When Si Muye returned, the woman in the cave was preparing to leave with the seven eggs.
"Where are you going??"
Shen Yue immediately looked up and met a handsome, chiseled face. His high-bridged nose, thin, sensual lips, wheat-colored skin, and powerful physique made him exude a wild, masculine tension.
If it weren’t for the round beast ears and dark brown eyes she recognized, she almost wouldn’t have known that the clean, handsome man before her was Si Muye.
’Did he go out just to wash his face?’
She froze for a moment, then saw he was carrying a small wild boar and a pheasant.
"You didn’t leave?"
She had thought Si Muye had abandoned her, since he had been gone for several hours.
’So he went hunting!’
’Does that mean he agreed to my proposal?’
"This is my cave. Why would I leave?"
Si Muye walked over, carrying the cleaned boar and pheasant.
"I’ve cleaned them. Here, eat."
Shen Yue stared at the raw, still-dripping meat. "..."
She was starving, but not desperate enough to gnaw on raw flesh.
She reached out to take it and said politely, "Thank you!"
She paused. "But... do you have any cooking tools here?"
’This ugly female is so demanding,’ Si Muye thought, his face hardening.
"No. This is the wilderness, and we’re Beastmen. Don’t you know? Only nobles living in the cities, the ones with Advanced Chefs, eat cooked food. All other Beastmen in the wild eat raw meat!"
Of course, Shen Yue knew. Beastmen living outside the cities ate whatever they could find. With their limited resources, they simply had no habit of cooking food.
But she couldn’t... She needed it to be at least slightly cooked. She could tolerate the lack of seasoning, but she truly couldn’t bring herself to eat meat still dripping with blood.
She stood up.
"Hold this for me. I’ll do it."
She had just noticed a flat, relatively thin stone in the cave that would be perfect as a stone griddle.
Si Muye took the meat she handed him, watching suspiciously as she limped over to the stone.
’This ugly female won’t eat the meat I cleaned for her. What is she doing running over there?’
He watched as Shen Yue picked up a nearby stick and, after some fiddling, dug a small pit. Then she placed the stone flat over it.
She stood up again and used the water he had stored nearby to wash the surface of the stone.
After doing this, she gathered an armful of dry branches from the cave entrance—the ones he used to camouflage the opening—broke them into small pieces, and stuffed them under the stone. She then grabbed a handful of dry leaves and placed them on top of the branches.
When she was finished, she wiped the sweat from her forehead.
"Alright. Do you have a Fire Stone?"
Si Muye walked over with the meat. He observed the setup she had created, his eyes wary.
"What do you want a Fire Stone for?"
Using fire in the Beast World was extremely dangerous. Beastmen depended on the forests, grasslands, and glaciers for survival. A single fire could be a devastating blow. Fire was only used in the most critical situations, such as scaring off enemies at the height of a battle.
Moreover, Fire Stones were incredibly precious in the Beast World. Many Beastmen would go their entire lives without ever touching one. Most didn’t even understand fire, let alone how to start one or when it should be used.
Shen Yue could tell from his tone that he had one.
"Don’t worry, I just want to cook some food. I won’t be reckless with it."
Si Muye looked at her, half-convinced.
"You know how to cook?"
"A little!"
She didn’t dare say she knew everything about it.
After all, the people of this Beast World held a great reverence for fire, similar to how they revered the Beast God.
Si Muye listened, finding it hard to believe. "You know Fire Control?"
"A little bit."
Her reply had one more word.
Si Muye stared at her in astonishment. He knew that only the most spiritual and exceptionally talented Advanced Chefs knew how to use and control fire to cook delicious meals. Even then, they often made mistakes and lost control of the flames.
Most Beastmen, after all, kept their distance from fire out of reverence—an innate awe that was etched into their very bones.
Yet this ugly female before him was claiming she knew a little about cooking? That she knew Fire Control? Whether it was "a little" or "a little bit," the mere fact that she could control fire at all was enough to shock him!
He thought for a moment and decided to test her.
He turned and walked mysteriously to the very back of the cave, where he dug a Fire Stone out from a pile of earth.
He walked back and handed it to Shen Yue, his voice cold and warning.
"Here. If you dare to deceive me, I’ll snap your neck before the fire has a chance to spread!"
Shen Yue felt a dangerous aura emanating from him and couldn’t help but shiver.
’This man... he’s so fierce when he talks. He’s even more guarded than I am.’
She snatched the Fire Stone. "Don’t worry, I don’t want to die yet!"
’We’re just trying to eat a meal, why be so serious!’
Holding the Fire Stone, she struck it twice against a friction point above the dry leaves in the pit. A spray of tiny sparks appeared as if on command, showering down onto the leaves.
The next second, a wisp of greenish smoke rose up. Seeing this, Shen Yue struck the stone twice more, and the dry leaves instantly burst into flame.
Si Muye watched, not daring to even blink. Although he had always carried this Fire Stone, he had never used it.
The only time he’d learned to use one was years ago, during his training as a Great Knight. But back then, the scholar teaching the method had to make many attempts, searching for the right contact point and the right amount of force. He had to strike it countless times just to produce a tiny spark, and even then, he couldn’t successfully light anything.
But this ugly female had struck it just twice, and the dry leaves had caught fire. This was simply incredible. ’How did she do that?’
Shen Yue lit the fire, and the branches began to burn as well. The moisture on the stone slab quickly evaporated from the heat.
Shen Yue turned her head. "Give me the pork."
Si Muye froze for a second before snapping out of it and handing her the wild boar.
Shen Yue used her sharp dagger to slice the pork into pieces that were neither too thick nor too thin, laying them one by one on the stone slab.
As the temperature rose, the meat began to SIZZLE, releasing its fat. A rich, meaty aroma soon filled the air.
Si Muye watched in wonder as the meat on the stone cooked, its edges curling up. Smelling the fragrance, he couldn’t help but swallow.
Although Shen Yue was starving, she gave the first piece to Si Muye.
"Try it!"
Si Muye took the slice of meat. It was a bit hot, but he popped it into his mouth in one bite.
The pure, unadulterated flavor of the meat, combined with the greasy, springy texture, made Si Muye feel like he was dreaming. ’This is too delicious!’
In the Royal City, he had eaten cooked food prepared by the most Advanced Chefs, but none of them could make meat so tender and easy to chew!
’This ugly female... how on earth did she do it? How can she be so skilled?’
Shen Yue cooked the meat until it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, her control of the heat absolutely perfect. The aroma made her mouth water.
She blew on a piece to cool it down before eating it. Chewing the meat in her mouth, she swallowed with satisfaction.
Even without any dipping sauces, the rich fat from the cooked boar and its pure, natural flavor were quite good. She could definitely accept this!
’Finally, I don’t have to be hungry anymore.’