Chapter 17: Obsidian

Just as Shi Nianqing was about to leave, her sharp eyes suddenly caught sight of a black stone tucked away in a corner. The stone was leaning against a reef, blending in inconspicuously.

At first, Shi Nianqing didn’t react, but when she did, a look of delight spread across her face. Carefully, she approached, avoiding the sharp edges of the reef. She picked up the black stone, which was about the size of two palms, pitch black and coated with a thick layer of mud. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary rock—except for its unusually deep black color.

But this was no ordinary stone. It was obsidian.

Back on Earth, obsidian was considered the sharpest stone in the world. Many expensive surgical scalpels were crafted from obsidian. The viewers in the livestream didn’t understand why Shi Nianqing was so excited over a big rock and expressed their confusion in the chat.

Holding the stone, Shi Nianqing explained to her audience, “This is an excellent raw material for making tools. Axes and knives made from ordinary stones aren’t sharp enough, but with this, we can accomplish much more.”

Though the viewers were still puzzled, their curiosity was piqued. Most stayed in the livestream, eager to see how the rock would be transformed into a tool.

Shi Nianqing returned to the shelter, triumphant with her haul of stones and seashells. Three little tigers followed her closely, full and content after feasting on oysters. After their meal, they practiced hunting in front of the shelter.

After placing her items down, Shi Nianqing headed toward the jungle. She had set several traps there the day before and wanted to check for any catches.

She had laid five traps along the rabbits’ usual path. A full day had passed since the traps were set; she was curious about the results.

She quickly arrived at the first trap and was surprised to find it triggered—but no rabbit had been caught.

Some viewers in the livestream, especially Shi Nianqing’s detractors, mocked her in the chat.

“I thought that useless thing wouldn’t catch anything. Such a simple trap—Shi Nianqing must be stupid.”

“Just a ring—what dumb prey would crawl into that on their own?”

“Sure enough, not the sharpest tool in the shed. She usually acts all high and mighty, but now she’s out of options.”

“Trying to raise those furry things? Bet she can’t even take care of herself.”

Shi Nianqing was oblivious to the jeers in the chat. Seeing the empty trap, she remained calm. Wilderness survival was fraught with uncertainty. There was no rule that traps must yield results.

After resetting the trap, she moved on toward the second one.

This trap hadn’t been triggered. Shi Nianqing glanced at it briefly before heading to the third.

Before she arrived, she heard rustling sounds. When she reached the spot, she saw a plump gray-white rabbit caught in a small tree, its red eyes struggling desperately.

Whether resigned to its fate or simply unfazed, the rabbit was chewing on nearby leaves, munching away nonchalantly.

Shi Nianqing couldn’t help but twitch at the corner of her mouth—this little rabbit was moments from death yet still remembered to eat.

She carefully took the rabbit down and gave an innocent smile to the livestream audience.

Before anyone could react, the camera shifted slightly to the side.

There was a sudden clatter.

When the livestream camera turned back, the limp rabbit lay motionless, while Shi Nianqing’s innocent smile remained on screen.

“All right, we’ve quickly dealt with the rabbit. Let’s check the last two traps,” she said.

The viewers saw the floppy ears of the rabbit in her hand. What had once been lively now hung lifelessly, the kill recent.

“What just happened…”

“If I’m not mistaken, Shi Nianqing finished off the rabbit when the camera shifted.”

“How did she do it?”

“I saw a stone on the ground…”

“Shi Nianqing is so ruthless. I used to criticize her—could she really be like this?”

“To all the haters in the chat, come on out! Is this the ‘pure white lotus’ you were talking about? Does she seem innocent?”

“White lotus? More like a fierce flower!”

“As a Shi Nianqing hater, I’m trembling now—feels like we never really understood her.”

“So scary, so cool! I love her! Sister, kill me!”

“Can’t imagine what it’d feel like if she grabbed my neck with those hands…”

“Uh-oh, a weirdo appeared upstairs, back away back away…”

Shi Nianqing moved on to the remaining two traps. At the fifth trap, she found a white rabbit that had already stopped breathing.

Both rabbits were very plump, promising plenty of meat.

In places untouched by humans, it seemed any creature could thrive.

Shi Nianqing carried the two rabbits back to camp and dug up a few wild taro roots along the way.

She also spotted a wild orange tree bearing several small fruits.

The oranges were still immature, so she left them alone for now, marking the spot to harvest later.

They would make excellent seasoning.

Back at camp, she hung the rabbits nearby.

The sun had reached its zenith.

Shi Nianqing estimated the time to be around eleven to twelve o’clock.

Having feasted on oysters in the morning, she had replenished plenty of protein and felt much better.

Looking at the obsidian on the ground, she picked up a palm-sized elongated stone she had found along the way.

She decided to postpone processing the rabbits and focus first on crafting tools to make the butchering easier.

The obsidian was relatively large.

Using the elongated stone, she struck the obsidian firmly in the middle, splitting it into two pieces.

Beautiful patterns were revealed inside.

One piece was thicker, suitable for making an axe.

The other was thinner and longer, perfect for a dagger.

The steps of striking stone tools echoed repeatedly in her mind.

She methodically chipped away at the edges of the obsidian, flakes falling swiftly to the ground.

The rhythmic clinking and clacking of stones echoed throughout the shelter.

Gradually, the obsidian took the shape of a dagger.

Shi Nianqing held the dagger-shaped stone up before the livestream audience.

“See? Such a beautiful dagger. With a sheath, we’ll have the most basic tools.”

The chat was nearly stunned into silence.

“I’ve been watching Shi Nianqing chip away at the stone for so long.”

“How did that rock suddenly turn into a dagger shape?”

“I didn’t even blink, but suddenly that pitch-black stone became this.”

“I have a stone sculpture at home, but compared to the dagger in her hand, it’s like night and day.”

“Can that stone actually be used?”

“Shi Nianqing’s skills are beyond what I imagined.”

Without a word, Shi Nianqing continued to strike the obsidian dagger slowly, following its grain to carve out a beautiful dragon scale pattern.