Deep into the Marsh (Part 2)

Watt?

Are you guys here for a bath?

Obviously, nobody would take a bath in a swamp, and the people in the water were just a tribe living in this swampy area, the Water Chestnut Tribe.

The Water Chestnut Tribe doesn't have a large population, only a little over 50 people. At this moment, the Water Chestnut Tribe's Gathering Team was collecting their winter food reserves – water chestnuts. These are the nuts with a black, bullhead-shaped shell and white fruit inside.

Many people have eaten these, but few know that water chestnuts grow in water, especially in shallow swamps like this. Water chestnuts are high in starch and rich in protein, and they're easy to store after drying, which is why they are a staple food for the Water Chestnut Tribe.

At this moment, the Water Chestnut Tribe's Gathering Team was each holding a piece of driftwood and floating in the water. Everyone was working hard, flipping over the "aquatic plants" floating on the surface. They'd grab the leaves, turn them over, and several water chestnuts would appear on the roots of the "aquatic plants."

While they were busy enjoying their work, one of their own suddenly appeared in their line of sight. They saw a youth with his Hair Binding tied on top of his head and wearing a Bone Hairpin, floating on the water in a strange object, slowly drifting towards the "Death Forbidden Zone" that the Elder had mentioned.

Out of kindness, the leader of the Water Chestnut Tribe's Gathering Team, a young adult woman named Ling Cao, hurriedly shouted at Luo Chong, hoping he wouldn't continue drifting in that direction. Unfortunately, the youth couldn't understand her tribe's language.

All she saw in Luo Chong's eyes was surprise and curiosity.

In her urgency, Ling Cao quickly swam towards Luo Chong, shouting at him as she swam.

Luo Chong was completely bewildered, unsure who these people suddenly appearing in the water were, or what the woman swimming towards him wanted.

Just as Luo Chong was momentarily stunned, Ling Cao had already swum quickly to Luo Chong's boat like a fish. She grabbed Luo Chong's small boat with one hand and pointed at the patch of reeds where a lot of Rice was growing with the other, shouting. Her expression showed both anxiety and fear.

Seeing that the other party wasn't hostile towards him, Luo Chong felt relieved. However, looking at the woman's expression, it seemed like she didn't want him to go over there, as if there was some monster in that patch of reeds.

Luo Chong made gestures, opened his mouth and bared his teeth, and made claw shapes with both hands, mimicking a wild beast's roar, then pointed at the patch of reeds.

"Are there wild beasts in there?"

Ling Cao shook her head, pointed at Luo Chong, then pointed at that area, and then placed her hand on the water's surface, making a slow sinking motion.

"You go there, you'll sink."

Good! This gesture communication deserves full marks.

Oh, so it's a swampy area. That's fine, I'm prepared. What is there to be afraid of?

Luo Chong understood Ling Cao's meaning and was grateful for her kind warning, but since he was prepared, he still planned to go. The Rice was right in front of him; how could he turn back now?

Immediately, Luo Chong smiled at Ling Cao, indicating he was fine, then paddled his boat resolutely towards the reeds.

Ling Cao was startled and immediately shouted at Luo Chong again, but she didn't continue to swim forward. She could warn this stranger, but she couldn't help Luo Chong do anything. She had her own tribe and her own young children.

Ling Cao stared blankly at Luo Chong's back, then suddenly, her eyes widened in disbelief.

She saw the youth tie two board-like objects to the soles of his feet, then hug a square Rattan Shield as tall as himself, and then leisurely step onto that "Death Forbidden Zone."

Ling Cao gasped in surprise, having witnessed this scene firsthand.

"A god, it must be a god. That boy walked into the Death Forbidden Zone and didn't sink."

Along with Ling Cao's gasp in her tribe's native language, the members of the Water Chestnut Tribe's Gathering Team also turned their heads to look, and then all of them had expressions of wide-eyed disbelief.

It was known that these Death Forbidden Zones had been discovered after the tribe had lost countless lives exploring them. The Water Chestnut Tribe had never seen anyone who could walk in the Death Forbidden Zone without sinking to the bottom.

However, the seemingly relaxed Luo Chong knew his own situation. Walking in this swampy area was not as easy as it seemed.

Underneath the reeds was all thick mud. Although Luo Chong wouldn't sink with the flippers on his feet, the suction of the mud was very strong. Lifting his feet with each step required a great deal of effort.

Having no other choice, Luo Chong had to adopt the second plan: directly lay the Rattan Shield onto the mud in front of him, then step onto the Rattan Shield to get to the other side, and then put the Rattan Shield in front of him again, slowly and painstakingly moving towards the Rice step by step.

The people of the Water Chestnut Tribe seemed to understand what was happening now. The boy was stepping on that board each time to move forward, which is why he wasn't sinking into the mud. But this was still enough to surprise them, as no one had ever thought of this method before.

After expending a great deal of effort, Luo Chong finally arrived in front of the "reeds" that had Rice ears growing on them and observed them with great delight.

These Rice plants were mixed in with the marsh grass and reeds in the mud. If it weren't for the Rice ears growing on top, they would have been easily missed.

Each individual Rice plant was about two meters tall, the largest even taller than sorghum or corn. They stood firm against the wind and were highly buoyant. Each plant was covered in Rice ears over an inch long, with plump, full grains.

At this time, these Rice plants were just reaching maturity, with 95% of them already turning golden yellow, which was perfect for Luo Chong to harvest.

Taking out the Snakeskin Bag he had prepared beforehand, Luo Chong went at it with a frenzy, directly stripping off all the Rice ears he could reach in front of him and stuffing them all into the Snakeskin Bag.

Watching Luo Chong busily working in the "Death Forbidden Zone," Ling Cao no longer wasted time and quickly gathered water chestnuts with her tribespeople, occasionally turning her head to look in Luo Chong's direction, her eyes full of curiosity.

What is that man doing?

"Ling Cao, what is that person doing? Is he also gathering food? Is there food in the forbidden zone?" A girl who looked newly adult asked curiously.

Ling Cao frowned, a cold light flashing in her eyes, and sternly reprimanded, "Don't worry about so much. Even if there's food in the forbidden zone, it's not for us to take. Have you forgotten how your brother died?"

The girl was startled by Ling Cao's strict tone and immediately felt somewhat wronged, but then she suddenly remembered her brother, who had gotten stuck in the swamp trying to get bird nests, and tears streamed down her face uncontrollably.

That day, they went to gather food together. Her brother saw many bird nests on the marshy ground, and the bird eggs inside were large and round. The girl's brother walked towards the marshy ground with a smile, saying he would get some bird eggs for his sister to have a treat.

But when he walked onto the marshy ground, he suddenly sank. The mud instantly went past the boy's waist. The boy panicked, struggling desperately while calling out to his sister for help, but the girl was pulled back by several tribespeople, watching helplessly as her brother, helpless and desperate, sank into the marshy ground.

From then on, the Water Chestnut Tribe had another forbidden zone.

Seeing the girl sobbing uncontrollably, another middle-aged woman quickly spoke up to comfort her.

"Don't cry, your brother was a good child. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have discovered that forbidden zone. He is a hero of the tribe."

Ling Cao also felt she had spoken out of turn and shouldn't have brought up her brother. She glanced in Luo Chong's direction and quickly changed the subject.

"Look at that thing he's sitting on. Why can it float on the water? It looks so magical. How about we go ask him later and see if he's willing to tell us how to make that thing? That way we won't have to keep soaking in the water."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned their heads to look at Luo Chong's small boat.

Vote, vote, vote, saying the important thing three times.