The barrage comments at first glance seemed rather nonsensical, but upon closer reflection, it became clear that the viewer was commenting on the fans who had previously shipped Hu Li and Jing Li together as a couple.
Seeing the wealthy fan’s serious declaration, the other fans in the livestream room immediately burst into laughter.
“So this rich fan didn’t even change their username, and they came in dropping all these torpedoes just for this? Hahaha, this is too cute!”
“Yes, yes, if you say they can’t, then they can’t. So, local tyrant, can we be friends?”
“What they said is true, though. From a species perspective, foxes and fish are natural enemies. It’s already a good thing if the fox doesn’t eat the fish, hahaha……”
……
The livestream room’s attention was immediately drawn to this suddenly appearing rich fan, and the barrage comments were instantly filled with laughter.
After finally suppressing those annoying comments, Gu Tingshen, the local tyrant, finally managed to calm his expression slightly. He then exited the livestream room and prepared to board his flight.
Secretary Qin watched with a twitching mouth. Earlier, when President Gu suddenly asked him with a dark expression if there was a way to suppress the comments he disliked in the livestream room, he thought something major had happened. Little did he expect……
So his boss had become a fan of Jing Shao too?
But wasn’t his reaction a bit too extreme? Even koi fans didn’t react this strongly.
Could it be because of his close relationship with Jing Shao?
Secretary Qin always felt something was off about President Gu’s attitude toward Jing Li, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. For the time being, he could only suppress his doubts and hurry to follow.
*
Hu Li rested for a while before getting up and going out with Su Mengran to search for food, while Ling Mei and Hu Feifei also got up and went to gather dry kindling from the surroundings.
Only Jing Li was left behind.
However, Jing Li didn’t idle either. Since they were in a forest, the resting area was littered with dead branches and leaves, which needed to be cleared to prevent potential fire hazards and make it easier to cook later.
Besides, dead branches and leaves were excellent fire starters, so Jing Li gathered them into a pile while waiting for the two female guests to return with the kindling before starting a fire.
After clearing the area they would be using, Jing Li glanced around the quiet forest, estimating it would take the two female guests some time to return, and decided to look around for any clues left behind by the crew.
This area was considered the center of the forest. It was surrounded by trees that looked similar in size and thickness. There were no distinguishing markers that could serve as a reference point, so an ordinary person would easily get lost wandering inside.
However, as a spirit, such challenges were hardly difficult for Jing Li. He could successfully find his way back simply by following the scent trails. But since this was a live broadcast show, he still casually made small marks on the tree trunks he passed to remain inconspicuous.
He continued deeper into the forest, where the trees became increasingly dense, and the light grew dimmer. Stepping over the thickening layer of dead branches, Jing Li had not spotted any markings related to the crew when he was about to turn back. Suddenly, something flickering caught his eye, causing him to squint.
After adjusting his vision and turning his head, he saw a colorful card hanging in the air behind him. The previous flicker was caused by the sunlight reflecting off the card’s surface.
“Ah, is that a clue left by the crew?” Jing Li walked towards the card’s direction and, sure enough, saw the distinctive logo of ‘Ultimate Survival Challenge’ on the card’s cover once he was underneath it.
“Hanging at such a height, who would have noticed it if the sunlight hadn’t reflected off it just now?” Jing Li couldn’t help but comment on the crew’s approach. He then looked up at the card, which was at least half his height above him, gestured with his hand, and couldn’t resist laughing out loud. “How am I supposed to reach that high? Is the director trying to make us showcase our bizarre tree-climbing skills?”
Although he said that, he still approached the tree where the card hung and attempted to climb it.
However, how could a fish possibly develop the climbing abilities of a monkey, especially on such a straight and slippery trunk?
After several failed attempts to climb the tree, Jing Li had no choice but to give up. He then searched the surroundings for a thick, long branch and stripped off the excess twigs and leaves, leaving only the forked end. He intended to use it to knock the card down.
But this task was also quite challenging. Despite multiple attempts, Jing Li couldn’t succeed until the rope holding the card eventually became entangled on the forked branch, allowing him to pull it down.
Perhaps due to excessive force, the entire branch shook when he tugged the rope down.
Jing Li tossed the forked branch aside and bent down to pick up the card on the ground. Suddenly, he sensed the flapping of wings in the air and looked up to see a pheasant plummeting from above, crashing heavily in front of him. The impact seemed too great as the pheasant struggled for a few moments before lying motionless, seemingly knocked unconscious.
Jing Li: “……”
With a baffled expression, Jing Li looked down at the motionless chicken and then up at the height from where it had fallen.
“It was probably knocked down when I pulled the card,” he calmly explained with a slight smile. He then approached the chicken, lifted it, and remarked, “It’s quite heavy, but it’ll make a good addition to our meal.”
With those words, he casually picked up the card from the ground and headed back.
In the livestream room, the viewers watching this scene were not as calm as Jing Li.
“What the hell? That actually worked?”
“Hahaha, I just came from Hu Li’s side. The two of them had just reached the shore to try fishing, but pheasants were already falling from the sky on Jing Li’s side?”
“What insane luck is that?! The other guests must be jealous when they see this.”
“Erm, to be honest, I’m starting to believe the rumors about Jing Li being a koi.”
“Same here, fellow beauty.”
“I remember someone previously posted about receiving good luck after being blessed by Jing Li? Could the koi theory be true?”
“Yeah, I vaguely recall that post too.”
……
As this comment appeared, countless netizens began discussing Jing Li’s supposed koi physique, and the previously mentioned post about being blessed was dug up, causing a small surge of attention on Weibo.
However, most of it was still meant as jokes, so the majority didn’t take it too seriously.
The only exception was Gu Tingshen, who couldn’t resist opening the livestream after boarding his flight. Seeing the comments, his gaze deepened.
Koi physique, his blessings bring others good luck?
Gu Tingshen suddenly recalled the white orb of light he saw when Jing Li blessed him previously, as well as the red wisps of light when Jing Li mentioned Guan Chi at the Jing’s restaurant.
Recalling the rich moisture scent surrounding the white orb and the water-based attack Jing Li used against that tree spirit in the security footage…
…At that moment, an unrealistic guess flashed through his mind.
*
Of course, Jing Li was oblivious to the events unfolding online. Carrying the pheasant, he followed his markings back to the resting area. From afar, he saw that Hu Feifei and Ling Mei had returned and were huddled together, fiddling with something.
“You two are back so soon?” he greeted them with a smile. Ling Mei looked up at him excitedly, “Where did you go? Come look at what we found while gathering kindling – fresh mushrooms and honey!”
“What a coincidence.” Jing Li couldn’t help but smile as well, holding up the dangling pheasant. “And I managed to get a pheasant, so we can make beggar’s chicken later.”
“What do you mean you ‘got’ a pheasant?” Ling Mei gave him an amused look, about to tease him, but then her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the pheasant. “Where did you get that from? It’s huge! By yourself?!”
“Don’t tell me you just stood there, and a pheasant fell from the sky and died right in front of you,” Ling Mei joked as she approached Jing Li.
While not exactly dead, that was pretty close to what happened.
“Maybe just luck?” Jing Li smiled and raised his eyebrows, then lifted the pheasant higher for her to inspect more closely.
At that moment, as if having regained its strength, the pheasant suddenly flapped its wings, causing Ling Mei to let out a startled shriek.
Jing Li quickly pulled the pheasant away and asked if she was scratched.
“No scratches, but…” Ling Mei patted her chest, still rattled. “I didn’t expect it was alive and got a huge fright!”
She then eyed the pheasant in his hands with a worried expression. “But what do we do with a live pheasant? Does anyone here know how to slaughter it?”
Hu Feifei, who had run over upon hearing the commotion, paused before glancing at the two. “Why don’t you hand the chicken over to me? I used to do this a lot back home, so I have some experience.”
“Feifei, you can slaughter chickens?” Ling Mei looked at her in surprise before Jing Li could respond.
Her reaction was understandable, as Hu Feifei had always appeared timid and meek, speaking so softly. Yet now she claimed to frequently slaughter chickens at home?!
“Yeah, my family used to run a farmhouse. Sometimes when they were busy, they’d have us help out,” Hu Feifei explained shyly. Probably because Ling Mei’s tone was too surprised, Hu Feifei was also a little embarrassed. “After doing it many times, you pick it up.”
She then stole a glance at Jing Li before quickly averting her gaze when he looked over.
Hearing her explanation, Ling Mei didn’t comment further.
“We can discuss it later.” Jing Li gave Hu Feifei a glance but didn’t hand her the pheasant, smiling faintly. “With three grown men here, how can we let a young lady do the slaughtering?”
As he spoke, he turned to leave while carrying the pheasant.
However, Hu Feifei stopped him before he could go far.
“It’s okay.” She glanced cautiously at Jing Li’s expression before quickly lowering her head. “I just want to do whatever I can to contribute, and since Hu Li and the others are still out at sea… haven’t returned yet, there’s really nothing much to do while waiting.”
Sea?
Keenly detecting the subtle pause in her phrasing, Jing Li’s eyes narrowed slightly, a flicker of an unreadable chill passing through his depths.
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