Chapter 15: Manor Level 15

The shadow suddenly stopped, and then the familiar, refined voice came again: “Greetings, Miss Ai, sorry to disturb you. It’s me, Yuan Muchen.”

Ai Ling squinted and took a closer look. Sure enough, it was that big gorilla. But this time, he had dressed up in human clothing and even wore a hat. It seemed he was holding something in his hand.

He stood in the shadows, and Ai Ling couldn’t make out the details of his outfit. She remembered that he might be from some ancient dynasty, and her interest piqued. She quickly threw the stone in her hand and waved at him.

“Come here, come here! We’ve made some roast meat. Come and try it.”

Fluffy Ball quickly reminded her, “Are you stupid? He’s a Xi Slayer. Be careful, he might be plotting against you.”

Over the years, the Xi Slayers, each wanting to claim credit, had been constantly killing each other. That’s why only five of them were sent on each mission.

If there were too many of them, they wouldn’t focus on killing the demon kings but would instead be absorbed in internal fighting. It was a never-ending problem.

Ai Ling waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry, don’t worry. People like him, I’ve seen plenty of them on TV. He’s definitely a weak scholar, not capable of hurting anyone.”

When this so-called scholar walked closer and easily tossed a nearly 100-pound pig-like animal right in front of her, Ai Ling could only smile awkwardly.

“Well… Muchen, you really are strong, truly strong!”

The Xi Slayer Number 1, the big gorilla Yuan Muchen, quickly cupped his hands in greeting.

“I dare not, I dare not. Last time I saw you looking so frail, I feared you weren’t eating well, so I planned to catch this fat pig and send it to you. I hope you’ll accept it.”

Ai Ling nodded repeatedly. “Accept, accept. This manor is just lacking some animals. I’ll build a pigpen tomorrow and raise it. Thank you!”

Yuan Muchen smiled a bit embarrassedly. “No need for thanks. As fellow unfortunate souls, we should help each other.”

Under the light of the fire, Ai Ling finally saw his outfit clearly. He was wearing a sky blue round-collared robe, with a black jade leather belt around his waist, black hard leather boots on his feet, and a black soft hat on his head.

From top to bottom, he was fully covered. If not for that gorilla face, one would almost mistake him for a tall, strong scholar-warrior at first glance.

Ai Ling clicked her tongue in admiration. “As expected, ancient clothes are so good-looking. May I ask, Muchen, are you from the Tang Dynasty?”

Seeing his attire, Ai Ling was sure he must be from the Tang Dynasty.

To her surprise, he shook his head. “Not at all, not at all. I come from the Meng Dynasty. It seems we’re not from the same era. Looking at your… attire, I fear you’re from an earlier time than I am?”

Ai Ling looked down at her tattered T-shirt and shorts and could only smile awkwardly. “Maybe… maybe!”

She was a bit disappointed that he wasn’t from her time. She didn’t even know what the Meng Dynasty was, but judging by his clothing and speech, it probably wasn’t too different from Earth’s Tang Dynasty. She decided to just consider him one of her own for now.

At this moment, Fluffy Ball impatiently grumbled, “Are you two done talking? Hurry up and stop! Ai Ling, look at your meat. It’s going to burn! Are you still going to eat? If not, I’ll eat it all!”

Ai Ling tapped it on the head with her chopsticks. “You still dare eat? You’re already stupid enough, and now you’ll get even more parasites in your brain.”

The meat, sliced into small pieces on the stone slab, had already turned a golden-brown color. When pressed, there was not a drop of blood, only rich juices slowly oozing out.

Ai Ling then took two shells and filled a bowl, handing it to Yuan Muchen. “I’m not sure what you eat where you’re from, but come and try our roasted meat from our time. See if it suits your taste.”

Yuan Muchen quickly took the bowl with both hands, thanking her repeatedly. “I dare not, I dare not. Thank you very much, Miss Ai.”

Talking about the steak, Ai Ling hadn’t even tasted it herself yet. She scooped the remaining pieces into a shell bowl and picked one up with her chopsticks.

She sniffed it—the aroma was enough, and the color was tempting.

It looked and smelled perfect. But what about the taste?

She first just stuck out her tongue and licked it. Hmm, it was a bit sour, and the saltiness wasn’t enough. It seemed those herbs weren’t quite right after all.

Summoning some courage, she popped the whole piece into her mouth… hey, it actually tasted pretty good!

Although it was a bit overcooked, the meat had the right balance of fat and lean, and still had some meat fibers. Even though it was a little tough, it was flavorful and chewy.

The seasoning stuck to the outside wasn’t ideal, but after chewing a bit more and mixing it with the rich flavor of the meat, it gave a unique taste.

Not bad! Ai Ling finished the meat in her bowl in two bites and smacked her lips, still savoring the taste. She was about to ask Yuan Muchen how it tasted when she looked up and saw a tearful gorilla standing in front of her.

Yuan Muchen wiped his tears and held up his bowl. “Sorry, Miss Ai, I’ve been rude again. But even if I’ve been rude, I have to ask… is there… is there more?”

Pfft~

Ai Ling couldn’t help but laugh. “Yes, yes, I’ll roast the rest for you all. But these few pieces are the best. The ones after might not taste as good, is that okay?”

Yuan Muchen nodded wildly. “Yes, yes, whatever’s fine, as long as it’s what you roasted. I thought the meat I roasted recently smelled great, but compared to yours, it’s really crude and unappetizing.”

Ai Ling looked at Fluffy Ball smugly. “What do you think? Seen the power of your host now?”

Fluffy Ball rolled its eyes. “Doesn’t help, your assassination skills…”

Ai Ling narrowed her eyes. “You don’t want to eat anymore?”

“No, no, no! Hehe, Ai Ling, you’re the best! You’re the most amazing host in history, the number one food expert in the universe!”

Ai Ling gave it a sideways glance, then efficiently cut the remaining meat and placed it on the stone to grill. She even asked Yuan Muchen to help and set up another fire pit, placing some bones in a shell with seasoning herbs to make a rich bone broth.

After setting up the fire, Yuan Muchen, eager to help, went out and brought back a large oval stone. He smoothed the top and placed it next to the fire pit to serve as a table.

Ai Ling praised the table. It was almost identical to the artificial antique stone tables in the garden.

Pleased with the compliment, Yuan Muchen eagerly made four stone stools, so they could sit properly at the table to eat meat and drink soup.

Under the bright moon, with the galaxy glittering, an ancient-dressed gorilla and a modern young girl sat at the same table, drinking soup in place of wine, enjoying themselves thoroughly.

Meanwhile, Fluffy Ball, too busy to speak, was earnestly eating meat, getting all greasy. Its white fur was turning yellow with the grease, and it didn’t want to stop.

【Why is no one talking?】

【Too busy swallowing saliva, no time!】

【I don’t want to watch anymore, this is wasting nutrients.】

【Same, I’ve already drunk 10 packs, and still hungry.】

【Seriously, is there any way to get her to buy us food?】

【No, right now only Blue Star people can go up. If you want to go, you’ll have to wait a hundred years.】

【Hmm… I think I’ve gotten the main point!】

This meal was quite satisfying. A whole small yellow cow must have weighed at least seven or eight jin, and they ate it all up, leaving not a single drop of soup behind.

Ai Ling had probably replenished all the nutrition she’d been missing this month, though her hands and face were greasy, which didn’t look very pleasant.

But when she glanced at Yuan Muchen across from her, she noticed he had loosened his belt several times, yet still couldn’t contain his round belly.

He had given up and simply loosened his belt to the maximum.

Before loosening it, he awkwardly apologized: “I really ate too much, I hope Miss Ai doesn’t mind.”

As for Fluffy Ball, it was already sprawled on the stone table, completely stuffed. “Ai Ling, I know what you’re up to. You’re using food as a weapon, trying to stuff us to death… well, I’ve given in to your plan today, but is there more?”

Ai Ling lightly flicked its now three-times-larger belly. “You wish, really want to die? Go gnaw on some stones.”

Yuan Muchen, still savoring the meal, said, “To be honest, if there’s any left, even if I burst, I still want to eat more.”

Ai Ling felt they were exaggerating: “Let’s be real, the meat is good, but the seasoning is bad. It’s not at the level of being particularly delicious, far from perfect or top-tier. You guys are really overhyping it.”

Yuan Muchen quickly replied, “What I said is all true, Miss Ai, please don’t misunderstand. To be honest, in my time, there were many great foods. As long as you had the money to go to the big restaurants in the capital, you could taste such delicious food. But I’ve been here for two or three years now, from eating raw meat to now roasting it myself. I really haven’t had anything good, so eating this perfectly flavored roast today just made me lose all dignity. I’m really embarrassed.”

Ai Ling laughed. “It’s okay, I’m the one with my mouth and face covered in grease. If you like it, you can come for the next roast.”

Yuan Muchen’s eyes lit up. “Really? You don’t mind if I come to join you for meals?”

Ai Ling smiled brightly. “I don’t mind at all. You even helped me set up the stove and made this whole set of table and stools, right?”

Yuan Muchen stood up excitedly. “Ai Ling, as long as you don’t mind, I’m willing to serve you like a dog. Anything you need, just say the word, and I’ll do it immediately…”

A howl~

A beast’s scream right next to them startled Ai Ling, and she almost jumped up. Yuan Muchen quickly held her down and signaled her with his eyes.

They both held their breath, not daring to move.

Ai Ling sneaked a glance around. Just that one glance almost made her faint.

Surrounding them, a large number of beasts had appeared—she didn’t even know when they showed up.

At the front was the white leopard Ai Ling had encountered in the west, followed by various strange and terrifying creatures, densely packed with no end in sight.

Of course, it was mainly dark, so she couldn’t see very far… sigh.

Even so, Ai Ling was so scared that her legs were going weak, and she could barely stand.

Yuan Muchen across from her was also trembling. Although he was a gorilla, and used to hunting small beasts like wild boars, rabbits, or wild cattle, he really couldn’t handle this huge group of hundreds or even thousands, with a few cheetahs leading the pack…

But… he was a man, and there was a young girl in front of him who needed his protection.

He then trembled as he said to Ai Ling, “Miss, stay behind me for a moment. We’ll charge out together. Don’t be afraid!”

【Ah, Number 1 is impressive. I thought he was a coward, but turns out he’s a real hero!】

【But he’s clearly terrified! Useless!】

【Isn’t the point wrong here? How is Number 5 supposed to break out with so many beasts around?】

【Break out? The two idiots should just get eaten, wouldn’t that be perfect!】

【Why are you everywhere? If you don’t like it, stop watching and go follow your Number 4! Get lost!】

【Mind your business, Number 5 fan dog. Your master’s about to die, ha ha!】

【Is there a moderator? Someone purify this madman.】