Chapter 192 - 188: Nan Zishi’s Prospective Cub-Daddy

The wind blew past.

Nan Zishi ran up and looked him up and down. "Not bad at all! You’re handsome, and your name sounds nice too. It wasn’t a waste of breath giving that physics lesson!"

’Look at this physique, look at these muscles, look at this face, look at this noble and elegant posture.’

’He really is the most beautiful male in Ten Thousand Beasts City.’

Nan Zishi decided to consider him a potential father for her cubs and get to know him better.

Her eyes sparkling, she said, "I won today, so technically, you have to hang out with me for the day."

Long Yi found this amusing and raised an eyebrow. "Alright."

Nan Zishi smiled, revealing a set of straight, white teeth. "I’m not familiar with Ten Thousand Beasts City yet. How about you decide what we do today?"

Long Yi was dazzled by the youth’s smile. "Let’s go," he said.

Long Yi had just taken a step forward when Nan Zishi followed right behind him.

Just after Nan Zishi and Long Yi left, the young male from the Ape Clan and the Little Priestess arrived one after another.

The young male asked in confusion, "Strange. Didn’t my uncle say a young Wise Man would be waiting for me here? Where is he?"

The Little Priestess was also puzzled. "Strange, where’s the High Priest? I just went to buy a piece of meat... Where did the High Priest run off to?"

「...」

Ten Thousand Beasts City was different from a human city. But with so many Beastmen, there were bound to be many interesting things.

Nan Zishi looked all around, identifying the different kinds of Beastmen. "Ten Thousand Beasts City is bigger than I thought. It seems like there are all sorts of Beastmen here."

Long Yi explained, "Ten Thousand Beasts City is the largest city in the Beast World. It has trade, culture, and governance.

Experts, Wise Men, Priests, and witch doctors from all four corners of the land gather here. It attracts countless talented individuals. Just like you. You came here too."

Nan Zishi just smiled. ’I’m different, though. I wasn’t drawn here by the culture; I came to find a handsome guy for my mission.’

In the center of Ten Thousand Beasts City stood a giant torch, the Holy Fire upon it blazing fiercely.

Nan Zishi ran over and asked curiously, "You actually have fire here. Aren’t you afraid of it?"

Beastmen feared flames, but they revered the Holy Fire.

"This is the Holy Fire of Ten Thousand Beasts City," Long Yi said. "As long as the Holy Fire is not extinguished, Ten Thousand Beasts City will endure."

Nan Zishi saw a Priest in robes tending to the Holy Fire.

Long Yi explained, "A Priest who can control fire comes to manage it every day."

In the Beast World, fire was considered extremely sacred.

Very few Beastmen knew how to use fire; only a handful of Priests could.

It was said that the High Mountain Clan had a race of Fire Red Eagles whose racial superpower was the Fire Ability.

However, because they couldn’t control the flames, they rarely used their Fire Ability in battle, for fear of starting a forest fire.

And so, the High Mountain Fire Red Eagle clan became famous throughout the Beast World for their Fire Ability, making them a sacred and noble existence.

Males from the Fire Red Eagle clan were pursued by countless females. Having a Red Eagle Cub was considered the greatest honor for a female!

After they had wandered around a large part of Ten Thousand Beasts City, Nan Zishi’s stomach rumbled twice.

Long Yi asked, "Hungry?"

"Mhm."

"Let’s go. I’ll take you to find something to eat."

In a culturally progressive place like Ten Thousand Beasts City, there were many places for bartering.

There were stalls selling finished Beast Skin Skirts, finished Beast Skin boots, and also various fruits and meats.

Long Yi led Nan Zishi to an open-air meat stall where a male was cutting and selling meat.

Nan Zishi saw many Beastmen trading Beast Teeth, Beast Skins, or other items with the male for meat, which they then ate raw on the spot.

Nan Zishi said to Long Yi, "Is this an eatery? But I don’t eat raw meat."

’It seems even in Ten Thousand Beasts City, they don’t have a way to cook meat. Sigh.’

Long Yi was a bit surprised. "You don’t eat meat? Are you a vegetarian Beastman?"

"Omnivorous," she replied. Then she said, "Forget it, I’ll just make my own food. Do you want some? I can make it for you."

Intrigued, Long Yi replied, "Alright."

Nan Zishi bought some meat, and when she came across vegetables she recognized, she bought those too.

After buying the meat and vegetables, she found a suitable rock to use as a stone pot and a few more to build a stove.

Long Yi watched from the side and asked curiously, "What are you doing?"

She looked up and smiled. "Making hot pot."

She gathered some dry firewood and placed it under the stone pot, then arranged some dry grass and used a flint to start a fire.

The moment the flint set the grass ablaze, Long Yi froze in astonishment at the sight of the fire. He then watched as the youth placed the burning grass among the dry firewood, igniting it as well.

Nan Zishi said, "I’ve surrounded it with a ring of stones. This will keep the fire contained so it won’t spread. However, a lot of stones can’t withstand the heat and can easily cause small explosions."

"Explosions? The stones explode from the fire?"

"That’s right."

Nan Zishi poured clear river water into the stone pot, adding the ingredients and seasonings she had gathered along the way.

After all that, she said with a grin, "Now we just wait for it to cook. I’m going to slice up all these ingredients now, and soon we’ll be able to eat hot pot. Yi, I guarantee it will be delicious."

Long Yi stared at the stove, the fire, and the meat.

Even for a High Priest such as himself, he had never tried eating this way.

"Some meat is tough, some is gamey, some is delicate, and some is chewy. In Ten Thousand Beasts City, we just distinguish between them based on texture." But that was the extent of it.

Nan Zishi smiled and asked, "So which kind do you like?"

"The tender kind."

Nan Zishi picked up a piece of meat and said with a smile, "When I was buying meat just now, I got a piece of loin from a MooMoo Beast. I’ll pan-fry it for you.

The loin of a MooMoo Beast is very tender. When you pan-fry it, it has a sweet aftertaste and a hint of a milky aroma. You’ll definitely like it."

Nan Zishi was no master chef; she only knew a little about cooking. But in the Beast World, that little bit was more than enough.

She used a few small stones to set up another simple stand, found a thin but sturdy stone slab, cleaned it, and placed it on the stand. Then, she started grilling the beef loin on the stone.

On her home planet, Earth, this cut of beef loin was known overseas as "sirloin" or "filet," a tender, lean cut from the back of a cow.

Nan Zishi loved to eat it. Since it was expensive in restaurants, she often bought it from the supermarket to cook at home.

As a faint, milky aroma drifted through the air, Long Yi took a light sniff.

’It smells so good. I never imagined meat could be prepared to smell like this.’

After grilling the beef loin to medium-well, Nan Zishi used a tool to cut it into slices, sprinkled it with sea salt she’d brought from the great sea, and handed it to the male across from her.

"Try it."

Long Yi took the steak and picked up a slice to eat.

He hadn’t understood when Nan Zishi was describing it before, but with that one bite, he finally comprehended what "milky aroma," "sweet aftertaste," and "tender" truly meant.

He had never tasted anything like it before.

The hot pot was ready too, its aroma wafting out. Nan Zishi used two prepared wooden sticks to swish some meat in the broth, and once it was cooked, she gave it to him.

"Try this. How is it?"

The juices exploded in his mouth, and Long Yi felt as if his very soul was being nourished. He couldn’t help but exclaim, "Delicious."

Nan Zishi smiled. "I like cooked meat. I don’t eat it raw."

She picked up some meat for her own bowl and began to eat heartily.

Long Yi felt around his waist, found a piece of broken jade, and handed it to Nan Zishi.

"What’s this for?" Nan Zishi asked.

"To thank you for the meal," Long Yi said.

There were truly few delicacies in the Beast World; he had long since grown tired of eating.

But this little one, with just two simple dishes, had managed to stir his appetite.

It was as if he had rediscovered a passion and a purpose in life.

"Can I come and eat your cooking again tomorrow?"

Nan Zishi said, "I have to cook for myself anyway, so if you want some, just come find me."

’I’m not that simple, though.’

’This male is the most handsome in Ten Thousand Beasts City. He’s divinely handsome and perfectly meets my standards for a father for my cubs.’

’The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.’

’I don’t know how to make many things, but it shouldn’t be hard to capture the stomach of a Beast World male!’