Chapter 777: Whole Scorpion as Medicine

The Platoon Leader hurriedly pressed his hand down, signaling Che to hold back his anger: "This is the King's arrangement, and how could it be that we won't be able to catch them all? I'm only afraid that by then, there won't be enough to catch."

But Che still didn't understand: "Scorpions reproduce, you know, and they migrate too. We catch some, and more come; it's impossible to catch them all. Besides, that stuff isn't edible. Why catch them? To kill them all and throw them away?"

The Platoon Leader's smile was very broad: "Who says they're useless? They are of great use. It's best if they keep coming in an endless stream. And let me tell you, if we can manage this scorpion industry well, the profits might even exceed those of farming."

Che finally changed his expression: "Come, explain it in detail."

"The King said that these scorpions are a very good medicinal ingredient. For our kind of weather where our legs ache as soon as the weather changes, or for injuries from falls and blows, the therapeutic effect is excellent. With the current state of Huaxia, the demand for scorpions is incredibly high. If we can catch them all, wouldn't that be an excellent industry? Scorpions would then become treasures."

Che was very shocked: "Ah, is that even possible? I thought medicine was just those flowers and grasses."

Afterwards, he looked at his own feet: "Hey, but you really shouldn't say that. These two ankles of mine, whenever it rains or the wind blows, they ache. I can't even describe that kind of pain; it's like the bones are being eaten away, a kind of pain where it feels like there are no bones left."

"But this left foot of mine has been stung a few times. A few days ago when it rained and the wind blew hard, my right one hurt terribly, but this left one really didn't hurt much at all."

With Che's personal account, these people who had previously been fighting for their lives and were left with chronic illnesses were now somewhat excited. They, too, suffered from leg pain, waist pain, and shoulder pain during cloudy, rainy, or cold weather, often having the urge to just chop them off. Only by staying warm on a burning hot heated brick bed could they feel a bit more comfortable.

Now that Che said he had been stung a few times and his pain had immediately decreased, they were already impatient to find a few scorpions to sting themselves.

Seeing that they had already started looking down to search, the Platoon Leader hurriedly advised: "Hey, hey, hey, don't be in such a hurry. You can't just mess around with this; those scorpions are poisonous after all. What if you get poisoned to death? Let's follow the King's requirements and catch the scorpions whole to make them into medicine. As long as we catch enough, won't everyone be able to use them?"

Upon hearing this, the group felt it made sense. Xi and Zhong and the others echoed him repeatedly, and with deep meaning, they demanded of Che: "Che, your place here is covered in treasures. With so many scorpions, you must search and catch them carefully. Once we can use the medicine made from scorpions and cure our illnesses, then, whatever you want, I will give you."

Xi even tempted Che: "I still have a jar of Wine buried at home that was distributed to me back when the country was founded. The King said that the longer Wine is stored, the more fragrant it becomes. Think about that Wine—how many years has it been now? You must work hard. Whether I can cure these legs of mine depends entirely on you."

Che now felt that this desolate land was his own treasure trove; it had all sorts of good things. The poisonous insects that had plagued him could suddenly turn into treasures, and his motivation became immense. He had already thought about how to mobilize these Laborers to catch scorpions.

The Platoon Leader walked toward a few bamboo baskets kept separate from the supplies, opened the loose, rotten lid of one of them, and took out a bamboo tong.

"Look, the King even specially made tools for you so you can catch them faster and more safely. With this kind of tong, as long as you clamp like this, you can pick up the scorpion. You don't even have to be afraid of being stung."

Che took the tong and looked at it; it was actually just a whole piece of bamboo that had been shaved down, with the middle part roasted soft over a fire to create an arc, allowing it to rely on the elasticity of the bamboo to clamp. It might be discarded and replaced once used for too long, and given the dryness of the climate here, the frequency of replacement would be higher.

The Platoon Leader explained to Che: "We were in a bit of a rush leaving this time, so not many of those tongs were made over there. There seem to be only a thousand or so this time. However, there are other things, though they might require good eyes and fast hands."

Che handed the tong back: "What things? Let me see."

The Platoon Leader carefully pulled a thin bamboo branch out of another basket that looked slightly sturdier and handed it to Che: "Look, it's this thing. The front is fitted with an Iron Needle. As long as you aim at the scorpion and stab, isn't that it? You just have to aim accurately."

Che touched the rough Iron Needle at the tip and asked suspiciously: "Does the scorpion have to be dead?"

The Platoon Leader explained to Che earnestly: "Dead is fine; there's no need to catch them alive. Even if you caught them alive, wouldn't you have to kill them anyway? But the King said it's best if they are whole. He said the name of this medicinal ingredient is something like 'Whole Insect' or 'Whole Scorpion'. As long as you catch them, stab them to death, and dry them in the sun, that's it. It will be convenient for us to take them back, too. I don't want to escort a cart of live scorpions back; I might get stung to death on the way."

"Dead, huh? That's easy to handle. I can arrange for the catching tonight. As long as you shine a light on these scorpions, the ground is covered in them. In one night, I don't know how many we could catch. I estimate that by the time you go back tomorrow, you'll be able to take a big bag with you."

The Platoon Leader smiled brightly: "Good, you handle it. I'll be going back a bit later this time. As for Zhong, I estimate he will be staying here for quite a while. As for Xi, I have to take him back on the way. You don't know how busy their Agriculture Department is right now; it's as if they can't function without Xi."

Xi just smiled and said nothing. Everyone in Huaxia knew that food was the most important thing, but they didn't think these officials who managed farming could be that busy. The ones who actually did the farming and harvesting were the Workers; they just gave orders. Now that the harvest season was over, what could the Agriculture Department possibly be busy with?

Zhong, on the other hand, added from the side: "I'll be as quick as I can, too, and try to go back with Xi. I've never seen land like this. I'll set out to scout first thing tomorrow morning."

Che pulled Zhong back: "What's the rush? The land here is so vast. If you haven't found a copper mine nearby, then go to a place further away first. What, you can't be afraid of being tired, can you? Anyway, you must find me a copper mine here. If you can't find one, don't even think about leaving."

Zhong gave a wry smile: "Whether I can find one isn't up to me. If there's no mine in the ground, I can't just conjure one up for you out of thin air. I want to find a mine even more than you do."

Che pulled the few of them to sit on the leather rug: "I don't care about that. Since I've already found copper ore, it means there must be a large one. You must search carefully for me."