Blue Silver Grass Strategy (Douluo Dalu Fiction)

A series of shouts snapped Ling Yi out of his deep thoughts. He lifted his head, following the source of the sound.

At that moment, a round and shiny head appeared above the walls of Ling Yi's courtyard, peering inside with a playful yet bold curiosity.

Zhang Lei, Ling Yi’s cousin... or was it more correct to say his paternal cousin?

He was the son of Uncle Zhang Dahe and Aunt Ling He, also regarded as another cherished treasure of both the Ling and Zhang families.

At three and a half years old, Zhang Lei, being a male descendant of the Zhang family, had a good chance of awakening the family’s ancestral "Hoe" martial soul during the soul awakening ceremony in two and a half years.

As an instrument martial soul, the "Hoe" was much more pragmatic compared to the "Blue Silver Grass," at least qualifying it as a weapon of sorts.

Even if not used for combat, it was immensely helpful for farming, famously known throughout the villages for its superior quality!

Most crucially, compared to "Blue Silver Grass," "Morning Glory," or "Climbing Ivy," which were considered useless martial souls, the "Hoe" had a slightly higher probability of awakening innate soul power.

Although no one in the past decades or centuries possessing the "Hoe" had ever shown signs of awakening innate soul power, villagers still held onto their steadfast belief in that tiny possibility.

“Lei, climbing so high again? Be careful, or Uncle might see you and make your rear bloom like a flower,” Ling Yi called out, suppressing his voice while releasing Ah Huang and Meow Meow from his embrace, standing up and heading towards his courtyard gate.

With a long, drawn-out squeak, Ling Yi held onto the wooden gate, shaking his head at Zhang Lei, who had come speeding over after sliding down the bamboo pole, and said, "Come on in quickly. Aunt will bring us some food soon. If she sees you climbing like that, she’s sure to tell Uncle.”

"Hehe—”

Zhang Lei entered with a grin, saying, "As long as you don't tell them, it'll be fine—"

With that, he arrived at Ling Yi's courtyard, his bright eyes scanning around. When his gaze landed on something resting on the kitchen windowsill not far away, his eyes widened in delight as he walked over excitedly.

Ling Yi followed behind Zhang Lei, with Ah Huang and Meow Meow playfully circling around his legs. While joining in the children's games, he shook his head slightly and said, "If you really want it, just ask Uncle..."

Meanwhile, Zhang Lei had already approached the kitchen windowsill in a few quick steps, tiptoeing as he reached for the object above, grasping it in his little hands.

Ling Yi remarked, "Anyway, it's not too hard to make these things."

He turned his gaze towards the object in Zhang Lei's hands—a slingshot.

It was a primitive slingshot made from a ‘Y’-shaped branch of the Iron Birch tree for the frame, with twine crafted from the stems and leaves of Mimosa, and a pouch made from a small piece of its bark.

Hearing Ling Yi's comment, Zhang Lei rolled his eyes, replying, "Not too hard? I've heard my dad say it took him nearly four or five days to make this slingshot for you. The blade of his 'Hoe' martial soul got dull from carving down the branches from the Iron Birch in the north of the village to shape it the way you wanted..."

Yet, his words didn't stop Zhang Lei from repeatedly playing with the iron birch slingshot, unable to let it go.

"Hey—ya—!"

With a sound of crisp enthusiasm, Zhang Lei grasped the slingshot's handle with his left hand, pinching the pouch with his right, and exerted all his strength to pull it back.

In the end, though, he was only a three-and-a-half-year-old kid. Although children on Douluo Continent develop quickly, he still lacked enough strength, pulling it slightly apart before his face flushed and he had to release it.

"Alright~" Ling Yi stepped forward, taking the iron birch slingshot from Zhang Lei's hand, and turned towards the main house. "Let's go inside and get the first one I made—"

"This one is just like the one your uncle made at home later, both are for adults to play with."

"Oh—" Zhang Lei nodded, responding as he followed along.

…

After lunch, with Aunt Ling He’s careful instructions, Ling Yi followed Zhang Lei. Trailing behind them were two small animals, one yellow and one gray, as they walked towards the south of the village.

Passing by several courtyards similar to Ling Yi's home, the small group made their way out of the village.

In the distance, a slightly tranquil creek meandered quietly.

"Woof! Woof woof—!"

With an excited bark, the little yellow dog, Ah Huang, dashed out from Ling Yi's feet, exuberantly charging forward like a wild horse freed from its reins.

"Meow—"

The little tabby cat, Meow Meow, rubbed its head against Ling Yi’s ankle, as if urging something.

Saying this, it trotted along the dirt road outside the village, circling towards the southeast.

In no time, the two people and the two small animals arrived at the pond outside the southeast corner of the village.

"Daddy—!"

"Uncle——!"

"Woof woof——!"

Zhang Lei shouted, racing ahead with outstretched arms towards a tall young man by the pond.

Following behind, Ling Yi and Ah Huang also chimed in, running forward.

By the pond, Zhang Dahe turned at the sound, spotting Zhang Lei and Ling Yi rushing towards him, a broad smile spread across his face. He quickly crouched down, extending his arms in welcome.

He wrapped an arm around each of the little ones, ruffling their hair with his hands. "In this scorching heat, what brings you two here?" he laughed.

Suddenly, his expression shifted dramatically. "You weren't planning on playing in the water, were you?"

Here, Zhang Dahe's tone grew stern. "Let me tell you, that's absolutely not allowed!!"

"No, no——" Ling Yi quickly waved his hands from within Zhang Dahe's embrace. "We came here thinking of catching some frogs——"

Zhang Lei nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes——"

He reached to his side and pulled out a small, pale yellow slingshot, holding it up to Zhang Dahe. "Dad, we're going to use the slingshot to shoot frogs. Then, could you help us gather them up?"

"Afterward, we'll catch loads and give some to Grandpa and Grandma, and take some to our other grandparents too…"

"Hahaha——" Zhang Dahe laughed heartily. "Alright, alright… It's rare for such a little rascal like you to think of your grandparents. Of course, Dad will help you——"

"Hehe—" Zhang Lei twirled a small slingshot in his left hand, scratching his head with his right, a bit embarrassed, "It was Ah Yi who told me, we can't just think about ourselves..."

Without waiting for a response from Zhang Dahe, he wiggled his little bottom, slipping out from his uncle’s hold, and ran along the edge of the pond ahead.

"That little rascal—"

Zhang Dahe watched his energetic son's back with amusement and then looked down at the well-behaved Ling Yi in his arms. He gently lifted him a little higher, speaking softly, "Little Yi, you've come at just the right time. Help Uncle take another look at this pond."

With his left arm cradling Ling Yi securely, he let the boy sit sideways in the crook of his arm. Zhang Dahe began walking towards the pond, pointing with his right hand as he explained, "Earlier, you suggested digging two small channels on either end from the upstream and downstream of Changlin River, connecting them here with this pond..."

As Zhang Dahe spoke, Ling Yi's gaze fell upon the scene before him.

It was a pond measuring about thirty meters long and nearly twenty meters wide, located two miles beyond the southeastern corner of Shanhai Village.

On the west and east sides ran ditches about one and a half meters wide, with a gentle, continuous flow of water coming from and returning to the Changlin River over two hundred meters away.

This pond and its channels were meticulously dug out by Ling Yi's uncle, Zhang Dahe, using his "Hoe" Martial Spirit.

On this summer afternoon, although the pond had taken shape less than two months ago, the surrounding area thrived with burgeoning aquatic plants, the symphony of frogs and insects merging in a harmonious chorus.

Subtly, beneath the water's surface, various fish swam, some chasing after small shrimp and water bugs, others surfacing to nibble on the floating duckweed.

At the eastern end of the pond, visible to the eye, a dark green net of vines dips mostly underwater, blocking the majority of the larger fish and shrimp from flowing back into the Changlin River with the current.

“Uncle~” Ling Yi's eyes reflected the thriving scene before him. With a serene expression, he spoke in a childlike tone: "The grass in the water isn’t very pretty. Can we plant some flowers?"

Zhang Dahe, hearing this, turned his gaze to the pond, a contemplative look on his face as he murmured, "Flowers? Hmm… It seems like there are some lotus flowers in the pond at my uncle's village. We could transplant some of those later…"

(End of chapter)

(End of Chapter)