My experience of grinding in another world

Chapter 29 Medicated Bait
evening.

Chen Mu carried the two fish home with a frown.

He happened to run into a fisherman in the East Market and managed to steal two fish by spending 140 copper coins.

Then a wealthy family's steward appeared and bought all the fish, basket and all.

He couldn't buy more even if he wanted to.

Two fish aren't enough.

Chen Mu was distressed.

He completely ate all the cured meat he had stored in the cellar.

They can only get protein from eggs every day.

The Body Refinement Technique is very energy-consuming; eggs alone cannot sustain it.

We need to find a way to get some meat to eat.

……

The back mountain of Chenjia Village.

The dense forest was filled with a faint smell of dampness mixed with decaying branches and leaves.

Sunlight filters through the leaves, casting dappled patterns of light and shadow on the ground.

A glistening drop of water fell from a green leaf and landed in a puddle the size of a palm.

puff!

A large foot stepped into a puddle, and the muddy water splashed everywhere.

Chen Mu looked around at the path, used his machete to cut through the branches and leaves blocking his way, and continued walking into the woods.

He had spent the whole morning wandering around the back mountain of Chenjia Village, hoping to hunt some game to supplement his meat supply.

Due to nutritional deficiencies, the daily limit on the number of times one can practice skills has begun to decrease.

"It's a pity they don't know how to hunt."

Experienced hunters can identify animal trails and know the general range of activity for various prey.

Chen Mu knew nothing and went into the mountains purely by chance.

I thought that once I entered the mountains, I would soon encounter prey.

Unfortunately, he wasn't destined to be a protagonist.

We can only search for it by wandering around in the mountains.

"If only we could run into a wild boar."

With his current level three throwing ability, combined with the spiral iron lotus seed, he could easily catch the wild boar.

In the evening, Chen Mu returned to the hunter's cabin carrying an unidentified bird about the size of two fists.

The hair was plucked and the dirt was removed with a reluctant expression.

After a flurry of activity, it was all gone in just a few bites.

If he hadn't brought dry rations, he might have gone hungry!
"I refuse to believe it. Let's continue tomorrow!"

……

Two days later.

Chen Mu left Chenjia Village carrying a basket of thousand-beard grass and two wild rabbits.

He accepted his fate.

After two days of hunting, the prey they caught was still not enough to eat.

The two wild rabbits in my hand were bought from the village hunter!

Nothing is ever that simple.

Chen Mu thought dejectedly.

"If that doesn't work, find a hunter to learn from for two months."

He is skilled and not afraid to learn new skills.

But two months is enough time for him to master the Form Refining Technique to the Bone Transformation Realm.

Chen Mu hesitated for a moment.

We passed a small river along the way.

As I walked on the bridge, I saw a fisherman on the riverbank. I immediately went over to him.

I wanted to buy some fish, but I ran into a loser.

How dare you, a mere fisherman, go short?!

If you can't catch any fish, throw a gunpowder bottle at them!

Chen Mu left with a disappointed look on his face.

Walking down the street, Chen Mu suddenly had a whimsical idea.

"If you can't catch fish, you can not only use explosives, but also poison!"

He's a skilled pharmaceutical expert!
After just a little thought, a plan vaguely came to mind.

Chen Mu ran home excitedly.

In the past two weeks, his pharmaceutical skills have reached a proficiency level of over 8,000.

If I grit my teeth and dedicate more time to the crafting technique, I'll be able to break through to the second tier soon.

Second-tier skills undergo a qualitative change.

That vague plan might just become clearer.

It would only take three to five days, which he could easily afford.

……

Next came the familiar part.

Chen Mu stayed home and read through those dozens of medical books from beginning to end again.

He went out for a short while and spent five taels of silver to buy several new medical books through Jie Jia's connections. Five days later, Chen Mu closed the last medical book.

A series of sudden realizations appeared in my mind.

The properties of various drugs, how to enhance certain drug properties, how to weaken certain toxicities, and how to mix them to produce new functions.

Even the secret medicine for the Red Falcon Form Refining Technique, which had been a mystery to them, had begun to reveal some clues.

"This time it's really done."

……

Two days later, Chen Mu arrived at the Bailang River outside Qingshan County, carrying a large bamboo basket and a wine jar.

They arrived at a deep bend in the water, familiar with the area.

He has already placed special bait here over the past two days.

The purpose is to attract more fish to come here to feed.

He opened the wine jar he had been holding in his arms.

They poured a secret-recipe drunken bait, mixed with alcohol, medicine, and cooked white wheat, into the river.

This intoxicating bait was a secret medicine he created using his second-tier pharmaceutical technique.

It can quickly intoxicate fish without killing them.

It will not cause any toxic side effects if consumed by humans.

Fifteen minutes later, a layer of fish with their white bellies turned up floated on the surface of this deep river bend.

"Haha, let's fish!"

Chen Mu grabbed the long pole and net he had prepared beforehand and got to work.

They only stopped when the large bamboo basket could no longer hold it all.

There were still many fish on the surface of the water, and they were all thrashing and splashing around like they were drunk.

"I should have brought an extra bamboo basket," Chen Mu thought with a regretful expression.

Fortunately, these fish will not die.

Once they recover, they'll be jumping around again.

Chen Mu packed up his things, sealed the bamboo basket tightly, and excitedly returned to the city with the basket on his back.

……

Ping An Fang, Chen Family.

It was only then that Chen Mu realized he had forgotten something.

How is he supposed to store so many fish?
Even if I wanted to keep him, I don't have a fish tank.

Moreover, the journey back from the river was quite long, and half a basket of fish had already died.

If not dealt with promptly, it will soon become foul-smelling and rotten!
"A miscalculation, a miscalculation, we didn't think things through."

Without thinking twice, Chen Mu immediately cleared out the rice container.

Release the still-living fish into the water to raise them.

The dead fish were quickly gutted, scaled, cleaned, marinated, and smoked. He wanted to make these fish into smoked dried fish to extend their shelf life.

After a lot of work, it's finally all sorted out.

“I don’t know if it will work.”

It was his first time making smoked fish, and he was very unsure of himself.

……

The next day, Chen Mu smelled the strong, fishy odor of salted fish and looked dejected.

"It failed."

He has already tried his best.

Unfortunately, my cooking skills are only at a first-level, so I can't help with the smoked fish.

Fortunately, there were still a few live fish left.

A water tank has been added next to the rice tank.

There were quite a few fish swimming in both tanks filled with water.

"We need to buy a few more water tanks."

Smoked dried fish doesn't seem very reliable at the moment.

The best way to store it is to keep it in good condition for now.

"What should we do with these fish? Throw them away?" Chen Mu asked, looking at the half-finished smoked fish hanging on the wooden rack.

"I wonder if anyone in the East Market wants him?"

Although it had a slightly fishy smell, it had been preserved with spices and coarse salt and had not completely spoiled.

In fact, if placed in a windy spot, it can dry very quickly and become real dried salted fish.

Unfortunately, Chen Mu's family situation was clearly not among these categories.

……

The street vendors in Dongshi.

Chen Mu wore a straw hat and an old brown shirt.

Her face was also covered with a face mask.

He also applied a medicine to the skin on the back of his hands and neck, turning it reddish-brown.

He was dressed like a fisherman who had been exposed to the elements.

I found a shady corner, opened the fish basket, and let out a loud roar.

"Smoked salted fish, thirty copper coins each, first come, first served!"

(End of this chapter)