Chapter 619 - 389: Anxiety Over No News

Chapter 619: Chapter 389: Anxiety Over No News

Just as he was about to wet the towel to wash his face, he saw a dozen or so small fish swimming back and forth in the stream about two meters ahead.

After staring at the fish in the stream for a few seconds, Lin Li stood up and picked up a palm-sized rock from the bank.

He took a deep breath...

...and as he exhaled, Lin Li forcefully threw the palm-sized rock in his hand toward the fish.

THUD...

SPLASH...

The rock crashed into the stream, immediately kicking up a sizable splash.

The small fish swimming in the stream were stunned by the commotion from the sudden impact and splash. One by one, they floated to the surface and drifted downstream.

"Done."

A joyful smile appeared on Lin Li’s face as he looked at his handiwork. He rolled up his pant legs, took off his shoes, and waded barefoot into the stream, quickly chasing after the small fish drifting downstream.

"One, two, three..."

Lin Li scooped up all twelve small fish. When he got back to the bank, he happened to see Su Yue emerging from the tent, yawning.

With her hair a bit messy and her eyes still heavy with sleep, Su Yue looked adorably dorky—a stark contrast to her usual ever-changing looks, which ranged from mischievous to poised and elegant.

"Lin Li, good morning!"

Yawning, Su Yue noticed Lin Li watching her and quickly greeted him, her dorky expression vanishing.

"Morning," Lin Li said with a smile. "If you’re still sleepy, you can sleep a little longer. No need to get up in such a hurry."

"I’m a little hungry, so I couldn’t sleep," Su Yue said, her gaze then falling on the dozen or so small fish cupped in Lin Li’s hands.

"I just caught these from the stream," Lin Li said.

"We didn’t bring any fishing gear. How’d you catch them?" Su Yue asked curiously.

"You don’t need fishing gear. A rock from the ground is all it takes."

"A rock?"

"Yeah! Just throw a rock into the water with enough force to stun them, and you can just grab them," Lin Li explained.

"Oh, I see! Catching fish just by throwing a rock... you’re pretty amazing." Su Yue nodded. "I’m going to wash up first. Later, I’ll use these fish you caught to make some fish congee."

"Okay." Lin Li placed the dozen or so fish from his hands into a small basin, then returned to the stream to finish washing his face.

Su Yue came to the stream with her toothbrush and cup. She squatted down and scooped a cupful of water from the stream.

Just as she was about to brush her teeth, Lin Li, having finished washing his face, glanced at the right foot she had sprained last night and asked, "Does the sprain from yesterday still hurt?"

"It’s all better. Doesn’t hurt at all. Your massage yesterday worked wonders!" Su Yue said with a smile, then started brushing her teeth.

"I’ll go clean the fish so they’ll be ready to use," Lin Li said before he left, packing up his toiletries and heading back to the campsite from the stream.

"Mhm," Su Yue nodded, still brushing her teeth.

As the sun continued to rise, the mist lingering in the mountain forest gradually dispersed.

By the clear stream, one after another, the human campsites began to light fires and cook.

Wisps of smoke curled into the air. Tempting aromas wafted from each campsite, and when a sudden gust of wind blew, the savory scents could travel hundreds of meters.

BUBBLE, BUBBLE, BUBBLE...

The campfire blazed under the hanging pot. Inside, the fish congee bubbled away, making a pleasant sound. The tantalizing aroma made one’s mouth water, making it hard not to swallow.

Su Yue neatened her messy hair, tying it into a ponytail. Holding a small ladle, she scooped up a little of the fish congee, poured it into a bowl, and tasted it for saltiness.

"The seasoning is just right. It’s ready," Su Yue said with a smile, turning to look at the eagerly waiting Lin Li standing beside her.

"Okay."

"Go get the bowls."

"Alright."

Lin Li turned, walked to the small table, grabbed two bowls, and returned to Su Yue’s side, handing them to her.

"Here." Su Yue ladled a large, full bowl of fish congee for Lin Li. Taking the fragrant congee, Lin Li eagerly took a small bite. The delicious flavor made his eyes light up, and a blissful smile spread across his face.

Seeing the blissful smile on Lin Li’s face, her own lips couldn’t help but curve into a captivating smile.

In front of the small table, the two sat on small folding stools, chatting idly while sipping the fragrant fish congee.

"After breakfast, are we packing up and heading home?" Lin Li asked. Then he picked up a vacuum-packed braised duck leg from in front of him, tore it open, and took a large bite.

The side effect of his appetite increasing after eating the Magical Little Fruit was still present. Although the fish congee was delicious, it alone wasn’t filling enough; he had to eat some meat.

"Let’s not rush back. We got here yesterday and by the time we set up the tent, it was already dark. We haven’t even looked around yet.

"After breakfast, let’s go climb that small mountain over there. We can have lunch back at the campsite afterward, and then we’ll head home..." Su Yue said, pointing to a small mountain three or four hundred meters high in front of them.

"Okay." Lin Li could go back anytime, as he had plenty of time. Since Su Yue wanted to climb the mountain after breakfast, he was fine with that.

Afterward, the two of them finished their breakfast and cleaned up the pots and pans.

Before setting off, they ran into a problem: they definitely couldn’t bring too much stuff with them on a hike.

If they both left the campsite to go hiking, what would they do about all their things left unguarded?

’It’s a shame I can’t just pack everything into the Mysterious Small Island in front of Su Yue,’ Lin Li thought to himself. ’Now I’ll have to waste time moving all this stuff back to the car...’

"As for our things, we can just put them in the tent. I doubt anyone would steal from us," Su Yue said, pointing to some other campers a short distance away.

"Look at those people. They’re probably heading for that mountain too. They packed their stuff, put it in their tent, and then set off."

Lin Li followed her finger and saw that she was right.

In the distance, several other groups of campers had indeed packed up their gear, stored it in their tents, and were now starting to walk in their direction.

"Let’s get ready and go too!" Su Yue said. She started packing up some of the camping equipment and putting it into the tent. Seeing this, Lin Li also began to help.

A few moments later, Lin Li and Su Yue had packed everything up and put it in the tent.

Each with a backpack containing some food and water, they started to follow the other hikers who were already heading toward the small mountain.

...

The sun rose, its golden rays shining through the glass and into the living room.

The beautiful woman in the slip dress hadn’t slept all night. Her eyes were a little red, and she didn’t look well.

’Why isn’t he back yet?’

She had just tried calling Liu Menglong several more times, but the calls went to a "not in service area" message.

’Did something really happen to him?’

The worried woman in the slip dress didn’t know what to do. Suddenly, a flash of Spiritual Light went off in her mind, and she thought of a way to verify whether something had happened to Liu Menglong.

She picked up her phone and immediately dialed Zhu Daqi’s number.

DRING DRING...

Zhu Daqi was just about to head out for breakfast when he heard his phone ringing in his pocket. He pulled it out and glanced at the screen.

’Why is Yan calling me again?’

He answered the call.

"Hello."

"Zhu Daqi, get over here right now."

"Huh?"

"What ’huh’? Get over here now."

"Yes." Zhu Daqi nodded. Then, as he opened the door to his home and stepped out, he asked the beautiful woman in the slip dress, who was still on the line.

"Yan, is there something you need me for?"

"I’ll tell you when you get here."

"Alright."

Hanging up, a bewildered Zhu Daqi put his phone away and went downstairs.

VROOOM...

A black sedan drove out of the residential complex. The driver, Zhu Daqi, saw a breakfast cart by the side of the road and immediately pulled up in front of it.

"Boss, give me three steamed buns and a cup of soy milk," Zhu Daqi said, rolling down his window.

"You got it."

After taking the breakfast from the vendor and paying, Zhu Daqi started the car while eating.

...