Zanxing

Chapter 115 - Neverwinter Mountain (2)

This was perhaps the last peaceful interaction before reaching Wudong Mountain.

Yanxing approached the lakeside and noticed the water was incredibly clear, as transparent as the air, allowing her to see the pebbles and white sand beneath the surface. Beside Lanjing Lake lay the skeleton of a massive beast, its bones bleached white by the lake water, half buried in the mud and half exposed on the rocky shore. Against the backdrop of blue skies and the forest sea, the long horns of the skeleton added an eerie yet beautiful touch to the scene.

"What is this?" Yanxing reached out to touch the bones, which felt icy to the touch, almost like jade.

"It should be a snow rhinoceros," Meng Ying replied.

Yanxing noticed that some disciples from other sects had rolled up their sleeves and were approaching the lake, unsure of what they were doing. Just then, Tian Fangfang ran over excitedly, holding an axe. "This place is rich in spiritual energy! Junior Sister, look, they're all fishing! Let's catch a few and roast them to eat. These fish are big and fatty, much better than those outside. Eating some will be good for our cultivation!"

Meng Ying typically did not oppose anything beneficial for cultivation. However, Yanxing looked around. "But it seems we don't have any seasonings?"

"I have some!" Men Dong said as he magically pulled out a row of bottles and jars from his bag. "In the past, when I traveled with Martial Uncle Wu and Martial Uncle Qi, we sometimes encountered places rich in spiritual energy with local ingredients, so I always carried some with me!" He then took out a copper pot and placed it on the ground. "I also have a medicine pot, which is just right for making fish soup!"

Yanxing: "...Did you come here for a picnic?"

While they were talking, Tian Fangfang had already laughed, "Wow, these fish are so fat!"

After all, this secret realm only opened every ten years. The fish in the lake grew plump and were not afraid of people. The cultivators rushed in, each returning with a bounty. Tian Fangfang caught a whole pile and asked Men Dong to gather some branches while he sat down and called for Mu Chengxiao to help prepare the fish.

It was hard to describe how Yanxing felt watching these two sit together to prepare the fish. Tian Fangfang looked fine; with his Qianyuan axe, he resembled a royal chef, returning to his original role. However, Mu Chengxiao sat seriously on the grass, using his Divine Annihilation Blade to scrape the fish scales. For a brief moment, Yanxing understood the original story's feelings.

A perfectly good male lead had been turned into this; if she were the original story, she might want to kill someone too.

Children naturally have a fondness for picnics and outings. It was the first time Yanxing had seen Men Dong so lively. He sat beside Mimi, seriously washing the wild herbs he had picked nearby.

While helping Tian Fangfang skewer the smaller fish onto sticks, Yanxing casually asked Men Dong, "What kind of herb is this? Can we eat it?"

"It's Yao Grass," Men Dong replied. "It's said to have transformed from the daughter of the Heavenly Emperor after she died. 'Its leaves are all complete, its flowers are yellow, and its fruits resemble the tu qiu. Eating it makes one attractive.' If a woman eats this, she will become beautiful."

Yanxing was a bit surprised. "Is it really that good? Then you should pick more to put in!"

"Don't keep bossing me around," Men Dong said, displeased, with a stern face. "If you want to eat, go pick it yourself."

"Now that's not fair," Yanxing pointed to another direction. "Aren't there still people doing nothing?"

She was referring to Gu Baiying and Meng Ying.

The two of them did not participate in the picnic. Meng Ying was understandable; after all, asking such a beautiful fairy to kill fish didn't seem right. But Gu Baiying just sat under the tree doing nothing, meditating with his eyes closed, which was irritating. It felt as though he was a young master enjoying a vacation while everyone else was there to serve him.

"My Martial Uncle's culinary skills are certainly not something anyone can enjoy," Men Dong defended Gu Baiying. "How could he work for you?"

"What kind of skills does your Martial Uncle have?" Yanxing teased. "Is it the skill of stealing and breaking things?"

"Don't look down on people," Men Dong retorted angrily. "My Martial Uncle's cooking skills would surely make him famous in any culinary competition across the Three Realms. But he only cooks for the Sect Master. Once, I secretly tasted a bit..." The child licked his lips. "I want to become the Sect Master in the future."

"You want to become the Sect Master just to eat your Martial Uncle's cooking?" Yanxing said. "You really are something."

Just as they were talking, Tian Fangfang's fish was already cooking.

Both Mu Chengxiao and Tian Fangfang came from ordinary farming backgrounds and worked efficiently. They added who-knows-what to the fish soup that was bubbling away in the pot, and Yanxing imagined that if Li Danshu saw this scene, he might have a heart attack. The smaller fish were skewered on sticks, and coated with some unknown seasoning. Tian Fangfang distributed several skewers and started a fire on the ground to grill the fish. The disciples from the other sects were doing the same.

This really was a day for an outing.

While grilling fish, some disciples from other sects came over and brought a few skewers of roasted quail-like delicacies. Apparently, among their group was a culinary expert who had also cooked some birds and rabbits.

Anyway, all the birds, beasts, insects, and fish here were nourished by spiritual energy, making them excellent ingredients; it would be a shame not to eat them. 

Mimi circled around the fish soup pot, and Mu Chengxiao handed a skewer of roasted rabbit meat to Yanxing. Yanxing waved her hand. "I don't eat wild game."

"It's the thought that counts," Tian Fangfang said. Suddenly, he remembered something and rummaged in his bag, pulling out several large watermelons.

This time, even Meng Ying was momentarily surprised.

Gu Baiying glanced over. "What is that?"

"When I was in the palace of Li'er, I saw that the watermelons sent from the palace were particularly sweet, so I thought I'd take a few back to see if we could grow some in the sect," Tien Fangfang said. "They'll be perfect with the fish."

He chopped a few of the watermelons with his axe, quite generously, also sending some over to the neighboring sect as a gesture of goodwill.

Yanxing looked at the watermelon in her hand, then at the grilled fish and fish soup in front of the fire, feeling a bit dazed.

The fish here were quite plump, and when coated with seasoning and grilled over the fire, they sizzled, releasing a hint of smoky fragrance. As Men Dong was grilling, he suddenly said, "Thank goodness the merfolk aren't here; otherwise, if they saw this, they might get angry. Does this count as eating their kind?"

That question was too profound and involved species, so Yanxing couldn't answer, and neither did anyone else want to. However, Men Dong's remark reminded her of something, and she began to channel her inner energy. Gradually, a layer of pale blue light rose from within Yanxing, taking on the shape of fish scales.

"What is this...?" Meng Ying paused.

"This was left in my body before the night Yin Li's spirit disappeared. I don't know what it is; have you seen it before, Senior Sister?" Yanxing asked.