Ancient Doomsday Traveler

Chapter 8.1 The Power of Food

Yao Rongrong gritted her teeth for a moment, but after glaring at Lin Xiu for a while, she turned her anger into a smile and said, "Sir, you are indeed sir, you have considered this."

Lin Xiu said, "Anyway, I tried to stop you, but you insisted on going in."

"..."

Yao Rongrong paused for a moment, then gritted her teeth and said, "Sir, I'm truly speechless at your words. Why don't you simply leave Wolong Mountain and wait for me outside? I'll come down the mountain to meet you tomorrow if I'm free. Wouldn't that be better?"

Lin Xiu's eyes lit up, and he said, "Alright, it's a deal!" He then took out some dried biscuits and a water bag from Yao Rongrong's bundle on the donkey's back, placed them on the ground, and said, "I've left the food and drink here. Thank you for your hard work tonight, Miss."

After saying that, he called out to Brother Donkey without hesitation and turned to go down the mountain.

Yao Rongrong silently picked up the dried biscuits and water bag, saying speechlessly, "What a shameless storyteller! He didn't even put my luggage down, and only left me this little bit!"

After venting her grievances, she couldn't help but stomp her foot and muttered to herself with worry, "God help me, please don't let me become a living dead!"

Yao Rongrong, Yao Rongrong, when did you become so stupid?! After traveling all over the country for so long, can't you notice the details that even a storyteller can?!

"To end up like this, and to be laughed at by others, you deserve it!"

……

After walking along the narrow mountain path once more, Lin Xiu finally reached the foot of the mountain and decided to simply set up camp at the entrance of the Star Gazing Sect.

This first mountain gate is located at a higher elevation than the outside of the mountain, offering a better view. Moreover, the presence of several undead guarding the gate can scare away others.

—If someone else really comes up the mountain.

For this reason, he even went to the outside of the mountain gate and rearranged the living dead people who had been beheaded by Yao Rongrong, making them lie down or sit as if they were guarding the gate.

With the roads outside the mountain clear, if Yao Rongrong really did turn into a living dead and came down from the mountain, he could immediately escape.

Ok……

Therefore, the resting place should be chosen where you can see both the outside of the mountain and the hillside road. This way, if Yao Rongrong comes down the mountain tomorrow and something goes wrong, I can find out in advance and make a quick escape.

Of course, it would be even better if Yao Rongrong became a living dead and lost her mind, and then slipped and fell down the hillside.

Afterwards, Lin Xiu cooked some more rice. He ate some himself, and there was some left over for tomorrow morning.

As for the donkey, the original plan was to let it find some grass to eat, since there was so much grass here.

But given the current situation, it's best to forget about it. Lin Xiu handed the dried grass he had brought from Mengzhou City to Brother Donkey, saying, "Let's eat this, Brother Donkey. We don't know if there's anything wrong with the grass from the Star Gazing Sect. If there is, and you eat it and turn into a living dead donkey, then I won't be able to survive either."

"Pfft—"

The donkey snorted dismissively and continued munching on grass.

After the man and the donkey finished their dinners, they went to rest. Of course, fearing danger that night, they would take turns waking up and keeping watch.

The donkey on night duty is perfectly capable of handling the job without any problems. Although it can be a bit silly at times, it's quite reliable in certain situations, so Lin Xiu is completely at ease.

The night passed, and the next morning, Lin Xiu woke up early and started cooking.

He didn't care whether Yao Rongrong could come down from the mountain or not, and first fried the leftover cooked rice from yesterday.

He didn't have any eggs, but he still had a piece of smoked meat. With his plentiful stock of seasonings, he diced the smoked meat, mixed it with rice, and stir-fried it—enough to make a pot of fragrant smoked meat fried rice.

The aroma of this fried rice wafted out even before it was taken out of the pan, making one's mouth water and evoking memories of the past.

fried rice……

It's been so long since I've had this!

This smells so much better than yesterday's stir-fried smoked meat with rice!

Lin Xiu was extremely satisfied.

Seeing that the food was almost cooked, he took the pot off the fire and set it aside, but didn't rush to eat it.

He glanced up the hillside and just then saw Yao Rongrong coming down from there, looking aggressive, as if she were there to seek revenge.

Regardless, this morning Ms. Yao's eyes were clear and her expressions were rich and vivid, so it was clear that she hadn't turned into a living dead, which was good.

Lin Xiu breathed a sigh of relief and immediately took out a bowl to serve Yao Rongrong a bowl of smoked meat fried rice. As soon as Yao Rongrong came down from the hillside, he eagerly handed her the bowl and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Miss Yao!"

I had no choice but to make you stay up there all night, so I imagine you must be exhausted.

I've already prepared breakfast and am just waiting for you to come down the mountain.

The rice is still warm, try it! This smoked pork fried rice is a special dish I made just for you.

Yao Rongrong was stunned for a moment, then her gaze shifted downwards and landed on the bowl and chopsticks in Lin Xiu's hands. Suddenly, she couldn't look away, and the anger that had been building up all night vanished without a trace.

The aroma of the fried rice wafted into her nostrils, as if triggering an instinct. She reached out and took the bowl and chopsticks, starting to shovel the fried rice into her mouth.

As soon as he started digging, his eyes lit up.

The rice grains are distinct, coated with a savory and oily aroma, and mixed with smoked diced meat, making the texture richer. When you chew it, you can still feel the warmth from the freshly cooked rice.

With one bite, she felt that the taste was so unique, unlike anything she had ever experienced before, and different from yesterday.

It seems... even tastier than yesterday?

Yao Rongrong couldn't help but take several more bites, then, as if remembering something, she asked Lin Xiu softly, "Did you really research this specifically for me?"

Lin Xiu said, "Of course! I originally planned to call it Rongrong Fried Rice or Heroine Fried Rice, but after thinking about it, I felt it was a bit abrupt, so I just used the name Smoked Meat Fried Rice for now."

Yao Rongrong rolled her eyes, her charming demeanor overflowing: "Forget it! The name 'Smoked Meat Fried Rice' is just fine, simple and unpretentious. As long as you know what you mean by 'fried' in your own words, you'll understand what kind of rice this is."

"Sir, you should eat too, stop staring at me. Who stares at a frail woman like that while she's eating?"

It seems that Yao Rongrong's anger has been dispelled by him, and the rice he left last night was not wasted!

Lin Xiu agreed, served himself a bowl of rice, and began to eat heartily.

Sure enough, the long-awaited deliciousness was so fragrant!

OK!

After finishing breakfast and tidying up briefly, Lin Xiu asked Yao Rongrong, "Miss Yao, how was your experience at the Star Gazing Sect yesterday? Did you find anything?"

Yao Rongrong smiled slightly and said, "I was just about to say that, but you interrupted me with the smoked meat fried rice..."

Lin Xiu thought to himself, "Come on, judging from your aggressive demeanor earlier, you didn't come here to tell me about your achievements at all. You clearly came here to settle scores with me!"

However, he certainly wouldn't say that out loud. He just listened quietly to see what Yao Rongrong had to say.