novelraw Chapter 120 - 118: Harvesting Ice by the River, Dominant Horse-Cutting Saber!
Chapter 120 - 118: Harvesting Ice by the River, Dominant Horse-Cutting Saber!
The days passed quickly, and soon it was November. The temperature was getting lower.
That night, Jiang Feng calculated the popularity value gained from this stage of livestreaming.
He now had more than 23 million in total popularity value.
It had been a while since he last drew prizes, so Jiang Feng decided to use all his popularity value for lotteries.
"The host chooses Top Level Lottery twice, drawing in progress..."
"Congratulations to the host for acquiring the skill:"
"[Agricultural Expert]: The host is proficient in agricultural planting knowledge, skilled in seed planting techniques and cultivation methods."
"Congratulations to the host for obtaining the item:"
"[Golden Armor (Helmet)]: A helmet made of pure gold weighing 4.5 pounds, wearable."
"The host chose Advanced Lottery three times, drawing in progress..."
"Congratulations to the host for obtaining the item:"
"[Horse-Cutting Saber (Cold Weapon)]: An exquisitely crafted horse-cutting saber, extremely sharp."
"[Special Effect Warm Clothing]: Warm clothing made from top-grade heating fiber fabric, lightweight and comfortable, fits well."
"[Omega Speedmaster Outdoor Sports Watch]: A high-end outdoor watch, capable of withstanding severe impacts."
A series of notifications rang in Jiang Feng’s mind.
When he acquired the skill, a golden light flashed before his eyes.
Upon hearing the name of the skill, Jiang Feng smiled with satisfaction.
There was a vacant lot in the ranch that he had cultivated to plant vegetables. Although the weather here had a significant difference between day and night temperatures, many excellent varieties could still survive.
The farming skill was just right.
This skill was merely about getting the land well-cultivated, not involving variety improvement, otherwise it would be good for scientific research and improving food varieties as well.
The rewards from Top Level Lottery are usually good.
This time, there’s even a golden helmet.
Jiang Feng hadn’t taken it out yet, as he didn’t have much use for the helmet.
It’s not as if he was doing a COSPLAY of Jay Chou or a Golden Saint.
The advanced rewards were also decent.
With the weather getting cooler, the warm clothing was just what he needed.
He took out the outdoor watch to use alternatively in the future.
The horse-cutting saber is a traditional Huaxia weapon, with its wide sweeping actions, it could look quite imposing if played skillfully. However, Jiang Feng had no such intentions, so he didn’t take it out.
It was another night of bountiful rewards.
The next morning, Yang Maolin brought bad news to Jiang Feng.
Due to the drop in temperature last night, a water pipe at Maodeng Ranch had burst, and the plumber was rushing to repair it, leaving his ranch without water as well.
Water use for grassland herders is more difficult. Those by the river use river water or have water trucked in.
However, Jiang Feng’s area had tap water available, so he had no such concerns.
After all, Maodeng Ranch’s 340,000 acres of grassland housed two large enterprises and many herders renting grassland, so living conditions were relatively better.
"Alright then, let’s go collect ice by the river today. Isn’t there a river between us and the neighboring ranch? The river water should be frozen."
"Just right, I can also do a livestream."
Jiang Feng said to Yang Maolin.
"Okay, I’ll go prepare the truck." Yang Maolin nodded.
After breakfast, Jiang Feng started his livestream.
The drone rose high up.
Every day at the start of his stream, he would first have the drone take an aerial shot of the entire ranch.
In the livestream, everyone saw groups of camels resting in open pens, several sheep peeking curiously out from the doorway, and a few dogs running along the road.
Soon after, Jiang Feng appeared on screen.
"Water’s out today, gotta head to the river to get ice."
"For isolated grassland herders, the winter method for water is collecting ice."
"The ice here is frozen from river water, relatively clean."
"After melting, it can be boiled directly to drink."
"Moreover, it is also used for cooking and making soup with ice water."
"I also have livestock to water, so I need to gather more, but luckily the distance isn’t far."
Jiang Feng explained to everyone.
This time, he brought along the horse-cutting saber he drew from the lottery.
Typically, ice is taken using a sharp iron rod to pierce it open.
But with a ready-made weapon at hand, it was convenient to use, and to outsiders, he would say he bought it from outside.
[Going to the river for ice? It feels like something from the primitive age!]
[Many grassland people do this, no choice, the place is too remote, water use is inconvenient!]
[Is the river water clean? It doesn’t seem very clean!]
[Flowing river water is very clean, especially this season without grass debris or insects, even cleaner!]
[There’s always an unexpected situation on the grassland!]
Four people went on this trip to the ranch.
Besides Jiang Feng, there were Ma He, Hadan, and Bugude.
The three of them were in a pickup truck, and the bed of the pickup could accommodate a lot of ice blocks.
Jiang Feng drove his off-road vehicle, simultaneously opening the passenger door, letting Little Border Collie and Little White Wolf jump in.
Jiang Feng now took these two little guys wherever he went, and they were happy to tag along with him.
As for Golden Retriever Wangwang, feeling secure in his position on the ranch, he lazily entertained himself daily and didn’t follow people around anymore. He’d only wag his big butt smiling adorably when he saw people.
The two vehicles headed into the grassland, driving towards the distance.
The grassland was as desolate as ever.
Only yellow withered grass grew up from the snow.
The vehicle quickly drove to the riverbank.
A thick layer of ice had already formed on the river, making it possible to walk on it.
The three of them, including Ma He, took out long iron spikes and began breaking the ice on the surface.
For the sake of some entertainment, Jiang Feng took out a black Horse-Cutting Saber from the trunk.
The characteristic of the Horse-Cutting Saber is its length, generally around 1.3 to 1.5 meters long.
The handle takes up one-third of the length, allowing for either single-handed or double-handed grip.
The overall design is straight and slender.
As soon as Jiang Feng took out the saber, the viewers in the livestream were dumbfounded.
[Holy cow! What’s the host planning to do, surely not thinking of getting rid of the three employees here!]
[Isn’t this the sword of the "Add Money Monk"? Does the host want to add money?]
[This saber looks so cool!]
[I can’t believe the host actually has this thing!]
The ranch staff also looked over at Jiang Feng.
Jiang Feng explained:
"This is called a Horse-Cutting Saber, one of our ancient cold weapons. It’s now considered a controlled item, so it can only be used on the ranch, and not carried around freely. I had it specially forged."
"Since it’s well-made, I’ll use it to cut some ice."
Seeing Jiang Feng with the saber down there, the ranch staff also looked over.
The sheath of the Horse-Cutting Saber was still on, so the blade couldn’t be seen.
This kind of saber is very long, and the sheath can only be drawn out directly.
Jiang Feng drew the sheath, revealing the silver blade inside.
The blade was already sharp, glistening coldly.
Seeing this scene, everyone couldn’t help but feel a wave of oppressive and grim atmosphere.
Such a weapon is something that only a Grand General on the battlefield would have the right to use.
"You’re digging ice, let me see if this works." Jiang Feng said to the staff.
"Boss, your saber is so long!" Hadan exclaimed, his eyes full of surprise.
There are many traditional cold weapons among the Han People, each with their own strengths.
The Horse-Cutting Saber is just one among them.
"Mm, let’s try using it to break some ice!"
Jiang Feng walked to the riverbank and stepped onto the ice surface.
He gripped the long saber with both hands and slashed down fiercely.
In the next second, the blade cut directly into the ice layer, splintering many ice shards.
"The saber’s not bad." Jiang Feng couldn’t help but exclaim.
The three ranch employees were using the iron spikes to pound down, breaking out various sizes of ice chunks, and they specially picked the larger blocks to load onto the vehicle.
The ice chunks here were extremely clear, completely transparent, like clear crystals.
Jiang Feng stood on the ice and vertically stabbed down with the long saber.
[Host, why not keep slashing, it looked quite impressive!]
[Do another slash!]
The viewers immediately shouted.
Seeing the comments, Jiang Feng calmly replied:
"No more slashing, the saber’s good, but my hands are numb."
"Just stabbing like this is fine."
Hearing his words, everyone couldn’t help but laugh.
[So it was because his hands were numb!]
[You slash, you get numb too!]
[The host is really straightforward!]
Jiang Feng thrust down forcefully, quickly breaking out several large ice chunks.
He picked up the ice chunks.
The transparent ice chunks were extremely beautiful, without any impurities or color.
"This is the water the ranch will drink today."
"Once melted, it can be used directly."
Jiang Feng’s livestream allowed everyone to clearly see the hardships of the herders.
It really isn’t easy just to drink water.
Jiang Feng placed the ice chunks in the box at the back of the pickup truck.
A lot of ice chunks had already been dug out.
The Little Border Collie and Little White Wolf were playing in the tall grass by the river, frolicking with each other.
With the snow-covered wasteland and frozen river, the scenery in the livestream exuded a vast beauty.
Everyone was dressed very warmly.
Having gathered enough ice, everyone put away the tools and got into the car.
Jiang Feng opened the car door and called Xiaojin Hua and Little White Wolf.
The two adorable creatures came running eagerly from a distance.
Jiang Feng scooped one up in each hand and tossed them into the back seat.
Then he got into the car and headed towards the ranch with the little dog and little wolf.
The winter temperature was very cold, but life at the ranch was bustling.
Life remained comfortable.