass.
After a short while, most of the larger wild grasses on the ground were cleared away.
Gou Teng, not feeling tired at all, enthusiastically asked, "Xuan, what do we do next?"
"Dig a pool about this big, don't need to dig too deep."
Jiang Xuan used the Bone Plow to draw a circular area on the ground, approximately two meters in diameter.
"Alright, let's get started."
All five then used their own tools, and eagerly began digging up the soil.
Jiang Xuan and Gou Teng dug the fastest because they had Bone Plows. Just stepping on the crossbar of the Bone Plow with one foot, the Bone Plow easily penetrated into the moist soil, and then levering it up, lifting a large chunk of soil.
With the efforts of all five, an hour later, they had dug out a pool approximately two meters in diameter and about forty centimeters deep, roughly circular in shape.
During the course of digging, they also unearthed many fat earthworms, about dozens, all of which Jiang Xuan collected in the bamboo tube he brought along.
"Next, lead in the creek water to fill up this pool."
The newly dug pool is less than half a meter from the creek. Jiang Xuan used the Bone Plow to dig a roughly twenty centimeters wide inlet, and the creek water gushed into the pool, quickly filling it.
Jiang Xuan then found a stick and pounded the earthworms in the bamboo tube until they were smashed, then stuffed a few stones into the tube.
Finally, he placed the bamboo tube in the center of the newly dug pool.
Because of the stones and the water filling it, the bamboo tube quickly sank to the bottom.
"Alright, let's rest nearby for a while."
Jiang Xuan washed his hands and cleaned the Bone Plow, then went to sit on a nearby rock.
"Is that it?"
Chi Shao and the three teenagers were confused, wondering if digging a pit, filling it with water, and adding mashed worms was really supposed to be a fish trap.
Jiang Xuan explained with a smile, "Fishing is different from hunting. The wild animals on the mountain have legs and can run around, but most fish don't have legs and can only move where there's water; they can't come ashore."
Pointing to the newly dug pool, Jiang Xuan said, "This pool is connected to the stream, and the worms in the pool are bait. To make the scent of the worms spread faster in the water, I deliberately mashed them."
"The fish in the stream will smell the scent of the worms and swim through the inlet into the pool we dug."
"Once the fish enter, we just need to move a large stone to block the inlet, and the fish inside can't get out."
"By then, in such a small pool with shallow water, we just need to stir the water, and it will be easy to catch the fish!"
After hearing Jiang Xuan's explanation, the four were dumbfounded. They felt Jiang Xuan made sense, but didn't dare to believe it, because it seemed too simple!
Skeptically, they rested in the grass nearby, occasionally glancing at the pool.
As time passed and the surroundings quieted down, the hidden fish quickly started swimming around in the stream again.
Before long, some fish with keen senses smelled the worms' scent. They followed the direction of the scent and swam straight into the pool, circling the bamboo tube, trying to get the food inside.
"The fish really went in!"
Gou Teng, who had been watching the area, stood up excitedly, lowering his voice to avoid scaring the fish away.
Chi Shao, Shi Qiu, and Nan Xing also stood up to look and found quite a number of fish had entered the pool, both big and small.
This made them finally believe that Jiang Xuan's fish trap was indeed effective.
Chi Shao softly asked Jiang Xuan, "Should we block the inlet now?"
Jiang Xuan glanced at the fish in the pool and said, "The big fish haven't come in yet, let's wait a bit. These fish won't leave before the worm scent disappears since they can't reach the worms."
"Okay."
They waited patiently, and sure enough, after a while, a few large fish swam into the pool through the inlet. Jiang Xuan estimated their weight based on their size; each of these big fish should weigh about fifteen pounds.
"Sister, go block the inlet."
As soon as Jiang Xuan finished his words, the eager Chi Shao darted over, picked up a large stone beside the stream, and with a "splash," directly blocked the inlet.
To be extra safe, she picked some smaller stones to fill the gaps.
"Splash, splash..."
The fish in the pool panicked, swimming quickly, trying to escape, but the pool was so small—where could they go?
Jiang Xuan and the three teenagers immediately rushed over, excited to catch the fish.
However, at that moment, two fish suddenly leaped from the water, spreading their wing-like fins and "flapping" a few meters away, landing in the stream with a splash, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
This happened so quickly that even Chi Shao didn't react because she had never seen such winged fish.
"How are there flying fish!"
Holding the Bone Plow, Jiang Xuan was stunned; the fish that nearly landed in their mouths just flew away!
The others were also dumbfounded. If it weren't for their fear of water, the three teenagers would have jumped in to grab the fish back.
Chi Shao, holding a short spear, comforted, "It's alright, there are still plenty of fish here, and with me watching, they can't run away!"
Jiang Xuan nodded, "I'll stir the water first. When the fish heads float up, seize the chance to knock them out."
Chi Shao and the three teenagers were ready, determined not to let these fish escape again.
Jiang Xuan plunged the Bone Plow into the water, stirring vigorously. Soon the water in the pool became very muddy, and the fish couldn't withstand it, floating to the surface before long.
"Quick, knock them out before bringing them ashore!"
Jiang Xuan seized the moment, using the broad Bone Plow to strike a large fish on the head. The fish struggled violently a few times, then turned belly up and floated.
Jiang Xuan quickly scooped this fish ashore and continued to knock out the other fish.
Chi Shao and the three teenagers also got to work, and soon enough, except for a few small fish, a dozen or so fish in the pool were knocked out or killed and brought ashore.
"Not a bad catch!"
Jiang Xuan looked at the pile of large and small fish on the ground, feeling very pleased. The fish trap was very effective, and his approach was correct.
Moreover, this fish trap could be used continuously, making it a one-time effort for long-term rewards.
The only pity was that the two flying fish got away.
"Let's go, time to roast the fish."
Jiang Xuan removed the stones blocking the inlet so more fish could enter.
He then found two vines to string the fish together, with Gou Teng each carrying a string, taking them back to the bamboo hut.
With a bountiful harvest, everyone felt very good and walked much more briskly on their way back.