Chapter 142 So Delicious
Seeing the pile of coins, Li Ye opened his mouth but did not know what to say. There were not more than 20 coins, which was definitely not enough to buy even just half a wheel, so he really was not sure if she was joking.
The seriousness on Su Ei’s face told Li Ye she that she was not trying to trick him. Maybe she really did not have much of an idea about money. He could not help asking her, “Where did you two co from?”
“The mountains,” answered Su Ei, appearing a little bewildered. “What does that have to do with the price of this carriage?”
“Nothing.” Li Ye decided to accept her coins. Usually, people would answer his question by telling him which place or sect they were from, instead of just answering “the mountains”. It seed that this breathtakingly beautiful young lady was not even aware of that basic convention in this world, and he found that very peculiar because she did not look dumb at all.
A hint of worry flashed across Su Ei’s clear eyes as she saw her purse half-empty. They had spent half of their money in one go, and now they might face difficulties paying for food and accommodation. Their master had constantly reminded them that accommodation would often cost more than food, and that they must not waste any money. After all, the temple was not very well-to-do.
Su Ei glanced at Li Ye, and was worried that he just cheated her out of money. Seconds later, however, she denied that thought. She indeed found him ugly, yet he did not look like a shady person to her.
If Li Ye ever found out that Su Ei found him ugly, he might find it both strange and amusing. He had the look of a fine young childe, which was exactly the opposite of what Su Ei had seen since she was a child. As soone who had been raised in the mountains, the only types of n she had ever seen were hunters and strong farrs, so she thought that any good-looking man must have bronze skin, a muscular build, a wide chest, and be tough in character. Li Ye, however, was the exact opposite of what she had in mind.
“Let’s stop right up ahead,” Su Ei said all of a sudden, as if she just made up her mind about sothing.
Li Ye was just chatting with Wei Xiaozhuang as he heard her. He then looked ahead and found nothing but a forest. There was not even a village nearby, and they were still quite so distance away from the next courier station, so he asked, “Why here?”
“We will rest there for the night,” answered Su Ei as she pointed at that forest. She shortly realized it sounded slightly inappropriate, so she added quickly, “You don’t have to co with us.”
“You guys are sleeping out in the open?” Li Ye recalled that there was not much money in Su Ei’s purse, so he smiled and said, “Since we’re fated to travel together, why don’t we all head toward a courier station? I’ll pay for the accommodation.”
Su Ei strongly objected to his suggestion. “We truly appreciate your kindness, yet we’ve created enough trouble for you, we can’t always be a burden to you.”
Her tone was firm as she spoke, not sounding pretentious at all.
“My senior is right. How can we keep troubling you?” said Wei Xiaozhuang righteously.
In the end, Li Ye agreed to sleep out in the open with them because Wei Xiaozhuang was still unable to move much. In order to prove that he would not harm him, Li Ye decided to help them till the end. Li Ye could have left, but he did not find that necessary. Sleeping out in the open was no big deal to him, he was ant to experience the Jianghu anyway.
Li Ye stopped the carriage next to the road, then carried Wei Xiaozhuang out and put him under a tree so he could rest against it. Su Ei said gratefully, “You don’t have to trouble yourself this much, this is too kind of you.”
“Don’t ntion it.” Li Ye was never soone who cared about all these details, so he waved his hand to make them not worry. As the sky was getting dark, he looked around for a while then said to Su Ei, “I’ll hunt for so food for us.”
Su Ei called Li Ye’s na, yet he was already too far away to hear it. She stood there for a few seconds as she looked in the direction Li Ye had gone, feeling a little lost, then bit her lip gently and walked back to Wei Xiaozhuang. She squatted down next to him, looking vexed, yet no one could tell what was on her mind.
Wei Xiaozhuang found her not in her usual state, so he asked, “What’s on your mind?”
Su Ei raised her head to look at him, then looked down again. Staring at the official road, she brushed her long bangs and said, “Nothing... It’s just that when we were at the temple, I was always the one taking care of everyone else, including the patients that master brought back. There was never a ti when I didn’t need to worry about our dinner.”
Not understanding what she ant completely, Wei Xiaozhuang simply replied, “Oh,” then continued, “you’re just not used to it.”
Su Ei did not continue the conversation, but instead asked him, “How do you feel? Can you move now?”
It was an important question that could determine what she would think of Li Ye.
Wei Xiaozhuang’s face showed joy and relief as he turned his head and moved his wrists, and said, “I still can’t walk around, but I do feel much better than before. Judging by my current condition, I should be able to walk freely in a couple of hours.”
“So... what he said earlier was all true?” said Su Ei, seeming to be in deep thought.
Wei Xiaozhuang blinked a few tis, obviously not knowing what she was referring to, and asked, “What did he say?”
Su Ei was too lazy to explain, so she just glared at Wei Xiaozhuang. She only developed the habit of taking care of others because of him and her master. The younger one was never reliable, while the older one always liked bringing strangers to their temple...
Li Ye was back shortly after. Seeing a rabbit and a pheasant in his hands, Wei Xiaozhuang looked much livelier and started cheering. Su Ei started feeling frustrated, however, since she had no idea how to cook them without any wok or stove, she also did not know how to roast them. After all, their master never liked killing living creatures, so she never had many chances to deal with animals. All the ducks and roosters in the temple were only raised to lay eggs. When it ca to cooking, she was only best at making pancakes because they were simple and direct... After all, cultivators are not picky about food at all.
Just as Su Ei was thinking that she had no idea how to cook them, Li Ye had already skinned them skillfully and removed all their internal organs. Since he was a cultivator, his movents were smooth and pleasant to watch, so much so that even Su Ei opened her mouth in surprise as she tried to keep up with her eyes.
Li Ye set up a bonfire in no ti and poked two spiritual swords through the animals, then started roasting them.
Seeing that both Su Ei and Wei Xiaozhuang had their eyes opened wide, Li Ye felt a little confused and asked jokingly, “Have you never tried roasted chicken before?”
They both shook their heads, especially Wei Xiaozhuang, whose head was shaking like a rattle drum. Seeing his round, thick neck moving so flexibly, Li Ye almost couldn’t suppress his urge to laugh.
“Then, get ready for a feast.” Li Ye took out salt and all sorts of seasonings as he flipped over the spiritual swords. With a flicker of his finger, a dash of salt flew from his hand. Using Spiritual Qi, he managed to evenly spread the salt over the at. He then used the sa thod to add the other seasonings to the at. An irresistible fragrance soon started spreading through the air, improving the appetite of everyone who slled it.
Wei Xiaozhuang was already drooling at the sight of the cooked rabbit and pheasant. He had never seen any food with a color as mouth-watering as this, nor had he slled any food as delectable as this.
Su Ei just stood there looking at Li Ye, her clear and beautiful eyes were lit up with surprise and admiration. “Isn’t this fair guy just a scholar? Based on his clothes, he’s definitely from a well-to-do family. How can soone like this be so good at cooking? Judging from his skilled and smooth movents, it doesn’t at all seem to be his first ti roasting at.
“What seasonings did he use? How can they sll so good? Is he using chilies and pepper? I never thought they could be ground into power! His roasting thod is very detailed, and he has been so careful in his execution! But he’s a man, how can a man be so ticulous in doing this?”
Gradually, Li Ye was becoming no longer ugly in Su Ei’s eyes.
Li Ye observed both of their expressions, and was certain that his skills had successfully impressed them. “You must be kidding , it’s not my first ti in the Jianghu, so I gotta have all my tools ready in order to not starve myself,” he thought. “Also, I hunted rather frequently before the ti travel happened, and it’s rare to find these natural and harmless sources of food.”
When Li Ye finished roasting, he first tore off a drumstick and passed it to Su Ei. The look on her face showed that she had been looking forward to this feast. “Try it,” he said.
He then tore off another one for himself, and threw the rest of the roasted pheasant to Wei Xiaozhuang. He obviously could not wait any longer either.
Staring at the drumstick in her hand, Su Ei suddenly did not know where on it she should put her mouth. The whole thing looked so tender and delicious, like a delicate work of art. She had never seen soone cook chicken like that, she thought the people out there would just pluck all its feathers, clear out all its internal organs, chop it into pieces, and poach it in a wok.
Su Ei thought that she might just not be knowledgeable enough, so she did not think any further and started tasting the chicken. As a reserved young lady, she bit one part off carefully and chewed slowly. Over ti, her eyes opened so wide and they could not hide her sense of disbelief. She then closed her eyes and took a deep breath, getting ready to enjoy it bit by bit.
“This is so delicious!”
Pheasants move around very actively and their muscles have developed over ti to be very strong, so their at is extrely chewy. On the other hand, Li Ye used his outstanding roasting thod to make sure the at would be tender and juicy, instead of making it too dry and hard to eat. He had even managed to let the chicken oil seep through every part of the at, enhancing its original flavor. With just the right amount of chilies and pepper, not only was the original taste preserved, but the at was also balanced to be less oily. That tinge of spiciness also played a huge part in improving one’s appetite, making one no longer able to hold back the urge to taste it and just want to take one huge bite after another!
“I never knew such delicious food existed in this world!
“I never knew chicken could taste this delicious!”
Su Ei was completely lost in this incredible taste, and she finished the last bite in no ti. Only then did she realize that she had been eating too quickly, and was no longer reserved and elegant like a young lady! When she turned to Wei Xiaozhuang, however, she only saw his face entirely covered up by the chicken and could only hear his loud chewing sounds. He kept saying “yummy” the whole ti.
“Try the rabbit at as well,” said Li Ye as he passed her a rabbit leg just at the right ti.
Su Ei purposely tried to hold back, yet she decided to give up the mont she slled that tender, juicy rabbit leg. She took it from him and started enjoying it slowly.
“I can’t believe that this rabbit is even more delicious than the chicken!”
Su Ei had no ti to feel surprised because at that mont, all she cared about was enjoying the rabbit at.
“Who is this guy... Not only did he managed to cure my junior’s illness that even my master couldn’t cure, but he also has such incredible cooking skills. Although he looks a little ugly, it doesn’t make him any less kind and gentle... Well, okay, he’s not THAT ugly... Anyway, it seems that this childe who went hunting and cooked for us is really no ordinary figure!”
When Su Ei looked at Li Ye again after finishing her food, she suddenly realized that this well-grood man in front of her no longer looked as ugly to her as before. In fact, he even looked kind of nice, and even nicer the longer she looked at him...
As soone who had never been taken care of by others before, Su Ei felt so warm and gleeful after having the most delicious food she’d ever had in her life. However, she also felt quite embarrassed that she did not help in any part of this, so she stood up and said subconsciously, “I’ll do the dishes...” After realizing that there were no dishes to be cleaned, she quickly added, “I’ll clean up...” There was also not much to be cleaned up, so she felt even more awkward and blushed all the way to her earlobes. Suddenly, she stood there holding on to the hem of her clothes, not knowing what to do or say.
“Don’t worry. Just leave it to ,” said Li Ye as he smiled and saved her from this awkward situation.
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