Chapter 30

Chapter 30

The figure in the grass seemed to realize it had been spotted and immediately tried to flee, but how could Cheng Zhiyu let him escape?

A fireball instantly materialized, blocking the shadow’s path. The figure tried to change direction, only to find Cheng Zhiyu already standing there, as if he had appeared out of nowhere.

The next moment, ice walls sprang up on all other sides, instantly trapping the shadow with no way out.

Little Black unsheathed his claws, but Cheng Zhiyu held him back. "Don’t attack yet."

Tian Qiao crossed his arms and looked at the figure whose face was hidden. "Hey, buddy, no disrespect, but if you want to do something, just do it openly. Sneaking around—is that manly behavior?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the shadow suddenly crouched down, covering its head and curling into a ball, trembling with fear.

Tian Qiao: "…"

He touched his mouth, wondering if he'd somehow developed the ability to hurt people with his words.

He turned to look at Cheng Zhiyu, who instead noticed a chicken next to the shadow. This chicken was much livelier than the last one they'd received. Even with its feet tied, it flapped its wings and clucked loudly, feathers flying everywhere.

A ridiculous thought occurred to Cheng Zhiyu—did this person think they hadn’t eaten the last chicken because it wasn’t lively enough, so this time he brought a more energetic one?

Cheng Zhiyu looked at the trembling shadow, somewhat speechless. "We don’t want to hurt you. It’s just that you’ve shown up multiple times, and for our own safety, we gotta know what you're after. Right?"

The shadow continued to tremble, as if scared out of his mind.

Tian Qiao muttered, "Seriously? This scared?"

Cheng Zhiyu frowned. At this rate, they wouldn’t get any answers. But at least he could be sure this person wasn’t pretending—he was genuinely frightened. Unless his acting skills were god-tier, this was too real to be faked.

At the very least, it proved the stranger meant no harm. Besides, they wouldn’t be staying here much longer anyway. Better to just… leave well enough alone.

Moreover, the fact that this person had managed to find chickens for them multiple times suggested he was more familiar with the area than they were. They hadn’t been able to find any live chickens themselves. Since he was here first, they were the ones trespassing on his turf.

With that in mind, Cheng Zhiyu told Tian Qiao to retract the ice walls and said to the shadow, "You can go. If you mean no harm, that’s for the best. Don’t worry, we’ll be leaving soon."

The shadow paused, then prepared to run.

Cheng Zhiyu called out, "Wait."

The figure froze, thinking Cheng Zhiyu had changed his mind, and began trembling fearfully again.

Cheng Zhiyu sighed but didn’t explain. Instead, he walked over, dusted the fish he had just grilled with seasoning, and brought it over to offer to the stranger.

Little Black, who had been waiting eagerly for the fish, widened his eyes in displeasure. "That’s mine!"

Cheng Zhiyu looked apologetic and rubbed his nose. "Let him have this one, okay? I’ll grill ten more for you later."

Little Black: Even if I refused, you’d still grill ten for me.

But Cheng Zhiyu’s heart was too soft. In the end, Little Black didn’t argue further, though he watched with longing as Cheng Zhiyu handed the grilled fish to the stranger.

The figure seemed tempted—the fish smelled incredibly delicious. The smell had drawn him here and he had intended to trade the chicken for some food. He hadn’t expected to be cornered and frightened half to death.

Just when he thought he wouldn’t get to taste it, the other party offered it to him willingly.

So aromatic. So irresistible.

He had tasted this person’s cooking before. That time when they weren’t around, he had snuck a tiny taste, being careful not to leave evidence or get caught. The flavor was unforgettable—the best thing he had ever eaten.

But after stealing, he felt guilty. Remembering the cruel things people had said to him, he hurriedly brought them a chicken that very night. To his surprise, they didn’t eat it.

Maybe it was because that chicken was nearly dead and not fresh enough, so they didn’t want it. This time, he learned his lesson and made sure not to injure the chicken.

After that incident, he never had another chance to taste their cooking again. God, how he craved it.

He swallowed hard, his mouth watering uncontrollably. In the end, he couldn’t resist—he snatched the grilled fish from Cheng Zhiyu’s hand and wolfed it down.

Cheng Zhiyu’s eyelid twitched. "Be careful of the bones!"

Although he had specifically chosen a fish with fewer bones to prevent Little Black from choking, there were still some large ones.

Sure enough, the shadow got a bone stuck, hacked violently, pulled it out, and continued eating.

Cheng Zhiyu: "…"

Honestly, he was speechless.

Watching from the side, Tian Qiao felt genuinely sorry. How hungry must this person be? After a moment’s thought, he brought over the fish he had grilled and offered it to the shadow.

Having finished one fish, the shadow couldn’t believe there was another. Absolutely thrilled, he didn’t even notice that this one looked different—a bit charred instead of golden brown like the previous one.

He eagerly took a bite, then… "Bleh…"

Tian Qiao: "…" That bad, huh?

Cheng Zhiyu glanced over. "...Yours seems undercooked."

Tian Qiao instantly felt guilty. "Well… sorry, I’m not really good at cooking."

"Not really good" was an understatement—he was totally incompetent.

Just as the shadow’s hand holding the fish began to tremble, everyone expected him to throw it away. Instead, after retching, he shoved the fish back into his mouth.

Cheng Zhiyu’s eyelid twitched violently. "Don't eat that raw!"

The shadow hesitated, then actually spoke, though his voice sounded hoarse and strained: "Waste...ful."

Cheng Zhiyu massaged his temples. Look at you, being frugal.

He sighed helplessly and reached out. "Give it to me. I’ll cook it right for you."

The shadow cautiously handed him the fish, still curled up as if prepared to run at any moment. But perhaps driven by his craving, he forced himself to stay.

Cheng Zhiyu mused: Foodies are truly a fascinating species.

Little Black glanced at the shadow, knowing Cheng Zhiyu’s soft heart had struck again. But what about his grilled fish…?

Then he saw Cheng Zhiyu set up a cooking rack, cooking several fish at once. Cheng Zhiyu patted Little Black and said, "Don't worry, I've got you covered."

Little Black’s tail perked up again.

Cheng Zhiyu basted the fish with oil and flipped them swiftly. Little Black and Tian Qiao gathered around him, while the shadow peeked timidly from a distance.

It felt like being surrounded by food fanatics.

Finally, the fish were ready. Everyone got their share. Cheng Zhiyu started grilling a new batch while feeding Little Black and eating his own portion.

The shadow polished off his fish and peeked uncertainly at Cheng Zhiyu. Logically, he should run now, but… the grilled fish smelled too damn good.

Seeing that no one noticed him, he rather cunningly poked the chicken, making it start flapping again.

Having attracted attention, the shadow lowered his head and said, "For... you."

Since the other party had eaten two of his grilled fish, Cheng Zhiyu felt no qualms about taking the chicken. Seeing the shadow gazing longingly at the sizzling fish, he found it rather amusing.

Noticing that Cheng Zhiyu had taken the chicken without saying anything, the shadow, though reluctant, prepared to leave. Getting to eat such delicious grilled fish today was already a treat. Even if he couldn't have it again in the future, it would be... fine.

But the thought of never tasting it again made him involuntarily downcast.

Even though he appeared as just a shadow in Cheng Zhiyu's eyes, he somehow seemed pitiful.

Cheng Zhiyu sighed softly, "Wait, since you brought the chicken... how about I give you a drumstick?"

The shadow paused. A drumstick?

After saying this, Cheng Zhiyu didn’t say more. Instead, he turned to Tian Qiao, who was busy eating grilled fish, and said, "You handle this chicken."

Tian Qiao quickly took a bite and replied, "Sure thing!"

Cheng Zhiyu glanced at the shadow, saw that he hadn’t left, but didn’t pay further attention. He started thinking about how to cook the chicken—grilling wasn’t an option, as chicken wasn’t as easy to cook thoroughly as fish.

Looking around, he spotted some lotus leaves and had a sudden brainstorm: beggar’s chicken.

He had never made it before but had tried it once. Worth a try, though one chicken wasn’t enough... Well, it would just be a taste test.

If it wasn’t enough, they could always eat fish—there was plenty of that.

Tian Qiao quickly prepared the chicken, while Cheng Zhiyu prepared the ingredients. He stuffed the chicken with various seasonings—with these alone, it’d taste just fine.

Then, he wrapped it in lotus leaves, covered it with yellow mud, and placed it in a dug-out pit to cook over the flames.

Little Black watched nearby. Though he trusted Cheng Zhiyu’s cooking skills, seeing the chicken wrapped in mud and buried in the ground made him offer the fish he had set aside to Cheng Zhiyu.

Just so Cheng Zhiyu wouldn’t go hungry.

Tian Qiao thought, "No wonder Brother Black stopped me from eating earlier and even scolded me—I figured he was just being possessive of the food."

After finishing his work, Cheng Zhiyu washed his hands and took the grilled fish Little Black had saved for him, eating it one bite at a time.

The fish was golden brown on the outside, crispy and fragrant with each bite. He had marinated it specially, so there was no fishy taste—only the freshness of the fish.

Delicious!

Nearby, the shadow tried to make himself as small as possible. Not used to being around people, he would have hidden himself entirely if not waiting for the drumstick.

Little Black glanced at him briefly before losing interest, but Tian Qiao curiously peeked over, trying for a long time to make out the shadow’s appearance but couldn’t.

Half an hour later, after eating several grilled fish, Cheng Zhiyu figured the chicken was done and dug it out.

Little Black walked over and looked at the lump of dirt, reaching a claw out to investigate, but Cheng Zhiyu stopped him, "Don’t touch it—it’s just been dug up and could burn you."

Little Black flicked his tail: Winged Tribe skin isn’t that delicate.

Though he thought this, he dutifully drew back his claw, watching curiously.

Cheng Zhiyu found a stick and tapped the dirt clod a few times, causing it to crack open and reveal the lotus leaves inside.

As the leaves were opened, the aroma of chicken instantly filled the air.

Even Little Black, who had been indifferent before, couldn’t help but stretch his neck to look.

Tian Qiao leaned in closer, "Wow, so fragrant! This smells amazing! Orange, you’re the best—everything you make tastes great."

He was even laying it on thick.

Little Black glanced at him, then at Cheng Zhiyu, and mustering his courage, gently nuzzled Cheng Zhiyu’s wrist.

The soft touch melted Cheng Zhiyu’s heart. Forgetting about the beggar’s chicken for a moment, he picked up Little Black and kissed him, "Wow, is Little Black being cute?"

Little Black: "...No."

Cheng Zhiyu was sure he was. He had discovered that Little Black was quite tsundere, but if he said no, then so be it.

Feeling pleased, he gave the promised drumstick to the shadow and the other to Little Black, "Little Black, you’re so well-behaved—here’s a drumstick for you."

Tian Qiao could hardly look, thinking, "How did I never realize my childhood friend had this side to him?"

Little Black glanced at Cheng Zhiyu’s smiling face and declined the drumstick, "I don’t really like drumsticks. You have it."

There were only two drumsticks—they’re probably the choicest part.

Cheng Zhiyu: "Really don’t like them?"

Little Black: "Mhm."

Cheng Zhiyu asked Tian Qiao if he wanted the drumstick.

Before Tian Qiao could answer, Little Black shot him a sharp look, as if saying, "Just try it."

Tian Qiao flinched and immediately shook his head, "I won’t eat it, I won’t."

He felt wronged—did he seem like the type to fight Cheng Zhiyu for a drumstick? Tian Qiao bit into some chicken: So delicious!

Seeing that neither of them wanted it, Cheng Zhiyu ended up eating the drumstick himself while feeding pieces of chicken to Little Black.

Little Black ate very carefully, occasionally letting his canine teeth lightly brush Cheng Zhiyu’s skin before quickly pulling away, as if afraid of hurting him.

Meanwhile, the shadow devoured the drumstick ravenously, even attempting to eat the bones. Tian Qiao noticed and hurriedly said, "Hey, you can’t eat the bones, man—spit them out now."

Don’t want him to choke.

Cheng Zhiyu turned to look and also urged, "You can’t eat the bones."

The shadow checked and, realizing it was true, reluctantly spat them out.

Cheng Zhiyu and the others were at a loss for words—what kind of life had this shadow been living, trying to eat even the bones?

In the end, the shadow left reluctantly. Cheng Zhiyu noticed he bolted away incredibly fast—faster than most people could catch.

He raised an eyebrow. Since the shadow meant no harm, he didn’t give it another thought.

Over the next few days, whenever Cheng Zhiyu cooked, the shadow would "coincidentally" show up, bringing a chicken or some eggs. Cheng Zhiyu would share some food with him in return.

After a few such exchanges, they grew accustomed to the shadow showing up at mealtimes.

He was pretty courteous—he never came empty-handed and always stayed quiet. Cheng Zhiyu and the others didn’t mind having him around.

That day, Cheng Zhiyu found a few sticks and prepared to set up stakes for the cucumbers and tomatoes in the system space.

Ordinary plants grew quickly in the system space. It hadn't been long since then, but they were already flowering. They'd likely fruit soon, so it was time to set up the stakes.

Setting up the stakes was simple—just stick a pole in the soil next to the cucumbers or tomatoes and tie the plants to it with a rope. Based on their growth habits, they would naturally climb and wrap around the poles.

There weren’t many cucumber and tomato plants, so Cheng Zhiyu was done quickly.

Out of habit, he checked on Big Strong and was delighted to find that its health had reached 90%. Just by looking at the plant itself, he could tell its condition was much better than before.

It used to look wilted, as if about to kick the bucket, but now it stood straight and vibrant, appearing well-watered and vibrant green.

Cheng Zhiyu felt a real sense of accomplishment, having watched Big Strong transform from a droopy, pathetic plant into its current healthy state.

He estimated that in a couple days, Big Strong would reach full maturity. He was super excited and curious to find out what kind of plant it actually was.

Besides, Cheng Zhiyu figured that system-provided plants tended to grow rapidly once they entered the growth phase, reaching first-level maturity in just a few days.

So, he thought that once Big Strong matured, they would leave the village.

Although the village had plenty of resources and leaving would be somewhat a shame, they had to move on eventually.

He had his reasons for waiting until Big Strong matured: once it reached maturity, the storage space would likely expand, allowing them to carry more supplies. That would be the perfect time to depart.

Cheng Zhiyu discussed this with Little Black and Tian Qiao, and neither of them had any objections.

"When your storage space expands, let’s take more of those shrimp with us," Tian Qiao said, most reluctant to leave behind the mutant crayfish—they were so tasty.

Cheng Zhiyu naturally agreed. "We can prep some of the shrimp meat. It won’t take up much space and will be convenient to eat later."

This idea was exactly what Little Black wanted, who now seemed eager to take the whole pond along.

"By the way, I noticed lotus leaves in the pond—there must be lotus roots, right?" Cheng Zhiyu wasn’t about to leave behind any food.

Besides, leaving the lotus roots in the pond would be a waste. Better to take them along.

Tian Qiao had no objections either—lotus roots were delicious too.

So, the next day, they started working. First, they fished out the mutant crayfish, prepared them in different ways, and packed them into the storage space.

They didn’t waste any fish they came across either, processing them as well.

Then, they found waders in a farmer’s house and prepared to dig for lotus roots.

The shadowy figure appeared again. After spending some time together, it wasn’t hiding all the time now, but it still hunched over, with long hair covering its eyes and a dirty face, so you still couldn’t make out its face.

Seeing them busy, the shadowy figure pointed at their waders and said, "I... help."

Tian Qiao joked, "We’re going down to dig lotus roots. No time to get you a set."

The shadowy figure seemed to ponder for a moment before turning and leaving. When it returned, he was holding a set of waders.

It looked at Cheng Zhiyu and the others, then at the clothes in its hands, figuring them out for a while before putting them on clumsily.

Cheng Zhiyu raised an eyebrow. "You really want to help?"

The shadowy figure nodded firmly. "Help... help."

Cheng Zhiyu didn’t refuse the offer. He had come to realize that although the shadowy figure was timid, it was pretty capable and they didn’t need to worry about its safety. "Alright, thank you. But be careful—there might be leeches or something in the pond that could bite and suck blood."

Worried the shadowy figure might not understand, he explained further.

The shadowy figure nodded vaguely and then stepped into the pond.

The excess water in the pond had been drained, leaving only deep mud, which made moving around much more difficult.

Little Black wasn’t just standing around on the shore either. Using his Water Power like a high-pressure water gun, he helped wash away the mud whenever someone struggled to dig out a lotus root.

After a few times, Tian Qiao complained, "Brother Black, why you playing favorites? Look, I’ve got mud splattered all over my face, but Cheng Zhiyu? He’s clean like he hasn’t lifted a finger!"

When Little Black used his water power, he was really careful around Cheng Zhiyu to avoid splashing mud on him, but with Tian Qiao and the others, he was much more casual.

It wasn’t intentional, but he wasn’t as cautious as he was with Cheng Zhiyu.

Cheng Zhiyu laughed smugly. "Hehe, Little Black is closest to me."

Tian Qiao pretended to be upset. "I’ve had enough of this life of getting the short end of the stick!"

Cheng Zhiyu suddenly burst out laughing and glanced at Little Black, who gave a tail flick.

Tian Qiao: "? Wait, what are you laughing at?"

Cheng Zhiyu bit back a laugh. "Never mind, I won’t say. Let’s just focus on digging lotus roots."

But Tian Qiao’s curiosity was piqued, and he wasn’t about to let it go. He immediately shouted, "Tell me, tell me! If you don’t, I’m charging at you!"

Cheng Zhiyu glanced at him, covered in mud, and laughed. "Little Black is right."

Tian Qiao: "?"

Cheng Zhiyu: "You aren’t fussy about dirt. A little mud won’t bother you."

Tian Qiao: "...Since when do I not mind getting dirty? Brother Black! You’re spreading rumors about me!"

Little Black: Just stating facts.

Tian Qiao was devastated. Among guys, he considered himself quite clean. But compared to Cheng Zhiyu, he was a bit rougher—though not enough to be labeled as "not clean"!

He turned to the shadowy figure, hoping to form an alliance. "Look at them, bullying us and saying we’re not clean!"

The shadowy figure clumsily dug out a lotus root: clueless.jpg

Tian Qiao: Fine!

"I’m coming for you!" Tian Qiao yelled, charging toward Cheng Zhiyu.

Cheng Zhiyu’s eye twitched, and he tried to dodge. "...Don’t."

But Tian Qiao was already splashing toward him, adopting a "lose-lose" strategy—covering himself in mud first while splashing Cheng Zhiyu in the process.

Cheng Zhiyu tried to avoid it but failed. Then Tian Qiao, covered in mud, hugged him tightly, instantly turning him into a mud person too.

Cheng Zhiyu looked utterly defeated. "Ahhh! Tian Qiao!"

Seeing him like this was rare, and Tian Qiao burst out laughing. Cheng Zhiyu was both annoyed and amused, deciding to go all out. He grabbed a handful of mud and smeared it on Tian Qiao’s face, the only part that was still clean.

Cheng Zhiyu: "Hahaha."

Tian Qiao was also getting into it and smeared mud back on Cheng Zhiyu’s face. The two of them went wild, playing in the pond.

Black Shadow silently moved a bit further away.

Little Black: ...

Once they were done playing around, they finally settled down and started digging for lotus roots. They tossed the roots onto the ground, while Little Black rinsed them clean nearby—they worked together perfectly.

After working hard for most of the day, they had dug up quite a pile of lotus roots. They probably didn’t get all of them, but they had more than enough. Any more, and they wouldn’t be able to finish eating them all.

Who knew such a small pond would be packed with lotus roots?

Even though they were in good shape, they were pretty beat after working that long. They slowly made their way to the shore, and Cheng Zhiyu looked over at Little Black.

Little Black glanced at the person now barely recognizable under all the mud and quietly backed away a bit.

Cheng Zhiyu said sadly, "Little Black, you’re disgusted by me…"

Little Black: ...

Little Black walked over, ready to rinse Cheng Zhiyu off, but the other stretched out his sneaky hands and scooped him up: "Little Black, hehehe~"

Little Black ended up covered in mud. At first, he bristled, but soon his expression turned to one of being completely defeated.

Ah, whatever… it’s fine.

They decided to make a big feast that evening—partly to reward themselves, and partly to cheer up Little Black. Getting him covered in mud that afternoon had really pissed him off.

Little Black cared so much about cleanliness. Cheng Zhiyu knew he was in the wrong and took the initiative to make it up to him.

He whipped up a bunch of lotus root dishes, and Little Black was successfully cheered up. Hehe.

Black Shadow had helped out, so naturally, he stayed for dinner. After some thought, they decided to let Black Shadow know in advance that they’d be leaving soon.

Unexpectedly, Black Shadow dropped his chopsticks, and soon, they heard quiet sobbing.

Cheng Zhiyu and Tian Shan exchanged a look: Well, what do we do now?