Live Streaming: Great Adventure in the Wilderness

It was time for the slot-occupying segment.

Occupying a slot to ensure perfect attendance, finished before three in the morning.

--

Without personal experience, it's often hard to understand the oppressive feeling that the enormous size of a rhino can bring.

Especially those sharp, long horns, a bump from those could easily skewer someone completely through, even if it didn't split them into two halves.

Because of this, Bi Fang didn't rashly get closer.

[System: "Feels like a poke would be the end."]

[System: "Self-explanatory, remove the feeling."]

[System: "Why do I feel it's cute (eating a lollipop)"]

[System: "What a pity, I heard there used to be rhinos in ancient Huaxia too."]

[System: "Indeed there were, but it seems they became extinct around the early 20th century."]

Perhaps influenced by what Bi Fang called his luck, the viewers in the live stream became very curious about the sudden appearance of the large creature, their interest peaked.

"Harley is very smart; it quickly understood my body language," Bi Fang said happily, petting the cheetah's head while the black rhino drew most of the attention. But he was also careful not to forget about the cheetah next to him.

[System: "What do you mean?"]

[System: "What did Harley do?"]

[System: "Don't know."]

[System: "Is it because it's perfectly cowardly? (amused)"]

Bi Fang laughed, "You could say that, it being perfectly cowardly."

Upon seeing the black rhino, Bi Fang's first instinct was to shrink his body, squat down, and hide his form.

When he did this, Harley instinctively grasped the meaning and made the same choice, attempting to back away.

At this moment, Harley's posture, with its butt sticking up higher, clearly wasn't an offensive stance but one where it felt threatened and wanted to retreat, similar to a cat puffing up its fur.

Bi Fang continued, "Knowing when to advance or retreat, being afraid, this is a very crucial point in wilderness survival. Don't overestimate your strength, and live simply if you can."

"I always say that feeling fear isn't something shameful; rather, it's a good thing, a very crucial point in the evolution of living organisms."

[System: "Makes sense."]

[System: "Like a combat power warning device, right?"]

[System: "I especially love watching Master Fang's live streams, not for anything else, just because he speaks so nicely, hehehe."]

The arrival of the rainy season was very apparent on the savannah, or perhaps it was just that the grass up north was more lush; the bushes grew very vigorously. When Bi Fang and Harley squatted down, they could almost completely hide, showing only their heads.

The black rhino did not notice the two "little guys" sneakily observing it from a short distance away.

As a herbivore that chose to live alone, this was in itself proof of its strength.

Its natural power also made this creature less vigilant; usually, as long as one didn't jump around, it wouldn't notice them.

The green grass was vague and indistinct.

Bi Fang whispered, "Seeing a black rhino in the wild, in terms of how to respond, it's similar to when we encountered the Wild Baizhi Ox in the Banna Rainforest."

"Cattle usually won't attack animals shorter than themselves because they feel those shorter cannot threaten them. So, the moment you see a wild ox, you should lie down on the ground and slowly withdraw, which can often get you out of danger."

"Of course, if it has already locked onto you and sees you as a threat, that's another matter."

"The methods to deal with large animals are similar, and the same goes for rhinos. From this perspective, the strategies to handle herbivorous and carnivorous animals in the wild are quite opposite."

"Do you remember what I always used to say? When you encounter a wild beast, don't panic, and especially don't run. They can smell your fear and bite down hard on your flesh."

[System: "Yeah, I remember, I remember."]

[System: "It is still my motto now."]

[System: "What kind of motto needs this stuff?"]

[System: "Maybe a backpacker.]

"For both facing wild beasts, carnivores will see you as prey, so you need to appear threatening and make your body as large as possible to avoid being seen as prey."

"In contrast, herbivores are not interested in you per se, so be careful not to threaten them and try to make your body as small as possible to avoid being seen as a predator."

"These are points you need to keep in mind in the wild, and don't mix them up, or else it could be disastrous."

Bi Fang's tone was serious and earnest.

[System: "Mix it up and the whole village will feast."]

[System: "I want to sit at the kids' table."]

[System: "Dumb, the kids' table has parents, you won't get much, you'd only get to eat chicken butts and necks, I suggest sitting at the old folks' table, they can't compete with you."]

[System: "Clever point."]

[System: "Learned from the master."]

On the savannah, the black rhino nibbled on the tender branches of the bushes, its thick lips tirelessly rejecting.

"White rhinos and black rhinos both feed on the grass of the African Savanna, but their eating methods are completely different."

"The white rhino has a wide upper lip that can consume short grass, while the black rhino's lips are more protruding, allowing it to pick tender branches and then break them with its front molars. It's just a pity that white rhinos have already become extinct, and we won't see such clear contrasting differences anymore."

[System: "Such a pity."]

[System: "Another beautiful species has decreased in the world."]

"However, apart from grass, they also eat some fruits. Meeting one is fate, so let's leave it a baobab fruit."

"The baobab tree blossoms and then quickly bears fruit. The fruits mature during the rainy season and can hang on the tree, remaining until the dry season. They do not easily fall off, and since the shell is rather thick and hard, the rhino probably has never eaten this before. Let's give it a taste."

"Of course, don't let it see us, it would be bad to leave a wrong impression on a human."

It wasn't easy to encounter a black rhino in the wild in Kenya. Bi Fang, curious, had watched for quite a while and before leaving, he took a baobab fruit off himself, cracked open the skin with a knife, pulled out the fruit, and placed it on the ground.

The smell of the baobab fruit was very rich and after a few minutes, Moyo seemed to catch the fragrance.

The black rhino, swaying leisurely, let go of the bush in its mouth and walked towards the baobab fruit. Seeing the fruit for the first time, it was obviously very curious. It lowered its head and sniffed for a long while, and finally started eating it with pleasure.

Hidden behind the trees, Bi Fang watched the scene unfold and couldn't help but feel delighted.

He really enjoyed interacting with large animals, especially gentle giants like these, finding them quite adorable even though he hadn't approached them directly, considering this act as a form of feeding.

Walking back to the camp, Bi Fang put down everything he was carrying, plopped down on the ground, and laid out a string of baobab fruits tied with a rope. He picked one, cracked it open with the handle of his dagger, similar to cracking open a walnut.

"The Chinese name for the 'baobab' is directly translated from one of its English names, 'monkey-bread tree', but its fruit is not used as bread or a staple food; it's more of a snack. When people say it tastes like bread, they are referring to the flavor, not the texture, which is more like that of a fruit."

"Meanwhile, the breadfruit, originally from the tropical regions of Asia and belonging to the Moraceae family, has large, starchy fruits that can actually fill you up. Its English name is 'breadfruit', which literally means bread fruit."

"However, many people get the baobab and the breadfruit trees mixed up, when in fact, they are distant relatives with no close connections at all, much like fish and whales."

The baobab fruit is elongated and oval-shaped, gray-white in color, and about thirty centimeters long; when split in half, it measures about fifteen centimeters.

Once cracked open, it's clear that the fruit is very juicy, glowing slightly, and has a pale yellow color similar to that of cheese butter, which looks quite appetizing.

Bi Fang scraped off a piece with his knife and tasted it carefully.

"The flesh is juicy, slightly gelatinous, and tart. As for a bread-like flavor, I don't really taste it."

The flesh was sour, which didn't surprise Bi Fang at all; he was mentally prepared for it.

A lot of chemical processes involved in biological metabolism deal with various acids, like the famous citric acid cycle in cellular respiration.

Fruits also contain these, mostly from various intermediates in metabolic processes like citric acid. As the fruits ripen, these acidic molecules are gradually metabolized; they are all organic acids.

These acidic substances are initially essential for metabolic processes, and their abundance in unripe fruits naturally deters animals from eating them.

So, essentially, any edible fruit in nature is likely to be sour to some degree.

Not tasting the bread flavor was somewhat disappointing for Bi Fang.

Bi Fang speculated, "If pushed, maybe this tartness mixed with an abundance of yeast, like in overly fermented bread, might be somewhat similar? That's probably where the bread flavor comes from?"

"Juicing it could work, adding some sugar for a sweet and sour taste."

[Wow, sour bread!]

[Damn, now I think I know what it tastes like.]

Bi Fang didn't discard the fruit's outer shell.

The shell also serves as a good water container and can be used as a ladle.

"Although it didn't taste great, baobab fruit has significant medicinal value. I heard that the locals, due to their prolonged use of baobab fruits, rarely suffer from stomach cancer."

"Moreover, it can be used as a medicinal food, with anti-inflammatory, fever-reducing, and malaria-treating properties."

"The texture might be a bit off, but it's high in calcium and antioxidants, with three times the vitamin C content of oranges. If mixed with other grains, it can aid in weight loss, earning it the title of 'superfruit' by many."

If these descriptions seemed normal, what Bi Fang said next was somewhat shocking.

"The most impressive thing is, it contains several natural hormones needed by the human body. For women, it can help balance internal secretions and enhance fertility. Locals apply it on their chest to promote secondary development."

"For men, it's almost a must-eat item for the local men in Africa, as it helps in the division and maturation of spermatogonia, thereby boosting the levels of male hormones and increasing the secretion, enhancing, you know, certain functions."

"Men apply it too, and, well, where they apply it—you know what I mean—for promoting hormone secretion and secondary development, that's roughly it. Both men and women in Africa highly regard it."

Many listeners were left dumbfounded.

"[Those who understand, understand]"

"[Damn, where can I buy this stuff? I need ten pounds of it, not for any other reason, just to help my wife get healthier]"

"[Helping my wife get healthier, plus one]"

"[Bro, I trust you]"

"[Already looked for it, but only found dried fruit, seems like there are no fresh ones]"

Talking about other subjects didn't really interest the audience, but as soon as it shifted to this topic, they got excited.

Bi Fang didn't say much, although his live stream was almost entirely unrestricted, it was still better to say less about things that shouldn't be discussed.

He took a piece and held it up to Harley's mouth, but unfortunately, the animal sniffed it and turned its head away, clearly uninterested in fruit.

"[Hahaha, Master Fang must be out of his mind, cheetahs are carnivores, how could they possibly eat fruit?]"

"[Harley: You're giving me this?]"

"[Who says that? My cat loves fruit! Especially cantaloupe!]"

"[Huh?]"

"[Exactly, cheetahs are just big cats, maybe they like it?]"

"[I thought cats can't taste sweetness]"

"Felines are primarily carnivores, but they can sometimes indeed be interested in fruit. I know why they like cantaloupe."

Bi Fang didn't hesitate, "Ripe cantaloupe has a unique smell, made up of volatile compounds including amino acids, fatty acids, carotenoids, and terpenoids."

"These amino acids and fatty acids have smells that are quite similar to those of meat, so animals think of cantaloupe as a uniquely textured 'meat' or include it in their range of safely edible items due to its similar smell."

"And I don't know why they would like watermelon or strawberries."

"However, not all fruits are safe to feed; anything related to grapes is off-limits as they might cause acute kidney injury or kidney failure in felines."

"Citrus fruits are also not suitable, like oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and tangerines. They contain citrus oil and psoralen, small amounts of which can upset a feline's gastrointestinal system, and large amounts can lead to diarrhea, vomiting, and central nervous system depression."

"There's not much else to worry about. The baobab fruit is from the bombacaceae family, so there's no issue, but unfortunately, Harley doesn't quite appreciate it."

Since the cheetah wasn't interested, Bi Fang simply turned and handed it to Jerry.

As a fruit enthusiast, Jerry was quite delighted. He eagerly took the piece with his little hands, stuffed it into his mouth, and kept going for more, his cheeks bulging.

In this respect, Gambian pouched rats and hamsters share the same taste.

Having followed Bi Fang around for a couple of days, he hadn't gotten to eat any proper fruit, only some weird tubers that were hard and tasteless. Today, finally, he had hit the jackpot.

That's why Bi Fang climbed a tree to pick baobab fruits when there was plenty of food available; he remembered he had a little critter that hadn't gotten to eat much good food.

"During several great famines in Africa's history, this 'natural bread' saved thousands of lives. When people traveling across the tropical savanna were dying of thirst, finding a baobab tree meant they could extract water from its trunk to survive, which is why it's also known as the 'tree of life'."

"This tree lives very long; in the 18th century, French botanist Adanson saw some baobab trees in Africa, the oldest of which was 5500 years old, and he called it the 'Sacred Tree'."

After dealing with the Weaver Birds and collecting some other spoils, it was almost dark.

It seemed like not much had happened throughout the day, but it was still time-consuming. However, the gains were substantial.

At least for today, there was no need to worry about food; he had gathered plenty of fruit, two tanned animal hides, a large clay pot, a block of soap, and several water dippers, fully stocked up.