Chapter 23: The Tempting Mushroom Soup

“The stone pot and water jar are ready. I’m hungry!”

With that, Luo Sang sat on the ground, looking at Fei Li as if saying, ‘It’s up to you.’

“Grumble—” Fei Li’s stomach protested loudly.

He glanced at the delicious mushrooms and decided to eat first before getting angry.

He gathered a few stones and built a small stove, setting the stone pot on it.

After heating the pot over the fire, he placed a piece of fatty meat in it to fry until the aroma filled the air.

He added the cleaned and cut mushrooms to the pot and stirred them with a branch in the oil.

Once it was nearly done, he added a bit of water to start the cooking process.

He then took a wild boar leg off the wall and started a fire to roast the meat.

Meanwhile, Luo Sang watched him work, his mind replaying the words of the male from the forest.

Luo Sang had witnessed Fei Li’s special abilities.

Before attacking their tribe, he had received advance notice about a unique human in their tribe.

He was relieved that Fei Li was that person.

When he returned to his senses, Luo Sang’s nose was filled with the fragrant aroma of food, and he saw Fei Li presenting a piece of meat to him.

Taking the meat, Luo Sang ate heartily.

Fei Li poured a bowl of soup and handed it to Luo Sang.

“What is this?” Luo Sang asked, looking puzzled at the soup.

“This is the soup made from the mushrooms you brought back. It’s very delicious. Give it a try.”

Luo Sang sniffed it, hesitated for a moment, and took a sip.

The rich mushroom soup, when it went down, tasted even better than the meat.

Luo Sang set aside the meat, drank the soup clean, and handed the empty bowl back to Fei Li. “I want more.”

Fei Li quickly filled another bowl for Luo Sang.

Seeing Luo Sang enjoying the food so much, Fei Li moved closer and sat beside him. “Lord Luo Sang, can I use the tribe’s meat to trade for mushrooms with the forest male in the future?”

Luo Sang’s brows furrowed tightly at the mention of exchanging food. He had never heard of such a thing.

In the harsh environment of a primitive tribe where the strong have access to all resources and the weak are left to starve.

“You want mushrooms from the forest?”

Without hesitation, Fei Li nodded, who wouldn’t want to eat delicious things?

Luo Sang stood up and began to head outside, “I’ll go gather a huge batch for you. You can have as many as you want.”

“Wait a minute!”

Fei Li stopped Luo Sang. “You’re not going to rob them, are you?”

“Rob?” Luo Sang didn’t quite understand the term. “Is that another local term from your homeland?”

Fei Li, a modern person with higher education, found it slightly challenging to communicate with primitive orcs. He awkwardly nodded.

Luo Sang looked displeased. “Since you’re in our tribe, try to use less of your local terms. It’s hard to understand.”

“Yes, Lord Luo Sang.”

“However, I still plan to trade meat with that male for mushrooms. Is that okay?”

Luo Sang gave him a casual glance and sat back down. “Do as you please.”

At this moment, some orcs passed by outside. They peeked into the house and began to discuss.

“What’s that smell? It’s so fragrant!”

“It must be Fei Li cooking something delicious for Lord Luo Sang again. Have you noticed how much better Luo Sang treats this human?”

“Indeed. Even though Fei Li injured Wude’s eye, Lord Luo Sang didn’t pursue it.”

When everyone heard this, the crowd was astonished.

“Is this true?”

“Of course. I heard it from Wude’s partner, Bafu, who witnessed it himself. It can’t be false.”

The crowd began to envy Fei Li.

Fei Li, hearing the commotion, came out holding a bowl of fragrant mushroom soup.

Everyone stared at the stone bowl in his hand, their eyes almost fell onto the bowl.

A bolder human approached, “Fei Li, what are you holding?”

Fei Li brought the stone bowl closer for everyone to see.

“Is this something edible? You actually gave these to the esteemed Lord Luo Sang?”

The crowd looked at him with curiosity, as if he had done something very daring.

He offered the stone bowl, “You can try it if you want.”

Taking the stone bowl, everyone exchanged glances before the bolder human tried a sip first.

“It’s really delicious.”

“Give it to me, I want to try too.”

“I want some as well.”

“……”

In no time, everyone started to compete for the stone bowl, eager to taste the delicious soup.

After the bowl was emptied, the crowd gathered around Fei Li, asking him how to make it.

Fei Li generously shared the method, explaining how to make the stone bowl, stone pot, and soup.

The crowd was excited and eager to try it themselves.

Inside the house, Luo Sang, with his innate keen hearing, listened to Fei Li’s instructions and the discussions.

A smile curved at the corner of his mouth. Fei Li had taught the tribe how to make water jars, stone pots, and stone bowls, solving their water usage problems.

He also taught them how to roast meat and make soup, so that the tribe’s food was no longer just meat.

Fei Li had brought many benefits to the tribe. How could Luo Sang bear to let him go?

—

In the following days, Fei Li was very busy.

Many people from the tribe came to him for guidance on making water jars, stone pots, and stone bowls.

He patiently instructed everyone, and the tribe’s residents gradually improved their attitude towards him.

Fei Li quickly gained popularity in the tribe, whenever people spoke of him, they praised him.

One day, as the sky grew darker.

Fei Li hurriedly headed back home from the tribe’s northern border. In the primitive tribe, nights fell quickly and there were no lights, making it extremely difficult for an ordinary human like him to walk in the dark.

Orcs, on the other hand, could move easily in the dark with their keen eyesight.

As he walked hurriedly, the path ahead became increasingly blurred. He could barely see.

He slowed his pace and groped his way forward.

Suddenly, a sharp wind blew by, and he sensed someone ahead. He immediately stopped.

Hearing faint footsteps approaching, he instinctively stepped back and cautiously asked, “Who? Who’s in front of me?”

In the pitch-black night, the unknown ahead sent a chill down his spine.

There was no response, but the footsteps continued to approach.

He suddenly turned around and, relying on his memory, began to run.

As he took his first step, someone pulled him back from behind.

“Still trying to run?”

The voice sounded familiar.

He suddenly remembered Wude from earlier and a thin layer of sweat appeared on his palms.

“Are you Wude? What do you want? Let me go, I want to go home.”

“Do you still want to go home after encountering me today?” Wude laughed heartily.

Wude’s one eye was completely blind, being the only orc in the tribe injured by a human.

For orcs, being harmed by a human was a great humiliation.

Wude couldn’t swallow this resentment.

He lifted Fei Li with both hands, and his laughter ceased. “Damn human, I will make sure to kill you.”