Chapter 275 — Wei Zhao and the Primitive Man
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
Shen Yushu had no wish to be a freeloader who did nothing but eat; if there was work she could help with, she was hardly going to stand by and watch.
"Have a look around the shore and see if there's a glass bottle or anything like that. If not, some thin iron wire will do," Wei Zhao said, tossing the dry branch in his hand onto the sand and giving Shen Yushu her orders.
"Oh. What do we need a bottle and wire for?" Shen Yushu was a little puzzled.
"The bottom of a bottle works as a magnifying glass to start a fire, and the wire's for hanging up the fish." Having offered that much explanation, Wei Zhao set about dealing with the shark at his side.
Shen Yushu nodded. So that was it—she'd learned all about this in physics class, though she'd never imagined putting it to use. Still, she had to ask: "Couldn't you just rub sticks together to make a fire?"
"You could, but it's a lot of trouble." Deftly, Wei Zhao split the shark open down the middle and began cleaning out its innards.
Shen Yushu made a circuit of the shoreline, not daring to go far, but she found no glass bottle—only a few lengths of rusted, broken iron wire, she had no idea which fishing boat they'd fallen off before washing up here.
"Arrow Brand Bro, looks like you really will have to rub sticks together..." Shen Yushu handed over the wire she'd found.
"Heh..." Wei Zhao smiled wryly. "All right. I'll spin the stick fast in a moment, and you help blow on it."
"Oh, okay." Shen Yushu nodded. She'd learned about fire-making in history class, and she still remembered the general process.
The branches were simply too brittle—no rain for so long that they had dried out beyond all drying, and they couldn't take much force. Wei Zhao picked out two; a little pressure and they snapped.
"Wei Zhao, you think making a fire this way is a fun game?" Elder Jiao's voice came suddenly at Wei Zhao's ear.
"Elder Jiao?" Wei Zhao was slightly startled, then smiled bitterly. "If I don't make the fire this way, how am I supposed to make it?"
"When you rub the wood, you need only silently recite the first level's mnemonic of the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art, and the energy within your body will be passed into the wood in your hands!" Elder Jiao said.
"That works too?" Wei Zhao was somewhat taken aback; he'd never have imagined the energy in his body had this use.
"I've told you already—whenever a thing you touch requires energy, running your art will pass the energy of your body into it!" Elder Jiao explained.
"Uh... I know that, but what I mean is, even for rubbing sticks together to make fire, that works too?" Wei Zhao still could hardly believe it.
"Do you know the law of conservation of energy? Energy can be converted from one form to another, and the energy in your body is omnipotent, pure energy that can be converted into the energy of all things in the world," Elder Jiao said with a touch of scorn. He was truly at a loss for words over Wei Zhao's ignorance.
"Hm?" Wei Zhao hadn't expected the energy in his body to have such benefits. "Then when a car runs out of gas, can I take the place of the gasoline?"
"No." Elder Jiao poured a bucket of cold water over Wei Zhao's head. "The energy in your body can indeed be converted into the kinetic energy of an engine, but it cannot be converted into gasoline! If you had the ability to connect your hands to the engine while the car was running, perhaps you could manage it..."
"Sweat..." Wei Zhao was speechless. It seemed he really had been letting his imagination run away with him. Still, he was delighted with the information he'd gained so far. Following Elder Jiao's words, as he rubbed the wood Wei Zhao activated the Xuanyuan Dragon-Taming Art, and the energy in his body flowed through his hands into the wood...
"Whoosh—" The branch in Wei Zhao's hands burst abruptly into flame, giving Shen Yushu, who had been blowing on it, a tremendous fright—she very nearly singed her hair.