Eating Meat

Han Sen was exhausted after what had transpired, but he managed to lug himself over to the disfigured corpse of the Coin Toad and place it in his pack. He walked nearer the watervine and applied one of his waterdrops to its roots. He watched the positive reaction from the watervine, which instantly absorbed the waterdrop. Then he mounted Golden Growler and took off home.

In the backyard, Chu Ming and Qu Lanxi had not returned yet themselves. So, Han Sen used this opportunity to cut, clean, and prepare the toad for dinner. He made stew with it.

He wanted to eat it with his new friends. They had done much for him, and treated him well despite of what he did before their first meeting. He wished to treat them well in return.

It was only an ordinary creature, after all. There was no need for Han Sen to be so stingy when it came to the sharing of an ordinary creature.

Han Sen was not a remarkable cook, and he lacked many talents of the profession, but he could prepare basic dishes to a simple, enjoyable degree. For half a day, he used a small fire to cook the contents of his stew, and the fragrance of the simmering meal scented the entire house.

After dusk, as the sun finally dipped below the horizon, Chu Ming and Qu Lanxi returned home. They looked happy.

"Ah, you're back! I hunted a creature for us all, and prepared a stew. You should come and give it a taste." Han Sen handed out two bowls of the stew.

"You hunted? Where, might I ask?" Qu Lanxi asked with much surprise, as she looked at the stew given to her.

"I slew it on the banks of the Jade-Scale River—" Han Sen was going to say something further, but he was interrupted.

"What is this? A toad?!" Chu Ming looked at the toad's meat, still bubbling in the hot stew. He put the bowl down and brought forward an entire sack of meat. Then, he said, "Why are we eating toad? We have brought the flesh of ordinary creatures home with us: Blood-Goat meat. We got it all for quite the cheap price. Toss this crummy toad out the window and let's prepare this, instead."

They had been there for many years, but the duo never dared slay ordinary creatures, and they only continued to buy such meat. They didn't consider Han Sen had managed to kill an ordinary creature, and that was what had been prepared for them. Chu Ming would not have turned up his nose at the toad given to him, had he known its origin.

"My stew—" Han Sen wished to explain that this was an ordinary-class creature, and because it was the complete body, it'd contain far more geno points than the bought cuts of meat.

But after saying two words, Chu Ming picked up the pot of stew and pushed it into Han Sen's hands and said, "It's fine; we'll have yours tomorrow. We don't often get to dine on nice food. So, let's enjoy this tonight, instead!"

Qu Lanxi then said, "It is fate that brought us together. Not often do we get to enjoy a luxurious dinner. Now, I have wine with me, a bottle that I brought from the Second God's Sanctuary. I am going to open it tonight, as a warm welcome dinner for you."

"I will cook it, then." Han Sen was touched by their words, so he shelved the stew he had prepared by distributing it in separate bowls and putting them away. Then, he started to cook the lamb instead.

When the meat was done, Qu Lanxi opened her bottle of wine. The three of them dined merrily on the sizzling mutton, and they made sure to enjoy every last morsel of the meal, as it was quite tender and succulent, and they did not have much of it. They did not care that the amount they had made it impossible for them to increase their geno points.

"Brother San Mu, this meat tastes good, doesn't it? Ordinary meat is different, don't you think?" Chu Ming was getting a little tipsy, but he was in fine spirits.

"It is, I know." Han Sen nodded in agreement. He was exuberantly happy now, too. He was beaming with delight for his fortune of encountering two friendly and welcoming humans on his arrival at the Third God's Sanctuary. And what's more, the meat there really did taste great.

"San Mu, you have almost completely healed. Are you going to go find a job? When we deliver the goods to the spirit, you'll be screwed. If our Ink-Sword Tree hadn't been destroyed, we might have been able to help you. But alas, we now cannot!" Chu Ming said.

Qu Lanxi chimed in to say, "Yes, once you are at full health, the place where they pit beasts against each other is where you should go. You will find much welcome there. This tree won't grow fruit for another decade, so don't place too much faith in it just yet."

"I'll go there and take a look tomorrow, and see if I can find a job," Han Sen said.

After Han Sen beat the toad, he wasn't willing to underestimate the power of a single ordinary creature in this new realm. The Thorn Forest may have indeed been too much for him to handle, so he wasn't yet willing to venture there. He'd need a lot more preparation before he even started to think of doing that.

Han Sen did want to learn more about the Qing Ming Shelter and Thorn Shelter, however. He also wished to return to the Alliance and talk with his mother and Ji Yanran, who he was starting to dearly miss.

Han Sen asked Qu Lanxi about the colosseum she had suggested, and about Qing Ming Shelter. He was going to go there the next day.

Although there hadn't been much meat, it was enough to fill their tummies and warm their hearts. The same could be said for the wine, as well.

The next day, Han Sen woke up to a different sort of rooster. He looked out into the yard and saw Chu Ming and Qu Lanxi being approached by a knight that was riding a tiger. The man had green eyes, meaning it was a spirit.

Aside from that man, there were a dozen creatures there. They all stared at the duo.

The spirit looked at the tree and said, "Continue to look after it, as you have. If you grow it successfully, you will receive benefits from it. If the tree dies, forgiveness will not come easy."

"Yes, Mister Qing Ming!" They both looked terrible and they lowered their heads, not willing to object to anything that was told to them.

"Ah, so that is Qing Ming Knight?" Han Sen watched the spirit leave, patiently.

It was only a knight-class spirit, so it wouldn't take that much for Han Sen to become stronger than it. Han Sen was able to control when and how the tree was supposed to grow, so he was not going to allow a spirit to assume control over it.

"Crap! Qing Ming Knight found out about the tree. All those buckets of water; it was all for nothing! And if the tree dies, then we are sure to die with it!" Chu Ming looked miserable.

Qu Lanxi merely sighed. She knew she couldn't have hidden the existence of the tree from Qing Ming Knight forever, but she hadn't realized he'd find out about it so soon.

"The tree won't grow for another ten years, at least, so don't get too depressed yet. I'll go heat up the toad for you both, so come and eat. I'm sure you'll feel better after a hearty breakfast." After comforting them both and heating up the stew, Han Sen brought them their bowls.

"I'm not in the mood to eat. I'm going back to the garden." Chu Ming waved his hand and walked outside.

"Lanxi, how about you try some?" Han Sen asked, as he passed her the bowl.

"You have only just arrived here and yet, you haven't gotten a start on earning geno points. I have maxed out my basic geno points, so you should eat this. It'll improve your working performance, no doubt!" she said, and then pushed the bowl away.