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

Somewhere on an island.

A large, naturally concave bluestone was transformed into a ready-made stone pot by Ji Zuodao and his companions. Dry firewood was placed underneath, and the pot was burning brightly with a "crackling" sound.

Inside the pot, the milky white soup bubbled and simmered, exuding a rich aroma and a humid atmosphere as if a humidifier had been turned on.

Thinly sliced, translucent, and slightly wriggling pieces of the Tai Sui meat curl up instantly in the boiling soup, turning snow-white and tender.

On the nearby stone, there were also a few side dishes that had just been plundered—

Several ancient Ganoderma lucidum plants, brimming with vitality, were roughly broken into small pieces.

A handful of blood bodhi seeds, each the size of a longan and as red as fire.

Several sections of jade-like bamboo shoots, exuding a delicate fragrance.

There were even two glistening, clearly extraordinary red fruits.

These are all rare and precious materials that would cause small sects to fight tooth and nail for, and even large powers would treat them as family heirlooms.

Among these bandits in Jinghai, the treatment was uniform: put them in the pot and cook them.

"Come on, hurry up, add the meat and vegetables! This 'Tai Sui' meat has to be eaten while it's tender, otherwise it'll get stuck in your teeth!"

Ji Zuodao, holding two long chopsticks made from tree branches, swiftly picked up a trembling piece of Tai Sui meat from the boiling soup.

Ignoring the heat, he stuffed it whole into his mouth, gasping for breath from the heat, but his eyes were squinted in satisfaction.

"Mmm! Fresh! Damn, so fresh! And with a bit of crunch! Great meat!"

Liu Ming followed suit, sweating profusely as he ate, slurping and mumbling:

"Aren't we being a bit wasteful by spending so much? If we take good care of this Tai Sui, we can have several more meals."

Ji Zuodao glanced at him sideways, tapped the edge of the stone pot with his chopsticks, making a crisp "clang, clang" sound, and said, "Liu Ming, Liu Ming, why can't you figure it out?"

"What you eat is truly yours! Everything else is superficial; nothing compares to a bite of hot meat."

He picked up a Crimson Blood Fruit, tossed it into his mouth, and snapped it open with a crunch. The sweet and sour juice, mixed with surging blood energy, exploded in his mouth, making him squint in delight.

"Besides, look at our current situation. Our cultivation is suppressed like a grandson, and those bloodthirsty bastards outside are searching the whole world for us! Instead of quickly converting our good stuff into real combat power, are we just saving it for future generations?"

"Who knows when we'll have to start fighting! If your spiritual energy is depleted and you get chased like a dog, don't blame me for not reminding you to eat more!"

"Exactly!"

Dog Grandpa was lying by the pot, in front of him was a bowl that had been crookedly carved from stone and was piled full of meat.

With a flick of its tongue, it devoured a large piece, chewing until its mouth was greasy, and mumbled indistinctly, "You're right, brat! What's in your stomach is what's truly yours! Woof! This mushroom is good too, have some more!"

Li Shuwen didn't say anything, but he ate quickly with his chopsticks, and his glasses were fogged up by the steam.

Qiqi was the most down-to-earth. She held a stone bowl bigger than her face in her little hands, her little mouth blowing air as she sipped the soup. Her little face was full of satisfaction, and her big eyes curved into crescents with happiness.

The group sat around the stone pot, enjoying their meal with great relish, their mouths greasy with oil.

The spirit food, once swallowed, transformed into a torrent of heat flowing through the body, so comfortable that one wanted to groan.

Just then, a muffled "boom" sounded faintly from afar. It was hard to hear clearly because of the heavy shadows of the trees, but the direction was obviously towards the beach.

The group paused simultaneously, their ears perked up.

Immediately afterwards, there was another faint "boom," and after a while, a third "boom" was heard.

Liu Ming listened intently, chuckled, picked up a slice of vermilion fruit, and popped it into his mouth, biting into it with a satisfying crunch.

"Tsk tsk, I wonder which gentlemen went up one by one to set off firecrackers and listen to the noise."

"It's probably that idiot Lü Jian."

Li Shuwen calmly took a sip of the soup served in half a fruit shell, and said with certainty, "It would be a disservice to his sober-minded attitude of 'everyone is drunk but I am sober' if we didn't fall for it."

"Hahaha! Old Li, that's a really mean thing to say!"

Ji Zuodao laughed so hard he almost fell over. He picked up his soup bowl, which was made from half a fruit shell, and took a big, satisfying gulp. He mumbled, "But I love listening to it! Come on, let's have a toast to the hard work of our brothers and sisters from afar!"

Let's have a drink!

The group laughed and raised their utensils, the fruit shells, leaf bowls, and stone bowls clinking together with a crisp sound, then tilted their heads back to drink the soup, their expressions one of pure bliss and contentment.

Using priceless rare ingredients for hot pot, and eating while listening to the distant explosions of enemies stepping on traps—this scene is truly unique.

As the group chatted and laughed, Ji Zuodao squinted, preparing to grab the largest piece of Tai Sui meat.

The chopsticks he was about to use to pick up the meat suddenly paused almost imperceptibly in mid-air.

Then, with an extremely natural flick of his wrist, the two twig chopsticks snapped into the air beside him like lightning!

"Smack."

A soft sound.

Ji Zuodao withdrew his hand, and on the tip of his chopsticks was a bright green insect that looked like a small dragonfly, but whose compound eyes shimmered with an eerie red light.

The insect struggled desperately between his chopsticks, making a faint, teeth-grinding "squeak" sound.

"Um?"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked over.

Dog sniffed, a look of disgust on its face: "What is this? It smells like rotten worms!"

Ji Zuodao ignored it, brought the chopsticks close to his eyes, squinted, and carefully examined the still-fluttering emerald green Gu worm.

I looked at it for two seconds.

He suddenly opened his mouth.

"Awoo—"

He threw the worm directly into his mouth and snapped his teeth together.

"Crack!"

The crisp sound of chewing rang out, particularly clear against the suddenly quiet rock face.

Ji Zuodao smacked his lips, savored the taste, and a "something's interesting" expression appeared on his face.

"Oh?"

He spat out a small piece of what appeared to be a crustacean, grinned, but there was little warmth in his smile.

"Using a tracking Gu in conjunction with the Mother-Child Sensing Technique? There's a capable one among those brothers outside! This Gu worm is a bit pungent, lacking a bit of spiciness. But the cooking is alright, it's just that the technique of manipulating the Gu is a bit rough."

He raised his head, his gaze seemingly able to penetrate the rock walls and dense forest, looking in a certain direction. He licked the corner of his mouth, his eyes gleaming with eager anticipation.

"Okay, they've come knocking on our door."

"Perfect timing, we've almost finished eating the meat, guys—"

"It's time to leave."

He patted his bottom and stood up.

"This foundation at the Meridian Opening Realm is still lacking. Two fists can't fight four hands, and even a strong tiger can't withstand a pack of wolves. At this critical juncture, to be the first to stick your neck out and get beaten up is not called being awesome, it's called being stupid."

He had barely finished speaking when he felt a heat in his nose and instinctively reached up to touch it.

A touch of bright red on the fingertip.

"Oh my god! I overdid it and even got a nosebleed."

Dog Master curled his lip and said in a sarcastic tone:

"Serves you right! You ate half the good stuff all by yourself! You're always eating what's in your bowl, eyeing what's in the pot, coveting what others are eating, even stealing meat from a dog's mouth! Are you even human?"

"I'm just helping you share the burden!"

Ji Zuodao, without batting an eye, casually rummaged through the pile of "spoils" beside him and pulled out a tuber with thick roots that looked quite like a ginseng root.

"It's okay, a couple of bites will cool you down."

He casually wiped the dirt off, took a bite with a "crunch," and chewed it with a satisfying crunch; it was quite juicy.

Li Shuwen, who was tidying up his things nearby, caught a glimpse of it out of the corner of his eye. His movements suddenly froze, he adjusted his glasses, and took a closer look. His face turned pale instantly.

"Wait! Boss!" Li Shuwen's voice changed as he pointed at what Ji Zuodao was holding, his fingers trembling slightly.

"You...you're using this thing to cool down?!"

"Hmm," Ji Zuodao took another bite, smacked his lips, "It tastes alright, a bit earthy, but the aftertaste is quite sweet. I've personally tested it and it works."

"I've used it to cool down since I was a kid. After eating it, I feel completely refreshed, all the heat disappears, and my nosebleed stops immediately. Don't believe me? Try it! Have a few bites?"

No no no no no!!!

Li Shuwen shook his head like a rattle-drum, taking three steps back.

"Boss, please enjoy! Take your time! Don't be shy!"

"What a disgrace!" Ji Zuodao curled his lip and casually tossed the things in his hand behind him.

I wiped my nose, and the bleeding stopped.

"Let's go, let's go."

He waved his hand, beckoning to the crowd.

"We can't stay here any longer. If the bugs can find us, the people will probably be here soon too. While they're still playing Minesweeper on the beach, let's go check out a few more spots."

"We'll play with them when we're close to reaching the threshold of the Spirit Sea Realm."

The group left, leaving behind only the steaming pot and scattered rare and precious ingredients on the ground.