Dai Xiaomei's face turned ashen with fright. She threw away the bone of the pig-rabbit in her hand and trembled all over.
The fact she discovered was terrifying, indicating this was the same oasis that Jiang Fan and his companions had once stayed in.
However, by now, everything that had been destroyed by the Death Flies in the oasis had been restored.
Strictly speaking, everything except the green sea-maned lizard they had taken out of the oasis had recovered.
Upon seeing the bite marks on the bone, Jiang Fan understood what had happened.
At this point, it was 100% confirmed that this was the oasis they had visited.
Jiang Fan's expression grew grave. He slowly helped Dai Xiaomei up, not speaking immediately.
Zhou Niannian and Yao also remained silent, waiting for Jiang Fan to make a decision.
"We need water no matter what. Let's find some first!"
After a moment's thought, Jiang Fan made his decision.
This place made Jiang Fan feel a sense of dread, making it unsuitable for them to stay.
But the most precious resource now was water.
If they had to search for another oasis, it would involve a long trek through the desert, which would require even more water.
"Should we hunt some prey?"
Yao asked Jiang Fan.
Jiang Fan thought for a long time and shook his head.
Food was also important, but not the most crucial at the moment.
Having inexplicably returned to this oasis, Jiang Fan felt a revulsion at the thought of eating its food.
If water wasn't an absolute necessity, Jiang Fan wouldn't have even wanted to collect it here.
The four of them got up and walked to the small river in the oasis to fetch water.
Jiang Fan divided the group into two, with one group fetching water while the other kept watch.
The green sea-maned lizard came to tug at Jiang Fan's trouser leg, seemingly wanting to lead him somewhere new.
These animals appeared to have no ill intentions, but Jiang Fan remained highly vigilant in this place.
He shook his head and did not follow the green sea-maned lizard.
Seeing that Jiang Fan was wary of them, the green sea-maned lizards appeared disappointed and left one after another.
The viewers in the live broadcast also sighed.
"Alas, these animals don't seem to have any ill will."
"One should not harbor ill intentions towards others, but one must guard against others' ill intentions. I support Jiang Shen."
"That's right, heaven knows what these strange creatures are."
"It's always better to be cautious."
"Perhaps they are magical spirits of this oasis, acting against their will."
Jiang Fan and the others silently collected water, without conversation, their expressions tense.
"Right, let's make some straw hats!"
Jiang Fan suddenly remembered. He stood up and led everyone into the forest.
Jiang Fan drew out his small knife and began to peel the bark from a tree.
The bark of this tree was extremely tough. Jiang Fan peeled it into a long strip like he was peeling an apple, and it didn't break.
From the part where the bark was removed, a very fragrant sap dripped out.
"What kind of tree is this?"
Zhou Niannian asked curiously.
"What do you think it resembles?"
Jiang Fan, unusually, asked Zhou Niannian back.
"Me... You know I don't know much about this, haha. I think it's an apple tree."
In Zhou Niannian's mind, if the bark could be peeled off in a strip like apple peel, and it dripped juice like an apple, then it had to be an apple tree.
"Smart, you're half right. This tree is called a snake vine apple tree. Its bark is very tough, and it also bears apples, but..."
Jiang Fan, in a rare moment, praised Zhou Niannian.
"But what..."
Zhou Niannian knew that the words following Jiang Fan's "but" were the key.
"But after eating the apples, you'll turn mute."
Jiang Fan said with a mysterious smile.
Dai Xiaomei, who had been curiously dipping her finger in the sap and licking it, heard Jiang Fan's words and, startled, ran to the side and dry-heaved.
"Haha, I was just kidding! It's ordinary apple juice, just denser and more viscous."
Jiang Fan laughed heartily.
"Hey, Jiang Fan, you tricked me!"
Dai Xiaomei realized she had been fooled and pouted as she walked back.
"Don't eat things randomly. You're lucky this one is safe to taste."
"There's something called a poison snake tree. If you lick its sap, you'll truly be poisoned and paralyzed."
"Its poison is even deadlier than a cobra's. Even a cobra bite would be fatal."
Jiang Fan earnestly cautioned Dai Xiaomei.
Dai Xiaomei licked the sap a few more times, reluctantly saying.
"Can we take this stuff with us to drink?"
Jiang Fan shook his head. The sap of this snake vine apple tree was very dense and would solidify into a gel over time.
If they carried it in a bamboo tube, they wouldn't even be able to pour it out. Only the bark had some use.
Jiang Fan used the bark to weave straw hats and then stuck several large banana leaves on top.
He then sprinkled water all over the hats to prevent sunstroke.
Afterward, he gave each of his teammates a large banana leaf that could be used for fanning.
Just as they were about to leave, Jiang Fan suddenly tripped and fell to the ground.
He immediately sprang up with a carp flip, supporting himself with one hand on the ground.
Zhou Niannian looked at the ground vigilantly. Anything that could trip Jiang Fan must be extraordinary.
Indeed, on the ground was something strange, neither plant nor animal, resembling a green water pipe.
It pulsed and contracted, slowly extending across the ground with a wriggling motion. It was this thing that had tripped Jiang Fan.
"It's a monster, an ugly thing!"
"Die, monster's tentacle!"
Zhou Niannian acted decisively, taking a fire axe from Yao's backpack and hacking at the strange green monster.
With a *pu* sound, the green monster was cut in two by Zhou Niannian's axe. From the green tube, a crystalline liquid spurted out towards Zhou Niannian.
"Ah, what is this? I'm going to be disfigured!"
Zhou Niannian screamed and rolled on the ground.
Dai Xiaomei and Yao gasped in shock and rushed to check on her.
The viewers in the live broadcast also cried out in unison.
"No way, Sister Zhou, my Sister Zhou."
"Don't hack at strange things randomly."
"Oh, what a tragedy, she's now a fairy who fell face-first."
"Pah, you don't love Sister Zhou at all. You only covet her body."
In the dormitory, Zhou Ye let out a cry and rushed forward, desperately wiping the screen with a towel.
"What are you wiping? You're going to ruin my computer."
Lin Yang looked at Zhou Ye speechlessly.
"Didn't you see? My sister's face was burned by acid."
Zhou Ye appeared panicked.
Lin Yang sighed and said in a low voice.
"I don't know if wiping the screen can remove acid from a distance, but wiping the screen with water might cause a short circuit."
A spark flashed, followed by a scream. Zhou Ye was flung back by static electricity.
Amidst the chaos, only Jiang Fan showed no reaction.
"That's water. This is a water pipe vine. It can absorb a large amount of moisture and then use the surface tension of the water to wriggle on the ground."