Chapter 4
If You Dare Lie to Me, I’ll Snap Your Neck Before the Fire Spreads!
When Si Muye returned, the woman in the cave was just about to leave with all seven eggs.
“Where are you going?”
Shen Yue immediately looked up and met a sharply defined, handsome face. His high nose bridge, thin lips, wheat-colored skin, and well-built physique gave off a wild, masculine charm.
If it weren’t for those round beast ears and dark brown eyes she recognized, she might not have realized this clean and striking man was Si Muye.
Did he go wash his face?
She froze for a moment, then noticed the small wild boar and mountain chicken in his hands.
“You didn’t leave?”
She had thought he abandoned her, since he had been gone for hours.
So he had gone hunting!
That meant he had accepted her proposal earlier?
“This is my cave. Why would I leave?”
Si Muye walked over, holding the cleaned boar and chicken.
“I’ve already cleaned them. Eat.”
Shen Yue looked at the still-dripping raw meat.
“……”
She was starving, but not to the point of eating raw meat.
She took it and said politely, “Thank you.”
After a pause, she added, “But… do you have any tools for cooking?”
This ugly female sure had a lot of demands.
Si Muye’s face stiffened.
“No. This is the wild. We are beastmen. Don’t you know that only nobles in cities, who have high-level chefs, eat cooked food? Out here, we eat raw meat.”
Shen Yue knew that. Outside the cities, beastmen ate whatever they could find. Cooking wasn’t a habit due to limited conditions.
But she couldn’t do it.
At the very least, it had to be cooked a little. No seasoning was fine, but meat dripping with blood… she couldn’t swallow it.
She stood up.
“Hold this for me. I’ll do it.”
She had already noticed a flat, thin stone in the cave. It could work as a stone griddle.
Si Muye took the meat, watching her limp over suspiciously.
What was this ugly female doing instead of eating?
Shen Yue picked up a stick, dug a small pit, and placed the flat stone over it.
Then she used the stored water nearby to wash the stone surface clean.
After that, she grabbed some dry branches he had used to conceal the cave, broke them into pieces, and stuffed them under the stone. She added a handful of dry leaves on top.
Wiping the sweat from her forehead, she said, “Alright. Do you have a fire starter?”
Si Muye stepped closer, examining what she had arranged, his gaze wary.
“What do you need fire for?”
In the Beast World, fire was extremely dangerous. Beastmen relied on forests, vegetation, and ice fields. A fire could mean total destruction. Fire was only used in critical situations, like driving away enemies in battle.
Moreover, firestones were extremely rare. Many beastmen never encountered them in their lives, nor understood how to start or use fire.
Shen Yue could tell from his tone that he had one.
“Don’t worry. I’m just making cooked food. I won’t misuse it.”
Si Muye eyed her doubtfully.
“You know how to cook?”
“A little.”
She didn’t dare say she knew everything.
Beastmen revered fire almost like they did the Beast God.
“You can control fire?”
“A little bit.”
One extra word.
Si Muye stared at her in shock.
Only gifted, highly skilled chefs knew how to control fire and cook properly, and even they often failed.
Most beastmen instinctively feared fire.
Yet this ugly female claimed she could use it?
Even “a little” was enough to amaze him.
After thinking for a moment, he decided to test her.
He walked to the deepest part of the cave and dug out a firestone hidden in the dirt.
Returning, he handed it to her, his tone cold and threatening:
“Here. If you dare lie to me, I’ll snap your neck before the fire spreads.”
Shen Yue felt the dangerous aura around him and shivered slightly.
This man was fierce… even more cautious than she was.
She grabbed the firestone.
“Relax. I don’t want to die.”
It was just cooking a meal. Why so serious?
She struck the firestone twice against a point over the dry leaves. Sparks immediately appeared and scattered onto them.
The next moment, faint smoke rose. She struck it twice more, and the dry leaves ignited instantly.
Si Muye watched without blinking.
He had carried this firestone for years but never used it.
The only time he had learned was during his training as a Grand Knight, and even then, the instructor had to strike it countless times just to produce a few sparks, often failing to ignite anything.
Yet this ugly female lit a fire in just a few strikes.
How did she do it?
As the fire caught, the branches burned steadily. The moisture on the stone quickly evaporated from the heat.
Shen Yue turned.
“Give me the pork.”
Si Muye snapped out of it and handed over the boar.
Using the sharp dagger, Shen Yue sliced the meat into even pieces and laid them across the heated stone.
As the temperature rose, the slices began to sizzle, releasing oil. Soon, a rich aroma spread through the cave.
Si Muye stared at the curling, browning meat, swallowing unconsciously.
Though starving, Shen Yue handed him a piece first.
“Try it.”
He took it. It was hot, but he ate it in one bite.
The natural flavor of the meat, the juicy, springy texture…
It felt unreal.
Even in the royal city, the finest chefs had never made meat this tender and flavorful.
How was this ugly female so skilled?
Shen Yue cooked the meat to perfection, crispy outside and tender inside. The smell alone made her mouth water.
She blew on a piece and took a bite, savoring it before swallowing with satisfaction.
Even without seasoning, the rich fat and natural flavor of the roasted boar made it perfectly acceptable.
At last, she wouldn’t have to starve anymore.
