wolf

Rong Yan's sword shattered, meaning he had no magical artifact for self-defense.

Although magical artifacts are no different from kitchen knives to him, at least they can still function as kitchen knives in his hands.

After wandering for so many days, I've spent many nights in the desolate mountains. When my dry rations run out, I look for food in the mountains.

With the magical implements in his hands, he could even peel a potato or dig a taro.

My senior sister isn't good at cooking. I heard from my master that before she came up the mountain, she was a rich girl from a wealthy family. Her father was a fifth-rank official, and there were more than a dozen maids and servants serving her.

Born into a prestigious family, she was a pampered young lady who never lifted a finger.

It's not that he doesn't know how at all. Once, Lin Yueyao cooked a wild vegetable soup, but she didn't know what she added to it. After Rong Yan drank it, he vomited and had diarrhea, and his complexion was not good for three days.

From that point on, I never cooked again.

Rong Yan's cooking skills were initially rusty, but he gradually figured out the secrets of cooking along the way. He could tell from Lin Yueyao's expressionless face as she ate all his food that his skills had greatly improved.

After leaving the village, we finally managed to hunt a pheasant. We set up a stove, scalded off its feathers, and waited to gut it.

His hands were empty; he didn't even have a dagger.

"I don't have a knife." Rong Yan looked at her pleadingly. Lin Yueyao met his gaze, understood his meaning, and turned to look at Wen Qing, who was lying on the wooden stake beside her.

Wenqing lay down on the ground and pretended to be dead.

It doesn't want to get itself all dirty.

The next moment, Wenqing felt himself being held, his whole body flashing with light, and a crystal was embedded in the hilt of his sword. It would shine even brighter when it encountered demons or evil spirits.

Lin Yueyao held it, ignoring its resistance, walked to a huge rock, and drew her sword.

Amidst billowing dust and a flurry of flying sand and stones, Rong Yan opened his eyes, which were meant to keep the dust out of them, and saw Lin Yueyao carrying Wen Qing in one hand and handing him a replica stone knife in the other.

The stone knife is heavy and doesn't compare to the usefulness of a magic weapon.

Rong Yan gently squeezed it and exclaimed, "So amazing." Senior Sister can even carve.

"Cook." Lin Yueyao uttered the two words coldly, then sat down on a broken wooden stake, waiting for the meal to be served.

Rong Yan picked up the stone knife and immediately went to the riverbank to treat the internal organs.

The stone knife was razor-sharp. He carefully cut open his stomach, but accidentally injured his hand. Blood dripped into the water, attracting the little koi spirits from the river. He stopped the bleeding, took a bandage from his pouch and wrapped it around the wound, then threw the slippery, soft internal organs into the water.

The low-level koi demon only lives in water and has negligible demonic power. Even if Lin Yueyao saw it, she wouldn't care.

Its internal organs smelled foul, and it broke through the surface of the water and sank to the bottom, attracting a school of fish.

The pheasants were skewered and roasted over the fire. Fortunately, before giving him the spirit pouch, Lin Yueyao had already filled it with many utensils, including oil, salt, soy sauce, and vinegar, but a knife was missing.

He was also afraid of hurting his hand when taking it, otherwise he wouldn't have carried a sword with him at all times.

Firewood was added to the fire, and the flames shot up, crackling as the embers burned.

Steam rose from the roasting pheasant, its skin turning golden and crispy, glistening with a golden sheen. With a "sizzle" sound, similar to the boiling of a kettle, the outer layer of the pheasant burst open, and the oil inside the meat sizzled out.

Rong Yan flipped the roasted chicken, sprinkled some cumin on it, and the aroma of the seasoning wafted out. Lin Yueyao opened her eyes upon smelling the fragrance.

The way she looked at him said she was hungry.

He quickly took down the shelf, picked a handful of leaves from the woods, and wove them into a simple plate.

The fragrant roast chicken is ready. The tail and head have been removed beforehand, making it very convenient to share.

Lin Yueyao ate her portion of meat, which was tender and juicy, and scalding hot. She raised her eyebrows slightly, but her expression remained calm.

She caught the pheasant, and Rong Yan roasted the meat; the division of labor between the man and woman was clear.

As the two were enjoying their meal, a pair of green eyes gleamed in the shadows as they stealthily approached Rong Yan.

Rong Yan was gnawing on the chicken neck with great relish.

Lin Yueyao was the first to react. She squatted down and threw the clean bone she was holding, which hit her right between the eyebrows.

With a chicken bone still in his mouth, Rong Yan squatted on the ground, covering his head. Hearing the animal howls, he knew that he had been approached by a demon. He spat out the mouthful of chicken meat.

She took out a silk handkerchief to wipe her hands and lips, and returned the question to her palm. She drew her sword and fought against the evil spirit in the darkness.

"I was wrong, I was wrong, please have mercy, dear sister—"

It was a wolf demon that was only half a grown-up. It kowtowed repeatedly and instantly transformed into human form.

About the same age as Rong Yan, he stepped out of the darkness and into view. Apart from his wolf ears, striking fangs, and blue pupils, he looked exactly like a child.

The wolf demon knelt on the ground, desperately begging for mercy, "I didn't mean to scare you, I was just starving." After saying that, he stared at the half-eaten roast chicken by the fire and swallowed hard.

Rong Yan was unhappy; his senior sister had caught the chicken, and she certainly wouldn't share it with him.

Seeing that it meant no harm and was only after the roast chicken, Lin Yueyao asked Rong Yan, "Are you full?"

He hummed in agreement, intending to suggest saving it for breakfast the next day, but before he could finish speaking, Lin Yueyao handed the remaining half of the roast chicken to the wolf demon right in front of him.

Rong Yan's heart skipped a beat. He was unwilling, but he couldn't show it.

The wolf demon had a big appetite; it wolfed down half a chicken, its mouth covered in oil.

Lin Yueyao watched it eat quietly, and after it finished eating, she handed it her handkerchief to wipe its mouth.

Rong Yan was speechless; that was a treatment he had never received. His senior sister hated demons the most, and now she not only shared her food with it but also gave it a handkerchief.

That demon is truly despicable.

"Are you full?" Lin Yueyao asked.

The wolf demon awkwardly wiped its mouth; in its kind, it always wiped its mouth with its paws. It seemed a little unsatisfied, so it carefully folded the handkerchief and returned it to her.

The handkerchief was dirty, so she devised a cleansing incantation, and it instantly became as clean as new. She put it away carefully.

Now it was time to demand retribution, and she brought up the matter again, holding it to the wolf demon's neck.

"After we finish eating, it's time to hit the road."

Sure enough, Senior Sister hadn't changed, Rong Yan thought excitedly to himself.

"Pretty sister, spare me! I don't want to die! I'll do anything you ask!" it whimpered, looking at Rong Yan with pleading eyes. Rong Yan nodded, putting its mind at ease.

He said to Lin Yueyao, "Senior sister, I don't think it has any bad intentions, so let's not kill it."

The wolf demon nodded frantically, while Lin Yueyao remained unmoved, seemingly deep in thought.

He added, "It ate half a chicken, leaving us without breakfast, so let's chop it up and use it as our food."

What?! The wolf demon stared at him with wide eyes.

This was the first time Lin Yueyao had seen a look of fear on the demon's face. She nodded in approval, "Very good."

"Brothers and sisters, please don't kill me! My flesh is sour and astringent, my mouth is full of hair, and it tastes bitter. It doesn't taste good at all!!"

“Let’s start with this fur.” She looked the wolf demon up and down, and the wolf demon trembled with fear. Rong Yan continued, “After skinning and cleaning it, we can make a cloak for Master.”

"What a brilliant idea!" Lin Yueyao added. "And henchmen too."

“After being ground down and inlaid into a magic artifact, it can also be used to pick teeth,” Rong Yan echoed her words.

"good."

"As for this body of bones..." she pondered.

"Give it to me as a magic tool," Rong Yan said excitedly.

With just a few words, its fate was decided, leaving the wolf demon speechless with despair.

Did you ask its opinion? The wolf demon was about to unleash its power, but restrained by the magical weapon around its neck and Lin Yueyao's man-eating gaze, it obediently deflated.

The wolf demon began to sob and cry, snot streaming down its face. Wenqing, disgusted, left on its own and flew back into its sword sheath.

"I don't want to die..."

The siblings fell silent for a moment.

"What are you going to do about it now that you've eaten our chicken?" Rong Yan retorted. "You have hands and feet, why don't you find your own food?"

"I'm timid and afraid, and I dare not kill," it explained humbly. "I can't eat grass, so I can only sneak out to scare people and pick up something to eat."

With members of the immortal sects out these past few days, it dared not venture out to the nearby villages and towns to fetch food. Forced to hide in the mountains, it went hungry for several days, then was attracted by a fragrant aroma and decided to scare the two of them.

"If you let me go, I'll go and scavenge some grain from the neighborhood tomorrow."

"What's the difference between that and stealing?" Lin Yueyao said bluntly, "No need."

Rong Yan then added, "I still want to kill you."

"I really have no other choice..." It drooped its head, looking more like a dog than a wolf, its wolf ears turned into airplane ears. Suddenly, a thought flashed through its mind, "Brother and sister want magic artifacts, I know where to find them."

"Blackwater City, there are rare treasures there, maybe we can find them."

"Really?" Lin Yueyao asked coldly.

It nodded vigorously, “I wouldn’t dare lie, there really are many unusual things there.”

Lin Yueyao hesitated; she had indeed heard of this name before. Her master had told her that Blackwater City was a place without order, filled with fallen immortals, evil cultivators, wandering Taoists, and ancient demons.

The city lord is a mysterious figure whose true strength is unfathomable.

Her junior brother's magical artifacts were not the most important thing; it was his spiritual root. With her master's entrustment, she couldn't help but take it to heart.

So she asked, "How do I get to Blackwater City?"

"On a cloudy night, when the moon appears and casts a shadow, the city gates will be opened for entry."

"lead the way."

The wolf demon said again, "It's not possible now, the moon has already set, we can only wait until tomorrow."

The siblings exchanged glances and decided to save it for tomorrow night.

It was still a while before dawn, so the wolf demon transformed into its true form and let the two of them lie on top of it. Aside from being a little uncomfortable, it was quite nice to sleep on.

Looking at the dark sky, I added plenty of firewood before going to bed, and the fire burned very brightly.

Rong Yan, curious about the Blackwater City the two mentioned, asked softly, "Senior Sister?"

"Are you asleep...?"

Lin Yueyao didn't respond; she was preoccupied.

"Of course not," the wolf demon replied.

Rong Yan stroked its fur. "Why are you answering me?"

"Wouldn't that be so embarrassing for you?" the wolf demon said, full of human warmth.

"None of your business." He rolled over. The wolf demon seemed to see through him, knowing from his earlier silence, "Do you want to know about that place?"

"Actually, it's not that dangerous there. There are just a lot of strange things there, but don't be afraid," the wolf demon said to himself, comforting him.

Rong Yan grabbed its fur, venting his dissatisfaction, "Who asked you?"

"Hey, why are you pulling my hair?"

"Who told you to be so talkative?"

The bickering between the human and the demon woke Lin Yueyao up.

"If you keep making noise, I'll roast you both."

They immediately fell silent.

She wasn't asleep. She and Rong Yan were of one mind; Blackwater City was fraught with danger, a chaotic mix of humans and demons. She wondered if she really should bring Rong Yan along.