After Bai Yuwei finished roasting the rabbit, he tore off a piece of meat and handed it to her. “Qiqi, try this. See if it tastes good.”
Shen Qi took a bite. The texture was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, the meat even more succulent than what she had eaten before, with a hint of juices.
“It’s delicious. You should try some too.”
Bai Yuwei tore off another piece and put it in his mouth. It was indeed delicious, even better than the roasted meat he had eaten before.
Their appetites were fully awakened. With only one rabbit roasted, the two of them quickly devoured it clean.
Bai Yuwei looked at the rabbit skeleton, still savoring the lingering taste.
Seeing the four remaining rabbits nearby, he skewered them onto sticks and continued roasting.
“Do you like it?”
Bai Yuwei nodded.
Shen Qi took one of the skewers down. “Let’s cook this one.”
Eating roasted meat all the time made her feel a bit overheated. Stewed meat might have an even better texture.
She cut the rabbit meat into small pieces, placed them in a pot, wedged the pot between two stones, added enough water to cover the meat, lit a fire, and when it was almost done, sprinkled some salt.
After it was cooked, she scooped out the rabbit meat and sprinkled a bit more seasoning.
“Qiqi, the stewed meat smells amazing too.” He had only ever eaten roasted meat and never tried stewed meat before, only now realizing that meat could be prepared this way.
Just then, the roasted rabbit was also ready. As he picked up a piece of the stewed meat, he noticed many Beastfolk sniffing the air and approaching.
“So fragrant, so fragrant! I’ve never smelled anything this delicious before.”
Last time, it was nighttime, and only a few Beastfolk who were still awake caught the scent and came over. But this time, in broad daylight, nearby Beastfolk had long smelled the aroma and rushed over to see what was producing such a delightful fragrance.
Seeing Bai Yuwei roasting meat, their eyes lit up, and they all gathered around.
“Bai Yuwei, your roasted meat smells incredible. Can I try some?”
“I want some too! I followed the scent here. It’s so fragrant!”
Bai Yuwei looked at their nearly drooling mouths with disdain and tore off a piece of rabbit meat for the nearest Beastfolk. “Eat quickly and leave after you’re done.”
The Beastfolk took it and immediately stuffed it into his mouth. The others scrambled to grab some, and Bai Yuwei tore the meat into pieces for them.
Among them were also the Beastfolk from last time. They were puzzled as to why he was so generous this time, having fiercely guarded the roasted meat before. Could it be that last time’s meat had something special about it?
Without overthinking it, they all picked up the rabbit meat and started eating. The moment it entered their mouths, their eyes widened in astonishment, and they were left speechless.
The texture was smooth and tender, the rabbit skin rich but not greasy, with a slight crispiness on the outside. The novel sensation surprised them, and even after swallowing, they felt an endless aftertaste.
“It’s… delicious!” So delicious that he stuttered.
“Bai Yuwei, how did you make this meat? It’s so good!”
“Wah, I’ve never eaten meat this delicious in my life. I feel like I’ve wasted most of my life eating bland meat.”
Bai Yuwei tapped the charred wooden board with a stick. “Of course, it’s roasted. How else could it taste so good?”
“Can you teach us how to use fire?”
“The roasted meat is so delicious. After trying it once, I want it again. I want to make roasted meat too!”
Bai Yuwei looked at Shen Qi. “Qiqi created the fire.”
The Beastfolk also turned their gaze to Shen Qi, looking at her with pleading eyes.
“Little Female, can you teach us how to make fire?””Your roasted meat is so delicious! I want to make roasted meat for my own little female too.”
Shen Qi looked at the hopeful gazes of these Beastfolk and parted her thin lips, “Alright.”
“The little female agreed!”
They hadn’t expected the little female to agree. People from Beast City had always kept the secret of making fire tightly guarded, so they had naturally eaten raw meat for many years.
And it was even more impossible for a female. Finding a female who knew how to make fire was already considered rare.
“Watch carefully. I won’t demonstrate a second time.”
Hearing her words, the Beastfolk bowed and nodded, intently observing her every move.
Shen Qi gathered dry grass, sticks, and wood. First, she carved an inverted V-shaped groove along the edge of a wooden board and drilled a small hole in the center. Using the fire-by-friction method, she rapidly rotated a stick. The process was somewhat tiring, but soon a small flame appeared.
She placed dry grass on it, and with the combustible material, the flame grew larger and larger.
The Beastfolk watched as the small spark, placed on the grass, turned into a large fire, their mouths agape in astonishment.
Shen Qi rubbed her hands together, “Did you get it?”
Eager to try, they extinguished the fire, and one of the Beastfolk stepped forward first to demonstrate, imitating her earlier actions.
Drilling the wood was a physically demanding task, but they were generally strong. It took less time than she had anticipated, and soon a small flame could be seen.
That Beastfolk placed dry grass on it, and as the fire gradually grew, he jumped up excitedly, “I succeeded! I succeeded!”
“Before you leave, if the fire isn’t out, you must extinguish it with water or cover it with beast hide and stomp it out,” Shen Qi reminded them.
“Understood, understood. This is because it could easily burn other grass or animals.” He gently covered the fire with beast hide and stomped on it until no flames remained.
The other Beastfolk also tried the fire-by-friction method one after another.
“I can make fire now! I’ve been craving roasted meat for so long, and I can finally eat it!”
“Me too, all thanks to the little female. She’s truly amazing!”
“Little female, this… this is for you.”
Shen Qi looked closely—it was a brand-new brown beast hide with black spots. The beast hide covering the bed would get dirty after prolonged use, so this one could be used for rotation.
Just as she was about to reach out to take this rather attractive-looking beast hide, a muscular arm with well-defined lines appeared before her eyes, blocking her hand.
She looked at Bai Yuwei, puzzled by his action.
“This is the leopard tribe’s Courtship Pursuit method. If you accept his beast hide, it means you accept his feelings. He will pursue you until you agree.” Bai Yuwei found this beast hide extremely displeasing and spoke these words coldly.
Upon learning the reason, Shen Qi immediately withdrew her hand.
Instead, she awkwardly thanked the Beastfolk, “Thank you, but this is too precious. You should keep it for yourself.”
The Beastfolk’s joyful expression instantly turned dejected. “It’s alright.”
After learning how to make fire by friction, they didn’t stay much longer before leaving the area. Shen Qi sharpened her knife against a stone, making it even more sharp.
The blade reflected the sunlight, revealing a pair of proud and formidable black eyes.
Shen Qi’s expression was as calm as the sea, but her mind was filled with complex thoughts.
Survival here was the primary task. Her training over the past few days had reached a bottleneck. Practicing against tree trunks and stationary objects, at most hunting some small, weak animals, couldn’t significantly improve her abilities.
Wild beasts here were also relatively scarce, and many dared not enter the tribe.Shen Qi looked up at Bai Yuwei, who was still eating roasted rabbit on the other side.
It had always been Bai Yuwei who went out and brought back prey.
Besides, staying here wouldn’t trigger any missions—she needed to go out, tomorrow at the latest…