Chief, don't hit me in the face

Chapter 25: That Rainy Day, When They First Met!

“Sure!” Lu Lingxi fished a bamboo tube out of her backpack—the one she used to collect mountain spring water. She poured in the dark red, steaming sugar water, creating ripples that spread out in concentric circles. “Drink it while it’s hot—it’ll warm you up!” Xia Ye sat back down by the campfire, and Song Guo immediately came over, holding the piece of meat—which she’d blown on to cool—right up to his lips. “You eat it!” Xia Ye turned his head away. “Ah-uh, no way!” The little girl insisted—the first bite had to be for her big brother. Watching the two of them being so polite, Lu Lingxi also sensed a warm atmosphere, and her guard dropped significantly. She’d glanced inside the backpack when she’d picked up the bamboo tube earlier. There were signs that the contents of her backpack had been rummaged through, but nothing was missing. This was only natural—anyone who rescued a stranger in the forest would naturally try to find out the person’s identity. What if they were a vagrant or a runaway slave? In this era, vagrants had no human rights; if captured by a tribe and forced into slavery, they had nowhere to appeal. Escaped slaves fared even worse; tribal members could execute them on the spot and then present their severed heads to their clan to claim a bounty. This was the most effective means of preventing slaves from escaping. She cupped the bamboo tube in both hands, raised it to her lips, and took a small sip. A wave of sweetness immediately flooded her taste buds, and a fragrant aroma lingered in her mouth. Lu Lingxi’s eyes lit up; she instinctively held her breath, savored the flavor for a moment, and then slowly exhaled. “What kind of water is this?” Lu Lingxi looked at the bamboo tube in amazement—this sweetness was unlike that of honey! “Brown sugar water!” Song Guo explained, crouching in front of the earthenware jar and eating with such gusto that her little mouth never stopped moving, covered in grease. “Brown sugar?” Lu Lingxi’s beautiful dark eyebrows furrowed slightly. Despite her vast knowledge and experience, she had never heard of such a thing—or rather, the term itself didn’t even exist. “Big Brother made it himself!” Xiao Song Guo boasted, beaming with pride. “It’s just a sweet treat similar to honey!” Xia Ye wasn’t the stingy type; he scooped up a small handful and placed it in Lu Lingxi’s hand. “You’re being too modest!” Lu Lingxi’s expression turned serious as she carefully examined the red sugar granules: “If I may ask, how do you write the character for ‘sugar’?” “You don’t need to use honorifics!” Xia Ye picked up a twig and wrote the character for “sugar” on the ground; these days, very few people could read or write. “Is this… ‘sugar’?” Lu Lingxi watched closely. “What’s wrong?” Xia Ye noticed a hint of surprise on Lu Lingxi’s face. Could she have seen it before? “I’ve seen this character before—on a wall at some ancient ruins!” Lu Lingxi didn’t hide it. “Where?” Xia Ye was startled. If a tribe had actually managed to make brown sugar, might they also be capable of producing other things he couldn’t make himself? “It’s far away!” Lu Lingxi dipped her finger in a bit of brown sugar and tasted it: “So this is sugar—it’s so sweet! It has a different flavor compared to honey. If it can be mass-produced, young man, you’ll be bringing a whole new flavor to this world!” By the end of her words, the look in Lu Lingxi’s eyes as she gazed at Xia Ye was brimming with admiration and a touch of envy. Xia Ye gave a modest smile, took a sip of water, and thought to himself, If I could make chocolate, I’d probably become every woman’s dream guy! Oh, and forget about alcohol—being just a buddy to guys is no fun. Who knows, one day I might end up with my ass in tatters! “Let’s eat together!” Xia Ye invited. After all that fuss—and performing the “Returning Dragon” character technique twice in the rain—he was hungry too. He pulled out a few flatbreads and placed them by the fire. “No, thanks!” Lu Lingxi politely declined: “I’m a vegetarian!” “A vegetarian?” Xia Ye teased. “Braised pork—made with brown sugar!” Song Guo recommended. “Okay!” Lu Lingxi hesitated for a moment but nodded in the end. As a woman with a keen curiosity about the world, she decided to give it a try so she could document her experience. The earthenware pot had been found in the ruins; it was slightly chipped, but that did nothing to detract from the beauty of the braised pork. Coated in thick, rich sauce, it bubbled gently, the meat quivering slightly. Taking out a pair of bamboo chopsticks, Lu Lingxi picked up a small piece. Before she even brought it to her nose, the aroma of the meat had already filled the air; she then took a gentle bite. A stream of piping-hot juice seeped out, filling the air with a sweet aroma. Lu Lingxi chewed almost instinctively—and then tasted a delicacy she had never experienced in her entire life. “Delicious, isn’t it?” Xiao Song Guo beamed with joy. Lu Lingxi blushed. Just a moment ago she’d said she only ate vegetarian food, yet now she was chewing furiously—how embarrassing! But the flavor was simply irresistible; it felt as if her tongue were about to be swallowed whole. “Have a pancake!” Xia Ye really couldn’t get used to the local food, so he usually collected all kinds of spices. Cinnamon and star anise weren’t hard to find, and since he didn’t need much of them, he’d stockpiled plenty long ago and stored them in the Peach Blossom Spring. “What’s this?” Lu Lingxi was certain she’d never seen this kind of food before. “Red bean paste pastry!” Xiao Song Guo opened her mouth wide, taking a big bite straight into the filling, then chewed with her cheeks puffing in and out—her favorite way to eat them. “Red bean paste?” Great—another word she’d never heard before. Lu Lingxi pondered as she took small bites, until she finally tasted the red bean paste. She stopped abruptly and looked down. In that moment, the entire world seemed to be coated in a layer of red bean paste. “If you don’t like it, eat the one next to it—it doesn’t have any filling!” Xia Ye chuckled softly. Whether she was eating, speaking, or simply moving about, this woman exuded an air of elegance and an intellectual beauty. Lu Lingxi shot Xia Ye a sidelong glance and muttered to herself, “No, I’m going to eat another red bean paste pastry just to spite you!” After the meal, Song Guo lay on a blanket to let her food settle, nibbling at the candied hawthorn on and off. Perhaps because she’d been overwhelmed by so many culinary delights today, or maybe her taste buds had long since gone numb, Lu Lingxi couldn’t bring herself to offer any opinion on the candied hawthorn. The best compliment was simply to eat one more. “How embarrassing!” Lu Lingxi felt terribly embarrassed, as if she’d lost all the dignity she’d accumulated in a lifetime in a single day. She stole a glance at the boy with the single ponytail. Thankfully, he didn’t mock her. Although he wore an eye patch, his smile was radiant, and the facial patterns on his face were exquisite—likely drawn with violet flower juice, which perfectly complemented his demeanor. The rain was getting heavier and heavier! “If I may ask, who injured you?” Xia Ye wiped down his curved sword and got straight to the point. Lu Lingxi frowned slightly. “Don’t get me wrong—I’m not trying to pry into your private affairs. It’s just that the rain is so heavy we can’t leave for now, so I want to know who injured you. That way, if we run into them unexpectedly, we’ll be prepared!!” Xia Ye explained. “Did you come here to search for the hidden treasure?” Lu Lingxi asked in return; he was a sharp-witted young man. “We’re just out for a bit of adventuring!” The Fengjing Ruins have been around for many years, but even if you combed every inch of the ground with a rake, you might not find all the treasures. “I happened to pass by here, saw those spirit beasts, took a look around, and then discovered that secret treasure.” Lu Lingxi made no attempt to hide the truth: “I finally managed to clear a path and get close to it, but at the very last moment, I fell just short of my goal.” “Huh?” Song Guo’s eyes widened: “What is it?” “A scroll—it must have something to do with spirit summoning!” Lu Lingxi looked at Xia Ye, her tone sincere: “As a thank-you for saving me, I’ll tell you where the secret treasure is—but I hope you won’t go looking for it!” “Let’s go!” Why shouldn’t I go? The little girl jumped up, grabbed her stone hammer, and was about to set off. “Sit down!” Xia Ye snapped. It was precisely at times like this that he needed to keep his cool, and he could tell this intelligent beauty wasn’t joking. A beautiful woman who dared to travel alone through a primeval forest teeming with savage beasts and giant monsters—with few old wounds and her clothes still neat—clearly possessed formidable strength. Yet, upon encountering this secret treasure, she had nearly lost her life. “Waaah!” The little girl, like a puppy, knelt on the ground, head bowed, pouting, her face full of hurt. “Could you say that again?” Xia Ye asked. Lu Lingxi showed no impatience; on the contrary, she felt a sense of relief. This young man was truly cautious, asking about every detail in great depth—some of which she herself had overlooked. “If his rank hadn’t been so low, he probably could have gotten that scroll!” Lu Lingxi mused. “Thank you!” After hearing this, Xia Ye spread his tent on the ground and lay down on his side to sleep. “Huh?” Song Guo scratched her head, looking completely baffled. What on earth did that mean? “Hm?” Lu Lingxi was equally taken aback, then covered her mouth and chuckled softly. What an interesting young man—even seasoned tribal warriors, upon learning the whereabouts of a powerful artifact, would be unable to resist setting out immediately to claim it. What if someone beat them to it? But this delicate-featured boy with a single ponytail? He was actually fast asleep! “You’re pretty level-headed, aren’t you?” Lu Lingxi teased. “Lie down and go to sleep!” Xia Ye warned, “If you dare to run off on your own, don’t ever expect to eat any more delicious snacks again.” “Huh?” At the mention of something tasty, Song Guo, like a wagging-tailed Chihuahua, immediately ran over, lay down next to Xia Ye, and pulled the blanket over them. Rain pelted the green leaves, crackling and popping; the world seemed to fall silent in an instant, leaving only a damp, clammy atmosphere. After examining the wound, Lu Lingxi took out a piece of animal hide, dipped a brush made of animal hair into dye, and began to make a record on it. Xia Ye woke up, stretched, and frowned slightly as he looked out at the downpour, which showed no sign of letting up. “If you’re serious about competing for the secret treasure, this downpour actually serves as cover for you!” Lu Lingxi reminded him. She understood the significance of the young man’s nap: besides aiding digestion, it was also to rest up and let his mind cool down, so he wouldn’t lose his judgment due to excitement over the “secret treasure.” “What about you? Are you still going?” Xia Ye pulled out a palm-sized bronze box. “No, thanks!” Lu Lingxi shook her head. “Ah-woo, I’m going!” Song Guo hadn’t been asleep at all. “You stay here and guard the house—don’t let anyone steal our stuff. I’ll go scout ahead and check out the situation!” Xia Ye opened the box, took an energy bar, and stuffed it into the little girl’s mouth. “Mmm?” Song Guo’s eyes lit up instantly. Chewing rapidly like a hamster, she discovered yet another new world.