Upon Entering the Spirit Void 36. Want to Eat Rabbit

“Help! Help!” Zhuge Chun screamed, but a pair of large hands suddenly covered her mouth and dragged her into the woods. As she struggled, her feet dug many small pits into the earth.

By the time Bai Jie and Mo Dao returned, Zhuge Chun was nowhere to be seen. Soon after, Jin Lin also came back carrying branches, and when he saw only Bai Jie and Mo Dao, his heart tightened. He asked quickly, “Where’s Chun’er? Where did she go?”

“Not sure, maybe she went to look for branches. We didn’t see her when we got back,” Mo Dao shrugged.

“That’s impossible! I told her to wait here for me. Besides, she’s always timid—she wouldn’t go into the woods alone.” Jin Lin’s voice grew anxious.

Though Zhuge Chun was only a maid and Jin Lin treated her poorly—ordering her about, even hitting her at times—his daily life depended on her care. Without Zhuge Chun, Jin Lin naturally felt uneasy.

“Let’s wait a bit longer. She might come back soon,” Bai Jie said to Jin Lin. Though she had no fondness for Jin Lin, she felt some sympathy for Zhuge Chun; from her behavior, Bai Jie could tell the girl’s status was extremely low with Jin Lin.

“Yes, let’s wait until Elder Guan and the others return before deciding what to do,” Mo Dao added. Hearing this, Jin Lin, though anxious, said nothing more and crouched down to arrange the dry branches.

Mo Dao also crouched and piled the branches together. Bai Jie took a fire starter from her sleeve, blew gently, and it ignited. She touched the flame to the branches, and a blaze sprang up.

“These two are gone as well. Why aren’t they back yet?” Jin Lin complained, looking frustrated.

“Don’t worry, they probably wandered farther off. It’s normal for them to be late,” Bai Jie replied.

“By the way, Lady Bai, do you know Hou Longtao well?” Jin Lin suddenly remembered something and asked Bai Jie.

“Why do you ask?” Bai Jie frowned, questioning Jin Lin.

“You may not know, Lady Bai, but earlier in the woods, I noticed him watching Chun’er with ill intent, his eyes fixed on her. I suspect he might have abducted her,” Jin Lin expressed his doubts.

Bai Jie snorted coldly. “You think everyone’s as lecherous as you are?” Jin Lin was speechless at her words—what did she mean, as lecherous as I am? He had normal needs, after all, and hadn’t done anything inappropriate with other girls.

After Bai Jie’s retort, Jin Lin said no more. The group waited a while longer before Elder Guan emerged from the forest, holding two wild rabbits. Mo Dao looked closely; they seemed to be the same kind Duan Chang’an had chased earlier.

“Come help me roast these two little things. I’ll go catch a couple more,” Elder Guan said, tossing the rabbits to the ground. Their necks were already twisted; they were dead beyond saving. He turned to head back into the woods.

“Elder Guan, please wait!” Jin Lin hurried over, taking three steps at a time.

Elder Guan frowned. “Is there something, Young Jin?”

“Elder Guan, Chun’er is missing!” Jin Lin said miserably.

“Then why aren’t you out looking for her?” Elder Guan suddenly barked. Jin Lin, upon hearing this, was about to rush into the forest when Hou Longtao appeared, leading Zhuge Chun. Her clothes were disheveled and there were scratches on her face.

“Chun’er, where have you been, and what happened to your face?” Jin Lin ran over to ask. Zhuge Chun just trembled, not daring to speak, timidly standing beside Jin Lin.

“Hou Longtao, what did you do to Chun’er?” Jin Lin’s voice suddenly turned cold.

“Me? Ha! I saw she was about to be eaten by wolves, so I saved her life,” Hou Longtao waved his hand, his face full of smugness.

“Then how did she get those scratches?” Jin Lin pressed, still not believing him.

“I said there were wolves, didn’t I? Of course the wolves scratched her,” Hou Longtao snorted, then shot Zhuge Chun a wicked smile.

At that look, Zhuge Chun shrank back, not daring to meet Hou Longtao’s eyes, as if he were a devil.

“Chun’er, speak up. What did that bastard do to you?” Jin Lin grabbed her.

“Brother Hou… he… he didn’t do anything to me,” Zhuge Chun’s voice was barely louder than a mosquito’s. Jin Lin wanted to press further, but Hou Longtao stepped forward, “Young Jin, enough already.”

“That’s enough, Young Jin, let it go,” Elder Guan spoke up, and Jin Lin had no choice but to endure. Hou Longtao, after all, was Elder Guan’s man.

Elder Guan headed back into the woods. As soon as he was gone, Jin Lin grabbed Hou Longtao by the collar. “Hou Longtao, you’d better watch yourself. If I get the chance, I’ll kill you!”

“Oh? Young Jin is threatening me?” Hou Longtao smiled playfully.

“That’s right! A mere postnatal martial artist dares act up in front of me?” Jin Lin said arrogantly.

Just then, Zhuge Chun pulled Jin Lin’s sleeve. “Master, please don’t trouble him anymore,” Jin Lin turned and glared at her. “Shut up! Who asked you to speak?” Zhuge Chun, cowed, didn’t dare say another word.

“You’d better let go of me, Young Jin. Otherwise, when Elder Guan returns, you won’t be able to handle the consequences,” Hou Longtao said indifferently, as if Jin Lin’s threats meant nothing.

Jin Lin threatened Hou Longtao a few more times before letting go and walking off, muttering curses about Hou Longtao’s shamelessness.

Meanwhile, Bai Jie and Mo Dao had already plucked the wild rabbits clean and placed them over the fire. Jin Lin, lured by the fragrance, came over and said, “Lady Bai, you’re quite skilled.”

“If you have something to say, spit it out,” Bai Jie replied, displeased.

Jin Lin grinned. “Lady Bai, once the rabbits are done, could you spare me a piece?”

Bai Jie glared at him. “Wait until Elder Guan returns, then we’ll see.”

Jin Lin said nothing more. Mo Dao saw this and shook his head helplessly. He wasn’t foolish—judging from Zhuge Chun’s reaction and her scratched face, Hou Longtao had most likely done something he shouldn’t have.

Still, Mo Dao had no interest in meddling in their affairs and focused on roasting the rabbits. To be honest, the aroma was enticing; if only they could sprinkle some chili powder and spices, it would taste even better.

After roasting for a while, Elder Guan returned with more rabbits. He sniffed the air, taking in the savory scent, and walked straight over to Bai Jie.

Bai Jie quickly handed him a finished rabbit. Elder Guan sniffed it, the fragrance filling his nostrils, and nodded repeatedly, instructing Bai Jie to distribute the rest among everyone.

Elder Guan took a bite out of the rabbit. Though it was fat, the oil had been roasted away, so it wasn’t greasy at all. Apart from lacking salt, the meat was quite tasty.

Bai Jie called Zhuge Chun over and handed her the rabbit Mo Dao had finished. “Chun’er, eat this,” Bai Jie said with a smile, then glared at Jin Lin before turning back to pluck more fur from the rabbits.

Mo Dao was beside her, dealing with another rabbit. Hou Longtao, following their example, began plucking the last rabbit. Mo Dao glanced at Hou Longtao, his brows furrowing. For some reason, he sensed there was more to Hou Longtao than met the eye.

He couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Hou Longtao had the air of a postnatal martial artist, yet he showed no fear in the presence of Jin Lin, an innate expert—something that shouldn’t have happened.

Moreover, from the start, Hou Longtao had gone straight to Elder Guan, which was odd; normally, everyone should have gravitated towards the groups of Master Feng or Duan Chang’an, not followed Elder Guan, the old poison master.

Still, Mo Dao didn’t dwell on it. He resolved to keep an eye on Hou Longtao in the future. Soon, the rabbit Mo Dao was roasting was ready, and he handed it to Bai Jie, who pushed it away.

“You eat first, mine will be ready soon,” Bai Jie said, expressionless.

“Are you sure you don’t want to try mine?” Mo Dao said, a bit smug. As he roasted, he’d quietly infused a trace of spiritual energy into the fire.

Anything roasted with this energy would be a hundred times more fragrant than usual.

“Oh? Same rabbit, same fire—how could yours be special?” Bai Jie smiled, questioning Mo Dao.

“Of course! Otherwise, if every restaurant used the same ingredients, why would their dishes taste so different?” Mo Dao smiled and tore off a piece of rabbit meat, offering it to Bai Jie.

“They’re not the same—every restaurant may use the same ingredients, but the quantity and timing of spices, control of the heat, all differ. Just look at us here; our rabbits should taste about the same, right?” Bai Jie said, accepting the meat and taking a bite.

That one bite stunned her. Even she, usually calm and composed, couldn’t help herself after tasting such delicious rabbit meat. Without caring for her image, she tore another piece from Mo Dao’s hand.

Jin Lin, seeing Bai Jie’s reaction, swallowed hard—not because he wanted the rabbit, but simply because Bai Jie herself had swallowed. Even with her veil, her beauty couldn’t be concealed.