After everything needed for the night was prepared, Nan Muran and the others gathered around the portable table and chairs to sit down.

Jia Wu started helping light the stove, while Si Ye prepared the ingredients to officially begin stir-frying the base for the hotpot. As for Nan Muran, she was responsible for eagerly sitting and waiting for the food.

Since they often traveled, the group had all tried cooking a few times. After all four had given it a go, they discovered that the best cook among them was actually Si Ye, who seemed the least likely to know how to cook.

Since Nan Muran had tasted his stir-fried ingredients for the hotpot, she could never again settle for simply boiling things in water. Whenever hotpot was on the menu, she would always eagerly wait for the stir-fried ingredients.

Of course, she would help out when needed, like now.

“Give me two one-liter bottles of mineral water.”

Nan Muran pulled out large bottles of spring water from her space and, feeling bored, took out a tablet to watch her favorite anime.

“This is pretty good,” Si Ye glanced over during a break and showed some interest.

“It’s great. It’s my favorite anime, ‘Perfect World.’ If you like it, we can watch it together next time,” Nan Muran said, pulling out some mixed nuts she had prepared to pass the time.

Si Ye sighed and took the nuts, only giving her a few: “It’s almost time to eat, don’t snack too much. It’ll ruin your digestion.”

Nan Muran pouted and reluctantly agreed.

Jia Wu, who had been watching their interactions, couldn’t help but smile. When these two were together, Muran always seemed more like a child, and Si Ye had gradually become accustomed to taking care of all her little needs.

Once the hotpot was ready, Nan Muran took out three small bowls and a stainless steel dog food bowl.

The wolf king, seeing the bowls prepared for him, showed excitement. Of course, this excitement was because of the unmarked dog food bowl—if it knew it was eating from a dog’s dish, it definitely wouldn’t be happy.

“Let the wolf king eat from the three-flavor hotpot,” Nan Muran instructed Si Ye and Jia Wu before helping herself to the food.

As for Jia Wu and Si Ye, their new task was to help the wolf king dip vegetables and pick food for it. Watching the wolf king devour the food at an astonishing speed, the two exchanged a look, both thinking how difficult it was to serve.

Eating hotpot in the middle of winter was a supreme pleasure, so even though serving the wolf king made Si Ye and Jia Wu twice as busy as usual, they were still very happy.

The happiest one was undoubtedly the wolf king, who was eating human food for the first time in its life.

Actually, it wasn’t the first time—it had once eaten tiger meat at the Daoist temple, which was an amazing experience, but nothing like today.

The first bite of beef was a revelation; it was the most delicious thing it had ever tasted. Not only meat and organs, but even rice, crispy meat, and vegetables—nothing was left uneaten.

The wolf king’s frenzied eating didn’t affect Nan Muran, who was used to it, as Tank was almost the same. However, Si Ye and Jia Wu had it harder.

When it came to food, Nan Muran had calculated enough to feed everyone, but with the wolf king around, she had to double her estimate. In the end, she even added a little extra to make sure they were all full.

After eating, all three humans and the wolf collapsed, unable to move at all.

“I ate too much,” Si Ye, who usually controlled his appetite, sighed in resignation.

Jia Wu nodded. “It’s definitely too much. I feel like it’s stuck in my throat.”

Nan Muran nodded.

Once they had recovered, the group quickly began cleaning up the leftover food.

Nan Muran took out everyone’s bedding from her space.

Once everything was spread out, they got ready to sleep in their tents.

Since they needed warmth, the three tents were all set up around a fire, and none of them bothered to close the tents. They each lay down, stretching their tired bodies after a long day of running around in the mountains.

“Muran, have you heard about the thing in the cave?” Jia Wu asked, remembering the precious green object that Nan Muran had put away, feeling curious.

Although Nan Muran had never told Jia Wu about her own experiences, he was used to her exceptional knowledge, familiarity, and sensitivity to the apocalypse.

Nan Muran thought carefully before shaking her head. “I’ve never heard of it before.”

Of course, it could be that in the previous apocalypse, her identity had been too insignificant for her to learn about such incredible secrets, secrets that could even change the power dynamics.

“After you took that thing, have you felt any discomfort?” Si Ye asked with concern. He couldn’t quite understand the connection between the mist and Nan Muran, so he couldn’t help but worry about her.

Nan Muran shook her head. “Actually, since I took it, not only have I felt no discomfort, but the mutated core inside me feels more complete.”

“Even I feel a strange desire when I get close to the wild wolf. The power of this thing is special,” Jia Wu sighed.

“Mm.”

The wolf king watched the three humans chat in their tents and then looked at the comfortable beds they were lying on. It glanced at the slightly damp ground of its cave, clearly unhappy.

Without thinking too much, it walked over to Nan Muran’s tent, staring at her with a stubborn, pitiful look in its eyes, clearly eager.

Nan Muran, who had been chatting with Si Ye and Jia Wu, turned back in confusion when she felt the wolf king’s gaze.

Little Liu: Muran, it wants to sleep in the tent with you.

“It’s the wolf king… You’ve lived in the mountains all your life, and now you want to sleep in a tent? Don’t tell me you want to sleep in a tent like a human,” she said, laughing. “Can a wolf’s den even have a tent?”

The wolf king didn’t answer. It just continued to look at her with its pitiful, stubborn eyes, silently waiting for her response.

After a long pause, Nan Muran sighed in resignation. She shifted over on the mattress to make room for the wolf king, tossing out a pack of alcohol wipes. “Clean your paws before coming in.”

The wolf king stared at the unfamiliar item, unsure of what to do.

Si Ye sighed, stood up, and showed the wolf king how to clean its paws. The wolf king cooperated and extended its paws, allowing him to wipe them clean.

Afterward, the wolf king walked straight into Nan Muran’s tent and lay down beside her, clearly enjoying the soft surface. It was much more comfortable than the branches in its wolf den.

Of course, it had to thank Nan Muran for the cozy spot she had made for it back at the Daoist temple. That was when it first realized how comfortable human bedding could be.

Nan Muran looked at the wolf king’s relaxed posture and was speechless. “You really know how to enjoy yourself… And you have no shame.”

The wolf king, once so proud, graceful, and majestic, now seemed like a completely different creature in her eyes.

Si Ye and Jia Wu exchanged worried glances, unsure about having the wolf king in the same tent as Nan Muran. If it had any ulterior motives, they would have a hard time stopping it in time.

Before they could decide, Nan Muran lightly touched her left wrist, and instantly, Little Liu and Little White jumped out, circling around the wolf king’s front legs.

The treant positioned itself at the entrance of the cave, its brown branches beginning to seal the opening, leaving just a small window to block out the cold air.

“Don’t worry. With Little Liu and the treant keeping watch, we’ll sleep peacefully tonight,” Nan Muran said as she pulled the covers over herself and snuggled into her warm bedding.