Chapter 21: New Skills

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When Chu Jiu was busy digging up bamboo rods, with nothing much to do, Gulu Gulu wound itself up on a small leaf and floated about in the bamboo grove. It was clear this little creature was very fond of this bamboo forest.

After Chu Jiu had dug ten bamboo stalks in one go, Gulu Gulu was still hopping among the leaves, looking quite content. Meanwhile, the little canned cat obediently stayed in Chu Jiu’s pocket, not leaving his side.

Chu Jiu glanced down at the little cat and noticed its eyes fixed on the swaying bamboo branches and the drifting Gulu Gulu. The cat’s face clearly read: so envious, I really want to play, but I won’t say a word.

Chu Jiu pressed its tiny nose gently. “Do you want to climb the bamboo too? It’s quite safe here, go ahead and play.”

With so many natural cat climbing frames, the kitten surely couldn’t resist.

The little cat hesitated, then meowed softly, “Really safe?”

You’re a human left here alone—are you okay?

Chu Jiu reassured it, “Don’t worry.”

He had tested the place with his “camper’s intuition.” This spot was suitable as a campsite, with no danger. Even a small kitten playing alone could be safe here.

Only then did the kitten jump out a little shyly, glancing back at Chu Jiu: “Don’t run off on your own.”

Chu Jiu smiled and waved at it, signaling: don’t be afraid, go play.

The kitten leapt with a swoosh, bounding up the bamboo, sometimes climbing up, sometimes darting down, enjoying itself immensely.

Seeing that there was still some time, Chu Jiu decided to pull out the “Guide” and analyze how to build the “Bucket Waterwheel.”

Compared to understanding the recipes for tables and chairs, grasping the “Bucket Waterwheel” was obviously much more complex.

How to shape the wood into wheels, what the diameter of the waterwheel should be, the angle between the bamboo bucket and the water surface...

All these detailed requirements had to be clearly marked on the system interface’s “virtual assembly line.”

Chu Jiu lost track of time absorbed in the guide, his mind growing a little muddled.

He rubbed his eyes and saw Gulu Gulu flying toward him, while the little cat jumped to his leg and scratched his trouser leg with its tiny paws:

“Gulu gulu!” “Meow meow!”

Both little ones were saying: come play, come play, it’s so much fun up on the bamboo.

Chu Jiu put down the book, feeling a bit tired, shook his head with a smile and said, “No, you two are small and very agile, that’s why you can jump around the bamboo. I’m not so nimble, and I don’t have any ‘martial arts,’ so I can’t get up there.”

If only, besides this farming system, he had some kind of martial arts system.

Then he could be like a hero in the movies, tiptoeing onto the branches, soaring and dipping through the rolling bamboo forest like ocean waves.

The two little ones quietly left after hearing his words.

But no more than a few minutes later, the kitten returned—in a strange posture.

It pressed down on a bamboo branch, bending it into an arc, the tip nearly touching the ground—just right in front of Chu Jiu.

Chu Jiu was shocked: what was it doing? And how could the kitten’s small weight bend the bamboo like that?

The little cat looked up at him, its ice-blue eyes serious: “Come up, I’ll take you.”

Looking at the slender bamboo, Chu Jiu thought it could never hold his weight and he’d surely fall—but the kitten already stretched out its little paw toward him.

Instinctively, Chu Jiu grabbed the soft little paw pad.

The next moment, before he could even react, he found himself standing atop the bamboo branch.

The bamboo gently rebounded upward, lifting Chu Jiu with it.

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Before he could scream, Chu Jiu realized: he was standing at the very top of the bamboo forest!

After a moment of adjustment, he discovered he really was like those heroes in the movies, stepping lightly on bamboo branches, his body as light as a feather.

Looking around, there was a sea of deep green bamboo stretching endlessly. Beyond the bamboo sea, a forest of varying shades of green.

Further out, white mist curled, faintly revealing a dense blackness. Ink-like darkness formed a unique silhouette against the horizon.

Chu Jiu knew that dark patch was not storm clouds or an unknown mountain range, but another area adjacent to the Forgotten Forest: the Sunny Plateau.

Sure enough, he was nearly at the Sunny Plateau...

Chu Jiu marveled while looking upward to even greater heights.

Above the bamboo sea, forest, and mist, there was the sky—a mirror-clear sky, bright and warm sunlight.

Standing bathed in sunlight, gazing at this vast, connected landscape, Chu Jiu was nearly dazed.

At some unknown moment, the kitten had climbed onto his shoulder, its furry little face brushing against his cheek. “Meow?”—“Pretty, isn’t it?”

Chu Jiu: “Beautiful, really beautiful.”

“But how did you get me up here? And how do I stand here without falling?”

The kitten gave no reply.

Chu Jiu could only assume this was some mysterious power of the spirit beast.

...Such a powerful ability—why couldn’t it be used for farming?

Sigh.

A mountain breeze swept by—not biting cold nor harsh, but gentle and soft.

Chu Jiu closed his eyes, his body moving gently with the sway of the bamboo.

The kitten lay on his shoulder, contentedly yawning, its ice-blue eyes narrowing slightly.

Just a little more rest, the kitten thought.

At that moment, a prompt appeared in Chu Jiu’s mind:

[Congratulations, host has met the special condition “Heart Moves with Intent”!]

[Congratulations, host has leveled up to Level 5 Pioneer.]

[Host has acquired passive skill “Clear Mind,” please use flexibly.]

[Clear Mind: When the host studies a recipe, their mind becomes exceptionally clear, significantly speeding up comprehension. The higher the pioneer level, the more pronounced the effect.]

Ah, this skill!

Didn’t it mean his brain, previously as if stuffed with cement, could now operate at high speed again?

Chu Jiu had no mind to admire the view anymore. He quickly patted the kitten: “Little Kitten! Hurry, let’s go down! I want to see how to make the waterwheel!”

Kitten: ...???

*

This time, after reading through that half page from start to finish, Chu Jiu immediately switched to the “virtual assembly line,” eyes shining as he began to assemble the waterwheel.

Sure enough.

His mind was clearer than ever, the process unbelievably smooth—like sitting an exam and realizing the last three big questions were exactly what he had prepared for, allowing him to write effortlessly.

Two hours later, a prompt appeared:

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[Acquired blueprint for “Old-fashioned Bucket Waterwheel” x1]

[Construction requirements: 800 pioneer points, 90 bamboo stalks, 30 wood, 1 spirit beast]

Fantastic!

He had the blueprint!

Chu Jiu joyfully raised both hands and cheered.

The little kitten beside him tilted its head, looking puzzled.

Chu Jiu bent down to scoop up the kitten, holding it in his hands, and kissed its little forehead: “Thank you for taking me up on the bamboo just now.”

“Although I don’t really know how it happened, I learned a skill and finally made the waterwheel blueprint!”

The kitten wasn’t sure what “skill” Chu Jiu was talking about.

But it was certain: this human was very happy.

Seeing him so pleased, it just nudged his chin with its paw and didn’t question the audacity of being suddenly kissed.

*

The next morning, Chu Jiu hurried back.

The day he returned to Bean Village from the bamboo gathering spot was exactly the fifteenth day since he left.

Just as he caught sight of the pioneer’s cabin from afar, Hoohou Rabbit, busy farming, heard the noise and jumped over three feet high toward them:

“Hooh! You’re back! Come see what I planted... huh? Why is there an extra seedling here?”

Usually speaking quickly without pause, Hoohou Rabbit unusually paused upon seeing Gulu Gulu.

Chu Jiu carefully placed Gulu Gulu on the ground and introduced the two little creatures as if introducing kindergarten friends.

After greeting Gulu Gulu politely, Hoohou Rabbit looked up at Chu Jiu:

“Come see the potatoes and cabbages I planted—I grew so many!”

Chu Jiu had already seen Hoohou Rabbit’s results in the system:

[Spirit Beast #2 has completed two “crop harvests,” collected 30 cabbages and 30 potatoes]

These numbers were already gratifying.

But now, seeing the fresh green sprouts growing in the field and rows of neatly stacked, fresh, tender cabbages beside them, the sense of satisfaction and accomplishment that welled up inside was something no number could replace.

Besides the cabbages and potatoes, there were also 30 portions of soy sauce in the wooden bucket. The dark brown liquid gleamed faintly. Chu Jiu scooped a bit with a wooden spoon and sniffed: a truly authentic, rich aroma!

He stroked the furry Hoohou Rabbit and little kitten, smiling: “The soy sauce is really good! I’ll cook you a big feast tonight!”

Hoohou Rabbit’s red eyes immediately sparkled, and its little round tail wagged nonstop.

The kitten, however, lifted its eyes, pretending not to care about the “big feast.”

At this moment, Gulu Gulu, still tucked inside the backpack pocket, poked out its wooden head topped with leaves and quietly asked:

“Excuse me... where can I build the waterwheel?”