Chapter 60

A tangle of silk threads swirled in front of him, clearly indicating that the visitor had no good intentions. How could the fire cricket possibly cooperate? As soon as the silk threads approached, it waved its appendages to push them away.

Ying Qing had no choice but to use his strength to forcefully clamp the metal jar and subdue it, then he managed to slip the live knot of the rainbow silk around its neck. With a pull of the silk threads, the knot tightened, securing the fire cricket's neck.

Finally, it was done. He tugged the silk threads a few more times to test the effect.

Being played with by someone tugging on its neck, the fire cricket naturally became furious again. Red cracks of light appeared on its body, and it tried to pull the silk threads into its mouth with its sharp mandibles, attempting to bite through them.

However, the silk threads that bound it were no ordinary threads. They were rainbow silk, each strand worth a thousand taels, incredibly resilient, and impervious to both blades and fire.

In short, they were not easy to break.

Seeing that the high temperature from the fire cricket couldn't burn through or bite through the bindings, Ying Qing was delighted, quite proud of his sudden idea to use rainbow silk to bind it.

He then tied the other end of the silk threads to the metal jar.

After ensuring everything was secure, he lifted the fire cricket by the silk threads to observe it, wanting to study why this little creature refused to eat or drink.

As expected, the moment it was free from the cage, the little creature immediately tried to escape, its small wings suddenly spreading wide and flying quite fast, shooting out in a flash.

The result was predictable. Ying Qing smirked and pulled it back.

He pulled it back and then let it go.

He let it go and then pulled it back.

After several rounds of this, the fire cricket finally stopped flying, hanging like a hanged man, finally subdued. Ying Qing then lifted it to his face to examine it closely.

However, the moment their eyes met, the fire cricket suddenly launched a surprise attack, making a series of "crying" sounds and spitting out a bunch of sparks, nearly spraying Ying Qing in the face.

Fortunately, with Ying Qing's cultivation, he wasn't defenseless against such an attack. His inner strength burst forth, instantly deflecting the sparks.

But the fire cricket continued to spew uncontrollably. While he protected himself, he neglected his surroundings. Smelling the burning, he quickly turned around and realized the problem. The communal bed mats were dotted with small burn holes, smoking.

If it continued to "cry," it would burn the mats and set the house on fire.

Ying Qing swept the fire cricket into the metal jar with a quick motion, closed the lid, and then hurriedly patted the bed mats to extinguish the sparks.

However, the burn marks on the mats were obvious. How would he explain this to the other candidates when they returned?

Thinking of this, Ying Qing became angry. The little creature had quite a temper and needed to be cooled down.

Looking around, he saw a basin of water on the washstand and immediately went over, opened the jar, and grabbed the silk threads, giving them a flick.

Splash! The fire cricket was thrown into the water, pushed under by Ying Qing every time it struggled to float up.

After a while, the fire cricket stopped moving, lying still at the bottom of the water.

Did it drown? Just as Ying Qing was about to pull the silk threads to check, he saw the little creature's black gem-like eyes glow red, and red cracks of light appeared on its body again.

Ying Qing laughed. He had intended to douse the fire with water, but he didn't expect the fire cricket to still be able to produce fire in the water, realizing that this little creature had an unusually large temper.

After a while, the water in the basin started to steam, and the steam grew stronger, eventually bubbling. The water boiled, turning into hot water?

Stunned, Ying Qing lifted the fire cricket by the silk threads.

As soon as the fire cricket emerged from the water, the red light on its body faded. When it met Ying Qing's eyes, it made a "crying" sound. Thinking it would spew sparks again, Ying Qing immediately used his strength to defend, but instead, a thin stream of water spurted from its mouth, followed by a few more streams, and then it seemed to run out of "crying."

The fire cricket became docile again, hanging like a hanged man, motionless, with water dripping from its wings.

Ying Qing looked at the hot water in the basin, couldn't resist dipping his finger in, and found it scalding. He pulled back, realizing that the fire cricket had indeed boiled the water.

He was intrigued. After some thought, he looked around and found a water jar in the room. He went over, lifted the lid, and used a dipper to pour water into a bowl. He filled the bowl with water, placed it on the table, looked at the little creature hanging from the silk threads, hesitated for a moment, but still lifted it and suspended it over the bowl of water, then finally let it sink into the water.

The fire cricket, which had been hanging like a hanged man, started to struggle again, trying to break the surface. Each time it tried, Ying Qing pushed it back under. After several attempts, it lay still at the bottom of the bowl.

Soon, its eyes turned red, and red cracks of light appeared on its body.

Before long, the bowl of water started to steam, and then it began to bubble.

The bowl of water boiled again.

Ying Qing lifted the fire cricket by the silk threads. The little creature's mouth spurted a few more streams of water, and then it hung motionless again, even when it met Ying Qing's eyes. It hung freely, its legs slightly drooping, as if saying, "I'm really out of energy!"

Ying Qing put it back in the jar, tightened the lid to prevent it from tricking him again, and hung the jar back on his waist.

He examined the bowl of hot water, lifted his mask, and sniffed it repeatedly, finding no strange odor.

After much hesitation, he brought the bowl to his mouth, blew on the steam, and tried a small sip with his tongue. The taste was normal, and there was no unusual flavor.

He brought the bowl to his mouth again, intending to take a proper sip, but stopped, thinking it might not be safe. Just because there was no strange smell didn't mean it was drinkable. What if it was poisonous?

Thinking of this, he realized his earlier sip had been rash. He put the bowl down and carefully felt for any aftereffects.

While he was focused, footsteps approached from outside, and Chong hurried back, carrying a food box.

Although Ying Qing had said he wasn't hungry, Chong still brought him food, having rushed through his own meal to deliver it on time.

"Master Shiheng, the food today is quite good. There's roasted lamb. You should eat some," Chong said, taking the food out of the box and placing it in front of Ying Qing for him to see.

Ying Qing glanced at it and saw a piece of meaty rib, roasted to a golden brown, looking quite appetizing.

He wasn't particularly hungry, but the sight tempted him, and he picked up the rib and started to chew, finding it quite tasty. He waved his hand and said, "I'm full. You can have the rest."

The quality of the food was clearly meant for the candidates, and the accompanying servants didn't get such treatment. Since he wasn't hungry, he decided to let Chong have it.

Chong quickly shook his head, "I'm full."

Ying Qing gave him a cold look, "I told you to eat. Didn't you hear me?"

Seeing that Master Shiheng was unhappy, Chong weakly nodded and went to the side, quietly eating.

Chong, with the mask over his nose, suddenly stared at the bowl of boiled water on the table, then looked at Chong, who was eating, and hesitated for a moment before turning and smiling, "Chong, take your time. No one will rush you."

Chong looked up, puzzled, feeling he wasn't eating that fast.

Before he could react, Ying Qing waved him over, "Don't choke. Come and have some water."

Chong shook his head, "I'm not thirsty."

Ying Qing immediately glared, "No more nonsense. Come here when I tell you to."

Chong had no choice but to put down his bowl and go over.

Ying Qing smiled again, "You must have rushed back without eating properly. Eating too quickly is bad for your health. Here, I've brought you some boiled water. It's almost cool. Drink it while it's warm."

Hearing that the water was specially prepared for him, Chong looked at him with tears welling up in his eyes, nodded, and took the bowl with both hands. Feeling the warmth, he realized it was indeed lukewarm and drank it down, feeling the warmth in his stomach.

Ying Qing watched and encouraged, "Drink, drink, all of it. It will warm your stomach."

Chong nodded and drank, finishing the entire bowl. He immediately burped, his stomach visibly larger.

Having eaten one meal outside and half a meal here, and then being forced to drink a bowl of water, his stomach was understandably full.

Ying Qing looked at his bulging stomach and sighed, "Did you eat too much? Don't overfill your stomach. If you feel any discomfort, tell me immediately. I'll help you right away, understand?"

"Understood," Chong nodded, his eyes filled with gratitude, almost to the point of tears.

Ying Qing finished the rib in one bite, grinning.

He had no other intention in making Chong drink the water; he just wanted to test it for any side effects from the fire cricket's boiling.

He had also taken a sip, but after waiting for a while with no reaction, he assumed it was safe. However, he was still worried that a small amount might not be enough to test properly, and drinking more might cause side effects.

If Chong had a problem, he could try to treat him. If he had a problem, the accompanying cultivators could help. But he was already drawing too much attention, needing to wear a mask, and adding more attention was not ideal.

Moreover, he couldn't bring himself to test it on himself fully.

He had considered asking other candidates to drink it, but suddenly asking them to drink water seemed strange, and he wasn't sure if they would dare. Additionally, causing problems for other candidates could escalate the situation.

Chong, on the other hand, was obedient and easy to manipulate, making it simple and convenient.

His goal was to sell the fire cricket at a high price.

A fire cricket that could boil water for tea on the go would be a valuable tool for travelers. The wealthy in the capital would likely be very interested, and he could probably sell it for at least a thousand taels more.

Of course, it couldn't be poisonous. Causing the death of a wealthy person in the capital would make the money too hot to handle. Therefore, he needed to test it first to ensure it was safe before selling it.