Chief, don't hit me in the face

Chapter 31: The Undead Hero

“Peanut oil!” Xia Ye used a wooden spatula—carved from a survival knife—to scrape up the oil, preventing it from dripping away. Once it was heated until smoking, he cracked open a bird’s egg and poured the contents over it. Sizzle! As the egg liquid hit the scalding oil, a sizzling sound filled the air, accompanied by the aroma of protein cooking. “So you can actually squeeze this kind of liquid out of peanuts?” Lu Lingxi was amazed and watched intently. Once the egg had set, Xia Ye sprinkled on chopped scallions and stirred the mixture with his survival knife, breaking up the yolk. He then flipped the mixture, allowing the scallions to come into contact with the oil, which naturally released their fragrance. Combined with the aroma of the eggs, it created a wonderful scent. Song Guo took a deep breath, his mouth watering. A fried egg is the simplest of dishes; there’s no need to add white pepper for seasoning—the combination of the ingredients’ natural flavors alone is enough to whet anyone’s appetite. “How do you like it cooked?” Xia Ye asked out of habit. Lu Lingxi and Song Guo looked completely bewildered. “Oh, well, then, well-done!” Xia Ye whistled as he served the finished eggs into Song Guo’s wooden bowl. After making another serving for Lu Lingxi, he took out some ham and bacon, sliced a few pieces, and tossed them into the sizzling hot oil. “Don’t rush to eat it!” It was too late for Xia Ye to say that—Little Song Guo had already taken a big bite, devouring more than half of it in one go. “Mmm!” The little girl closed her eyes and savored the flavor carefully, pressing her lips tightly together as if afraid to let even a hint of the aroma escape. Sizzle! As the bacon sizzled on the grill, its own fat seeped out, and the aroma of meat mingled with the salt, filling the air. “You really aren’t short on salt, are you!” Looking at the white salt crust on the bacon, Lu Lingxi remarked with admiration. “Give it a try.” Xia Ye divided the bacon between the two of them: “Wrap it in a fried egg omelet and eat it!” “Thanks!” Lu Lingxi took a light bite. Unlike boiled eggs, the fried egg had a firmer texture, but the fat masked the faint, fishy odor inherent in bird eggs, leaving only the rich aroma of the egg. When she bit into the part sprinkled with chopped scallions, the saltiness emerged, instantly bringing out the aroma of the fried egg and taking the taste experience to a whole new level. Then, she bit into the smoked ham. Lu Lingxi had eaten it before—and even knew how to cook it herself—but she never imagined it would taste so delicious after being pan-fried in that peanut oil. “This is the most delicious food I’ve ever eaten!” Lu Lingxi exclaimed. “Hehe, pair it with a flatbread, spread some sweet bean sauce on it, and wrap up some lettuce—and you’ve got a hand-pulled flatbread.” Xia Ye used to eat them all the time. “Sweet bean sauce? What’s that?” Lu Lingxi’s eyes sparkled with a keen curiosity. “It’s a condiment made from flour.” Xia Ye laughed: “You mean, what is flour? That flatbread you’ve eaten is made from flour!” “Red bean paste pastries?” Lu Lingxi exclaimed, “That was delicious!” “Mmm!” Song Guo finished it in just a few bites and looked longingly at Xia Ye, waiting for the next one. “There’s still the pheasant and mushroom soup!” When it came to food, Xia Ye could cook a wide variety of home-style dishes—enough to completely outshine these tribal natives who only knew how to stew, simmer, and roast. That evening was a culinary delight—even Lu Lingxi, who claimed to be a vegetarian, polished off three slices of smoked bacon and a bowl of chicken soup, which left her feeling quite guilty for a while. The *Great Wasteland Scripture of Ten Thousand Spirits* was, after all, one of the three great ancient spiritual scrolls—yet it had been outshone by a plate of fried eggs and bacon. It wasn’t even worth appreciating; it didn’t even make it onto the list of topics for discussion. Early morning at the ruins, a thin mist hung in the air. Xia Ye opened his eyes. He had spent the entire night practicing meditation based on the foundational outline in the *Sutra of Ten Thousand Spirits*, and as a result, he felt even more energetic than if he’d slept through the night. “If I were to practice the main text of this scripture and stick with it, I’d probably reach the first level of the Divine Consciousness Realm in about half a month!” Xia Ye stepped out of the stone hut, practiced the “Riding the Dragon, Returning to the Character” technique, and went through the “Headless Seven Forms” three more times before washing his face and starting to make breakfast. “We’re leaving. Want to come with us?” Xia Ye asked. The Fengjing Ruins were vast, so they would camp wherever they happened to be exploring; returning to this stone hut was out of the question, as it would be a waste of time. “No, thanks. I still need to collect a few things.” Lu Lingxi declined. “Oh!” Xia Ye felt a little disappointed. He wanted to recruit Lu Lingxi, but since he didn’t even have a tribe yet, how could he bring it up? “That food was pretty good. Once you’ve passed the Blood Survival Trial and established a tribe, would you welcome me as a guest?” Lu Lingxi covered her mouth and smiled. “Of course! I even said I’d give you something special!” Xia Ye quickly agreed. “You’re so shy—how are you going to recruit heroes?” Lu Lingxi teased. After spending a few short days together, they parted ways. “Miss Lu is so knowledgeable!” Song Guo glanced back. Her mother had told her to revere knowledge and pursue learning—only then could a person continue to grow stronger! “Miss Lu?” Xia Ye was taken aback. “Yes, Lu Niang—she has a deer-antler totem on her forehead!” Song Guo explained. “Hehe, she’s dressed all in green—I actually think ‘Green Girl’ would be a better name for her.” Xia Ye chuckled; it was an amusing suggestion. But Lu Lingxi was indeed a beautiful and highly learned woman. In an era when the people of this tribe were still struggling just to survive and fill their bellies, Lu Niang traveled alone to revive the knowledge that had been lost to the passage of time. That was also why Lu Lingxi had appeared at the Fengjing Ruins. With Song Guo by his side, Xia Ye’s solo jungle runs were no longer lonely. “I hear something!” Wrapped in a little black bear pelt, Song Guo leaped onto a crumbling wall. She listened intently, pinpointed the direction, and darted off: “This way!” Xia Ye hurried after her. A towering stone pagoda, dozens of meters high, stood silently in the morning mist. Its weathered, mottled exterior made it resemble a battle-scarred hero. This was the Tower of Glory, a structure that chronicled all the glory of a tribe. When a tribe’s army defeated another tribe and captured its battle flag, it was displayed here; when they toppled a rival tribe’s structures and seized their core artifacts, those were placed here as well; and after slaying a chieftain, a high shaman, or even a hero, their heads—preserved through secret rituals—were also displayed here… A battle flag embroidered with the clan’s totem is the clan’s spirit, banner, and faith! It must be carried on every campaign. Initially, the battle flag is placed on the Ancestral Altar, but once the Tower of Glory is completed, it is moved there for display. Trophies such as battle flags and severed heads carry the fortune of a tribe. Through the arcane arrays on the Tower of Glory, this fortune is transferred to the tribe’s own battle flag. Therefore, every tribesman firmly believes that the more trophies they possess, the more enduring their tribe’s prosperity will be. Of course, aside from that, the constant conquest of enemy generals and capture of their banners—with the Tower of Glory now filled with battle flags from various tribal legions—serves as a test and boost to the confidence and morale of their own warriors. At that moment, at the base of the tower, Xia Qingyuan’s five-person squad was locked in a fierce battle with a hero whose entire body was shrouded in white, icy mist. “An Undead Hero?” Song Guo let out a low gasp. A “Undead Hero” refers to a hero or warrior who died in battle for the clan; after their body was brought back, the Grand Shaman, through complex and arcane rituals, binds their corpse to the Tower of Glory. After a period of ritual offerings and the incubation of their will, an Undead Hero is born. As long as the Tower of Glory stands, the Undead Heroes will never die; they will forever protect the tribe with unwavering loyalty and fearless courage! “Cool!” This was Xia Ye’s first time seeing a Undead Hero as well. After being reborn as undead, the heroes’ appearances and physiques remained unchanged from when they were alive, but their skin grew slightly paler, and a white, icy aura emanated from their bodies—some parts were even frozen solid. Furthermore, their bodies bore extensive tribal totem tattoos. Whoosh! The Undead Hero exhaled a blast of frost and swung his battleaxe wildly. “What do we do?” Xia Yang’s face was covered in sweat. Every time his stone knife struck the undead hero, it would chip away a few notches—it pained him to watch. With the Tower of Glory in such a state of ruin, the Undead Hero—deprived of sacrifices and vital energy—was on the verge of collapse. Though this one might not seem very powerful now, it was once undoubtedly the number one hero of the Fengjing Tribe, possessing unyielding will and formidable strength; otherwise, it wouldn’t have survived this long. “We can’t just run away, can we?” Xia Xiong grumbled. “We really are unlucky!” Xia Qiufeng gave a wry smile. Undead heroes in such a battered state spent most of their time in slumber; only after absorbing enough vital energy could they set out on patrol. “I won’t rest until I go up and check it out!” Xia Li hesitated: “But there’s a good chance someone already ransacked the place for valuables this morning while the undead hero was asleep. Even if we kill it and go up there, it might still be a wasted trip!” Xia Qingyuan hesitated. “Let’s just cut our losses and back off!” Xia Ye muttered to himself. The Great Wasteland Sutra of Ten Thousand Spirits represented the pinnacle of spirit summoning, possessing several miraculous abilities. One of them was the power to forcibly forge a contract, turning a living being into a spirit beast. Of course, such an involuntary contract comes with significant drawbacks: the higher a being’s intelligence and the stronger its will, the lower the success rate of forming the contract. Moreover, even if successful, there’s a more than fifty percent chance the spirit beast will rebel and devour its master. It would be quite an awkward situation to summon a spirit beast to aid in battle during a crisis, only to be killed by it instead—but Xia Ye still wanted to give it a try. “Undead heroes are undead creatures; they don’t seem to possess much sentience, so it should work, right?” Xia Ye pursed his lips. His only regret was that Undead Heroes couldn’t be used as sacrifices, so killing one would be pointless—he wouldn’t even get any loot. “Check the surroundings—get ready for a full-scale assault!” Xia Qingyuan made his decision—but only on the condition that no one was watching. “If any of those Cao clan bastards dare show up, I’ll blow their dog heads off!” Xia Xiong snorted coldly, his eyes wide as he scanned the surroundings. Xia Ye tried to crouch down, but the stone wall in front of him was severely weathered; with just a light touch, a large chunk crumbled off with a clatter. “Who’s there?” Xia Xiong roared and immediately darted over. “It’s me!” Xia Ye stood up—there was no point in hiding anymore. “You’re not dead yet?” Looking at the young man with the eye patch and crescent-moon markings, Xia Xiong was taken aback. Xia Qingyuan and his group also retreated for the time being; as long as they stayed fifty meters away from the Tower of Glory, that undead hero would give up the chase. “What were you trying to do, hiding there like a sneak?” Xia Yangshi pointed his stone knife at Xia Ye’s nose and immediately started yelling; he was still resentful that Xia Qingyuan had tried to win Xia Ye over: “Get lost!” “This isn’t your house—what business is it of yours?” Xia Ye took a hard line. “Huh? You dare talk back? Do you think I won’t smash every tooth in your mouth?” Xia Xiong spat out a thick glob of phlegm, his expression menacing.