Chapter 8
“Hmm! I have to say, this piece of poplar wood is actually quite heavy—though the real challenge isn’t the weight, it’s keeping balance, and that took me some effort.”
Xiao Yi didn’t dawdle; he slapped his hands together, dropped into a horse stance, and using the power of his waist, hoisted the poplar log onto his shoulder.
The first sensation was a sharp pain in his shoulders—he immediately regretted not padding them, even just with some grass or sand would’ve helped!
But the feeling wasn’t bad; at least carrying it back to his “shabby little home” shouldn’t be a problem.
Yet the viewers watching the screen, upon hearing his earlier remark and seeing his current action, were all stunned.
“Was that even human speech? What do you mean ‘a bit’ heavy? Top-tier French?”
“Damn, this guy actually lifted that poplar log? And he doesn’t even look strained.”
“I just want to know—what would the world’s strongest man, Fiji, think if he saw this?”
“What’s there to think? Fiji is just human limit; this guy is definitely a superhero—I admit it.”
“I think we should contact the National Academy of Sciences. This guy is worth studying.”
“Could this be fake? That tree weighs at least a thousand jin—is this even a human?”
“What’s there to discuss about this livestream? Just report it—it’s an insult to our intelligence. That tree’s interior must’ve been hollowed out.”
“Bro, this is the official Yinfu account, dedicated to livestreaming wilderness solo living. Are you sure you want to stick to that view?”
“Yinfu Dad, I’m sorry! Don’t ban my account! But is there really a monster this strong? Even Xiang Yu or Li Xiaocun couldn’t have been better.”
“This guy was born in the wrong era—if he’d lived in ancient times, he’d have dominated an age as a mighty general.”
“Yefeng Tingyu gifted Xiao Yi the exclusive item ‘Phoenix Dance Through Nine Heavens’!”
“Xiao Feng gifted Xiao Yi ‘Era of Prosperity’!”
“Yefeng Tingyu gifted Xiao Yi the exclusive item ‘Phoenix Dance Through Nine Heavens’!”
“Big Uncle Who Loves Fire gifted Xiao Yi ‘Era of Prosperity’!”
“Yefeng Tingyu gifted Xiao Yi the exclusive item ‘Phoenix Dance Through Nine Heavens’!”
“Aibushishou gifted Xiao Yi ‘Era of Prosperity’!”
…
…
Yefeng Tingyu: “I was assigned a two-hundred-million project by my dad this morning—I wonder if I’m too late now?”
“My god, two hundred million is just a small project? No wonder Yefeng is a legend.”
“They say Yefeng is the darling of Wei Wencang from Dongqing Pharmaceuticals—is this confirmed?”
“Holy shit, the heiress of Dongqing Pharmaceuticals, top three in China’s pharmaceutical industry? No wonder two hundred million is a small project.”
“Qieyi gifted Xiao Yi the exclusive item ‘Dragon Totem’!”
“Qieyi gifted Xiao Yi the exclusive item ‘Dragon Totem’!”
…
“Oh! Qieyi the boss is here! Welcome, boss!”
“Welcome, boss! Let’s touch some luck!”
Qieyi: “This streamer is truly incredible. Yesterday I just thought catching fish barehanded was interesting; today’s display has convinced me to stay permanently.”
“Wozixiaoyao gifted Xiao Yi ‘Era of Prosperity’!”
“Wozixiaoyao gifted Xiao Yi ‘Era of Prosperity’!”
…
…
Wozixiaoyao: “Wait, Yefeng boss and Qieyi bro are both here? Damn, who the hell is this streamer?”
Yefeng Tingyu: “Oh? Little Xiao’s here! I saw you spamming hard just now!”
Wozixiaoyao: “Boss, I only did it because I like a female streamer and wanted to hit the hourly leaderboard. Had I known you and Qieyi bro were here, I wouldn’t have lifted a finger.”
Seeing Yefeng Tingyu’s comment, Wozixiaoyao quickly typed a reply.
He had no choice—he had some money, but compared to tycoons like Yefeng and Qieyi, who ranked in the top ten overall, he was still far behind.
Qieyi: “Isn’t this more fun than watching female streamers?”
Wozixiaoyao: “Qieyi bro’s right, but I still prefer big… uh, but this livestream’s audience is actually pretty entertaining—I’ll definitely support it. Anyone from the UK? Tell Mei Ying I’m not coming back for now.”
“Sorry, big bro, I can’t carry that—I’m also planning to stay away for now.”
“Yeah, I want to see if this guy’s really a real man—I’m gonna…”
…
…
Mei Ying: “…”
At this moment, Mei Ying was completely stunned. After her fans had all left, she decided to end the stream—there was no point continuing if nothing was changing.
Still, she felt uneasy, so she secretly logged into her alternate account to see who had stolen her hourly leaderboard.
But upon entering, she saw this scene that made her heart sink—sure enough, fans were all big pork feet.
“Whoa…”
Two more hours passed, and Xiao Yi carried back every piece of the trunk—even the branches, all laid out to dry under the sun.
These poplar branches were excellent firewood—the key to surviving winter.
After finishing all this, his livestream audience suddenly reached 1.7 million.
Of course, during the same time slot, besides Xiao Yi’s, the most-viewed stream was Liu Hong’s, whose viewership also surpassed one million.
This sister, ever absentminded, accidentally set her house on fire while making breakfast this morning.
It wasn’t just bad luck—but since today was only the second day of the show, though her humble home burned, it didn’t break her spirit.
Of course, none of this affected Xiao Yi—he continued methodically with his plan.
He took out yesterday’s fish, cut off a large piece to roast, then resumed building his wooden door.
He lined up branches of similar size, then bound them together with rope selected from his top ten pre-selected tools.
The craftsmanship wasn’t refined—even somewhat crude—but the main reason was that Xiao Yi hadn’t taken it too seriously.
After all, this simple house was only his temporary shelter.
Besides, he had a dream: to build a house with a heated brick bed in the Arctic Circle.
The gaps were also packed with grass and sand—if it still leaked wind, the door would’ve been a waste of effort.
“Friends, look at this door—perfect fit. With this, I’ll be much warmer and safer at night. After all, I don’t want a bear showing up while I sleep.”
Looking at the installed door, Xiao Yi first felt satisfied, then proudly addressed the drone.
But his words instantly sparked a wave of meme-makers.
“Yes, now your bear beside you is finally safe!”
“Exactly! Bears are so cute—I don’t want to see one turned into steamed bear paws someday.”
“You’ve finally done something good for the bear kingdom.”
Bear: “To live past thirty-five, stay far away from Xiao Yi.”
“You guys are all geniuses—but honestly, if this guy meets a bear, we’ve got real reason to worry about the bear.”
“Right. A bear’s full-force paw strike is 1600 kg. From my observation, this guy’s full-power punch equals two bear strikes.”
Bear: “When did I become a unit of measurement?”
“…”
Fortunately, Xiao Yi didn’t know what was being said in the comments—otherwise he’d have proudly shouted.
“I’m the only man in this century confirmed by netizens to have fought a bear!”
Of course, wilderness survival still requires a bit of luck. After finishing everything at home, Xiao Yi left to search for clay.
But this time, luck didn’t seem to be on his side.
End of Chapter
