"By the way, as someone who's been there, let me give you a word of advice: don't eat anything that anyone here gives you."
Yi Mu, who was putting fruit into his mouth: "..."
Dora flashed him a bright white grin, as if to say, "But you can trust me."
Yi Mu silently put down the fruit, thinking to himself, "Where do you get the confidence to think I'd be foolish enough to believe you?"
He looked up at the trees overhead that blocked out the sky and smiled at him: "It's getting late, the clan chief should call you home for dinner."
Dora: "...I don't want to go back for dinner."
Yi Mu stood up to see the guest off, just as Zong Ao returned carrying two plump squirrels.
Zong Ao was preparing to improve Yi Mu's diet, since squirrels are small and have little meat, and he didn't want to share it with another person.
"Lady Dora, what brings you here?" Zong Ao threw the squirrel with its neck broken on the ground and looked at Dora with a calm expression.
Dora touched her nose, realizing she wasn't very popular, and chuckled twice: "I came to chat with your little beauty out of boredom, now I'm going back."
He walked away unsteadily. Zong Ao glanced at the basket in Yi Mu's hand, picked up two fruits, and weighed them in his hand.
Yi Mu, noticing his expression, asked with concern, "This thing isn't poisonous, is it?"
He was careless and forgot Zong Ao's instructions not to associate with Dora.
The scene from that morning flashed through Zong Ao's mind, a murderous intent flickering in his eyes, but it vanished in an instant.
He shook his head. "Very good seasoning. I'll give you roasted squirrel to eat."
He borrowed a dagger from the gatekeeper, and like a skilled butcher dissecting an ox, he skinned the squirrel, removed its internal organs, cleaned it, strung it on a stick, and lit a fire.
Zong Ao had experienced firsthand the poverty of food in this tribe several years ago.
They have no salt, only strange and unusual spices.
Zong Ao ground some leaves into a sauce and spread it on the sizzling squirrel meat. Soon, the aroma wafted through the air.
Yi Mu couldn't help but swallow hard, his eyes filled with admiration as he looked at Zong Ao.
Zong Ao was secretly thrilled, but on the surface he remained calm and composed.
"When the troops are on missions outside, they don't want to eat compressed biscuits, so they use whatever they can find on the spot. Over time, they have developed this skill."
As they were talking, Zong Ao handed the roasted squirrel meat to Yi Mu.
Yi Mu hadn't had a proper meal since arriving here. After receiving the leg, he tore off a piece and put it in his mouth.
Just as the meat was about to reach his mouth, he remembered something, changed the direction of his hand, and gave the leg, which was no longer than a little finger, to Zong Ao.
"You haven't eaten much these past few days, here you go."
Zong Ao never expected him to do this, and Yi Mu was still thinking of him under these circumstances.
It would be a lie to say he wasn't moved. Zong Ao grabbed the calf, chewed it, and swallowed it whole, bone and all.
Seeing Yimu happily munching on a squirrel, even though the chase resulted in a splinter pricking his leg, it was all worth it.
The elder came to their door after the two had eaten their fill.
He wasn't alone this time; he was followed by a group of people with tattoos all over their faces, just like him.
The group of people looked serious and were holding various strange objects in their hands.
"Before the tribe holds a wedding for you, there is an essential ceremony that we hope you will receive the blessing of the goddess Rebecca."
Unlike Yi Mu's confusion, Zong Ao immediately saw through what this group of people were up to.
He controlled his expression and spoke in a relatively gentle tone.
“We appreciate the elder’s kindness, but my lover has allergies and may not be able to accept the goddess’s blessing.”
The elder stared at him with his cloudy eyes, like a cold-blooded snake: "I believe he can overcome all obstacles."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
