Hu Li placed the salt into a small pouch made of beast hide, then began teaching her meat-roasting skills.
The fresh meat sizzled and crackled over the fire. After sprinkling a bit of fine salt and flipping it back and forth, the meat was ready.
Once roasted, Hu Li patted her chest and declared she could guarantee this was the most delicious roasted meat Hu Zhuo had ever eaten in his life. Hu Zhuo was quite expectant—this was meat roasted by A Li using the fine salt she had painstakingly extracted, and he was the first to taste it.
The roasted meat was cut into small, bite-sized pieces. Under the glow of the Sacred Fire, it looked irresistibly tempting. Hu Zhuo couldn’t wait to take a big bite. The fine salt masked the original bloody taste, creating a surprisingly unique flavor that intertwined with the charred aroma from the Sacred Fire—a true feast for the taste buds.
Hu Zhuo didn’t know how to describe this taste, but he was absolutely certain that what A Li said was true. This roasted meat was indeed the most delicious meat he had ever eaten.
Seeing Hu Zhuo’s expression, Hu Li already knew the answer. A proud smile spread across her face, and she even thought about selling the roasted meat. Wait—didn’t she have the Spirit Spring Space? She still didn’t know its true effects.
Ever since Hu Zhuo became Hu Li’s Beast Husband, he had never returned home. He had no Father Beast and had been living with his uncle, his father’s brother from the same mother. Most of the hunting had been his responsibility. Now that he had followed Hu Li, he hadn’t gone back at all. Rumor had it that unpleasant gossip was being spread about him, but since Hu Li was a great contributor—having given birth to a tiger cub—and with the Chieftain’s pressure, the matter hadn’t reached her directly.
Hu Li was actually quite helpless. These underhanded, low-intelligence schemes left her at a loss.
As night fell, Hu Zhuo lay on the newly made stone bed, cradling the little cub as he sweetly drifted into dreamland.
Hu Li lay beside him, motionless, breathing evenly as if truly asleep.
Inside the space, Hu Li was happily bathing. The Spirit Spring Water was not only at a perfect temperature, adjusting to the outside climate, but also so clear it could serve as a mirror.
The moment she looked down, Hu Li saw her own naked reflection, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. “Hu Li, oh Hu Li, fate has truly treated you well!” she thought. “With such a great figure, skin tone, and face, why were you born in the Beast World Continent?” Her thoughts wandered, imagining what it would be like if the original owner had traveled to her era—her looks and figure would rival those of a celebrity.
The immortal energy from the Spirit Spring filled the entire space. The moment her clean feet touched the ground, the water droplets instantly vanished. Hu Li marveled at the wonder of this place—not a single drop remained on her body, the pool was still vast and clear, and even the meat she had placed nearby remained as fresh as if it had just been hunted.
An idea formed in Hu Li’s mind, and as soon as dawn broke, she eagerly put it into action.
She took a bit of Spirit Spring Water and sprinkled it on the green plants near the cave, watering them twice a day. Three days later, she noticed a clear change—the plants watered with Spirit Spring Water had grown significantly taller than the others. Overjoyed, Hu Li felt the modern-day instinct for farming sprouting and taking root in her heart.
Hu Zhuo felt that Hu Li had been acting very mysterious lately, often sneaking out behind his back. Could it be that A Li had taken a liking to some male? His heart jolted—no, that wasn’t like A Li. If she liked someone, she would say so openly, not sneak around like this. Yes, that was right. He had to trust A Li.
Seeing Hu Zhuo busy coaxing the tiger cub to sleep, Hu Li slung a small pouch made of beast hide over her shoulder—decorated with a few little flowers for embellishment—and headed out.
Hu Zhuo had long sensed the gaze fixed on his back. Once the footsteps faded into the distance, he set down the now-sleeping cub and quietly followed.
He couldn’t accept it. Even if she had taken a new male, he would acknowledge it—but he wanted to know exactly which vixen had bewitched his Wife-Master, how much more attractive they were compared to him. He needed to know where he had fallen short.
Hu Li walked for a short while. Over the past couple of days, she had been marking the places she visited, finding it more efficient that way.
Stopping and starting along the way, Hu Zhuo still didn’t see any sign of a male around. He was deeply puzzled, unsure what purpose A Li had in fiddling with those green plants. Could that male be plant-type? Instantly, alarm bells rang in his mind, and without another thought, he lowered his head to scrutinize each of the surrounding plants.
“I’ve come so far, yet there isn’t a single edible vegetable to be found!” Hu Li couldn’t help muttering to herself. The Red Fox Tribe only ate meat—surely no Beastfolk here would consume vegetables! She had hoped to dig up a few plants to cultivate back home.
Suddenly, a rustling sound reached her ears. Hu Li felt a bit nervous—the wilderness was dangerous after all, and today she had deliberately ventured farther out, fearing the appearance of some fierce beast.
Just as the other party was about to burst forth, Hu Li braced herself to sprint at any moment. Hu Zhuo, hiding behind her, was about to rush out to protect A Li when a bare, legged ginseng scurried out of the grass.
“Ginseng! It’s actually ginseng!” Hu Li exclaimed. Startled, Hu Zhuo immediately leaped out. “A Li, don’t be afraid! I’ll protect you.”
“Hu Zhuo? What are you doing here?” Seeing the ginseng about to flee, Hu Li had no time to explain and asked Hu Zhuo to help catch it.
Though Hu Zhuo didn’t understand A Li’s intention, he complied nonetheless, transforming into his beast form and pinning the ginseng to the ground with a single paw, rendering it immobile.
“Well done, Hu Zhuo! You’re the best.”
Hearing the words of praise, Hu Zhuo let out a couple of happy “awu” sounds.
The ginseng struggled incessantly in Hu Zhuo’s grasp. Looking at the now-sentient ginseng, Hu Li thought it would be perfect to store in her space—this was truly a treasure.
Though it appeared she had placed the ginseng into her small pouch, in reality, she had already tossed it into her space.
Recalling her earlier suspicion, Hu Li asked him why he was here. Hu Zhuo couldn’t give a clear explanation, stumbling over his words and failing to form a complete sentence.
Hu Li sighed. “You weren’t thinking I was sneaking out to secretly meet a male, were you?”
Hu Zhuo didn’t know exactly what “secretly meeting” meant, but he could guess the gist. His face flushed even redder—though this time it was from shame.
“I’m sorry, A Li. I didn’t trust you.”
“You! If you have any doubts, just ask me directly. There’s no need to do something so easily misunderstood.”
“I understand.”
Hu Zhuo hung his head with a pitiful expression, making Hu Li unable to bear scolding him further. Since he was already here, she thought it might be better to search together—two people would have more strength. So she used a branch to draw some simple, recognizable vegetables on the ground.
Hu Zhuo’s ears, which had been drooping just moments before, immediately perked up. “So this is what you came out to find—these grasses! I know where they are.”
Hu Li explained, “These aren’t grasses! They’re food.”
“Our A Li is so clever,” Hu Zhuo said proudly.
However, Hu Li had only been hoping to try her luck. She never expected to actually find modern vegetables in the Beast World. When she saw the vegetables she loved, her gaze softened with affection, as if she had encountered familiar faces in an unfamiliar place during a helpless moment.