Catching Bugs and Observation

Huo Hai could only feel helpless at Huo Yuner's whimsical ideas. Never mind whether flowers could be woven into cages—if they could, were the grass-eating bugs supposed to eat them? Not every bug ate meat.

"Yun'er, this thing is for raising bugs. Flowers and grass simply won't do." Huo Hai could only fill Huo Yuner in on some basic knowledge. He was probably the first person in this world to make a grass cage, so it was hardly common knowledge to anyone else.

Huo Yuner's eyes widened in shock. "Y-you said what? You actually want to raise bugs? How can you do something like that?" The moment she heard it was for raising bugs, Huo Yuner seemed to have been jolted. Instinctively, she wanted to throw away the grass cage in her hand. But looking at the exquisite little cage, she could not bear to do it. At worst, she simply would not raise bugs in it.

Huo Hai found it rather funny. Sure enough, all girls were afraid of bugs. He truly did not know how his grandmother had overcome her fear of bugs when she was young. Thinking of his grandmother, Huo Hai's mood sank slightly.

"Alright, not all bugs are so scary. Think about it—aren't there some bugs whose chirping sounds especially pleasant at night? This cage is for raising those kinds of bugs. Besides, you don't need to catch them yourself. You only need to put in some food to feed them from time to time."

Huo Hai made it sound simple, but raising bugs was not so easy. Such a simple method might keep a bug alive for a few days, but making it live indefinitely was fundamentally impossible. Even raising a cricket involved so much knowledge, let alone raising gu.

"Really?" Huo Yuner thought about it. There did seem to be some bugs whose calls sounded very pleasant. It was not that she had never noticed them; she had merely instinctively ignored them. Whenever Huo Yuner thought of bugs, her first instinct was to run away, so she had never looked closely at them. How could Huo Hai not understand that mindset? Even he had gone through a phase like that as a child.

But after looking closely at bugs, one would discover that they were not actually so frightening. "Of course. If you don't believe me, look—there's one in this patch of grass. Look carefully. Isn't it rather interesting?" Huo Hai pointed at a harmless little bug.

Suppressing the fear in her heart, Huo Yuner cautiously leaned in for a look. Once she did, she truly did not find the bug disgusting at all. Looking carefully, she even felt that it resembled a work of art.

"Wow, it's true. Some bugs really are quite pretty when you look closely." Huo Yuner's eyes rolled, and she grabbed Huo Hai's arm, shaking it nonstop. "I don't care, I don't care! Brother Hai, you said some bugs have beautiful calls, so you have to catch one for me. Otherwise, otherwise I'll take all these grass cages away." Huo Yuner had actually learned how to threaten him.

Huo Hai was not very familiar with Huo Yuner, yet warmth welled up from the depths of his soul. So this was what family affection felt like. In his previous life, he had never had a younger sister. Since heaven had given him one in this life, he would never let her suffer harm.

"Alright, let's go now." Huo Hai abruptly stood up and agreed without hesitation, startling Huo Yuner badly.

Within a patch of grass, Huo Hai and Huo Yuner crouched side by side, watching carefully. Huo Yuner did not even dare breathe loudly. If Huo Hai had been catching bugs on Earth, there would have been no need for such trouble. He had memorized exactly which bugs had pleasant calls. But on Spirit Realm Continent, things were different, because he knew nothing about the bugs of this world.

So, he first had to observe them. Fortunately, there were many types of bugs, but broadly speaking, there were only a few kinds. Ordinary small insects shared many similarities between Earth and this world.

Aside from minor differences, similar bugs would be enough for his purposes. Observing and learning about different bugs was itself a branch of bug-raising knowledge. Whether they were poisonous, what special traits they possessed, even their habits and so on—many things could be seen through careful observation. Huo Hai did not have much practical experience in this area, but his theoretical knowledge was abundant.

"Chirp chirp..." A crisp, pleasant sound suddenly rang out beside him. Without changing expression, Huo Hai glanced over. A large-headed black insect was perched on a leaf, producing a melodious chirp.

It looks a lot like a cricket. I wonder whether it can be used for cricket fighting. Its call is crisp and pleasant, fitting Yuner's request. It seems to make sound by vibrating its wings at high frequency. Judging from the leaf, it should eat grass. In that brief instant, Huo Hai had figured out seven or eight parts of the insect's basic information.

Huo Hai had originally planned to observe it for a while longer, but seeing Huo Yuner's anxious gaze, he could only sigh. Forget it, he would catch it first. As for the future, he would deal with that when it came.

The moment he made up his mind, Huo Hai flashed forward with astonishing speed. Huo Hai, who cultivated a Spirit Art, was no longer comparable to his former Earth self, who had been too weak to truss a chicken. Catching a bug was simple; the insect did not even have time to react.

In an instant, Huo Hai closed in on the little bug. With a light sweep of his right hand, he used the mouth of the grass cage to sever the leaf on which it rested, sending both leaf and bug into the cage. Then he closed the cage. The entire motion flowed like drifting clouds and running water, without the slightest delay. He had not hurt the bug either; at most, he had merely given it a scare. It was nothing serious.

After tightly fastening the mouth of the grass cage, Huo Hai handed it to Huo Yuner. "Yun'er, here. This is the bug you wanted. You only need to feed it some fresh grass regularly." Huo Hai briefly explained what she needed to pay attention to when raising it.

Afterward, he lowered his head again and began observing bugs. Huo Yuner's eyes rolled, but she did not leave. Instead, while feeding the bug using the method Huo Hai had taught her, she watched Huo Hai. She also wanted to see what kind of bugs Huo Hai intended to catch. There were so many grass cages here. Could Brother Hai be raising many bugs to listen to music at night? Yes, that had to be it.

Huo Yuner thought so with complete confidence, but after half a day, she regretted it. Huo Hai had actually remained quietly in that spot for a very long time, until Huo Yuner was nearly unable to bear it. Children were always restless.

When Huo Hai finally caught a bug, Huo Yuner's face turned livid.

"Brother Hai, y-you actually caught such a disgusting bug! And it's poisonous." That was right—Huo Hai had caught a centipede. Of course, perhaps it was not one, but the two looked incredibly alike. Having encountered such a commonly used venomous creature for gu refinement, Huo Hai was overjoyed. But even Huo Yuner, who had already accepted bugs, still could not stand the sight of a centipede.

"Hehe, Yun'er, I caught this because it is useful, not because I want to raise it as something pretty to look at. This is called a centipede. Although it is venomous, if used properly, it can also be a fine medicinal ingredient." But Huo Yuner would not listen to any of that.

What medicinal ingredient? It was still just a disgusting bug, nothing like her cricket. Sticking out her tongue, Huo Yuner turned and ran away. Meanwhile, Huo Hai continued observing bugs on his own, already considering what he should refine.

Over the following days, aside from cultivating his Spirit Art, Huo Hai spent all his remaining time observing the bugs in the grass, studying their habits and even using methods that others would find extremely peculiar to inspect them.

Sometimes, he removed the venom sacs from poisonous bugs and carefully analyzed their contents. Other times, he dissected insects and studied their structures, using that to judge their types and even the direction in which they might evolve. If possible, he truly wanted to find some books about bugs to read, but unfortunately, no one in this world studied insects.

As for Huo Yuner, she came by every day to take a look. But whenever she saw Huo Hai catch spiders, centipedes, or similar creatures, she stayed far away. Still, Huo Yuner took excellent care of her cricket.

For several days in a row, Huo Hai caught bugs from inside the house all the way to outside it. The Huo Family courtyard was not small, but neither was it large. There were only a few kinds of bugs there, and venomous types were especially rare. If he wanted to find what he needed, he still had to go outside.

That day, Huo Hai continued searching outside when a piercing voice suddenly rang out. "Hahahaha! Look, look! The Huo Family fool! This fool has been squatting in the grass catching bugs every day lately. Does he plan to spend the rest of his life with bugs?"

Huo Hai turned and cast a sidelong glance, a trace of disdain flashing through his eyes. He Ya, the He Family dandy. As the He Family's second young master, he's nearly ten years older than me, yet his strength is about the same as mine. Huo Hai had no interest in understanding such a wastrel. Even if the He Family, like the Huo Family, was one of the foremost Lineages in the Western Frontier of the Southern Cloud Kingdom, it made no difference.

"Look, look! That fool doesn't even react after being called that. They say he lost his memory, but I think he's simply gone mad. It won't be long before the Huo Family is replaced by us." He Ya spoke with great excitement.

This fellow was the true idiot. He had not noticed the disgust in everyone else's eyes at all. Such trash only knew how to bully those weaker than himself; when faced with someone stronger, he would immediately cower. In contrast, Huo Hai had always enjoyed an excellent reputation. He Ya trying to bully Huo Hai now would only make others despise him even more.

After laughing for a long time, He Ya realized no one had responded to him, and he found it rather dull. "Hmph, a fool is still a fool. I'll let you off today. But when I see you another day, I'll make you pay." He Ya felt that his dignity had been slighted.

Huo Hai was different from a fringe figure of the He Family like him. Even though Huo Hai had lost his memory, he was still the Huo Family's only direct descendant. If He Ya dared lay a hand on Huo Hai at this time, the Huo Family would absolutely not spare him. He Ya left with a vicious glare, his eyes filled with venom. Huo Hai did not even know how he had offended someone before doing anything at all.

"But that's fine. Since I'm going to be a villain anyway, I might as well start with an idiot like this. That way, I won't feel any psychological burden." Huo Hai smiled faintly. The villains in his mind seemed clearly different from the villains in everyone else's eyes.