The fragrance, however, was like a small hook, heading straight for Su Muyao's nose.

After all, no matter how good the vegetarian options in instant noodles are, they can't compare to real meat products.

The harsh words she had spoken earlier now hung over her head like a slap in the face.

Yan Ning slowly ladled out a bowl of snake soup, smelled it, and let out a satisfied sigh.

Then, speaking in Su Muyao's direction, his voice was neither too loud nor too soft, but rather slightly teasing:

"Wow, this soup is so delicious, the more you drink it, the better it tastes. It's a hundred times better than instant noodles."

Su Muyao's face flushed red and then turned pale as she watched everyone else eat heartily, while she herself was starving.

After all, she wasn't full from that little bit of instant noodles.

She silently endured it for more than ten minutes.

Until Qi Minghao shamelessly ladled out three bowls, looked at the nearly empty snake soup, and said:

"Oh, how come it's almost finished?"

Su Muyao could no longer hold back.

Under everyone's gaze, she suddenly stood up and quickly walked to the pot.

She picked up an empty bowl somewhat roughly, scooped out a bowl of snake soup, and took a big gulp.

In an instant, the delicious flavor exploded in her mouth, better than any soup she had ever imagined!

Her expression instantly became very complicated.

There was surprise at being conquered by the delicious food, but also an embarrassing feeling of being slapped in the face.

[Hahahaha!!! Here it comes! The main character has finally been slapped in the face, albeit late!]

[Su Muyao: It smells so good! My body tells me the truth!]

[Sister Ning: I'll just quietly watch you pretend, and then wait for you to walk right into my trap! This is such a satisfying slap in the face!]

[This is destined to be a classic "I was wrong" moment of the year! Doesn't Miss Su's face hurt?]

Sun Wuji smacked his lips, a smug look on his face, and tapped the empty bowl with a twig:

"How about it? Isn't the snake soup that Sister Ning cooks ten times better than the instant noodle soup you buy at the supermarket?"

Su Muyao had just swallowed the last mouthful of soup when she heard this and immediately stiffened her neck, stubbornly retorting:

"When people are extremely hungry, even tree bark tastes delicious. What does that prove? It only proves that I'm hungry."

Upon hearing this, Sun Wuji rolled his eyes so hard they almost disappeared into the back of his head.

"My goodness! Sister, your mouth is harder than the rocks under our feet! I'm truly impressed!"

"puff……"

Upon hearing what he said, Yan Ning couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Who are you calling the eldest sister?!"

Su Muyao's voice rose as if she had been stepped on by a cat:

What do you mean? Am I that old?

Seeing that she had gotten angry, Sun Wuji quickly waved his hand and explained with a grin:

"Hey, hey, 'big sister' is just a catchphrase I use, like when I say 'buddy,' it definitely doesn't mean you're old!"

"you!"

Seeing that Su Muyao's eyebrows were raised and she was about to continue arguing, Qi Minghao quickly stepped in to smooth things over.

He had one hand on Sun Wuji's shoulder and the other hand gently restraining Su Muyao, a peacemaker's smile plastered on his face:

"Alright, alright, you two calm down. As the saying goes, 'He who takes a man's money is bound to him, and he who eats another man's food is bound to him.'"

"We just finished every last drop of the snake soup Yan Ning made, and now you're putting down your bowl and starting a fight? Isn't that a bit unfair?"

He winked at Su Muyao, "Whether the soup is delicious or not, we know in our hearts, right?"

After hearing what he said, Su Muyao thought about it and realized it made sense.

She pursed her lips, swallowed the words that were about to come out, and only snorted through her nose, which was a temporary truce.

After filling their stomachs, the two groups sat around the fire and began to discuss their business for the afternoon, including where to go next.

“I see a small road to the north on the map. It looks quite close and should save some time.”

Sun Wuji picked up a small twig and gestured with it on the ground.

Yan Ning carefully examined the simple map drawn by Sun Wuji and frowned:

"It's close, but look at all the steep slope symbols painted here. I reckon the road might not be easy to walk on, and it will be even more troublesome when it rains."

Qi Minghao scratched his head and suggested:

"If you ask me, let's take the bigger road to the east. It's a bit longer, but it's definitely smoother, and safety comes first."

"Splash, splash—"

Just then, a noise came from behind them.

It was as if something heavy had broken a dry branch and was rushing towards them at high speed.

"What the hell?"

Sun Wuji jumped to his feet, nearly dropping the map from his hand into the fire.

Qi Minghao also looked over nervously, his expression instantly changing:

"Oh no! Something's coming! Get up!"

Before he could finish speaking, a dark shadow suddenly burst out of the bushes.

It was covered in black fur, with protruding fangs, and was panting heavily as it charged straight toward the campfire where they were sitting!

"Wild boar! It's a wild boar!"

Su Muyao screamed in fright and scrambled back on all fours.

This isn't the docile domestic pig you see in a zoo; this wild boar looks like it's not to be trifled with.

It was about the size of a half-grown calf, and it charged around wildly, smashing the unburnt pile of firewood and sending sparks flying everywhere.

Holy crap, where did this wild boar come from?! It's terrifying!

Did you make too much noise while cooking and attract the wild boar?

[Oh no! Oh no! This wild boar looks terrifying!]

"Scatter! Scatter, all of you!"

Xie Huaiye reacted the fastest. He grabbed a long branch from the ground that was being used to stoke the fire and waved it in the direction of the wild boar.

Sun Wuji panicked, but instead of running away, he caught a glimpse of the pot on the ground in his confusion.

There was also a little bit of leftover broth from cooking snake soup inside.

He didn't know where his quick thinking came from, but he grabbed the pot and smashed it against the side of the wild boar with a "bang"!

Unfortunately, the iron pot hit the wild boar's thick skin and didn't cause any damage.

But the sudden impact clearly enraged it.

The wild boar suddenly turned around, growling, and pointed its tusks at Sun Wuji.

"Damn it, I'm in trouble..." Sun Wuji muttered awkwardly to himself.

"Watch out! You've angered it!"

Seeing that something was wrong and that the wild boar was about to attack, Yan Ning immediately shouted a warning to Sun Wuji.

Feng Jun seized the opportunity when the wild boar charged at Sun Wuji, swung the thick tree branch, and swept it towards the boar's hind legs.

The wild boar, in pain, tripped and its charge faltered.

But it was tough and thick-skinned. It shook its head and became even more agitated, as if it had its sights set on Sun Wuji, and was about to charge again.

Sun Wuji is really going to get a beating this time!

[Wild boar: I don't care anymore, I'm going to run over this idiot!]

[Sun Wuji: Danger!!]

As Yan Ning watched those fangs about to touch Sun Wuji, her mind raced.

These talismans are probably useless against wild boars; it seems we'll have to resort to physical attacks.

In a moment of inspiration, she remembered that there was another bag in the side pocket of her backpack...

Super powerful chili powder!

That was for seasoning when she cooked outdoors.

She immediately frantically pulled it out and tore open the bag.

When Yan Ning was less than two meters away from the wild boar, he suddenly threw an entire bag of chili powder at the wild boar's face.