A bundle of silk thread swirled back and forth in front of its eyes. It was clear the newcomer had ill intentions. How could the fire cricket cooperate? As soon as the silk thread approached it waved its limbs to flick it aside.
Yu Qing had no choice but to channel his inner force through the metal jar to forcibly restrain it. Only then did he slip the rainbow silk slipknot over its neck. He pulled the silk thread in his hand, the slipknot tightened, and it was done. The fire cricket’s neck was leashed.
At last it was secured. He tugged the silk thread repeatedly to test the effect.
Being pulled by the neck and toyed with, the fire cricket grew angry again. Cracks of red light surged across its body once more. It also pulled the silk thread attached to itself into its mouth and bit at it with its sharp mouthparts in an attempt to sever the thread.
Yet the silk thread that held it was no ordinary thread. It was rainbow silk, worth a thousand taels per strand. Its toughness made it resistant to blades and swords, and impervious to water and fire.
In short, it was not easy to break.
Seeing that the high temperature erupting from the fire cricket could neither burn through nor bite through the restraint, Yu Qing felt delighted. He was rather proud of his sudden idea to use rainbow silk for binding.
He tied the other end of the silk thread to the metal jar.
With all precautions in place, he lifted the silk thread and pulled the fire cricket out to observe it. He wanted to study how exactly this little fellow managed to go without eating or drinking.
As expected, the moment the little fellow left its cage it tried to escape at once. Its small wings suddenly spread open and it flew quite fast, shooting out with a whoosh.
The result was predictable. Yu Qing pulled it back with a cold smile.
He pulled it back and released it again.
He released it and pulled it back again.
After teasing the fire cricket enough times, he saw it hanging motionless on the thread like a hanged ghost and refusing to fly. It had finally behaved itself. Only then did Yu Qing lift it in front of his eyes, ready to observe it closely.
Who would have thought that as soon as their eyes met, the fire cricket launched a surprise attack. It opened its mouth and let out a series of crying sounds, spitting out a bunch of sparks that nearly sprayed Yu Qing in the face.
Fortunately, with Yu Qing’s cultivation he could easily block such a weak attack. His inner force surged outward and instantly flicked away the oncoming sparks.
But this time the fire cricket sprayed relentlessly. He protected himself yet neglected what was behind him. After smelling something burning he turned sharply and realised it was bad. He saw that the group sleeping mat on the large bunk had been burned with sesame seed like holes by the sparks and was now emitting green smoke.
If he let it cry on, it would surely burn the mat and set the house on fire.
Yu Qing swept the metal jar in his hand over it, scooped the fire cricket inside, closed the lid, and then hurried to the bed to pat out the sparks.
Yet the spotted burn marks on the mat were obvious. When the other candidates returned later, how would he explain it?
At this thought Yu Qing grew angry too. The little fellow had quite a temper. He simply had to cool it down.
He looked around and happened to spot a basin of water on the washstand. He went over at once, opened the jar lid, grabbed the silk thread and flung it.
Splash! The fire cricket was thrown into the water. He pressed it down and drowned it. Whenever it struggled to float up, Yu Qing used the jar to push it back under the water.
After bubbling in the water for a while the fire cricket suddenly stopped moving and lay still at the bottom.
Had it really drowned? Yu Qing had just muttered this in his heart and was about to pull the silk thread to check when he suddenly saw the little fellow’s two black gem like eyes bloom with red light. Cracks of red light also surged across its body once more.
Yu Qing was amused. He had thought to extinguish fire with water, yet it could still ignite underwater. He discovered that this little fellow’s temper was exceptionally large.
After spending some time with the fire cricket one would understand. It did not accept oppression. As long as there was oppression it would resist. As long as its body was glowing it meant it had lost its temper and was resisting.
Yet before Yu Qing could enjoy the moment for long his smile froze on his face. He saw the water in the basin giving off steam, and the steam grew stronger. In the end it began to bubble and boil, turning into boiling water?
Yu Qing stared blankly for a moment and then lifted the fire cricket by the thread.
As soon as the fire cricket left the water the red light on its body faded. After meeting Yu Qing’s eyes it let out a cry. Yu Qing thought it was about to spray sparks again and instantly channelled his force to defend. Who would have thought it would instead spit out a thin stream of water, then several more streams. After a while water trickled from the corner of its mouth and then stopped. It seemed it could no longer cry.
The fire cricket behaved itself again and hung motionless on the silk thread like a hanged ghost. Water seeping from its wings still dripped drop by drop from its rear.
Yu Qing looked at the hot water in the basin, could not help dipping a finger in, found it scalding, and pulled back. He discovered it really had boiled a whole basin of water.
He felt rather curious and, thinking of something, looked around the room. He found the water jar containing clear water, walked over, removed the lid and set it aside, then used the ladle to scoop water into a drinking bowl nearby. He filled one bowl, placed it on the table, looked at the little fellow hanging on the silk thread in his hand, hesitated for a moment, but still extended it and suspended it above the water bowl. In the end he lowered it and submerged the fire cricket in the water once more.
What could be tolerated could no longer be tolerated. The hanged ghost like fire cricket stirred into life again and struggled in the water. Whenever it tried to break the surface Yu Qing poked it back down. It tried again and was poked back again. After repeated attempts it lay still at the bottom of the bowl once more.
Soon its two eyes reddened and cracks of red light surged across its body.
Before long steam began to rise from the water bowl. As it rose the water started to bubble.
Another bowl of water had boiled.
Yu Qing lifted the thread and pulled up the fire cricket again. The latter spat out another stream of water from its mouth, then hung motionless like a hanged ghost once more. Even when its eyes met Yu Qing’s it did not move. It swung freely on the silk thread as the thread swayed, and even its several legs hung slightly loose as if telling Yu Qing, I really have no strength left!
Yu Qing placed it back into the jar. To prevent the little fellow from playing tricks again he screwed the lid on tightly, secured it, and hung it back at his waist.
He picked up the bowl of hot water and examined it repeatedly. He even lifted his face covering and sniffed it several times, finding no unusual odour.
After hesitating again and again he brought the bowl to his lips, blew on the hot steam, tested it with his tongue, and took a sip to taste. He found the flavour normal and no abnormal taste in the mouthfeel.
He brought the bowl to his lips again, intending to take a proper drink, but stopped. He felt it was not right. No unusual odour did not mean it was safe to drink. What if it was poisonous?
At this thought he felt the sip he had taken earlier was a bit rash. So he set the bowl down and carefully checked whether any after effects appeared.
Just as he had closed his eyes and concentrated for a while, hurried footsteps came from outside. The insect hurried back, pushed open the door and entered carrying a food box.
Although Yu Qing had said he was not hungry, the insect had still brought food for him. To deliver the meal in time he had eaten hurriedly himself.
Young master Shiheng, the dishes today are quite good. There is roasted lamb chop. You should eat some.
The insect took the food out of the box and placed it in front of Yu Qing for him to see first.
Yu Qing glanced over and saw a meaty rib roasted to a crispy golden colour. It looked genuinely appetising.
He had no appetite and was truly not hungry, but the appearance tempted him. He casually picked it up, brought it to his mouth and bit into it. He found the taste truly good and waved his hand. I have had enough. You take the rest and eat it.
Judging by the quality of the food it was clearly the standard only candidates could enjoy. The accompanying book boys had no such treatment. He himself had no appetite anyway, so he might as well let the insect have it.
The insect shook his head and waved his hands hurriedly. I am full.
Yu Qing gave him a cold sideways glance. I told you to eat it. Did you not hear?
Seeing that young master Shiheng was displeased, the insect lowered his head weakly and gave a soft yes. He took the food to the side and quietly ate with his head down.
While chewing the lamb chop in his hand, with the face covering cloth lifted to his nose, Yu Qing suddenly stared at the bowl of plain boiled water on the table and paused. He glanced back at the insect who was eating with his head down, hesitated slightly, then turned with a smile. Insect, eat slowly. No one is snatching it from you.
The insect looked up in surprise, somewhat bewildered. He felt he was not eating fast. Was he eating quickly?
Before he could react he saw Yu Qing beckon to him. Do not choke. Come over and drink some water.
The insect shook his head. I am not thirsty.
Yu Qing immediately changed his expression, glared and said, Where does all this nonsense come from? I told you to come over so come over.
The insect had no choice but to set down his rice bowl and walk over.
Yu Qing put on a smiling face again. You must have rushed back after eating hurriedly again. Eating too fast is bad for the body. Here, this is boiled water I fetched specially for you. It is almost cool now. Drink it while it is still warm.
Hearing that it was boiled water fetched specially for him, the insect stared at him blankly. Uncontainable gratitude welled up in his eyes. He nodded with a soft yes, held the bowl with both hands, felt its warmth, and confirmed it really was cooled boiled water. He immediately gulped it down to warm his stomach.
Yu Qing watched from the side and urged, Drink it, drink it all. Warm your stomach.
The insect kept gulping and nodded. He really tilted his head back and finished the entire bowl. After setting the bowl down he let out a loud burp and his belly swelled noticeably.
He had eaten one meal outside and half a meal here, then been forced to drink a whole bowl of water. It would have been strange if his belly had not swollen.
Yu Qing glanced at his bulging belly and sighed. Did you eat too much? Be careful not to upset your stomach. If you feel any discomfort anywhere tell me at once. Do not force yourself. I will treat you immediately. Do you understand?
Yes. The insect nodded again. The look he gave Yu Qing was indescribable. Under such meticulous care he was so moved that he could hardly speak except to nod. His eyes even reddened and he almost cried on the spot.
Yu Qing lifted the lamb chop in his hand to his mouth, swept it clean of meat in one bite, and smiled cheerfully.
He had made the insect drink the water with no other intention than to test for poison. He wanted to see whether the water boiled by the fire cricket would have any side effects.
He had also taken a sip himself and waited a long time with no reaction, so he guessed it was fine. Yet he worried whether one sip was too little to test properly. He thought of drinking more to try it but feared that if there really were side effects drinking too much would cause problems.
If the insect had a problem he could find a way to treat him. If he himself had a problem the escorting cultivators could treat him. But the key point was that he was already conspicuous enough to need a face covering. Adding more attention would really be inappropriate.
Besides, he could not bring himself to test poison on his own body with full commitment.
He had also considered letting other candidates drink it, but suddenly offering water to them in his current manner seemed strange. He did not know whether they would dare drink it. Secondly, if something happened to a candidate it would easily blow the matter up.
The insect was obedient. To put it plainly he was easy to bully, simple and convenient.
His purpose in making this attempt was to sell the fire cricket at a high price.
The fire cricket that You Ya needed could also boil water for tea at any time. It was practically a divine tool for travel. He estimated that the rich and powerful in the capital would have eyes shining. At least he could sell it for an extra thousand taels?
Of course it must not be poisonous. If it caused deaths among the rich and powerful in the capital the money would burn his hands. Therefore he had to test it first. Only when there was no problem could he sell it.