Liang Qu let out a hearty laugh, but soon became breathless, and his wounds began to seep blood, causing him more pain.
He took a deep breath, straightened his body, and untied the cloth around his waist.
"Hiss!"
His face twitched as he tugged.
The rough hemp cloth was soaked with blood, hardened by the cold wind, and firmly stuck to the scabbed wound.
Tearing it off would reopen the wound forcibly.
But it had to be done, as the cloth was not only bloody but also filled with sand and grit picked up during the battle.
He had skipped eating lotus root earlier to quickly bandage his wounds.
The debris needed to be removed, and eating the lotus root before cleaning would cause the wound to heal improperly.
Back then, there wasn’t even time to carefully clean out the stones lodged in the wound.
Tossing the bloodied cloth into the water after removing it, Liang Qu washed his wounds once more before biting into two sections of lotus root, watching as the wounds slowly healed.
Still, poverty weighed on him.
Liang Qu lamented.
If he could afford silk and satin, he could use them as bandages.
Hemp cloth was too rough and would stick to flesh.
Fortunately, the wounds were only superficial and not severe, and the lotus root worked quickly.
After about fifteen minutes, the bloody flesh was nowhere to be seen, the layer of real skin had fully grown, the bleeding stopped, and a thick scab had formed.
Only a slight pain and intense itching sensation remained.
The strong itching made Liang Qu want to peel off the scab but he resisted, knowing it was a sign of rapid cell division healing the wound.
Instead, he scratched the skin around the wound for relief.
Either way, itchiness was better than pain; without pain bombarding his brain, he felt much more comfortable.
It was like the sudden disappearance of severe stomachache; things just returned to normal, but compared to the pain, it felt inexplicably pleasant, as if floating on clouds.
With his wounds mostly healed, Liang Qu couldn’t wait any longer and stepped into the water.
If there was anything he anticipated from the battle, it was the harvest phase, just as he initially thought.
How much Water Essence could a single Spirit Beast provide?
In his previous life, over twenty years had passed without even seeing a King Crab, let alone tasting one; now, he was about to feast on a colossal one towering over a man, an irresistibly tempting treat.
Returning underwater, two beasts guarded the Crab Monster's corpse like loyal hounds, one sprawled over rocks, the other buried in the mud.
On seeing Liang Qu, both stood and shook off dirt, equally excited.
As per usual, the heavenly gifts included what he didn’t want—the scraps.
Given the Crab Monster’s size, there’d likely be plenty of them.
But the beasts guessed wrong.
Liang Qu intended to share the delicious crab meat with them, not out of sudden generosity, but because the Crab Monster was simply too large!
Before it spoiled, he couldn't eat all the meat alone.
Together, the man and two beasts began dismantling the enormous Crab Monster.
Liang Qu retrieved the broken spear lodged in the creature's body, removing the flint tip to slice through the joint membrane connecting the giant claws.
Below, the Immovable bit onto a crab leg, executing a death roll to dismantle it one by one.
Fatty Catfish searched for the previously removed legs, its biting strength not comparable to the Immovable’s, so it could only cheer on excitedly and wait for its meat portion.
With the giant claws removed, Liang Qu sliced open the membrane on the back shell, thrusting his hand within, using all his strength to pry the massive structure open.
It was tough, tougher than carrying loads at a construction site.
His face reddened as bubbles emerged around him.
With sheer exertion, he slowly lifted it open.
Crack, crack.
The inner flesh and tissue tore from the back shell, resistance lessening.
Liang Qu summoned his full strength for one last pull, finally freeing the entire shell.
Instantly, he was greeted by crab roe so large it measured as long as a man's arm and as wide as his head.
The sight left him dazzled.
The two beasts drooled, the Immovable even forgot what it was doing until Liang Qu, snapping back to reality, prepared to collect the roe, leading it to report its findings.
"Hmm, Immovable, what have you discovered?"
Liang Qu received information through their Spirit Link, pausing his actions.
The Pig Dragon half stood, pointing with its short claws at the Crab Monster's lower abdomen.
Following its direction, Liang Qu saw an astonishing number of fists-sized, translucent spheres beneath the creature's abdominal plate—over a dozen in total.
Were these crab roe?
Startled, he quickly peeled open the plate, taking one to examine more closely.
The roe was large, about fist-sized, translucent orange, reminiscent of Dragon Balls, and within, tiny Crab Monsters had already formed.
Unlike fish, crabs undergo internal fertilization; they fertilize before laying the eggs.
A clutch, therefore, guarantees fertilized eggs.
The baby Crab Monsters looked exactly like their giant parent, upright upper bodies, lower bodies with six legs, resembling an armored vehicle, except theirs were milky white.
Normally, crabs carry thousands of roe, but here were only thirteen.
Liang Qu speculated that upon evolving into a Spirit Beast, the crab became a K-strategy organism, valuing each life dearly now, unlike its previous opportunistic nature relying on sheer numbers.
Otherwise, thousands of Crab Monsters would've long occupied the Jianghuai Marshlands, leaving no room for humans.
Could I command the roe?
A daring idea sparked in Liang Qu's mind.
Commanding a full-grown Crab Monster was impossible—a psychic assault would likely prove fatal—but surely unhatched offspring were manageable?
Liang Qu's Mental Link Value was about two to three Immovables.
Fatty Catfish was tougher than the Immovable, and with two managed, that left room equivalent to 0.2 or 0.3 Immovables.
Quite a tight fit, yet it should suffice to command fertilized eggs.
"No rush, I'll consider it after feasting on the Crab Monster’s meat," he decided.
Leaving the Martial Hall in a hurry that morning, Liang Qu had skipped lunch.
Hunger gnawed at him.
He brought a claw and crab roe back to the boat, setting up the stove to boil water, tossing the crab roe and meat in once it boiled.
After thoroughly cooking, he retrieved the roe and crab meat, shaping them into two equally sized balls.
Aquatic creatures' meat spoils quickly after death, particularly crustaceans; their visceral bacteria and moisture hasten decomposition, turning them off in mere hours.
Liang Qu had limited stomach capacity, requiring him to consume the most valuable sections rapidly.
Popping the seafood balls into his mouth, he tasted the rich, flavorful golden roe and the sweet, tender snow-white crab meat.
[Water Essence +0.9]
[Water Essence +0.5]
The first value incremented after consuming roe, the second after meat.
Roe proved indeed more valuable, its absorption akin to half a Treasure Fish!
Upon confirming this, Liang Qu's eyes gleamed with fervor.
Quickly submerging more roe, he tossed the remaining meat to the two beasts.
[Water Essence +1]
[Water Essence +1.1]
[Water Essence +1.2]
Fusion! Fusion! Increase my fusion, all of it!
Fueled by determination, he devoured more, watching the Marsh Cauldron glow continuously, an unprecedented satisfaction flooding his heart.
He would become invincible.
(End of chapter)