Chapter 174: A Seafood Feast

Scraping seaweed looked simple, but the actual yield was low.

What they scraped still had to be rinsed and sorted; after the whole process, there was even less usable seaweed.

Fortunately, this seaweed was for medicine—if it were for food, everyone would’ve lost patience spending half the day for such a small harvest.

After resting, Jian Mo’s group went back into the sea to scrape.

Some of the big fish drifted away, and new ones arrived.

Jian Mo noticed that only the slow-swimming fish carried seaweed suitable for medicine.

While catching his breath on shore, he asked Xing Jiu, panting, “How did you discover this seaweed was medicinal?”

Xing Jiu: “No idea—probably by chance. Anyway, it’s in the prescriptions passed down. We’ve used it for at least a few hundred years.”

Jian Mo couldn’t help saying, “Having a lineage of knowledge is wonderful.”

Xing Jiu: “You’ll have a lineage on your side too.”

Jian Mo: “True. We even have classes now. When winter slows things down, I’ll teach people to read and take on students. Little by little, knowledge will be passed on.”

Xing Jiu gave a thumbs-up. “Great ambition. My teacher trained many students. I’m the youngest; the others have all graduated.”

Jian Mo nodded. “Those who came to observe the other day were Doctor Xing Yi’s students, right?”

Xing Jiu: “Yes. I thought you hadn’t noticed. They were my teacher’s former students and have gone back to their tribes.”

They chatted a bit, ate a little, then hurried back into the water to gather medicine.

Just before they dove, Xing Jiu explained, “These fish only come here during this period. You won’t see them the rest of the year.”

Wu Jiong: “Fish in the sea migrate too?”

Jian Mo glanced at Wu Jiong and smiled. “They do. Sea temperatures change with the seasons, and fish follow the temperatures. When certain schools move, the fish that feed on them move as well.”

Xing Jiu, listening on the side, marveled, “Doctor Jian Mo, you really know a lot.”

Jian Mo: “Maybe because I went to school for over ten years?”

Xing Jiu struggled to picture it. “It takes that long to ‘graduate’?”

Jian Mo laughed. “Where I’m from, yes.”

After a few words, they dove again and continued scraping seaweed from the big fish.

While Jian Mo was focused on the work, he suddenly heard a few odd calls.

The seawater muffled the sound, so it wasn’t clear.

A few seconds later, he instinctively looked up—and saw a big backside: it was Chirchirp.

Chirchirp and Ying’ao had somehow come over and were floating on the surface right above them.

Chirchirp dunked its big head in the water to look at them and even tried to dive down to find them.

Seeing that, Jian Mo waved frantically for Chirchirp to stay back.

Everyone here was in human form scraping seaweed; with how large Chirchirp and Ying’ao were in beast form, if they plunged down, the big fish might get spooked and flee.

Chirchirp was very excited. Whether it didn’t understand Jian Mo’s gestures or just refused to listen, it wiggled its rear and was about to plunge.

Steady-tempered Ying’ao clamped Chirchirp’s wing in its beak and wouldn’t let it move.

Chirchirp twisted a couple of times but couldn’t break free, so it had to stop.

Jian Mo surfaced, paddling over. “Chirchirp, what are you two doing here?”

Chirchirp rubbed its wet head against him. “Cheep.”

Its eyes were big and bright—adorable even with its feathers plastered down.

Jian Mo couldn’t resist rubbing its cheek.

Chirchirp glanced at him, then tugged his sleeve, inviting him onto its back. “Cheep.”

Jian Mo obliged, flipping onto its back and sitting there to talk.

Chirchirp was a strong swimmer; with its wings tucked, it floated like a little boat.

Jian Mo didn’t have to tense up to keep himself afloat—much more comfortable.

Seeing Chirchirp arrive, Wu Jiong also surfaced.

Chirchirp, fair as ever, tugged Wu Jiong’s sleeve too, its big round eyes urging him to climb on.

Jian Mo cupped Chirchirp’s chubby jowls. “Why are you so thoughtful, huh?”

Chirchirp grinned, tongue out. “Cheep.”

Hearing the commotion, the others surfaced as well.

Chirchirp wasn’t aquatic; it couldn’t carry too many riders. No one wanted to crowd its back.

Still, having something to lean on was far nicer than bobbing on their own in the sea—everyone was pleased.

Xing Jiu said, “Chirchirp really is considerate! Where did you find a flying beast this sweet?”

Jian Mo smiled. “Fate.”

He told the story of how they met Chirchirp.

Xing Jiu was even more impressed. “So Chirchirp was a wild flying beast, and you still raised it to be this well-behaved. It’s better behaved than some house-raised ones.”

Jian Mo patted Chirchirp. “Chirchirp is very good. Ying’ao too.”

At that, Ying’ao gave a pleased flap of its wings.

After resting on the surface a bit, they dove again to gather seaweed.

Chirchirp and Ying’ao drifted above.

Soon, the schools of fish below captivated Chirchirp. Like a big duck, it stuck its rear in the air and dove, trying to catch one.

Unfortunately, it was far too slow and had no technique. After much huffing and puffing, not a single fish.

Ying’ao couldn’t stand to watch. It dipped below and easily snagged a big fish.

Chirchirp sidled over, snatched the fish out of Ying’ao’s mouth, and pretended it had caught it.

The fish thrashed, smacking Chirchirp several times with its tail—not that it cared.

When Jian Mo and the others surfaced, Chirchirp pushed its big head over, fish clamped in beak, to show off. “Cheep!”

Jian Mo laughed. “I saw it—Ying’ao caught that one. Don’t act cute.”

Chirchirp: “Cheep!”

Whoever had caught it, the fish was in its mouth now—and that meant it was its fish.

People from the Chuxing Tribe said, “Chirchirp likes fish? How about shellfish?”

Jian Mo: “If it’s tasty, it likes it.”

They grinned. “There are some big, fat shellfish down below. Let’s fetch a few.”

With baskets in hand, everyone dove and soon came up with plump shellfish.

Jian Mo wondered if the creatures here were just bigger because the locals’ beast forms were larger than on Earth.

Some of the shellfish were the size of washbasins.

Through the gap in the shells he could see the pale yellow, thick flesh inside—mouthwatering.

After gathering for a while, they surfaced to breathe. “I just saw some giant crabs. Give me a second—I’m going back for one.”

“Hey, I saw them too. I’ll come with you.”

“Chirchirp really is a lucky star. I’ve come here plenty of times—first time I’ve seen crabs that big.”

Jian Mo blinked, puzzled. “There are crabs down there?”

“Yeah—by the reef. Maybe they blend with the rock color and you missed them.”

“There are arm shrimp too. I spotted several.”

“Honestly, today’s haul is terrific. I’m going back down now—if we rest any longer, they’ll get away.”

With that, one person dove—and everyone followed, determined to bring up their targets.

The water here was fairly deep. Each dive was seven or eight meters. Even for beastmen and sub-beastmen, diving and catching prey in those conditions was exhausting.

Luckily, the harvest was rich.

Before long, they surfaced clutching washbasin-sized crabs, arm-length shrimp, and strange, oversized sea urchins.

“Great catch today. These crabs are delicious—meat sweet and firm.”

“The shrimp too—excellent raw or cooked.”

“And these sea urchins are top-tier. Best kind around here.”

Talking about it made everyone hungrier. They stopped scraping seaweed and called it quits, eager to head back and cook the seafood while fresh.

It was getting late; Xing Jiu and Jian Mo had no objections.

They went ashore. The beastmen shifted to beast form to carry the sub-beastmen back.

Wu Jiong was about to turn into the giant wolf, but Chirchirp and Ying’ao wouldn’t allow it—they insisted on carrying the two of them.

Xing Jiu glanced over. “Your flying beasts are awfully clingy.”

Jian Mo: “Maybe because it’s an unfamiliar place and they’re a bit short on security.”

Xing Jiu sighed. “You’re basically raising kids.”

With the seafood still twitching in the baskets, they didn’t linger in conversation and hurried back to the tribe.

When they reached the Chuxing Tribe, the young beastmen and sub-beastmen couldn’t wait. They hauled out stone slabs and firewood to grill right outside Jian Mo’s temporary lodgings.

“Fresh seafood like this—just grill it and it’s amazing.”

“Doctor Jian Mo, Chief Wu Jiong, relax and let us handle it. We’re veterans at seafood.”

“What kind of sauce do you want? We’ve got a sour-salty one and a rich, aromatic one.”

Jian Mo answered quickly, “The sour-salty sauce is perfect.”

The Chuxing Tribe liked a sour-salty fruit paste, similar to a plum sauce, with a distinctive aroma. Mixed with other fresh spices, it made a great dipping sauce.

Jian Mo really liked it, especially the spicy kick from a local seasoning in the sauce.

Their “spice” wasn’t chili but a plant called hot-grass, milder than chili peppers but tasty in its own right.

Everyone answered in unison and soon called them over to eat.

The crabs and arm shrimp were split in half; the shells held their plump meats. These bountiful treats were set directly on hot stone slabs over coals to grill.

They started with sea urchin—the local “sea-spine balls.” Incredibly sweet and fresh, and with the sauce, not a hint of brine.

Jian Mo tasted a piece. The tender urchin practically melted on his tongue. He couldn’t help closing his eyes. “So good.”

Chirchirp leaned its big head over, mouth open. “Cheep-cheep!”

Jian Mo hurried a piece into its beak. “Don’t rush.”

Chirchirp, having tasted sauce-dipped urchin, gave a satisfied, “Cheep!”

Beside them, Wu Jiong fed Ying’ao. “Slow down.”

Watching them, Xing Jiu was amazed. “Now I get why your flying beasts are so attached to you. It’s not just because they’re well-behaved.”

Jian Mo stroked Chirchirp’s still-damp feathers and smiled. “Mostly because they are well-behaved.”

Chirchirp chimed in loudly at his side: “Cheep!”