Chapter 22: A Frenzy of Demons, Part 15

Searching for food in the primeval forest during spring was no easy task. The fruits had yet to ripen, and the animals were fraught with danger. Shi Xianyu had once witnessed Lin Yuan return with a monkey that had six arms.

The monkey was covered in red fur, its fangs jutting out, and it shrieked wildly in Lin Yuan’s grasp—a sound so piercing and frightful it sent chills down her spine.

When she learned that Lin Yuan had brought it back as her meal, Shi Xianyu’s face drained of color. She stared fixedly at her toes, not daring to look up even once.

Later, the six-clawed monkey was skinned and drained of blood. Shi Xianyu kept her head down the entire time, never daring a glance, and naturally, she didn’t eat a single bite.

Perhaps sensing her terror, Lin Yuan took the monkey elsewhere and finished it himself before returning.

When he came back, his tail drooped, as if he felt a bit disappointed.

Shi Xianyu was also troubled. She didn’t consider herself picky, but that monkey was simply too far from anything she’d ever eaten. She tried to negotiate with Lin Yuan, asking if he could catch something… less human-like? The monkey, skinned and baring its teeth and claws, resembled a child, and she simply couldn’t stomach it.

Lin Yuan’s eyes brightened, and he turned to leave.

When he returned, he carried a thick, fat, mottled python across his shoulder.

Shi Xianyu: “…………”

Master Shen, observing her embarrassment, burst out laughing. “Little Fish, you don’t know, but we’re currently at the intersection of the Black Abyss Forest and the Cold Ridge Valley. This place is rarely visited by people, and is often haunted by demon beasts. Ordinary animals dare not approach, so the only prey we can catch are these low-level demon beasts.”

Shi Xianyu suddenly understood.

So that was why… No wonder she hadn’t seen even a single wild rabbit along the way.

Shen Xiao comforted her further, “Don’t worry, the meat of demon beasts tastes much the same as ordinary game. Some are even more nourishing, with benefits for beauty and vitality.”

Shi Xianyu pressed her lips together, her mood conflicted as she gazed at the python Lin Yuan had brought back.

Beauty and vitality… Honestly, she didn’t care much for that, but her body did need some nourishment.

That night, the three of them worked together to roast the python.

First, they removed its head and tail, drained the blood, opened the heart, and washed it clean in the river, then cut it into sections and set it over the fire.

Shen Xiao added pine needles to the flames, filling the air with a fresh pine fragrance. Shi Xianyu brushed salt over the snake meat, and when the fat began to sizzle and pop, she turned it and brushed on another layer. Lin Yuan extended his claw, tore off a piece of snake meat roasted to tender perfection, and tasted it—

Shi Xianyu looked at him eagerly. “How is it? Is it good?”

Lin Yuan’s eyes sparkled as he nodded, his tail swaying behind him.

Shi Xianyu quickly produced her crash-proof noodle bowl with two handles, holding it out before him. “I want some too!”

Lin Yuan, unafraid of the heat, easily tore off two pieces of snake meat and placed them in her bowl.

The snake meat was crisp on the outside and tender within, sweet and fresh, and thanks to the pine needles, almost devoid of any unpleasant taste. It was just a bit bland—perhaps next time, marinating it in salt before roasting would help, as a simple brush didn’t seem to impart much flavor.

She smacked her lips, eating and thinking, and before she knew it, the meat in her bowl was gone.

Lin Yuan tore off another piece and placed it in her bowl. This one, perhaps salted more thoroughly, tasted particularly good, and Shi Xianyu devoured it in just a few bites.

She still wanted more. Holding her empty bowl, she gazed hopefully at Lin Yuan.

Lin Yuan searched the wooden rack, choosing a small piece and placing it in her bowl.

Shi Xianyu stared at it—so small…

She was actually full, but felt she still had potential.

“I want some more…” She edged closer to Lin Yuan, bowl in hand, her voice unconsciously turning sweet and delicate. “Just a little bit more…”

Lin Yuan’s cheeks flushed slightly, but he shook his head firmly. He reached out with his other clean hand and gently touched her stomach, then shook his head again.

Shi Xianyu: “…………”

What did that mean?

Did… my belly show?

She looked down in confusion at her stomach. Recently, it did seem… a little rounder. Illness had once left her thin from poor sleep and appetite, but now, nourished by the spiritual energy of the Immortal Palace and having eaten Shen Xiao’s Hundred Spirit Fruit, she’d gained some flesh around her waist.

“Little Fish, Lin Yuan is doing it for your own good.” Shen Xiao watched the two of them, barely suppressing his laughter. “Demon snake meat is a cold food. You shouldn’t eat too much at once. If you like it, you can ask Lin Yuan to catch more for you tomorrow, but today, let’s not have any more.”

Shi Xianyu quietly patted her stomach…

So he was worried I’d eat too much.

“Well, then I’ll just have some soup.” She looked at the pot beneath the roasting meat, licking her lips.

Lin Yuan: “…………”

Surrounded by demon beasts at night, Shi Xianyu ate meat, drank soup, and burrowed happily into her sleeping bag, drifting sweetly into sleep.

The remaining meat was devoured by Lin Yuan in a few bites, the bones flung far away, becoming a midnight snack for other low-level demon beasts of the forest.

The next day, Shi Xianyu mounted her sheep and followed Shen Xiao and Lin Yuan to continue their journey.

Having eaten so much snake meat the night before, she felt no hunger all day, not until dusk, when her stomach quietly rumbled. Hearing this, Lin Yuan and Shen Xiao stopped and found a clean patch of grass to set up camp.

That night’s dinner was a two-headed crow—a crow with two heads.

After eating python, Shi Xianyu found this ingredient no challenge at all. Stroking the bird’s soft neck, she even mused that if it were a two-headed duck, she could make two spicy duck necks at once…

Despite her anticipation, the two-headed crow proved disappointing. Whether it was the cooking technique or something else, the meat was tough and hard to chew, and she barely managed to finish a single leg.

Lin Yuan wasn’t fond of it either. He wrapped the leftovers in large banana leaves and hurled them far away.

They pressed on, slowly leaving the forest and heading deeper into the valley.

Food became even scarcer.

Only bare rocks surrounded them, with hardly a blade of grass. If luck was on their side, they could catch a few earth mice; if not, Lin Yuan would have to crawl into mountain caves and fetch some of the valley’s abundant giant bats.

To him, bats were like winged earth mice; to Shi Xianyu, they were worlds apart. She’d rather die than eat one!

Yet not eating meant going hungry.

She wasn’t like Shen Xiao, who could subsist on wind and dew, meditating to absorb the essence of sun and moon, nor like Lin Yuan, whose powerful digestion allowed him to eat once and be satisfied for a week. That night, her stomach rumbled intermittently, drumming away.

Lin Yuan couldn’t sit still. Ignoring all objections, he ran off in the middle of the night to find food for Shi Xianyu.

Shen Xiao sat cross-legged in meditation, lifting his eyelids to glance at Lin Yuan running off, shaking his head in quiet admiration. “Youth is a wonderful thing…”

Shi Xianyu sat beside her ram, face flushed with embarrassment. These days, Lin Yuan had busied himself over her meals, and anyone could see what was going on.

Sure enough, Shen Xiao’s next words were, “Little Fish, Lin Yuan likes you very much.”

Shi Xianyu: “…………”

Shen Xiao asked with keen interest, “Little Fish, what do you think of Lin Yuan?”