Seeing the flicker of fire, Shu Ning quickly grabbed another handful of thin pine needles from the nearby firewood pile, and they quickly caught ablaze.
This forest had plenty of pine trees, and pine needles littered the ground.
Shu Ning had gathered a handful earlier while collecting firewood.
Watching the flames rise, Shu Ning was so excited she nearly jumped for joy.
She quickly added some kindling and blew on it gently.
The moment Yiyuan saw the light of the fire, however, his composure vanished.
His once-stoic face was now completely overcome with shock, his eyes wide.
He never thought Shu Ning would be capable of something like this.
This was something that only appeared when lightning struck a tree during a thunderous storm.
In all his long life, he had only seen it three times…
As far as he knew, fire was always a product of nature.
He had never seen anyone create it from thin air.
‘However, this is not a good thing.’
Every time this thing appeared, disaster was sure to follow.
Countless plants, trees, animals, and Beastmen were burned to death.
In the end, only ashes remained…
At this thought, Yiyuan walked over.
His breathing grew ragged and heavy, his chest heaving as he stared at the fire just inches away.
He gazed at Shu Ning’s smiling face in the firelight, an indescribable sense of curiosity and shock surging within him.
‘This female…
How does she have such a miraculous ability?’
Gazing at Shu Ning’s round back, illuminated by the firelight, she seemed to be plated in a layer of radiance.
Yiyuan watched, mesmerized.
Once the firewood was properly lit, Shu Ning could finally relax.
She then used the same beast bone to sharpen a few thin wooden sticks, after which she sliced the raw meat and threaded the pieces onto them.
Having finished this string of chores, Shu Ning was exhausted.
Finally, she could sit down, relax, and slowly roast the meat.
“This would be even better with some seasoning,” Shu Ning muttered.
“How did you do that?” Yiyuan asked, watching her with a puzzled expression.
She was watching excitedly as the meat skewers sizzled and dripped fat over the flames, and only then did she remember the man standing beside her.
“This?
It’s fire.
It gives off light and heat.
The method I used is called making fire with a bow drill.”
Realizing that the Beastmen of this world might have never seen fire before, Shu Ning explained.
“To start a fire, you need three things: an ignition point, fuel, and an oxidizer…
um…”
Yiyuan’s stern face betrayed no emotion.
Shu Ning guessed he didn’t understand, so she continued to explain.
“To put it simply, first, you need something that can burn.
This wood is the fuel.”
“Then you need an oxidizer, which is the air.
Finally, you need heat, enough to reach the wood’s ignition point.”
Shu Ning knew a more detailed explanation would probably be too difficult for him to understand, so she didn’t mention oxygen specifically.
“By rapidly spinning the drill, you create heat from friction.
The sun helps too, making it easier for the temperature to rise.
When you have all three elements at the same time—fuel, air, and enough heat—fire happens!”
Shu Ning explained proudly as she tended to the skewers.
She hadn’t expected her first attempt to actually succeed.
Listening to Shu Ning’s explanation, Yiyuan seemed to grasp the concept quickly.
Shu Ning spoke with such eloquence and confidence that, for a moment, one could almost forget her supposedly unsightly features and excess weight.
Yiyuan found himself staring, a bit dazed.
When he snapped out of it, his expression reverted to its previous coldness.
“They’re ready,” Shu Ning said happily.
“Here, try one.” Shu Ning handed a cooked skewer to Yiyuan.
“What’s this?” Yiyuan looked at the fragrant skewer, swallowing involuntarily.
He frowned slightly, his dark green eyes narrowed.
“It’s grilled meat!
It’s delicious!”
Seeing Shu Ning’s face full of excited anticipation, Yiyuan found he couldn’t refuse.
He took the skewer, which was still glistening with fat.
He took a bite.
The moment the flavor of the grilled meat hit his taste buds, Yiyuan’s pupils dilated—
It was a taste unlike anything he had ever experienced, completely different from any food he had eaten before.
“Not bad,” Yiyuan commented.
It was delicious, but he didn’t want to let it show.
Yiyuan sat down as well.
It seemed he was no longer as resistant to being around Shu Ning as he had been before.
“Hee hee.”
Hearing Yiyuan’s approval, Shu Ning’s heart blossomed with joy.
Seeing him sit beside her to enjoy the meal, Shu Ning felt a surge of happiness, but also a pang of sorrow.
All day, her other Beast Husbands had treated her with disdain, wishing they could be as far from her as possible.
‘When I saw my reflection in the water, even I was disgusted with myself.
I can’t blame them.’
‘I have to change myself!’
Shu Ning vowed to herself.
The sun had set, and night fell under a rich, moonlit sky.
After some time, they had both eaten their fill.
Of course, Shu Ning exercised some restraint and stopped when she was full.
She still had to lose weight, after all.
Shu Ning cooked the rest of the raw meat, then plucked a few large leaves and wrapped the cooked skewers in them to save for the morning.
“Yiyuan.”
Shu Ning looked at the handsome man beside her and said sheepishly, “Can you take me back?”
It was so late, and she was afraid to go back alone.
Besides, she didn’t know the way.
“Mm,” Yiyuan grunted in response.
He had heard the commotion earlier in the day when she was attacked by the Black Bear.
The river wasn’t far from that spot, and with Shu Ning’s cries for help, it would have been difficult not to hear.
He had considered going over, but as he started to get up, he saw that familiar dark figure and knew she wouldn’t die.
Shu Ning then extinguished the fire and followed behind Yiyuan.
Even though it was nighttime, the moon was so bright that they could see the path clearly.
Frightened by the distant darkness, Shu Ning unconsciously stuck close behind Yiyuan.
Yiyuan found the woman’s behavior today to be completely out of character and deeply unsettling.
He had just stopped, intending to question her, when Shu Ning bumped into him, nearly making him fall.
Shu Ning hadn’t expected him to stop so suddenly.
Losing her balance, she stumbled right into him.
With quick reflexes, Yiyuan pushed her away.
“S-Sorry!” Shu Ning apologized awkwardly once she regained her footing.
“Where did you learn how to make fire?” Yiyuan asked suddenly.
‘Oh no.
How am I going to explain this to him?’
Shu Ning was stumped, her expression troubled.
Then, a sudden inspiration struck.
“I dreamed of a god last night.
He’s the one who taught me.”
“Oh?” The man’s reply was a low, magnetic question, his handsome, dark green eyes fixed on the shifting expressions on Shu Ning’s face.
“Mhm!” Shu Ning nodded.
‘There’s no better excuse than this.’
“What else did he teach you?”
“Not much.
Just this, for now,” Shu Ning said firmly.
Seeing how firm she was, he didn’t press the matter.
The two continued on their way…
When they were almost at Shu Ning Cave, Yiyuan stopped.
He had no desire to go into her cave—that filthy, messy, stinking place.
Shu Ning returned to her cave.
As moonlight streamed in, she saw the piles of garbage reeking of rot.
She fought the urge to vomit.
DING-A-LING—
Just as she was worrying about how to deal with the mess, a mechanical voice rang out in her mind.
Shu Ning was instantly on alert, her eyes scanning her surroundings.
“Hello, Host.
Congratulations on passing the trial.” A pleasant, unfamiliar voice continued.
“Who are you?” Shu Ning asked, confused.
“Hello, Host.
I am System 007, responsible for your current conquest mission.
Only hosts who pass the initial trial can survive in this world and proceed to the next tasks.
You have now completed the initial task and are eligible to receive the novice gift package.”
“Oh?
What was the initial trial?
What’s in the gift package?” Shu Ning asked.
“The initial trial was to refuse the marriage alliance with the Fox Clan and the Jiao Clan.
The gift package contains Instant Teleportation, an encyclopedia, and, of course, a Superpower Space.
You can store things in the space using your thoughts.”
“That sounds great, but I didn’t actually succeed in refusing, did I?”
“The act of verbal refusal is sufficient,” the system stated coldly.
“Your next main mission is to conquer your five Beast Husbands.
Listen closely: if any one of your five Beast Husbands willingly hugs you within seven days, you will have successfully cleared the mission.
There is a reward for completion.
If you fail, just like with the initial trial, you will not survive.”
“Alright, if there’s nothing else, I’m leaving.” The system’s voice vanished as soon as it finished speaking.
“Hey—wait!”
‘This system is such a rip-off!
How could it just leave so quickly?’
She still wanted to ask how to use the abilities from the gift package.
‘Instant Teleportation?
How does that work?
Can I teleport objects, or can I teleport myself?’