Chapter 21 Swallowing a Big Mouthful with Tears
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He adjusted his backpack, and that hefty weight made his stomach churn even more violently.
He couldn't wait to unzip it, but as soon as he pulled it open a bit, a brown head smeared with blood tried to bite him, too bad Bi Fang dodged and avoided it.
"Huh? Is this rabbit still not dead?"
Bi Fang looked at the rabbit that had knocked itself unconscious against a tree in surprise. He had only thought about leaving before and hadn't observed carefully – he didn't expect that the collision hadn't killed it outright.
Unfortunately, the zipper was not wide enough, and the rabbit couldn't squeeze out no matter how hard it tried; only its legs flailed inside the backpack, and it even began to scream.
[Damn, it's still alive?]
[So tenacious.]
[Too bad, it still can't escape from Master Fang's grasp.]
[Rabbits can scream? Creepy…]
[Why has my rabbit never cried?]
[They do, when rabbits are scared they will scream…]
[It feels so pitiful, why doesn't Master Fang let it go?]
Many of the live-streaming audience felt compassion upon seeing the resilience of the rabbit, but unfortunately, Bi Fang was not swayed in the slightest.
Why should he let go of a rabbit he caught fair and square?
Before his journey had begun, there was one term Bi Fang was particularly fond of.
Nature.
Yan Fu translated "On the Origin of Species" as "The Evolution of Heaven," exactly to explain the "survival of the fittest, natural selection."
The law of the jungle is the most fundamental rule of nature; to survive, the least he could do was to grant the rabbit a more peaceful departure.
"It's impossible to let it go; these two rabbits are enough to sustain me for the next two days. What I can do is to show enough respect to my prey - no torture, no wanton killing, revere life, revere nature."
[So touching, grilling rabbit meat with tears.]
[Such positive energy.]
But Bi Fang wasn't joking. He closed his eyes silently and when he opened them again, he hesitated no longer; with a push and twist of the rabbit's head, the once wriggling rabbit stopped breathing altogether.
He took out the Stone Dagger, ready to do some basic processing, but before that, there was something else he needed to do.
"Because the next thing I'm going to do is rather bloody, and not suitable for broadcast, I will avoid showing it to everyone."
Not sure about the tolerance for live-stream content in this world, Bi Fang wasn't foolish enough to test the waters. Getting his account banned would be a real headache. He simply turned his back to the drone and set about processing the two dead rabbits.
"When consuming animals in the wild, it's essential to clean their blood and entrails thoroughly, as these are places where parasites and bacteria are most likely to be found. If not handled properly, it's very easy to get infected, which can be fatal in the wild."
"Many common parasites, such as Liver Flukes, Capillaria, and Tapeworms, are extremely harmful to the human body. Some can even burrow out from inside you!"
[Burrow out? From where... No way...]
[Be confident, that's exactly what it is.]
"Anywhere with an opening, even eye sockets are not exempt."
Facing the inquiries, Bi Fang's expression remained calm, and then he looked at the rabbit in front of him with a hint of regret.
"Unfortunately, we didn't bleed the rabbit immediately after killing it at that time; the blood in the one that died first has already coagulated extensively and can't be let out now."
[Damn! Stop it, I'm getting goosebumps!]
[The fried chicken in my hand suddenly doesn't taste so good anymore.]
[What if you can't bleed it?]
[Isn't that a disaster?]
The audience became anxious at this, wondering if the rabbit they had caught was inedible after all?
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"There's no need to be so frightened, from a biological standpoint, most parasites and microorganisms can be killed through high-temperature treatment. Generally, cooking thoroughly at a temperature above 80°C will prevent infection."
"Plus, rabbits are less likely to harbor parasites unless they come into contact with a source of infection, as rabbits have a higher body temperature, around 38 to 39 degrees Celsius. They would only have a fever if it goes above 40 degrees, so lice and fleas don't fancy rabbits. I just wanted to tell you that you should generally avoid eating raw food."
Whew!
At this, the Shuiyou collectively sighed in relief, thinking that not letting the blood out was a serious issue, but it turned out to be a false alarm.
Master Fang scaring people is an old tradition.
While chatting and bantering with the Shuiyou, Bi Fang's hands moved efficiently, the sharp Stone Dagger easily slicing open the rabbit's soft belly, then he used the tip of the knife to scoop out all the organs and scrape the blood vessels clean.
Because he was facing away from the audience, they could only see Bi Fang's arms moving constantly, and then he set a pile of something soft and limp to one side.
The soft organs, steaming hot, were piled onto reed leaves just picked from the stream bank like a pile of mushy mud.
The memory of the various techniques for processing game was extensive — flying in the sky, walking on the ground, swimming in the water, none were lacking, and dealing with a rabbit was well within his means.
After cleaning the organs, Bi Fang also removed the brain, which had a separate use, and then he cut off the rabbit's limbs and made two cuts in the back legs to begin skinning.
"The nights in Qinling are still a bit chilly, so I plan to skin them and make rabbit fur hats."
"Because it's difficult to show you, I'll just narrate it simply. First, use the knife to make circular cuts about 1-2 inches away from the feet on the back legs; then slit open from each cut towards the groin and join them together; at this point, the rabbit skin becomes like a tube, ready to be peeled off, but when peeling, don't use too much force, and if necessary, use the knife to trim it open; when you reach the front legs, cut open the skin and then pull it out."
Soon enough, Bi Fang had obtained a bloody rabbit skin, which he showed to everyone.
[Wow, a master artisan indeed.]
[I've wasted my studies, wasted them!]
[I showed Master Fang's live stream to my pet rabbit, and it was so scared it shed all its fur overnight (jokingly)]
After processing the other rabbit as well, Bi Fang wiped it down with some leaves and then found some twigs and vines to tie the two pieces of rabbit fur open and briefly smoked them over the fire.
"Alright, all that's left now is to deal with the organs."
"They have a very strong odor, so I wrapped them with aquatic plant leaves early on, and now, what we need to do is to bury them far away from the camp."
Picking up the innards wrapped in reed leaves, Bi Fang dug a hole a few hundred meters away and buried them. After finishing all the work, he returned to the camp and began roasting the meat.
Bi Fang skewered the cleanly processed whole rabbit and placed it over the fire to roast.
The firewood crackled as it burned, and the moment the high heat touched the skin, the fascia began to contract, with the vivid red rabbit meat starting to turn slightly yellow.
Under the starry sky, Bi Fang sniffed, already smelling the warm, charred aroma of the roasting rabbit.
"Wild rabbits are very agile and robust, almost entirely muscular, with strong bones and low fat content, so even without any seasonings, the taste is excellent—tender yet chewy."
"I don't know how much longer I'll need to make it out of Qinling, but having roasted rabbit on an unknown journey is quite a treat."
[Damn, you're making me drool.]
[Tomorrow I'll sacrifice my fat pet rabbit to the gods!]
[The rabbit that lost its fur in fright: I feel persecuted.]
[Doesn't the one you didn't bleed taste gamey?]
[After being hungry for two days, you'd think it smelled delicious no matter how gamey it was!]
Chatting away, more than ten minutes passed quickly, and the golden, fatty rabbit meat began to exude an aromatic scent.
Bi Fang, starved for two days, couldn't care about the heat and directly tore off a leg to start eating.
"Hiss! Hot, hot, hot!"
The roasted rabbit was very hot, but the irresistible sweet taste conquered his taste buds, making it difficult for him to let go.
Because it was roasted long enough, the rabbit bones were crispy, and though the meat was slightly dry, it was charred and fragrant, satisfying the most fundamental human desires.
Delicious!