Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Beggar’s Chicken

“Mmm! Smells amazing—what’s for breakfast?”

Soon, Nuanchun wandered over from the tribe.

Thanks to Changxia’s influence, the whole Heluo tribe had developed a quirky new vibe. Even their way of talking no longer fit in with the Misty Forest. And everyone had become more and more of a foodie, straying further down the path of culinary obsession…

With her due date approaching, Nuanchun was getting lazier by the day.

Even walking left her a bit breathless, and she seemed to lack energy. She was even getting the kind of drowsiness usually seen in early pregnancy.

This worried Changxia and the others—they were hoping the shaman would come soon.

“Chicken stew with yams, fruit-flour cakes, and roast meat. And besides that, Changxia buried a beggar’s chicken in the stove ashes,” Nanfeng said, pointing at the ashes in the stove, her curiosity practically overflowing.

She’d been watching ever since Changxia buried the wild chicken.

Now breakfast was almost ready, but she still hadn’t seen Changxia dig out the clay ball. Maybe because it was buried in the ashes, there was no smell at all, which only made Nanfeng more curious.

“What’s a chicken?” Nuanchun asked, blinking as she cradled her belly and leaned back in her chair, trying to get comfortable.

In a few days, when Changxia’s cave dwelling was finished, she could start planning her own with Shankun. Just thinking about it filled her with motivation. But as she daydreamed, she couldn’t help yawning—she’d just woken up, so why was she sleepy again?

“Sharp-beaked beasts. You can find them all over the tribe, in the shrublands, and among the white lake reeds—along with double-eared beasts,” Nanfeng explained, unable to resist complaining. In the past, when the tribe caught sharp-beaked beasts, they wouldn’t pluck them—they’d skin them like any other wild animal…

Today, under Changxia’s guidance, Nanfeng learned that you had to scald sharp-beaked beasts in hot water to pluck them, and then clean out the innards.

Good thing Changxia didn’t mind the extra trouble and thought things through so thoroughly.

Maybe being physically weak gave her extra smarts?

In this area, aside from Changxia, not even the shaman or Baiqing knew as much. On the other hand, Shen Rong seemed able to keep up with Changxia’s way of thinking.

“So, which tastes better—sharp-beaked beast or fish?” Nuanchun asked.

She didn’t doubt whether sharp-beaked beasts were edible—if Changxia said so, even if they weren’t, she’d find a way to make them so. Nuanchun was just curious: this creature Changxia called “chicken,” how did it compare to fish in terms of flavor?

As expected, foodies are unbeatable.

Changxia: ୧(๑•̀◡•́๑)૭

She used to worry whether her tribe could accept changes in their diet. But looking back now, she realizes she was overthinking it. Compared to what they eat, what really matters is whether it tastes good.

“Each has its own merits,” Changxia said, covering her twitching lips as she spoke.

To Changxia, as long as it’s meat, it’s delicious.

That’s right, this is the universal love of a carnivore.

As long as it’s meat, we love it.

“Nanfeng, scoop half a bowl of chicken and yam stew for Nuanchun to taste and check the seasoning. And let Chenrong and the others know to wash up for dinner,” Changxia started to say, not even finishing her sentence.

Nanfeng responded eagerly and got to work right away.

While scooping soup for Nuanchun, she didn’t forget to serve herself, too. She walked over to Chenrong’s group, taking big gulps of the chicken and yam stew as she went.

The aroma was rich and lingering. The chicken and yam stew was even more fragrant than the pork and yam stew. The pork version was light and sweet, but the chicken stew was rich and silky. Just one sip, and the flavor filled her mouth and slid straight down her throat.

Even though her tongue was burning, Nanfeng couldn’t bear to spit out the soup.

“Mm-mm!” she mumbled, calling Chenrong and the others to eat.

The three of them looked confused, not understanding what Nanfeng was mumbling. But their eyes were all fixed on the bowl of soup in her hands...

Well, that said it all.

No need for more words—most likely, Changxia had prepared a feast for them.

The three exchanged glances, quickly shifted out of their beast forms, and headed straight for the kitchen.

“Changxia, what are we eating?”

“Life in the tribe is getting better and better!”

With Changxia’s recipes, the Heluo tribe had been living the good life lately.

It was a pity the shaman had gone to the Bird Tribe on business. Otherwise, they’d be making three trips a day to Mount Kana to bring her food—while showing off to the other beast tribes in the Twilight Forest.

The Bird Tribe also had a shaman, and for them to swallow their pride and invite the beast tribe’s shaman over, something big must have happened.

Nuanchun explained the situation with the sharp-beaked beasts.

Meanwhile, Changxia squatted down to dig out the beggar’s chicken.

After washing his face and hands, Chenrong came over and asked gently, “Changxia, do you need any help?”

“Bring me that stone slab so I can put the beggar’s chicken on it,” Changxia replied without looking up.

The more time she spent with Chenrong, the more in sync they became. Sometimes, they didn’t even need words to understand each other’s thoughts. Changxia really enjoyed this feeling.

Chenrong brought over the stone slab, and Changxia dug out the chicken wrapped in clay from the stove. The baked clay was grayish-white and covered in fine cracks.

Changxia used fire tongs to lift the clay ball onto the slab, then signaled for Chenrong to carry it to the long table while she went to wash her hands.

“Clay ball? Is this... edible?”

“Clay? That can’t be right!”

By the table, Yadong and Shankun stared at the clay-covered chicken, looking conflicted.

Nanfeng rolled her eyes. “Eat the clay ball? What are you two talking about? Changxia wrapped a wild chicken in clay—just crack it open!”

“She’s right. Find something to break the clay,” Changxia said, shaking water off her hands as she walked over.

Hearing this, Yadong beast-formed his hand and gave the clay a gentle tap.

Crack!

With a crisp sound, an indescribable aroma instantly filled the air.

This scent was completely different from anything they’d smelled before—richer, more fragrant. Maybe it was because all the flavors had been sealed inside the clay.

Just smelling it made their mouths water and their stomachs rumble.

Now, no one needed Changxia to remind them. The others quickly peeled off the clay, tossing aside the broken pieces and the feathers stuck to them.

The chicken meat was white with a hint of yellow, glistening with a bit of fat.

Gulp!

Someone swallowed hard.

Then another, and another.

That’s it.

Changxia stepped forward, tore off a drumstick for Nuanchun, handed the second one to Nanfeng, gave Chenrong a wing, kept the other wing for herself, and nodded at Yadong and Shankun to help themselves. In no time, the whole chicken was divided up.

“So tender and smooth!”

“Softer than fish—I love it!”

“What a loss!”

As they ate the delicious beggar’s chicken, everyone started to lament. Why had they let such a delicacy slip by before? Wild chickens were everywhere—in the tribe, the bushes, and by White Lake. They weren’t even afraid of people, sometimes sneaking into beast dens to look for food, bold as anything.

After finishing their pieces, everyone looked up and met each other’s eyes.

That’s right—the look of true foodies.

“Changxia, let’s have chicken again for lunch!”

Several voices chimed in at once.

Changxia nodded. “Sure.”

She hadn’t expected the wild chickens in the Twilight Forest to taste so good—so tender, not dry at all, and they practically melted in your mouth.

Of course, maybe it was just because it was their first time eating it, which made the experience even better.

After the beggar’s chicken, everyone’s attention quickly turned to the pot of chicken and yam stew. This time, the roast meat and fruit cakes were left untouched.

They grabbed bowls and started ladling soup, afraid that if they were too slow, they’d miss out.

“Have some more—” Chenrong picked another wing for Changxia, urging her to eat more. Lately, she’d been busy and hadn’t had much of an appetite, so she wasn’t eating much.

Chenrong couldn’t help but keep giving her food, always feeling she ate too little.

This scene earned another round of eye rolls from Nanfeng and the others.

Meanwhile, Shankun’s calf under the table suffered another kick from Nuanchun.

Seeing this, Shankun quietly pulled his leg back, enduring Nuanchun’s deep “affection.”

Next time, next time, maybe next time...

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He always remembers to serve Nuan Chun food first.