Chapter 20

The fragrance wafted out of the dilapidated little shack, spreading in every direction through the rainy night. Cen An was once again thankful that there was no one living nearby; otherwise, his neighbors would have had a very difficult time enduring the night.

Cen An slowly stirred the rendered fat in the pot, the exhaustion of the past few days fading away as a smile tugged at his lips.

Suddenly, he felt a tug at his pant leg.

But there was no one else in the house! Startled, he looked down.

"Hmm? A man-eating flower?"

It was indeed the man-eating flower that Yu Lin had given him. Cen An couldn't bear to feed it his precious energy crystals, but he provided plenty of water. The little plant had survived just fine, though it hadn't grown much, remaining only the height of a finger. Occasionally, he would see its little mouth snap at flying insects, much like a Venus flytrap, so he hadn't paid much mind to it.

He never expected that this plant would act like a puppy, tugging at his pants with its mouth.

Cen An stroked it with his fingertip. "What's the matter?"

The plant seemed to enjoy the touch; its large head swayed and tilted to one side. Cen An followed its gaze to the howling rabbit. He had been so busy processing other ingredients that he hadn't gotten to it yet; the creature lay on the ground, teeth bared, dead but still wearing an expression of defiance.

The man-eating flower tilted its head again.

Cen An pondered its intent. "You want this?"

He tentatively moved the rabbit's carcass closer. With a sharp *snap*, the flower's large maw opened 180 degrees and took a bite, tearing off a chunk of flesh and fur. It chewed, gulped it down, and then—*boing*—it grew a segment taller.

The little thing was clearly starving and had been holding back for a long time.

Cen An watched this sequence of movements, stunned. He finally realized, "So, besides energy crystals, you can eat beast meat too!"

That was perfect; he had plenty of beast meat!

He tossed the rabbit to the flower and arranged seven or eight more pieces of meat around the pot like some mysterious sacrificial ritual. "Grow up quickly so you can guard the door for me."

By the time he finished, the oil in the pot was ready. Half a pot of clear, glistening fat remained, with golden-brown cracklings bobbing on the surface, pushed around by tiny bubbles. He poured the lard into a prepared oil jar, but since it didn't fit, he quickly fashioned a wooden container. The transparent, shimmering fat poured into the jar, slowly solidifying into snow-white lard as it cooled.

He carefully scooped the cracklings into a bowl, sprinkled them with snow-white salt and a pinch of pepper, and the aroma filled the air. There was no need to wash the large iron pot; the thin layer of lard remaining on the inner wall was perfect for stir-frying.

He popped a crackling into his mouth. *Crunch*—the savory, crispy morsel shattered between his teeth, releasing a burst of rich fat, perfectly complemented by the slight heat of the pepper... Was there anything in the world better than pork cracklings? Impossible. At best, everything else could only tie for second place.

As he munched on the cracklings, he sorted through the pork on the floor, debating what to make for his first meal... Braised pork belly? Sweet and sour ribs? Or soy-braised pig ears?

Just then, he caught a whiff of blood mixed with the scent of rain.

***

Su Rui was sprinting through the rain.

Lately, the beasts in the mountains had been acting very strange. Typically, the rainy season was when they were at their most docile; food was plentiful in the mountains, and the heavy rain discouraged them from venturing out, so they would just eat their fill and sleep soundly in their dens. Yet, over the past few days, there had been several small-scale beast tides.

Although Su Rui was a Silver Moon Wolf, there was no such thing as high-level beasts commanding low-level ones among these creatures. Except for those that lived in groups, every beast fought for itself. Consequently, to protect his territory, Su Rui had to head out early and return late, crushing every arrogant beast that dared to challenge him. He hadn't had the time to go to the human's place to enjoy a meal, and his plan to "abduct" the human had been put on hold.

Today, after taking down a group of blind five-level beasts, he passed over Yongning Village and smelled a peculiar, mouth-watering fragrance.

Hungry after the fight, the Silver Moon Wolf immediately stopped. He felt the energy crystals in his pocket and used his wind-based ability to propel himself to the familiar little shack, where he reached out and knocked on the door.

Inside, Cen An went on high alert. "Who is it?"

The person outside cleared their throat. "It's me."

Cen An didn't react for a second. Peering through the crack in the door, he realized it was the "dog owner."

He opened the door a sliver. "Is something the matter?"

Su Rui cleared his throat again. "Dinner. I didn't bring any ingredients, but..."

*SLAM.* The door shut instantly. Cen An called out from behind it, "No guests today. Come back in a few days."

There was a moment of silence outside. Then, glistening energy crystals began to slide through the gap in the door, one by one.

Cen An: "..."

A moment later, the wooden door opened, and Su Rui stepped inside.

The smell of blood was much stronger now. Cen An frowned. "You're hurt?"

Su Rui looked back at his own shoulder. "You mean this?"

A long, deep gash that exposed bone ran down his back. The blood had stopped flowing, and the edges of the wound were already tightening, as if they had begun to heal. The recovery abilities of an esper were indeed different from an ordinary person's.

Even though he knew this, Cen An still couldn't ignore the empathy he had brought with him from modern society. He sighed. "Sit there and wait for me."

He went into the back room and fished out a few packets of herbal healing ointment.

Su Rui sat down obediently, rain dripping from his clothes and pooling at his feet. *Wonder what happened to him,* Cen An thought. The last time he saw this man, he hadn't been drenched like this at all.

His clothes were shredded into rags, so Cen An had him take them off to apply the medicine carefully. With his clothes on, it wasn't obvious, but once off, it was clear that the "dog owner" possessed a layer of lean, powerful muscle that rippled with beautiful lines whenever he exerted even a little effort.

Cen An dipped his fingers into the ointment and gently brushed it over the wound. Su Rui instinctively tensed his back and asked, "Do I have to pay for this medicine?"

Cen An forcefully smeared the last glob onto his back. "Yes. I want every single energy crystal you have."

Su Rui pondered this, then opened his hand, dumping a pile of crystals onto the table. "That's all of it."

Cen An glanced at him. "Your left hand—there are three more."

Su Rui looked as if he were thinking, *Holy crap, how did he know?* Sure enough, he tossed three more crystals onto the table.

Cen An's lips twitched as he went to the back room to get rice. The pork bone soup was nearly done, so he placed a steamer basket on top and put two bowls of rice inside to steam. His previous dilemma about making braised pork belly or sweet and sour ribs was pointless anyway, since he had neither sugar nor vinegar...

He asked, "Do you have any sugar in your space?"

Su Rui, unsurprised that Cen An knew about his spatial storage, closed his eyes and rummaged through it. "You mean this?"

He pulled out a small jar of snow-white sugar. "Got it from my brother's place."

*You're childish enough yourself, and you have a brother?* Cen An thought. He took the jar. "This will count as your contribution for the ingredients. We're making a big dish today!"

With sugar, he could make braised pork belly. Knowing Su Rui's appetite, Cen An took out all the pork belly he had. He cut the high-quality meat into small cubes and rendered the fat in the iron pot. Adding a generous helping of sugar to the oil, he sautéed it over low heat until it turned a brilliant, glossy mahogany red...

Hot water, salt, soy sauce, and various seasonings followed. Cen An worked methodically; the dark red sauce in the pot bubbled, releasing an indescribable fragrance.

Su Rui couldn't help but swallow, a loud *gulp* echoing in the room.

Cen An glanced at him. "Don't you dare eat all the cracklings."

Su Rui, his mouth stuffed with a large handful of cracklings, mumbled, "I'm saving half for you... What are these made of? I'll find more and bring them to you next time."

"Pork... Go get some firewood; the fire needs tending. And carve out two wooden bowls."

Su Rui nodded and naturally stood up to get to work. The ointment on his back had already dried, and the gruesome wound was shrinking further—a shocking healing ability.

The rice was steamed, and the braised pork belly was ready. The mahogany-colored cubes of meat were neatly piled on a wooden platter, drizzled with a thick layer of sauce... It was enough to make anyone's mouth water. He had blanched some baby bok choy in the pork bone soup and topped it with chopped green onions. The milky-white soup, dotted with vibrant green, looked like a dish from a gourmet magazine.

"Alright, let's eat." At the command, Su Rui, who had been waiting impatiently, picked up his soup bowl and took a huge gulp, immediately sticking out his tongue because it was too hot.

Cen An ignored him and placed a piece of braised pork into his own bowl, the sauce staining the rice a bright, savory brown. His skill at making braised pork was only average, but the freshness of the ingredients made all the difference. The meat was stewed until it was incredibly soft and tender; a gentle press was all it took for it to melt in his mouth—fragrant, not greasy.

He ate a few pieces of pork and moved on to the bok choy in the pork bone soup. The greens were crisp, sweet, and infused with the rich, savory depth of the meat broth. As for the pork bone soup itself—on such a cold, rainy night, there was nothing more wonderful than a bowl of hot broth.

Cen An ate with pleasure, while Su Rui ate as if he were in a war. He finished two large bowls of soup alone, and after the rice was gone, he tossed a few pieces of cassava into the fire to roast. Once he confirmed that Cen An was truly finished, he even wiped the plate clean of every drop of braised pork sauce.

His face was the picture of contentment.

Without needing to be told, he stood up to wash the bowls. Sometimes, Cen An suspected he only ate everything so clean to make washing up easier.

By the time things were tidied up, it was very late. Su Rui didn't stay long and prepared to leave. Cen An gave him a few packets of healing ointment and a small bundle of pork cracklings wrapped in leaves. "For the puppy."

Su Rui left, smelling of the meal, but paused before heading out. "A heavy storm is coming the day after tomorrow. It's best not to go out."

He paused, then couldn't help but emphasize, "Though, if you really want to go out, you can. Just blow the wooden whistle to call me, and I can take you wherever you want. Anywhere at all!"

He still hadn't given up on proving his hearing was superior.

Cen An smiled and nodded. "Yes, yes, your ears are the best. Better than a dog's."

Su Rui walked away frowning, deeply confused about whether he had just been insulted or complimented.

Cen An put away the remaining pork, kept the fish in the wooden basin, and secured the crystals Su Rui had left behind. The guy had given him over fifty crystals tonight, three of which were very different.

Cen An held them up to the firelight. The others were clear and transparent, like crystal, but these three shimmered with a silver light, with a tiny silver vortex at the core—no larger than a grain of rice, yet remarkably conspicuous.

He couldn't help but recall his earlier suspicion: could high-level beast crystals actually mutate? If that were true, just what was Su Rui's level?

The guy was childish, gluttonous, and fiercely competitive; Cen An sometimes forgot that he was a powerful esper.

After finishing his chores, Cen An climbed onto his small, dilapidated bamboo bed to get some rest. If there was only one day of preparation left, he would certainly need to wake up even earlier.