Rebirth: Slice-of-life Cultivation-Chapter 1676 - 912: The Mouse Was Caught (Part 2)

Gradually, Jiang Ning found himself at a disadvantage.

Ding Shuyan smiled faintly. She didn’t deny the technological advances humanity had made from ancient times to the present just because of her Transcendent powers. She only chose what was advantageous to her.

From this moment, Ding Shuyan transformed into a Technology Warrior.

Just as she was preparing, secretly relenting a bit for Jiang Ning, she suddenly discovered Jiang Ning’s pieces on the board changing mysteriously, with an intense, murderous aura.

Ding Shuyan’s expression gradually solidified; the Master-level computer actually began to falter.

In the end, she gave it her all, but still lost the game.

Ding Shuyan stared at the screen, silent for a long time, her exceptionally beautiful face showing an indescribable emotion.

That was a Master-level computer, she had played countless games against it, never winning a single one, and no one around her had ever won against it either.

And now...

Had she overestimated technology and underestimated the Transcendent?

Meanwhile, Jiang Ning took back his phone from Tongtong and casually patted her soft hair, praising unreservedly: "As expected of you."

Xue Yuantong huffed: "Do you even know who I am?"

She added, "I’m hungry, go find me a bamboo rat quickly."

Jiang Ning: "Sure."

...

Before Jiang Ning could make a move, Xue Chuchu stood in the dry little ditch, looking at a patch of loose soil on the slope.

"I think I’ve found the bamboo rat hole," she said.

Xue Yuantong quickly bounced over, poking it with a small stick a couple of times, revealing a dark, muddy hole.

"It’s a bamboo rat’s. Bamboo rats use soil to block the entrance!" Xue Yuantong exclaimed joyfully.

Xue Chuchu shone a flashlight into the bamboo rat hole and found a branch to poke around the ground.

"Just the measurable part is at least a meter deep; how do we catch it?" Xue Chuchu pondered.

This isn’t like a crayfish hole where you can just reach in; bamboo rat holes aren’t that simple. Plus, there’s the risk of being bitten.

"Flood it!"

"Smoke it out!"

Chuchu and Tongtong blurted out simultaneously.

Jiang Ning’s Divine Sense extended, like ultra-high definition X-rays, penetrating the heavy soil to uncover every detail of the bamboo rat burrow.

A shadowy bamboo rat hid in a dark corner.

According to Jiang Ning’s estimation, flooding or smoking it out offered little hope and would take time. Unless the entire bamboo rat burrow was dug out, which many bamboo rat hunters resort to, often digging for several hours.

Jiang Ning couldn’t be bothered with the hassle and pulled out a small firecracker.

Xue Yuantong saw it and shouted, "Ground mouse!"

Ground mouse is a type of spinning firecracker that, when ignited, spins around like a top. Tongtong had played with it as a child and nearly set fire to her own pile of kindling.

Jiang Ning didn’t even pull out a lighter. With a snap of his fingers, a flame arose, instantly lighting the ground mouse, which he tossed into the bamboo rat hole.

Xue Chuchu witnessed this and was puzzled as to how Jiang Ning sparked the fire.

After throwing the ground mouse, relying solely on it would certainly not scare the bamboo rat out. His trump card was yet to come.

Jiang Ning focused his Mana, forming an invisible spiritual hand that dived into the bamboo rat hole, grabbing the frightened bamboo rat.

Xue Yuantong squatted on the ground, watching the ’ground mouse’ scurry freely at the entrance, exclaiming excitedly, "The rat’s coming out to celebrate the festival!"

The bamboo rat, which was being choked, was forcibly dragged from its nest. To simulate a real escape, the spiritual hand split into several tendrils to control the bamboo rat’s legs to crawl.

Then, in front of the three of them appeared the scene of the bamboo rat frantically fleeing.

"Catch it quickly!" Xue Chuchu couldn’t contain her tension, fearing the bamboo rat would escape and all efforts would be in vain.

At this moment, Jiang Ning, who was waiting on the slope, withdrew his spiritual power.

He reached over, pinched the bamboo rat’s tail, and lifted it, presenting an upside-down bamboo rat to the trio.

"Wow wow wow!" Xue Yuantong was overly excited, her energetic movements surpassing even the captured bamboo rat.

The bamboo rat bared its sharp teeth, emitting a hissing sound, displaying a bit of wild animal ferocity.

"Be careful, it can bite," Xue Chuchu reminded.

Jiang Ning straightened his arm, holding the bamboo rat, chuckling, "No worries, it’s too fat to turn around and bite me."

Xue Yuantong commented nearby: "On TV they grab the bamboo rat by the scruff."

The furry exterior made her want to reach out and touch it.

Xue Chuchu said: "No way, that way it can twist and bite you."

The fierce bamboo rat was observed by the three people for a while, Jiang Ning said, "Almost three kilograms."

Xue Yuantong: "Not small at all."

Xue Chuchu: "What should we stir-fry it with?"

Jiang Ning: "Bamboo shoots, I still have some at home."

The taste of wild bamboo rat is quite nice, especially when paired with fresh bamboo shoots from Hu Qi Mountain. Stir-fried in a clay pot with scallions, ginger, garlic, and cooking wine, and topped with spices, the flavor is elevated several notches.

Xue Yuantong was practically drooling at the thought and ordered a return home.

...

The road home was beautiful, and the moon seemed brighter.

They passed by the rural tourism site both on their way there and back, the only difference being that Jiang Ning had a round, plump bamboo rat in his hand on the return.

"Holy cow, you really caught one?" Lin Zida was dumbfounded.

His words caught the attention of the companions by the bonfire, who turned to look and noticed the bamboo rat in Jiang Ning’s hand.

"Just caught it?" Zhuang Jianhui inquired.

Jiang Ning shook the bamboo rat, fresh soil falling off, "Yes."

Among the group, Wang Yong, who was just there to make up the numbers, spoke enviously, "You’re in for a treat, they’re so rare in the wild now."

Some of the other strangers eyed the bamboo rat, some looked at Xue Chuchu, and some gazed at Jiang Ning.

Wei Zishan leaned in. She liked keeping snakes, so the hissing bamboo rat didn’t scare her at all, she was even curious, "Is it male or female?"

As she spoke, she lightly flicked the bamboo rat, and as a result, got kicked by it.

Wei Zishan immediately play-acted as if weak and frail, "Ah, I’ve been scratched by a bamboo rat, I’m done for, I’ve caught a virus~"

Xue Yuantong was secretly displeased.

Xue Chuchu didn’t show it but kept Jiang Ning in the corner of her eye.

Jiang Ning: "You’d better go to the hospital quickly, if you go too late, you’ll be cured."

Lin Zida burst out laughing.

Wei Zishan couldn’t continue her act.

Jiang Ning didn’t linger long, turning around to leave, going home to handle the bamboo rat, as Tongtong and Chuchu hadn’t had dinner yet.

Mr. Qian was startled when he saw the rat in their hands, "You really caught one?"

Xue Yuantong: "It’s fake, it’s an illusion!"

Mr. Qian was dismissive, "Do you think I’m blind?"

However, he had already eaten, and tonight was the Lantern Festival. He was in a poetic mood and immediately suggested, "Ah, with such beautiful lanterns tonight, how can we not guess riddles?"

Before he finished speaking, Xue Yuantong followed Jiang Ning into the house.

Mr. Qian: "..."

Loneliness, loneliness, such intense loneliness!

Suddenly, a vehicle came from the east. It turned out to be Xingxing, who had not yet returned home, pulling a four-wheeled cart to pick up guests for rural tourism from the west.

The solitary Mr. Qian, unable to express his creativity, took out two pieces of beef jerky, and shouted, "Xingzi, have some food."

Xingxing drove the cart over.

Mr. Qian said, "I’ll test you, ’Though the phoenix feather is beautiful, what does it become when it falls to the ground?’ Guess this two-character lantern riddle, if you can guess..."

Exhausted by life’s pressures, Xingxing had lost all hope and hadn’t been listening for the answer, he directly replied:

"Chicken feather!"

Mr. Qian was greatly shocked, grabbing Xingxing’s shoulder with a trembling voice, "Genius, you’re simply a genius!"

Xingxing looked at the crazed Mr. Qian, terrified, the river dam was too scary! He desperately wanted to go home!

...

Beside the bonfire at the rural tourism site.

"Bamboo rat, it’s okay, tastes like rabbit meat, not as tough as rabbit meat." The person spoke indifferently, seemingly unimpressed.

Wang Yong learned that this junior was going to enter Class Eight in the future, feeling slightly excited. His grandfather always said, ’There are three iron bonds in life, going through war together, attending the same school, and...’

And the factions in Class Eight were distinct, with only a year and a half of high school left. By then, this junior would certainly connect with him, providing possibly greater support than Zhuang Jianhui.

Wang Yong immediately agreed, "Yes, I had Boss Yang stew a country chicken today, it’s definitely a different taste!"

The person continued, "It’s a pity, Shuyan isn’t here."

At the mention of her name, Zhuang Jianhui’s tone was wistful, "She might not like the river dam."