“Yours?” Qing Yuan glanced at Tang Hongluan and tossed the scorpion directly into his mouth. Scorpions weren’t easy to find, he needed this thing to help him advance to the next level!
Tang Hongluan watched in horror as Qing Yuan swallowed the live scorpion whole, nearly vomiting on the spot. There was no way she could ever get intimate with this insane man in front of her, right?
Just imagining those lips that had devoured a live scorpion, who could bring themselves to kiss that?
But then again, Qing Yuan’s true form was a snake, and his ability seemed to be poison-related. Could it be that all that toxicity came from his diet? She felt another wave of nausea, the mental image was too much.
However… Tang Hongluan looked down at her foot, clearly still affected by residual scorpion venom…
She shot Qing Yuan an angry glare. The situation was urgent, and she wasn’t sure if her light-based ability would work, but she had no choice but to try.
Sitting down, she enveloped her foot in the light from her palm.
Qing Yuan stood still, his eyes darkening. So, the woman had been bitten?
But judging by her condition, it didn’t seem too serious.
“The back mountain may not have deadly large beasts, but there are plenty of small critters!” He threw out the remark and left. Tang Hongluan mentally cursed Qing Yuan’s ancestors eighteen generations back before feeling her foot improve. She got up and continued her search for ingredients.
This time, however, she wised up, wrapping her feet tightly with large leaves.
To her surprise, the back mountain wasn’t just home to wild fruits and poisonous insects, there were plenty of edible ingredients too.
This time, she not only found edible wild greens like mugwort and crown daisy but also stumbled upon wild chives. And that wasn’t all, she even spotted wild fennel!
“Is this the cumin I’ve been dreaming of?” Tang Hongluan, unsure whether it was fennel or cumin, was overjoyed. Whatever it was, she could just take some back and taste it to find out!
Not having a pot was a problem.
Tang Hongluan plucked some mugwort, crown daisy, and chives, pondering how to cook the greens. Eating grilled meat every day wasn’t doing her skin any favors.
Her eyes lit up, there were pomelos! And not far away, a patch of wild bamboo.
She grinned. Both pomelos and bamboo could be used as cooking utensils. Considering that bamboo needed to be split, she picked two large pomelos instead. She could eat the flesh and use the rind as a makeshift pot to boil some greens, maybe adding a few slices of venison or mutton…
On her way back, she spotted wild ginger and Sichuan peppercorns! And wait, were those chili peppers too?
Her eyes sparkled. These were all useful seasonings, so she gathered a bit of each for future use.
Along the way, she also picked up two eggs, no idea what they were from, and by the time she got home, it was already noon.
Someone was standing at her door, the old priest.
The incident of the mountain god’s wrath had left the old priest uneasy. In over a hundred years, from his grandfather’s time to now, no one had ever witnessed the mountain god’s anger. Thus, Xiao Shuo’s act of kowtowing to atone was something he took very seriously. Unable to sit still at home, he had come to Tang Hongluan’s dwelling.
He wondered… Tang Hongluan, a female, had awakened her ability at this critical juncture. Was it truly the mountain god’s wrath, or was there another meaning behind it?
“Hongluan, tomorrow the tribe will select some people to accompany Xiao Shuo to the Land of Divine Wrath to apologize,” the old priest said, sighing as he eyed the bundle of wild plants in her arms. What female would bother with such useless things in her free time…
This child has always been a bit eccentric. I thought awakening her supernatural abilities might make her sharper… but it seems there are still some… minor issues with her brain.
“Oh…” Tang Hongluan placed the items by the door. She had almost forgotten that Xiao Shuo still had thirty kowtows to perform. What a shame, she wondered if she’d get to witness it firsthand.
“Since the Mountain God has spoken to you, the chief and I discussed it and think you should go too! What if… the Mountain God has further instructions?” The old priest looked eager. He was nearing the end of his life and had never once communed with any deity.
Tang Hongluan’s eyes lit up. She could go too?
She nearly burst out laughing but managed to keep a straight face.
“Me too?” she feigned surprise.
“You’ve awakened your abilities, it’s only right for you to go out and see the world! Besides, the Mountain God might have more messages for you to deliver…” The old priest spoke with utmost seriousness.
Seeing Tang Hongluan’s thoughtful expression, the old priest panicked. Was the girl unwilling to go?
Communicating with deities always seemed to come at a cost. He wondered if this child…
“You don’t want to go?” The old priest gazed at her intently.
Tang Hongluan was startled. How could that be?
“Don’t worry, we’ll arrange for your beast-husband to take you there!”
“Oh!” Tang Hongluan suppressed the urge to laugh. “I’ll go!”
“Good!” The old priest nodded, relieved. Though Xiao Shuo might be a problem, that boy had always been stubborn and obstinate, with no reverence for gods or spirits…
“Does it have to be thirty kowtows?” The old priest took two steps before turning back to Tang Hongluan. Asking Xiao Shuo to kowtow thirty times was… a bit much. Even drawing blood would probably be easier for him than thirty kowtows…
Tang Hongluan froze for a second. She had just thrown out the number casually, but since she’d pinned it on the Mountain God, she couldn’t exactly change a divine decree, could she?
“Yes!” Tang Hongluan nodded solemnly, like a pecking chick.
“Ah!” The old priest sighed. “I’ll go talk to Xiao Shuo!”
Tang Hongluan watched the old priest leave with admiration before busying herself with preparations.
She gathered some stones and built a simple stove, lighting a fire inside.
After scooping out the pomelo flesh, she filled the rind with water and set it over the flames. At the same time, she sliced the remaining venison into thin strips and skewered them to roast.
Once the water in the pomelo boiled, she added thinly sliced lamb, followed by some crown daisy and chives, a sprinkle of mugwort, and finally a pinch of salt.
She then wrapped the eggs she’d gathered in mud and tossed them into the fire.
Just like that, a simple meal of meat, soup, and greens was ready.
But as she looked at the warped pomelo rind, Tang Hongluan realized this wasn’t a sustainable solution.
The lack of proper cookware was a major issue.
She remembered Yun Li had a fine stone pot, quite large, too. She had no idea where he got it, but since he never cooked, maybe she could find a way to take it off his hands…
Just as the thought crossed her mind, the man himself appeared.
Did he smell the food again? Tang Hongluan eyed Yun Li standing a short distance away, his dark gaze seemingly fixed on her meal.
But… Bi Ze’s warning echoed in her ears.
She glanced around. This eagle beastman was as elusive as a dragon, appearing and disappearing unpredictably. If he suddenly popped up and saw Yun Li eating the deer meat he’d hunted again, wouldn’t that lead to another beating?
“I won’t be going tomorrow!” His voice was icy, laced with a hint of disdain.
Huh? Tang Hongluan was momentarily taken aback, then recalled the old priest’s words and roughly understood. Could it be that the tribe had arranged for all her beastmen husbands to go to the site of the volcanic eruption?
If they went there, the beastmen would undoubtedly take on their beast forms, so Yun Li refused to go? His true form remained a mystery.
“Oh…” Tang Hongluan didn’t really care. If he didn’t want to go, then so be it. Maybe it was a tribal requirement. She couldn’t quite grasp why Yun Li had to tell her with such an unhappy expression.
But since he was already here, why not… try to bridge the distance a little? Maybe she could coax a pot out of him.
“Um… would you like to have an… egg?” Tang Hongluan figured it was better to play it safe, no deer meat for Yun Li, but an egg should be fine.