A heretical cultivator in Bureau 749, I'm the fiercest at pulling out tendons and skinning peop

Ji Zuodao smacked his lips, as if he was still savoring the memory.

Her face was flushed, and in the flickering firelight, that flush seemed to have an unusual heat about it.

"You don't know..."

He got excited, gesturing with the bamboo skewers in his hand, speaking with the air of a seasoned gourmet soliciting customers in a food street, his eyes practically gleaming:

"That thing looks ugly and fierce, covered in black fur, like a black fiend dug out of a charcoal pile... but its muscles are absolutely amazing!"

"Especially the two tenderloins near the neck on the back, those are the most tender parts, neither dry nor greasy, with clearly defined fibers. You have to use a sharp knife to carefully slice them off along the spine..."

He gestured with his finger, as if slicing invisible flesh in the air:

"Arrange them thinly on a plate, not too thick, otherwise the texture will be dull. Just dip them in boiling hot mushroom broth—tsk!"

Ji Zuodao's Adam's apple bobbed, as if the extremely delicious taste had already surged onto the tip of his tongue.

"Crispy and tender at first bite, with a touch of wildness, followed by a sweet aftertaste and a hint of fruit wine... I heard that these things love to steal wine from the village, and their meat has that intoxicating, wild flavor—absolutely amazing!"

The boys listened with wide eyes, unconsciously swallowing hard. The grilled mushrooms in their hands suddenly lost their appeal, as if the elusive "shabu-shabu mandrill tenderloin" was the ultimate delicacy.

The two girls didn't pay much attention to the specifics of how to eat it; their eyes were glued to Ji Zuodao's face.

At this moment, his eyebrows danced with excitement, and a small tiger tooth appeared and disappeared as he vividly narrated. His eyes and brows exuded a childlike joy and enthusiasm as he immersed himself in the ultimate memories.

That vibrant energy hidden beneath the surface of its seemingly wicked nature is more captivating than any legend.

"That's not even the most amazing thing."

Ji Zuodao lowered his voice, as if he were about to share some incredible secret recipe, and leaned forward slightly:

"The most amazing thing is eating mandrill brains."

"That thing is very intelligent, and its brains are nourishing. We can't kill it to get it; we have to capture it alive, knock it unconscious, while it's still alive."

As he spoke, he gestured with his hands, his movements as light and graceful as if he were demonstrating an ancient craft:

"Using a specially made thin-bladed knife, along the seam of the skull, with a gentle pry, 'click,' the skullcap opens. Inside, the brain, trembling, white and still steaming..."

"At this point, you have to be quick! Take a small spoon, scoop out some piping hot, fragrant Sichuan peppercorn oil or pheasant oil, aim carefully, and 'sizzle'—pour it over the peppercorns!"

Ji Zuodao flicked his wrist, making a dashing "pouring" motion, his eyes shining with an astonishing light.

"The brain, stimulated by the hot oil, instantly... solidified, with a layer of extremely tender and smooth paste appearing on the surface. While it was still hot, use a porcelain spoon to gently scoop it out..."

He loosely clenched his fist as if he were actually holding a spoon, rotated his wrist to make an elegant "scooping" gesture, then vaguely put it into his mouth, closed his eyes, and let out a long sigh.

"Ah—that taste..."

"It's so fresh, so smooth, so tender, with a hint of nutty oiliness and an indescribable, ethereal sweetness... I don't know what dragon meat tastes like, but this 'Live Oil Mandrill Brain' is absolutely unique in the human world!"

"Gulp."

A boy swallowed hard, his voice unusually clear in the quiet woods.

Another boy licked his dry lips, his eyes unfocused, and muttered, "Now that you mention it... I'm actually starting to want to try it..."

"screw you!"

The girl next to him blushed and pushed him away, but her own eyes were also watery.

I can't tell if I was bewitched by the "food sharing" or distracted by the radiant look on the person sharing the food.

Only that guide.

He didn't say a word the whole time, just kept his head down and silently turned over the extra skewers of mushrooms he had roasted by the fire.

The mushrooms were slightly overcooked, with the edges charred, but he seemed oblivious.

The firelight danced on his dark, weathered face, illuminating half of it and casting shadows on the other.

He no longer looked at Ji Zuodao, but stared at the few clusters of mushrooms, his gaze deep and unfathomable, like two ancient wells.

The wooden stick in his hand was unconsciously scratching something on the soil beside the fire.

one more time.

The cuts were very deep.

The college students listened with great interest, laughing as they listened, and occasionally cracking a joke.

"Dude, you're making it sound so real! It makes me want to go up the mountain and catch one myself!"

"Come on, you think you can catch mandrills? You can't even catch the stray cats downstairs in the dorm!"

"Exactly, if such a thing really existed, it would have been taken to the zoo and people would be charging admission fees by now. How could you possibly be enjoying it hot pot in the mountains?"

"Haha, it might be a 'Special Wild Game Restaurant from Ailao Mountain,' with their signature dish being 'Live Oil Mountain Goat Brain,' costing 1888 per person, and requiring reservations three months in advance!"

The atmosphere was relaxed and pleasant, and no one took Ji Zuodao's vivid description seriously.

Just assume he's a particularly talkative and imaginative "local trendsetter" who's using mountain legends to add some excitement to this simple camping barbecue.

After all, a mountain demon? Isn't that something that only exists in the Classic of Mountains and Seas or in the strange tales that older generations use to scare children?

What era are we living in? If such a creature really existed, it would have been on the cover of Nature magazine long ago, and scientists would have been encircling it for research.

Or they could be locked up in a national wildlife park and become a cash cow.

However, Ji Zuodao's description is so vivid and detailed that it's outrageous.

As the college students listened, they actually developed a craving for the grilled sausages and luncheon meat in their hands, which seemed increasingly bland.

"Sigh, now that you've said that, I don't even enjoy eating meat anymore."

A bespectacled boy clicked his tongue, turned to look at the tour guide who had been silently grilling mushrooms beside him, and greeted him familiarly:

"Uncle, are the mushrooms ready? Give me a skewer, I'd like to change things up. These you picked smell really fresh!"

Director Xiang raised his head, a simple smile appearing on his dark face. The wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened, making him look particularly honest in the firelight.

"It's done baking, it's done baking, now we just need to wait for it to reach the right temperature."

His voice had a strong local accent, which made him sound exceptionally reliable.

Holding several skewers of golden-brown, slightly charred mushrooms, he eagerly offered them over:

"Here, one skewer each, just right. These mushrooms are rare, and they taste delicious. They're a delicacy here too. You city folks should try them."

"Okay, thanks, uncle!" The bespectacled boy smiled and reached out to take it.

Just as his fingertips were about to touch the bamboo skewer—

A hand reached out from the side, swift as lightning, and without giving anyone a chance to refuse, snatched away at least seven or eight strings of mushrooms that were being handed over halfway!

"Hey! Bro, what are you doing?!"

The bespectacled boy's hand grasped at empty air, and he paused for a moment before looking at Ji Zuodao with some displeasure.

This guy not only freeloads, but he also steals from us?

They even grabbed a huge handful! That's incredibly rude!

Other college students also looked over, their faces showing surprise.

But Ji Zuodao acted as if he hadn't heard anything. He held the skewer of mushrooms in his hand, and without even looking at them, he naturally stuffed three or four skewers into his mouth, his cheeks puffing out instantly.

With a flick of his wrist, he precisely delivered the rest to Dog Master's mouth, who had somehow raised his head.

Dog's aloof demeanor vanished completely. With a snap of its lips and a flick of its tongue, it caught the object with pinpoint accuracy.

He barely chewed it, his throat bobbed, and with a gulp, he swallowed it all.

Then it lay down again, as if the hungry ghost it had just seen wasn't reincarnated.

"You...!" The bespectacled boy's face flushed slightly.

Ji Zuodao waved to him, slowly chewing on the several strings of mushrooms in his mouth, squinting his eyes as if he were savoring them.

The firelight illuminated half of his face as he chewed intently and absorbed in his food, even tilting his head back slightly to savor the sensation.

Then, under the surprised or dissatisfied gazes of the crowd, he swallowed hard.

He smacked his lips, stuck out his tongue, licked the corner of his mouth, and showed an expression that could be described as savoring the memory.

"Um……"

He let out a long sigh, as if he had just tasted some exquisite delicacy, and looked at the director with sparkling eyes, praising him sincerely:

"Uncle, you've picked some really good mushrooms."

"The taste is delicious, especially the poison in it..."

He paused, deliberately circling his tongue around his lips as if trying to savor the lingering taste, then grinned, revealing his signature little canine tooth, and added the earth-shattering second half of the sentence:

"It stings your tongue, which is quite a unique experience."

"..."

By the fire, time seemed to stand still.

Crackling sound.

Only the soft crackling of a single spark from a firewood popping.

The smiles, dissatisfaction, and surprise on the faces of the college students froze instantly, then shattered with a "crack".

They turned their heads sharply, their eyes all fixed on the guide across the fire.

These mushrooms... were all picked by this uncle himself.

He confidently claimed it was a "local specialty, delicious and rare find," and volunteered to be in charge of grilling it!

A chill, without warning, shot up from everyone's tailbone to the top of their head!