Chapter 163 Ambush on Skeleton Soldiers, Level Up, Winter Break...
Such sounds are not common; they are more likely to be heard in cemeteries or places where the dead gather.
The damp, musty smell made Ryan very uncomfortable. Even the small pleasure brought by the delightful aroma of the honey-glazed roast chicken vanished.
He didn’t quite understand why Ray insisted on calling the roasted bird “honey-glazed roasted chicken,” but it did sound a bit better.
Ryan looked at the human who was sleeping restlessly and the little monster lying sprawled out.
It's not surprising that monster pups like to sleep during their developmental stage, but to be able to sleep soundly amidst such obvious danger shows a lack of vigilance, which is quite unacceptable.
Without waking the two who were asleep, Ryan ignored the wall and walked through it.
In the yard, Xiao Hei's ears stood up, its front legs gripping the wall as it peered through the gaps in the wire mesh, its hind legs trembling uncontrollably.
Ryan flew past the truck bed and the low wall and saw the scene outside.
On the open grass opposite the small building, the soil was turned upside down, and several skeletons covered in mud were struggling to crawl out. Their grayish-yellow bones were covered with tattered cloth, and the green soul flames in their eye sockets flickered.
A low-level minion of the undead?
Instead of staying underground with maggots, they appeared in this dilapidated little mountain village. Even a fool could tell that someone was manipulating things behind the scenes.
The skeleton was fast; half of its body was already sticking out, heading straight towards the small building. It wouldn't be long before it reached them.
They are just the lowest-level skeletons, lacking the ability to think, and simply execute their master's commands. They are often used as puppets for group combat.
Dealing with the skeleton soldiers is easy, but catching the person controlling them is a bit more troublesome. Lian's strength is too great; it could easily cause a commotion and attract the villagers, which is exactly what He wants to avoid.
"Woof, woof!"
Little Blackie shrugged and made a threatening noise.
Inside the room, Lai was already showing signs of waking up, while Tata turned over but did not wake up.
Lian flew back to the bedroom and quietly watched the man and the beast.
With a flash of light, Lei slowly opened his eyes, his gaze revealing an inorganic coldness. Unfamiliar lines had spread across half of his face, and his aura was completely different from usual.
If Tata were awake at this moment, she would definitely be able to tell that this is not the real Rae, but Ryan who is using Rae's body.
It was chilly outside, and "Ray," wearing only a single layer of clothing, used a small spell to insulate herself from the cold air.
"Humans are such a hassle."
Ryan muttered to himself unconsciously.
When Xiao Hei saw "Lai" come out, he wanted to get close to him, but he felt that the aura on Lai was not like his usual self.
"Woof?"
The call was tinged with doubt.
It watched as "Lay" walked out the gate and stood near the low wall. Five skeletons had already emerged from the mud, their bare leg bones trembling as they supported their torsos and moved towards Lay's direction.
"Woof woof woof! Woof woof!"
Little Black barked urgently, warning its owner of the danger ahead.
"Shhh."
Lai turned to look at Xiao Hei and gestured for silence. He stretched out his left arm and made a grabbing motion in the air towards the skull, with faint points of light flickering between his palms.
Soon, rustling sounds came from the other side of the meadow. The vines on the old tree grew rapidly, winding and crawling until they entangled the skeletons. They struggled desperately, their jaws snapping shut with a clattering sound.
They lost their ability to speak, and even begging for mercy became a luxury.
Ray's hand slowly tightened, and the vines wrapped the skull into five dumplings, their binding force increasing.
The events unfolding before his eyes were too bizarre. Xiao Hei's cognition was overloaded; his eyes widened and his mouth unconsciously opened slightly.
With a crisp sound of bones breaking, the vines stopped wrapping around and, carrying the small pieces of bone, burrowed back into the ground.
Only the turned-over soil remained on the grass, slightly damp.
Silence returned to the surroundings. "Lay's" clothes fluttered in the wind as she turned and went back into the small building.
Lian didn't bother cleaning up the holes left by the skeleton. He went back to the house, lay down on the bed again, and left Ray's body as if nothing had happened.
Perhaps because he had used too much energy to use magic last night, Lei woke up very late for the first time ever. He wasn't feeling particularly uncomfortable, but he did feel something was off. However, with his current abilities, he couldn't figure out what was wrong.
He didn't pay much attention, changed his clothes and washed up, then fed the livestock at home, and everything was as usual.
When Xiao Hei saw Lai Yi, he wagged his tail happily; he could smell that this was his master.
Lian wouldn't offer any explanation, and Xiao Hei, the only one who knew the whole story, also remained silent. The matter passed by in a daze, as if nothing had ever happened.
The only ones still paying attention to this matter are the mastermind behind it.
Ray's discomfort only lasted a day. He guessed it was a side effect of Ryan using his body to eat honey-glazed roast chicken. It wasn't a big problem, and he vaguely felt that his magic had been slowly improving since Ryan moved in.
The change is not obvious, but it has made considerable progress over time.
The temperature was getting colder day by day. Mu's butcher stall finally started selling beef again, and of course, it sold out very quickly.
Fortunately, there were very few people who specifically bought beef tallow, so Mu saved it all for Lai.
Thinking of Temuji and the dwarf merchant's anticipation for the hot pot broth, Lai began to prepare the broth after retrieving the items from Muna.
Fresh cilantro and scallions were nowhere to be found at this time of year. Lai had stored quite a few dried scallions in his pendant space, but for the sake of taste, he still urgently ripened a batch of large-leaf cilantro and small scallions as one of the ingredients.
Soon, the aroma wafted from Lai's house, enticing Ryan to circle around Lai and the pot again and again.
The hot pot broth was too strong, and Tata, with her sensitive nose, started sneezing as soon as she got close, so she had to stay far away.
This time, the ingredients have been improved. Lai added fermented soybeans and rice wine lees, making the flavor richer.
The stir-fried hot pot base solidified after being left for two more days.
Some of them were still kept in small jars, while the other part, which was placed on a rectangular plate, was cut into small pieces of the same size, wrapped in two layers of thick oil paper, and stored in the pendant space.
After some time, Neil finally got to rest again.
Freshly stir-fried hot pot broth, various vegetables, fresh meat slices, plus soaked glass noodles and wood ear mushrooms.
Lai and Neil ate their first hot pot of the year around the copper pot.
The sliced meat and vegetables simmered and bubbled in the soup, and the two of them ate with great enthusiasm.
The room was warm and cozy, while snowflakes were quietly falling outside.
Winter has arrived as scheduled this year.
Temuqi silently packed his bags, carefully placing the glass light switch and a few other small items in the safest place.
Having promised to inform Lai before setting off, Temuji decided to postpone his departure until the day after tomorrow, and then inform Lai of the departure tomorrow.
The snow wasn't heavy; it only fell for a short while last night and then stopped. There was only a thin layer on the ground, so it didn't require much effort to sweep; the wind blew it away easily.
Lei recalled that Timuch had said that after the first snowfall of winter, he would set off for the annual gathering.
Plans can't keep up with changes. He has a lot of things to do at home and can't leave now, so he will have to miss this trip with Temujin.
Lai felt bad and prepared a lot of food for Temuji to take on the road, planning to deliver it to him today. Unexpectedly, speaking of the devil, Temuji came to his house that morning to ask about his plans.
Lei explained that he couldn't go, and Temuqi wasn't angry. His eyes lit up when he heard that Lei had already prepared the hot pot broth.
"I made a lot this time, and I wrapped some in oil paper. This reduces the extra weight of the earthenware pot, making it easier to carry when traveling. However, it needs to be placed on the outside of the bag to keep it solidified, otherwise it will melt if the temperature is too high."
Lai showed the hot pot base blocks wrapped in oil paper to Temuqi and let him choose which one to bring.
He fiddled with the small cube in his hand, finding it quite novel.
"This will do. I'll figure out a way to save it."
"good."
Considering that Temuji had mentioned that his friend was very interested in hot pot broth, Lai gave Temuji fifteen pieces of gold.
One piece is enough for four or five people to have a hot pot meal, and he only needs half of it for one person at a time, so this is definitely enough.
After agreeing to see him off the next day, Temuji left. Neil boiled water in the iron kettle, preparing to wash his own clothes.
"Brother, do you need help washing?"
"No, you can wash your own."
"Okay, sure."
Dinner was hot pot again.
When Neil finally returned from his rare break, he made concessions for the first hot pot meal, but he insisted on tasting the fire before he could feel at ease, so Lai still prepared hot pot for dinner.
Fortunately, Neil really enjoyed this food and hadn't had enough, so everyone still ate a very good meal.
The next day, Lai and Neil saw Timuch off at the village entrance. That afternoon, Neil packed his things and was sent back to the academy by Lai.
Time passed day by day, and after several more snowfalls, deep winter arrived in the blink of an eye.
Lai drove his mule cart to town several times to sell bean sprouts and fresh vegetables, and he sold out almost every time. He earned some silver coins, and his wallet finally recovered a little.
The village was peaceful, and nothing major had happened. However, the snow in the forest was thick, and the wild Gulu beasts, which had little food, were prone to attacking people. The elder, Banet, sent people to warn all households not to go into the mountains.
Most of the time, besides going to town to sell vegetables, Lai stayed at home studying the knowledge in his magic notebook. When he didn't understand something, Ryan would give him a few pointers if he was in a good mood.
This little bit of guidance played a crucial role for Ray, who had no magical background whatsoever. Coupled with Ray's own diligent study and practice, his magic finally made a breakthrough and he advanced to a higher level.
As the vibrant energy of wood magic flowed through his limbs and bones, Lai felt an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.
After two more snowfalls, when it was too cold to even stick your hands out of the window, Neil finally got his winter break and could stay home for a while.
He has grown a lot taller this winter, and his childish face has begun to fade, making him look like an adult.
He has a calm personality, works hard in his studies, and is the kind of child everyone talks about, but he is still very attached to his older brother, Laiyi.
The child is at a crucial stage of growth, and the family's financial situation isn't too bad right now. Since Neil's winter break, Lai has been trying all sorts of delicious and nourishing meals for him.
Lian, Tata, and Xiao Hei ate a lot of good food. Lian didn't change much, but Tata and Xiao Hei became increasingly plump.
Winter days are leisurely and carefree, and half of them pass quickly. In the blink of an eye, it's the end of the year, and everyone is busy again.
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Author's note: (Runs away with the blame on my head)
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