Chapter 11: Effects of the New Ingredients
"Can I borrow some fire?"
Hutao grumpily aimed her Elemental Sight at the pile of firewood. When the fire ignited, the two of them in the wilderness felt a hint of warmth.
"Hey, Sanqiu, why don't we stay at the Wangshu Inn? Why do we have to be out here? Don't you know that skincare for girls is important?"
"I didn't expect you to be so self-aware. Impressive."
Hutao's gaze towards Gu Sanqiu gradually turned dangerous.
(〝▼皿▼
The Eternal Life Hall Master used her intimidating gaze on Gu Sanqiu!
The effect was remarkable!
"Well, mainly because of this thing, such good stuff should be enjoyed by us."
Before going to cause trouble for that walking corpse, he had Giant Shadow Eagle send a message to the nearby Qianyan Army to keep an eye out for suspicious individuals near the Wansheng Slope.
If the mastermind behind this was powerful, when he and Hutao disrupted their plans, they should have eagerly come out to stop them.
Ultimately, the other party should be of the summoning type, with strong followers, like the corpse collectors.
Otherwise, Gu Sanqiu wouldn't have let the Qianyan Army come over. If it weren't for the official seal he carried with him to prove his identity, the Qianyan Army wouldn't have believed such a letter of unknown origin.
"Screech—"
The Giant Shadow Eagle descended from the sky, quite spirited after being treated with Gu Sanqiu's pill.
"Can this thing really be eaten?"
Hutao expressed doubt about Gu Sanqiu's statement. "Such an ugly thing, will eating it make me ugly too?"
"I don't think so."
Gu Sanqiu took out a machete and aimed it at the half of the body covered in scales, then struck it heavily.
Clang!
Gu Sanqiu's head tilted to the side as a piece of broken blade from the machete flew off like a hidden weapon towards a distance.
"Hmm, it's tough. This is a knife I bought from the Hanfeng Blacksmith."
Gu Sanqiu turned to Hutao. "Give me your guard staff."
"San, Qiu!"
"Sorry, sorry, I was just kidding."
Gu Sanqiu immediately surrendered. Judging from Hutao's expression, if he had finished his sentence, she would probably have lunged at him.
"This golden finger is really useless, it doesn't even provide a cooking method. What's it trying to do?"
Gu Sanqiu, helpless, could only take out a piece of Water Ripple Forged Iron and attempt to remove the scales in a way similar to scaling a fish.
The sound of scraping was incessant. The iron block, which had been finely forged once, was quite powerful. With the support of elemental power and skill from Gu Sanqiu, the scales of the giant-legged chicken fell off one after another.
"These meat packs have traces of elemental power."
Gu Sanqiu raised his knife and directly removed a thigh from the root. Hutao tacitly carried tonight's food and placed it on a makeshift grill.
"Now let's see what's inside these meat packs."
After slicing open the meat packs, small, exquisite gemstones fell out. Despite being stored in the flesh, the gemstones of various colors were free of bloodstains.
Item: Wilderness Elemental Gemstone
Source: Formed within the Ugada Giant Legged Chicken's body. Depending on the growth years, the quantity and quality of gemstones will also vary.
Note: Now you know why those two factions of scholars are fighting over ownership, right?
"Wilderness gemstones, containing elemental power. No wonder this thing is being fought over. Whether it's for selling or deceiving little girls, it's considered a top-notch gemstone."
Gu Sanqiu casually tossed all the gemstones to Hutao. "I have no use for these things, so they're yours."
"Before you said that just now, maybe I would have been grateful for you giving me something so valuable."
Hutao made a face at Gu Sanqiu. "I didn't expect you to want to use such precious gemstones for that kind of thing. I can only reluctantly help you keep them safe."
"Don't bother giving them back to me."
"Hmph, fine, I won't. Tomorrow, I'll take all the employees of the Eternal Life Hall to eat at the Liuli Pavilion, but you won't be invited."
Hutao collected the gemstones and held them against her cheek, quietly watching Gu Sanqiu sprinkle various seasonings on the barbecue.
"Sanqiu, do you think this stuff will taste good?"
"If I told you, even before you asked me that question, I had no idea, would you run back to the Wangshu Inn for dinner now?"
"Goodbye."
Hutao's face darkened, pouting, and turned her head away. "Even if you asked me to take a bite later, I won't—"
Boom!
The spreading aroma caught Gu Sanqiu and Hutao off guard. This surge of fragrance, like the explosion of a bomb, even made them suspect they were being attacked by Hilichurls.
But then, a completely representative aroma of "chicken" invaded their senses. It was as if they could see giant-legged chickens running in the boundless wilderness, pecking away.
As if soaked in spices filled with chicken aroma for more than a decade, Gu Sanqiu estimated that his clothes were probably marinated.
Within the overwhelmingly dominant meaty aroma, subtle but distinct flavors gradually emerged, adding richness to the otherwise thin meat flavor.
Strong leg muscles, endurance to run all day in the wilderness, and the protection and enhancement of bodily functions from the Wilderness Gemstones grown within the body.
Gu Sanqiu's body trembled slightly. The enhanced sensation from his body was so clear and invigorating.
"Just by taking a bite, did the arrangement of my body parts evolve slightly?"
Gu Sanqiu clenched his left fist. With a bite, under some indescribable force, the strength within his body began to undergo a minor enhancement according to the concept of "human body."
Although the immediate increase in strength might only be two or three kilograms, in the long run, Gu Sanqiu's combat endurance undoubtedly improved significantly, and the power he wielded became more solid.
"In that case, the effect of the Wilderness Gemstone might not be as simple as just being valuable. That information dealer who wrote the note knew about even this kind of thing. Interesting."
"Mmm, delicious, delicious."
Hutao, wielding the meat cleaver with precision, sliced the meat expertly. Her skillful knife work on the barbecue demonstrated the high-quality education of the Eternal Life Hall.
"This is just one leg, and I'm not competing with you. Be careful not to choke."
That last sentence was what Gu Sanqiu wanted to say as he handed Hutao a cup of freshly squeezed apple juice. Although the wild apples picked from the forest might not be very sweet, they were good at relieving greasiness.
"Sure, sure."
Watching Hutao enjoy her food so much, Gu Sanqiu couldn't help but chuckle. He also remembered that during their time at the Wansheng Slope, Hutao might have been really hungry. After all, not everyone could carry a large amount of supplies like he did.
Of course, except for the two-thousand-reserve space in each backpack.
"Eat up, or you might end up rolling down the mountain like a second-generation Goulashung."