Chapter 2 The First to Eat Crab

The high priest was awakened by the aroma of food.

When I opened my eyes, I saw Xi'er bathed in moonlight, chewing food with her cheeks puffed out.

The high priest couldn't help but give her a thumbs up in his heart: as expected of the Soul Master he had chosen, she was able to remain calm and composed at such a young age.

If it were any other child, upon waking up to find themselves in such a desolate and uninhabited place, they would either faint from fright or cry themselves to death.

Yet she can still eat while smiling; the future leader is indeed extraordinary!

The moment Xi'er met Zi Ling's eyes, she knew that he meant her no harm whatsoever.

In the current situation, he and she were alone in the wilderness, and he still felt only deep concern for her.

Zi Ling was still the loving grandfather who cared for her, and she was still the little master he respected and loved.

Now she was completely relieved.

Xi'er was eating spicy beef jerky, and while eating, she was also sucking on a bottle of juice through a bamboo straw.

The aroma of spicy beef jerky is the most pungent and also the most tempting.

From birth, the Demon Clan inherits the characteristics of plants, only absorbing various nutrients and never eating any food.

Not even one of the demons would attempt to taste food with their teeth and tongue.

When they devour demonic beasts and cultivators, they first drain their essence, leaving behind only the dried-up corpses with no nutritional value.

Although they have sharp, shark-like teeth, they only use them to kill their prey.

So even though human food smelled delicious, the high priest and his people never thought of tasting it.

Xi'er had finally managed to break free from his restraints, and seeing his body, which resembled a tattered seaweed, she naturally didn't think of asking him to eat.

But now he has woken up, transformed back into human form, and is staring intently at her.

Of course, she felt embarrassed to eat alone.

"Grandpa Ling, would you like to try my spicy jerky? It's very chewy and fragrant." Xi'er smiled and handed over a handful of jerky.

Zi Ling's first reaction was to refuse, but when he saw the little girl's kind expression and bright smile, he couldn't bring himself to say no.

After all, he would stay with her until the day he died.

He wanted to learn as much as possible about her lifestyle so that he could better understand her feelings.

A qualified contract slave should share his master's joy and sorrow.

Thus, the high priest became the first among the demon people to eat crabs, pioneering the practice of chewing and swallowing food.

Don't underestimate the act of eating; for animals, it's an instinct, something perfectly ordinary.

However, for the Fairy Clan, it was a courageous attempt.

This is like making a reptile try to walk upright; it's a major change that completely shatters its worldview.

The high priest put the first piece of beef jerky into his mouth, too embarrassed to bite it off in one big bite, but instead, like Xi'er, he chewed it little by little.

The beef jerky emitted a strange flavor in his mouth, a flavor completely different from what he smelled.

Because of this magical and wonderful taste, saliva is unconsciously secreted in the mouth.

The sensation on my tongue was unlike anything I had ever experienced before; it was a feeling called happiness.

The high priest had never actually experienced the word "happiness"; he had only heard it from human mouths.

Those humans who say "How happy I am" will show a particularly touching expression, making him reluctant to drain them dry immediately.

But at this moment, the wonderful taste on his tongue made him feel that there was no more suitable word to describe it than "happiness".

He wanted to prolong this feeling of happiness, so he was reluctant to swallow the chewed jerky.

However, after chewing for a long time, the flavors of the various seasonings in the beef jerky gradually disappear, and the meat flavor of the jerky itself also becomes weak.

He could only swallow it with reluctance.

Watching him eat, Xi'er couldn't help but ask, "Grandpa Ling, are your teeth rotten? Can't you eat such hard jerky?"

Oh, and I also have some cakes my mom made. They're so soft, even toothless seniors can chew them.

Xi'er took out a soft, fluffy cake that smelled sweet, cut it in half, and handed him half of it.

Zi Ling took half a cake and took just one bite. The sweet and soft taste made him feel happy again.

He couldn't help but shed tears.

He habitually caught the tears that had turned into green beads and handed them to Xi'er to put away.

Xi'er thought he was upset because of his current situation, so she comforted him, "Grandpa Ling, don't worry, I have plenty of food here, we won't starve."

In their home, the contracted beasts are all family and partners, and whenever there is something delicious, everyone always eats together.

Therefore, Xi'er also regarded her contracted servant Zi Ling as an equal partner.

She would call him Grandpa Zero and share food with him; even when food was scarce, she would not eat alone.

In her view, this was perfectly normal; she did it naturally, without any deliberate effort.

But Zi Ling was so moved by her actions that she cried.

So this is what human food tastes like!

But Xi'er, as his master, was willing to share such precious food with him, which shows how important he is to her.

"I'm not worried, and Xi'er shouldn't worry either. With me here, I will definitely protect Xi'er!" Zi Ling said solemnly.

He wanted to call himself "Old Servant" and address her as "Little Master," but Xi'er didn't like it. She insisted on calling him "Grandpa Ling" and asking him to call her "Xi'er."

Although Zi Ling addressed him according to her preferences, in her heart she always insisted that he was her servant and she was his little master.

The high priest used his divine sense to scan the surroundings and then spotted the tribespeople in the distant puddle.

Those were low-level yellow demons suffering from thirst; their bodies were dry and lacked water, and their root systems were underdeveloped.

If you had to describe their condition in one word, it would be "barely surviving."

The high priest was somewhat disappointed. He wasn't worried about them causing trouble, but rather about not being able to get the information he wanted from them.

However, compared to complete desolation, the presence of some surviving tribespeople is some consolation.

However, he was afraid that the true forms of his people would make Xi'er feel alienated, so he decided to wait until dawn the next day to meet with his people.

The tribe, suffering from extreme malnutrition, can only take on human form during the day when there is ample sunlight.

At night, they can only lie in small puddles in their true forms.