Chapter 10, The Submerged Territory

Unexpectedly, the flesh of this large fish is not very fishy, and the meat is truly tender. To say that it leaves a lingering fragrance is an exaggeration, but it is definitely much more delicious than the dark, dry rations.

In the previously tranquil ditch, torrents of floodwaters are surging, and several sections of the wheat fields on this side of the hill have been breached in over a dozen places, while the wheat fields to the north of the hill are in somewhat better condition

However, this time, Li Siwen still intended to eat it raw; he absolutely would not resort to any tricks like rubbing sticks to make fire until the very last moment, as that would be tantamount to suicide

Without considering anything else, he directly used his hoe to scrape off the scales of the large fish, selecting the most tender parts of the fish meat, and proceeded to devour it voraciously

It is too simple; the river water has risen dramatically, causing many large and small fish to be washed ashore. As the water level recedes, the small fish may be able to escape, but the large fish are essentially unable to do so

By that time, even farmers will be able to catch a few fish; this logic is sound, isn't it

For some reason, this scene suddenly felt very amusing, and a lively atmosphere filled the space between heaven and earth

In an instant, within Li Siwen's attribute panel, a thick beam of yellow light flashed by, and surprisingly, the soul value within the yellow orb was filled to half its capacity

Li Siwen's face had turned a bluish hue from the cold, and his whole body was shivering, resembling a quail more than a person.

First hit!

Li Siwen ate his fill in one go, and only then did he horrifically realize that apart from the fish head, fish tail, internal organs, and bones, all the other fish meat had been completely consumed by him

How could Li Siwen let it go? He chased after it, relentlessly striking down with ferocity. At some point, the iron shovel disappeared without a trace, leaving only a wooden handle. However, he did not care; instead, he became even more fierce, gritting his teeth and jabbing the wooden handle into the body of the large fish.

By the time he dragged the dozens of pounds of fish up to the hill, Li Siwen's stamina had dropped a little more. Now, he was left with only a bit of stamina, having reached a state of utmost danger

Standing by the water's edge, he measured the water depth with a hoe every ten minutes or so, his gaze fixed on the surface like that of a hawk, discerning what lay beneath from the slightest splash of water

What a fierce fish! Could it have transformed into a spirit?

He took off all his tattered clothes and wrung out the moisture; when the cold wind blew, it felt as if he were being sifted like chaff

The territory has already been lost, and this water will not recede in a short time. Looking at the horizon, although the sun is shining brightly, there are still quite a few accumulated dark clouds. It is uncertain whether it will rain again tonight. While there are makeshift shelters from the rain, the lack of food is truly life-threatening.

Without much thought, Li Siwen swung another hoe backhandedly, this time striking the large fish squarely on its back, instantly drawing blood; however, the hoe was also twisted and rendered useless.

He also did not forget to spread out his clothes to dry quickly, as this heavy rain had just fallen, and it was very likely that there would be more rain in the coming days. If he did not take advantage of this time to prepare, he might end up in trouble.

However, the situation may be even worse than that. After an hour of heavy rain, floodwaters surged into the large river to the west, causing the river to rise dramatically, overflowing its banks and directly flooding the surrounding areas on both sides.

The large fish, in pain, vigorously splashed the water and managed to escape quite quickly

However, what Li Siwen did not expect was that this big fish, after being attacked, immediately leaped and swung its tail, the powerful tail fin striking against his shoulder with such force that he stumbled back several steps, nearly sitting down in the muddy water

Fortunately, as the moisture on the surface of his body was blown dry and the sun peeked out from behind the clouds, Li Siwen felt as if he was about to be completely at ease; that warm sensation began to rapidly restore his strength

When did he suddenly develop such a terrifying appetite

However, due to the addition of a large pear, he restored 6 points of stamina, and combined with the original 8 points of stamina, he had a total of 14 points. In the torrential rain, he relied on these 14 points of stamina to hold on until now, averaging a consumption of 1 point of stamina every 10 minutes. Therefore, he still has 4 points of stamina left, and although this is in the red zone, it is actually quite good.

It turns out that no one has escaped this calamity

In other words, these seven farmers are now left with only half a life; if they catch a cold and develop a fever again, they fear they will not survive for more than three days

Gasping for breath, Li Siwen, disregarding his excitement, directly dragged the corpse of the large fish up the hill. The struggle and kill just now had consumed six points of his stamina, which was extremely thrilling

So when the river water receded to a depth of about fifty centimeters, and the standing water on the ground was reduced to only twenty to thirty centimeters, Li Siwen waded through the water, gripping a hoe, and charged out fiercely, striking down hard at a spot where the water was splashing.

Therefore, Li Siwen is now preparing weapons; he is reluctant to part with his own hoe, but he has no qualms about using the hoe of the deceased farmer.

The remaining two farmers surprisingly exhibit some vitality, but it is indeed a clever method for them to embrace each other like this

Where does food come from

Li Siwen and the other farmers had been hiding on the hillside, so they had not yet noticed the situation. At this moment, the heavy rain had ceased, and with renewed strength and spirit, he looked around and was taken aback. What he saw was an expanse of water, and in the territory about five to six hundred meters away, everything was submerged. Oh, that is not quite right; it was not completely submerged, but all the houses were half underwater, and he could faintly see a few figures helplessly and pitifully lying on the rooftops.

Nevertheless, that being said, Li Siwen still ran over to drag them out from under the big tree. These fellows are indeed quite lucky; the heavy rain just now had relatively few lightning strikes, otherwise they might have been struck by lightning.

Next, Li Siwen was also busy; he took a hoe and went to the water's edge to gather some floating firewood, spreading it out under the sun. He needed to make thorough preparations, for instance, what to do if the lord truly did not return.

The first four farmers were rendered speechless, trembling like newly hatched chicks

After basking in the warm sun for half an hour, Li Siwen's stamina had recovered to 80, but this was mainly because his stamina had not fallen to a dangerous level for his body, and the cold had not invaded his body. Therefore, he was able to recover as soon as he was exposed to the sun. In contrast, even if those seven farmers were to bask in the sun for an entire day, they would still be on the verge of collapse.

It is truly a strange occurrence when one does not hit the target; this large fish is at least 1 meter long, and its agility is significantly reduced in stagnant water that is less than 30 centimeters deep

The heavy rain lasted for a full hour, and regardless of where one sought shelter, the outcome was to be completely drenched.

After being poked dozens of times in one go, that big fish also escaped over a hundred meters before finally succumbing

As for the other seven farmers, Li Siwen had no time to manage them. He had 14 points of stamina, and it took him 10 points of stamina to remain unharmed. These farmers had already been weeding for a whole morning, and even after resting at noon, they would at most have 7 or 8 points of stamina. Under the pouring rain, their stamina would naturally be completely depleted. Without stamina to support them, they could only rely on their lives to endure.

Regardless, they will most likely survive, which is a good thing

He certainly cannot wait for the river water to completely recede and reveal the ground before catching fish, as that would delay the time until evening, introducing too many variables. Moreover, what if the lord happens to return? How would he explain this scene to him

The fifth farmer was cold all over, yet he had lost his breath. Li Siwen did not understand first aid, and even if he did, he would not dare to save him, so he could only drag him into the sunlight, doing what he could and leaving the rest to fate