The wooden cabin looked even more grand and sturdy, yet also warm. This was what Ye Tiancheng had most hoped for. After days of fleeing, Ye Tiancheng had realized a truth: no matter how vast one's fortune, it was not as useful as a warm little home. With a warm home, one finally had a place to belong.
“Fatty, brother thanks you, but brother can’t do anything right now. I need to rest. Don’t worry about me, just let me sleep. I feel like my body has been hollowed out, I have no strength at all.”
After speaking, Ye Tiancheng returned to the house to sleep. His body’s exhaustion was no joke; he needed proper rest to recover.
Lin Xue had also expended too much spiritual energy. At this time, recuperation was paramount, so she slept for nearly two days and two nights. When Ye Tiancheng finally woke up, Fatty had already lost hope of when Ye Tiancheng would awaken, having waited for such a long time.
“Fatty, didn’t you promise me? You said you’d cook for me when I woke up. I’m awake now, but I don’t see any food.”
Fatty had something to say about Ye Tiancheng’s accusation. “Brother Ye, you’re really shameless to say that to me. The key is, you’re not a normal human. Normal humans, when they sleep, it’s at most a day and a night, which is the limit of human endurance. But Brother Ye, you really don’t follow the usual path. Look at how long you slept; I thought you wouldn’t wake up.”
Fatty’s words were somewhat inauspicious, but Ye Tiancheng didn’t dwell on it. The most important thing now was to eat something quickly.
“So it’s my fault, Fatty? What good food do you have? At least give me some motivation. I’m so hungry, I feel like I’m going to starve to death.”
Ye Tiancheng spoke in a very low voice. It wasn’t intentional pretense of weakness, but because he was so hungry, his words were weak and listless. Although he had just woken up, he was clearly forcing himself. If he didn’t eat, he would faint again before long.
“Brother Ye, I’ve prepared all the raw ingredients for you. They’ve been in the ice cellar of the small cabin, just waiting for you to wake up so I could cook for you. You know me, your brother, I’m always reliable. You don’t need to doubt that at all.”
Ye Tiancheng urged Fatty to stop rambling and hurry up and cook. Just as Fatty finished preparing eight dishes and one soup, Lin Xue also happened to wake up. Then, everyone gathered to eat.
After all, Fatty had worked hard. Ye Tiancheng would normally have praised him; it was the least he could do to show respect for a chef.
But now, Fatty didn’t think Ye Tiancheng had the capacity to speak. He was in a state of frantic consumption. Fatty knew Ye Tiancheng loved braised pork. While he used to eat with a bit of elegance, he now had no such pretensions. He just ate non-stop. Fatty had made a basin of braised pork this time, piled high to the brim. Yet, Ye Tiancheng finished it in less than half an hour. What was particularly impressive was how fast and how deliciously he ate, as if he were completely immersed in the food, unable to extricate himself or even speak.
“Brother Ye, as your brother, I have a question for you. Please don’t be angry, but how long has it been since you last ate?”
“When you see me, do you think you’re looking at the hungriest beggar? I’m not exaggerating when I say it’s been about a week since I was trapped here. During this week, I haven’t eaten a normal meal, so naturally, I find your cooking delicious. And your cooking is inherently delicious.”
“Alright, Brother Ye, I’ve seen the limit of your appetite. You’ve truly shocked me.”
“Aren’t there all sorts of food live streams now? If I remember correctly, they’re called ‘Big Stomach Kings.’ If my company ever goes under, I reckon I could be a Big Stomach King, a food streamer.”
Ye Tiancheng had accidentally seen them while browsing his phone. It was a recent trend. Ye Tiancheng found it very appetizing to watch others eat and actually wanted to eat himself. Now, it seemed like a good way to make money.
“Brother Ye, I’ve discovered that you truly have many skills. You’re really something else.”
“Alright, stop praising me. Pour me another bowl of soup. I really haven’t had enough. The lamb soup you made is incredibly delicious. It has no gamey smell at all, and it’s particularly fragrant and mellow. I haven’t had such delicious soup in a long time.”
Ye Tiancheng drank with great satisfaction. He had already consumed three large bowls, and his stomach felt like it was about to burst. No matter how hungry he was, he had to let his stomach digest before eating more. He couldn’t let himself continue eating like this, or his stomach wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure.
However, he really wanted another bowl. Ye Tiancheng told himself this would be the last bowl. It was okay to be a little greedy today, as he might not have such a good opportunity again.
“Alright, Brother Ye. Since you want to drink, drink a little more today. It’s just filling your stomach anyway, and it’ll digest quickly. A few trips to the restroom and it’ll be gone. No need to worry so much.”
“Little Fatty, I’m trusting you. If I embarrass myself and get stuffed to the point of going to the hospital, you’ll have to be responsible for helping me, right? How about you help me regain my dignity?”
“Got it, Brother Ye. I’ll definitely keep this secret for you. No one will know you were stuffed into the hospital.”
Ye Tiancheng was halfway through his bowl of lamb soup when Fatty had already finished eating. He tidied up a bit and was now idle again. He could chat with Ye Tiancheng. So, he didn’t hesitate and directly asked Ye Tiancheng what had happened during his absence. As they chatted, the topic turned to the refined gentleman with glasses and his eccentric hunter brothers. Ye Tiancheng’s overall impression of these people was strange. Then, the topic suddenly shifted to the possibility that they had eaten human flesh.
“Brother Ye, is it really that bizarre? These people might have eaten human flesh, and it was the corpses you found earlier. I imagine they would have been dried out. That kind of meat probably wouldn’t taste good, and it wouldn’t have much flavor. It was likely just to stave off hunger. Eating dead people is already quite something; they didn’t say they ate living people. I think that’s quite acceptable.”
Little Fatty had finally finished eating, speaking with a smile, completely unfazed by the corpses, treating it as a joke. But Ye Tiancheng was drinking lamb soup. Lamb soup already had a slightly greasy taste, and with Fatty’s comment, Ye Tiancheng almost spat it out. He felt extremely disgusted. The lamb soup had tasted fine earlier, but now, as he drank it again, it had a very unpleasant gamey smell.
“Alright, Fatty, enough. Stop talking. You’re really making me sick. I haven’t felt this disgusted in a long time.”
Ye Tiancheng felt an urge to vomit but managed to suppress it. However, he absolutely could not drink the remaining half bowl of lamb soup.
“I’m sorry, Brother Ye. I really didn’t expect you to be so disgusted. I thought you had seen all sorts of things and wouldn’t take such a minor matter seriously.”
Ye Tiancheng gagged a few times but didn’t vomit anything. Fatty now realized the seriousness of the situation and stopped being flippant. He quickly changed the subject to something else.
However, this incident had left a shadow in Ye Tiancheng’s mind. He probably wouldn’t want to eat lamb for a while. Because the lamb had a slight gamey smell, even the ingredients hadn’t removed it. This gamey smell naturally made Ye Tiancheng think of human flesh.
After filling his stomach, Ye Tiancheng lay there. He soon forgot about the human flesh incident, lying down and patting his belly. He felt that being full was the most satisfying moment in life. As long as he had enough to eat every day, this was the happiest life.
After eating and drinking his fill, Lin Xue came over to discuss with Ye Tiancheng. “Master, it’s been snowing here continuously. We really can’t stay any longer. Should we set off now, or wait a few more days for Master to recuperate?”
“Xue’er, I feel something is wrong. Logically speaking, after I consumed the snow lotus, there should have been some effect, such as my body being filled with righteousness or spiritual energy. But strangely, I feel nothing. I only feel that I am still an ordinary person, with no progress whatsoever. This is the greatest tragedy for me, a disaster of annihilation.”
Ye Tiancheng, having eaten and drunk his fill, began to lament. Perhaps only after being full could one begin to contemplate life. Otherwise, in normal times, one would only think about maintaining sustenance and wouldn’t dare to think of anything more.
“Master, if you say that, it’s possible the snow lotus hasn’t taken effect in your body. Perhaps it needs a medicinal ingredient from the Jiang family. That ingredient is called ‘Huang Jiang.’ I heard that ingredient can help the lotus and the human body to fuse.”
“What is this Jiang family?”
When it came to this, Ye Tiancheng was utterly confused. He had never heard of this so-called Jiang family. Ye Tiancheng was also unfamiliar with the northern region; he had never even visited for tourism. It was a completely unfamiliar place. He only thought of it as a land of ice and snow. All his previous impressions of the north were of coldness, nothing but coldness.
“The Jiang family is a local family with a long history. They used to engage in illicit trades, probably grave robbing. They prospered here for a time. Later, crackdowns became severe, and no one did such wicked deeds anymore. Now they live in seclusion, and it’s impossible to find them. However, I do have some exclusive information. It’s not that difficult to find people from the Jiang family.”
Since Lin Xue had this idea and also had information, Ye Tiancheng could completely entrust this task to his disciple. Ye Tiancheng felt a bit embarrassed. As a master, he should be guiding his disciple, but now, not only had he not guided his disciple, but he had also made his disciple do so much for him. No matter how thick-skinned Ye Tiancheng was, he felt ashamed. He had no ability himself, so he could only help his disciple in the future. Otherwise, if he didn’t do anything for his disciple, he felt like a completely useless master.
“Then shall we go find the Jiang family together, or will you go ahead? My body is weak now. Xue’er, even if I were to go with you, I’m afraid I would only drag you down. You’ve seen it yourself; my current strength is that of an ordinary mortal. I can’t help you, and it’s very likely I’ll have a negative impact on you.”