The fire was quickly lit.
Water had been prepared in advance in the fruit shell pot. Lin Xi placed all the diced fatty meat pieces into the pot for blanching.
Blanching could remove impurities from the meat’s surface and reduce some of the gamey flavor. Without seasonings like scallions or ginger, this was the only method available.
Wu Chen kept the fire blazing, and the blanching was soon completed. Lin Xi scooped out the meat pieces, replaced the water in the pot, and returned the meat to the pot.
She then added two more logs to the fire. After about twenty minutes, as the water in the pot evaporated, the meat pieces noticeably shrank, and small bubbles rapidly burst on the surface of the oil.
Lin Xi picked up the prepared fruit shell for storing oil, inside which lay a cleaned black stone about half the size of a fist.
Seeing the stone again, she still found it fascinating—it actually had a salty taste!
This stone turned out to be the source of salt for the Beastmen.
The stone slab in the cave was also made of the same Salty Stone. When roasting meat directly on it, the salt would infuse into the food.
Such Salty Stones were everywhere in the forest. No wonder she hadn’t seen Wu Chen adding salt powder to the roasted meat in the forest cave—she had thought she’d missed it!
Lin Xi extinguished the fire beneath the fruit shell pot and used a spoon to carefully scoop the cracklings into another empty fruit shell.
After removing the cracklings, she ladled the rendered oil bit by bit into the fruit shell containing the Salty Stone.
Adding salt to the animal fat would help preserve it.
The last bit of oily residue left in the pot was set aside to be used for cooking in the evening.
It contained many fine meat particles and couldn’t be mixed into the oil container.
By the time Lin Xi finished all this, Wu Chen had just completed processing the animal hide.
He tied a cross frame with beast hide rope, spread the hide over it with the bear fur facing outward, secured it in place, and propped it at the cave entrance to dry.
Lin Xi knew nothing about making Animal Hide Skirts. Watching Wu Chen’s actions, she thought she should learn the skill when she had time.
Although she could rely on Wu Chen, it was more reliable to master the skill herself.
“Wu Chen.”
Seeing that Wu Chen had finished with the hide, Lin Xi called out to him, “Are there Beastmen in the tribe who eat grass or fruits?”
“Yes, Beastmen from the rabbit, bird, and goat tribes are all omnivorous.”
He paused briefly before adding, “Actually, all Beastmen eat both meat and fruits. Some prefer meat, while others favor fruits and leaves.”
As he spoke, Wu Chen suddenly understood and asked Lin Xi, “Xi Xi, do you want to eat fruits?”
“Yes, can you take me to find some?”
Lin Xi was overjoyed. She suddenly felt that this Beastmen world seemed much better than she had imagined!
There was no need to worry about salt or fire, and now, even food didn’t seem to be a major concern.
At least she didn’t have to fear accidentally eating poisonous plants due to unfamiliarity with wild grasses and fruits!
“Alright, wait a moment.”
Wu Chen agreed to Lin Xi’s request without hesitation. He asked her to wait at the cave entrance while he went inside to fetch an Animal Hide Skirt. When he returned, he bent down and transformed into his beast form. Then, picking up the Animal Hide Skirt and his own fallen one in his mouth, he crouched down, signaling for Lin Xi to climb on.
Wu Chen then carried Lin Xi directly into the nearby forest.
He had run quite a distance. The fruits near the forest had mostly been picked clean by the herbivorous beastmen. To find delicious, fully ripe fruits, they needed to venture farther.
Wu Chen ran in one direction for nearly twenty minutes before stopping.
Lin Xi slid off his back and, upon landing, noticed the ground was covered with tiny purple berries—several of which she had accidentally crushed underfoot.
As she looked down, Wu Chen bent over and plucked a berry-laden stem, handing it to her. “Xi Xi, these are Little Sweet Fruits. They’re very tasty.”
Lin Xi picked one off the stem and popped it into her mouth. The soft flesh practically melted as she bit into it.
It was indeed very sweet!
Far better than the wild fruits she had cautiously sampled while lost in the forest when she first arrived here.
“Let’s gather some to take back!”
Unable to resist, she ate another one and looked up at Wu Chen.
These wild berries could be brought back as snacks. Having eaten poorly these past few days, Lin Xi now regarded these Little Sweet Fruits with particular fondness.
So the two stood beneath the trees, bending over and busily picking.
However, Lin Xi’s main purpose for coming out wasn’t just to gather these berries. She wanted to find edible wild vegetables to pair with roasted or stir-fried meat.
Although they now had oil, eating only meat would eventually become tiresome.
She had initially worried that the beastmen might not know about these plant-based foods, but now that she knew they also ate them, she saw no reason to deprive herself since the opportunity was there!
The two worked quickly. After gathering most of the berries, Lin Xi—with Wu Chen’s help—found several types of wild vegetables.
One had broad, long leaves resembling ramsons but tasted slightly sweet, with a texture similar to lettuce-like Chinese cabbage. Wu Chen called it Sweetleaf Grass.
There was also the Black Bug Fruit—dark and unappealing on the outside, but when peeled, its flesh had the texture of raw sweet potato.
After tasting it, Lin Xi thought this wild fruit might become a staple in her diet later.
The only drawback was its small size, roughly the thickness and length of a finger.
Additionally, they found Bobo Vegetable and Rolling Fruit Grass.
The Bobo Vegetable had a fascinating texture—biting into it felt like popping a water pouch. Lin Xi wasn’t sure if it could be stir-fried, but eating it raw was quite fun.
But the Rolling Fruit Grass was Lin Xi’s most exciting discovery of the day!
Because it was actually spicy!!
Although the spiciness was mild, for Lin Xi—who adored spicy food—it was enough to thrill her.
Her joy had returned!!
So while Wu Chen was still diligently gathering Sweetleaf Grass for her, he looked up in surprise to see Lin Xi ecstatically harvesting an entire patch of Rolling Fruit Grass.
He quickly stopped her. “Xi Xi, you shouldn’t eat too much Rolling Fruit Grass. It’ll make your mouth feel uncomfortable!”
To his surprise, Lin Xi showed no concern. Instead, she carefully held up the bunch she had gathered and explained, “No, Wu Chen, I love this!”
“That uncomfortable feeling you mentioned comes from the spiciness of the Rolling Fruit Grass. I enjoy this flavor, so it won’t bother me!”
Seeing doubt still on his face, Lin Xi plucked a leaf and ate it, continuing her explanation:
“Where I used to live, many people loved this taste. So there’s no need to worry.”
Seeing Lin Xi eat a leaf without changing her expression, Wu Chen still couldn’t understand why she liked eating Rolling Fruit Grass, but he no longer stopped her from gathering it.
Because it was autumn, the forest here truly seemed abundant with food.
In less than half an hour, what Lin Xi and Wu Chen had gathered already covered the animal hide Wu Chen had brought.
Oh!
Beside it lay two Fleece Beasts that Wu Chen had casually hunted along the way.
Lin Xi thought the Fleece Beasts looked very much like sheep, except their legs were a bit short!