Live Strong in the Wilderness-Chapter 66: A Qualified Bow and Arrow

The two of them peeled some lychees into a bowl, removed the seeds, and mashed the pulp with a wooden spoon.

They made two servings of the sweet juice and then scooped out some firewood tofu with a spoon.

"It’s so soft, like jelly," Lu Ke said in surprise as she scooped.

"Indeed, it does look like jelly. It should taste good," Xu Yi said, swallowing a bit as he spoke.

He scooped some into his bowl, then mashed it with a soup spoon, perfectly mixing it with the lychee sweetness. Then Lu Ke took a bite.

"So delicious!"

Lu Ke’s eyes lit up as she glanced at Xu Yi.

The texture was incredibly smooth, mixed with the sweet and fragrant taste of lychee.

The firewood tofu itself had a herbaceous fragrance, blending with the lychee aroma to create a brand-new flavor.

Soon, a bowl of firewood tofu ended up in Lu Ke’s stomach.

"So what Xu Yi called firewood tofu is actually the cold jelly from our place. It seems nice with lychee sweet water; I will try to make some tomorrow!"

"It’s called cold jelly here too, and it’s very refreshing in summer. You make me crave it now."

"Doesn’t it look just like grass jelly?"

"You guys in this group are too much, even having snacks. Many other groups can’t even eat enough for the main meal."

"What’s too much about it? What’s wrong with having some snacks? This firewood tofu looks so green; it seems packed with vitamin C. We should eat more."

"I checked, the nutritional value of firewood tofu leaves is quite high. Compared with common vegetables, their crude fat content is much higher than greens and spinach, and the crude fiber content far exceeds amaranth. It’s especially rich in pectin, almost three times that of hawthorn. The vitamin C and chlorophyll content in the fresh leaves are much higher than spinach, soluble sugar content is higher than bok choy, and amino acid content is similar to asparagus."

"Whoa, the one upstairs went overboard."

"Impressive, this firewood tofu is more powerful than vegetables."

"I can’t handle it anymore; I need to get some firewood tofu to eat."

Lu Ke and Xu Yi finished all the firewood tofu, still looking a bit unsatisfied.

"It’s truly tasty. It’s been so long since I’ve had something this good," Lu Ke said, touching her bloated little belly, a bit embarrassed.

"Right, we’ve been here for 11 days now." Being away from modern civilization for 11 days, far from all kinds of delicious food.

Indeed, what one misses is not just air conditioning, the internet, and mobile phones, but also these delicious foods and comfortable environments.

"Time passes so slowly. I feel like I’ve been here for a month," Lu Ke said, puffing her cheeks in frustration.

"Yeah, and on top of that, each day here has 26 hours," Xu Yi said, glancing at the Star Chart in his hand.

"To get through 500 days, mental fortitude is really important. Otherwise, it’s easy to break down," Lu Ke said as she stood up, preparing to take out the sleeping bag to continue dismantling it.

"Fortunately, we’re a two-person team. After holding out for a hundred days, we can cooperate with other teams. Otherwise, the loneliness alone would be overwhelming," Xu Yi agreed, acknowledging the importance of mental fortitude.

Seeing Lu Ke go inside to fetch the sleeping bag, Xu Yi also went to take out two feathers.

He took out the bow and arrow whittled the previous day, then carefully cut a cross shape with a knife.

Next, Xu Yi processed the feather and inserted it into the cross-shaped notch.

Then Xu Yi used thread made from umbrella tree bark to bind it together.

Half an hour later, a bow and arrow with a feathered tail appeared in Xu Yi’s hand.

"Lu Ke, my bow and arrow are ready. I’m going out to test it; do you want to join?" The appearance of the bow and arrow marked a crucial stage. It meant Xu Yi had the conditions for hunting.

"Of course, I’m definitely going. I can’t miss such an important moment," Lu Ke quickly put down her work and went out with Xu Yi.

Xu Yi didn’t go far, just to an open space outside the fence.

He placed the arrow on the string and pulled the bow to its full extent.

Xu Yi took a deep breath and aimed at one of the trees.

He released the string, letting the arrow fly.

With a "whoosh," the arrow flew straight out.

It missed the target.

Xu Yi saw his arrow veer off target and fly away.

"It hit, it hit, so impressive!" Lu Ke applauded enthusiastically.

Xu Yi naturally wouldn’t admit he missed, and he turned back to look at Lu Ke.

"It’s a qualified bow and arrow; hunting can be arranged now," Xu Yi said, touching his nose with some pride.

The arrow he shot had pierced a tree 50 meters away.

At longer distances, Xu Yi felt there should be no major issue, which already met his needs.

After all, the further the distance, the lower the accuracy.

Generally, he would seldom draw the bow for over 30 meters. After all, it’s unrealistic to bring down prey with a single arrow, especially with larger animals. Even after being shot, they’ll often hop around for a while before collapsing.

"So, we’ll soon have lots of fur?" Lu Ke blinked at Xu Yi, placing a sort of inexplicable trust in him.

"Yes, we can use the fur to make blankets, quilts, and clothes," Xu Yi nodded, then headed towards the bow and arrow. Next, he could take time to practice his archery and improve his accuracy.

Hunting would become Xu Yi’s main task. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Food was still scarce, and without sufficient provisions, nothing felt secure.

Pulling out the arrow, Xu Yi checked its head, relieved that it hadn’t dulled.

The wooden arrows were rather sturdy, allowing him to use the remaining wood to craft sharper arrowheads.

The two of them returned to the campsite, where Xu Yi began crafting new bows and arrows, while Lu Ke continued dismantling the thread.

By the end of the day, Xu Yi had carved out six new arrows, though none had been fitted with feather tails yet.

Lu Ke, meanwhile, had finished dismantling the inner layer of the sleeping bag and collected the cotton inside. There was quite a bit of cotton, and it was very useful, so it must be stored properly.

Xu Yi glanced at the sky and then stood up.

"I’m going to get some firewood; you can cook the meal later."

"Let’s go together—I’ve finished my work," Lu Ke said to Xu Yi, thinking it would be faster with the two of them. Moreover, Lu Ke felt it wasn’t right to always let Xu Yi handle this alone.

Xu Yi didn’t object; he grabbed the machete and headed out.

With some chopping and cutting, they collected quite a bit of firewood.

In the evening, the two of them still ate snake meat.

After all, snake meat doesn’t keep well, so it needs to be eaten quickly.

After dinner, Lu Ke boiled some water and then added a few mint leaves.

She figured trying the mint tea Xu Yi mentioned might be nice, at least better than plain boiled water.