Chapter 71: Going Out to Sea

Chapter 71: Chapter 71: Going Out to Sea

The second part was much simpler: a video of Wang Dacheng eating an egg.

He ate with such relish that it made anyone watching hungry.

Without him even saying a word, many players started frantically asking who had eggs.

At the right moment, he mentioned Shi Zhile.

Around five-thirty, Jiang Yuxing arrived carrying an iron pot. He also brought a lot of lobster meat and sliced fish fillets.

Shi Zhile took the iron pot and placed it on another stove where she had just started a fire.

"I don’t have a divided pot, but I have two stoves. We can put them side by side and eat whatever we want. Do you eat spicy food? This hot pot base is probably very spicy."

Jiang Yuxing rolled up his sleeves and picked up a wooden spatula from the side. "I can handle spice, but not too much."

Shi Zhile nodded silently. This was another preference they had in common.

As the red chili oil sizzled fragrantly in the pot, Shi Zhile stood to one side, watching.

She opened her panel, took a video of Jiang Yuxing cooking, and sent it to Wang Peng.

The next moment, a message from Wang Peng arrived.

[Volcanic Eruption: Sister Zhile, you and Brother Nan are moving fast! You can even get him to cook for you now. I’ve known him for so many years and I’ve never had a meal he’s cooked. WAHHH!]

Shi Zhile replied: [Jiang Yuxing helped me clean the yard a couple of days ago, and today he helped me deliver a calf. I’m treating him to a meal as thanks. Want to come?]

On Volcano Island, Wang Peng was gnawing on a piece of bread, stunned by the message that appeared.

He mumbled indistinctly, "Cleaning the yard and delivering a calf? Is that something Xi Nan would do?

I’ve really seen it all now. What an eye-opener.

Back in the day, our Brother Nan and that Dog Thief Lu Ting split all of Blue Star between them. Everyone who met him respectfully called him Commander-in-Chief. And now look at him, reduced to delivering calves."

He sighed and went back to gnawing on his bread. "Even if I’m stuck eating bread every day, it’s way better than that nutrient fluid. Fish one day, meat the next, plus greens and melons... life’s so good, no wonder that Dog Thief Lu is always thinking about attacking Earth. If it were me, I’d want to attack too."

It was as if he could smell the fragrance of the hot pot base through the screen. He smacked his lips and replied:

[Sigh, it’s freezing out here. I haven’t had hot pot in so long, I’ve almost forgotten what it tastes like. If Sister Zhile is sincerely inviting me, I can’t possibly refuse, right?]

He looked at the three Summon Orders in his inventory, grinned, and started a video call with Shi Zhile.

Once the call connected, he cranked up the volume. "Sister, you’re sincerely inviting your big bro to dinner, so it wouldn’t be right for me not to go, huh? But if I come, will Brother Nan have a problem with it?"

Jiang Yuxing paused. "Why did you call Wang Peng?"

’Of course it’s because I can tell this male fox spirit is up to no good today.’

’We’re just having hot pot, so who is he all dolled up for?’

That’s what she thought, but she couldn’t say it out loud.

"Hot pot is all about the lively atmosphere. If I didn’t have so few Summon Orders, I would have invited Jiang Yu and the others too."

’Lies!’

’Even if I had Summon Orders, I wouldn’t have called them.’

’Jiang Jing wouldn’t waste a Summon Order on a hot pot meal. And if I invited Jiang Yu, I’d have to invite Chuyi too, so those three were the first I ruled out.’

’Wang Peng is a chatterbox, perfect for defeating a charmer with some blunt ’straight-guy’ talk. He was the only one for the job.’

Before Jiang Yuxing could say anything, Wang Peng used a Summon Order and appeared, carrying a fish.

"Sister Zhile, I didn’t have anything good to bring you, so I brought the few fish I caught yesterday."

Shi Zhile accepted them without hesitation.

Beef and pork went into the pot, and the steaming hot pot dinner finally concluded amidst Wang Peng’s booming voice.

The next morning, it was snowing heavily again.

The two second-floor windows were completely buried in snow. After washing up, Shi Zhile bundled up in her military greatcoat before starting to clear the snowdrift.

When she opened the window, the cold wind hit her face like a knife against her skin. In just a moment, a layer of snowflakes had drifted into the room.

She quickly finished clearing the snow and ducked back into her room.

Hearing a noise, Wang Peng’s booming voice came from downstairs, "Sister Zhile, Brother Nan and I are going for a couple of laps around the seashore. Want to come with?"

Shi Zhile didn’t want to go. She came down from the second floor. "The snow outside is really deep and it’s still coming down. Are you sure you can run in this?"

A Summon Order allows a player to stay for 48 hours. Yesterday, Jiang Yuxing had originally wanted Wang Peng to leave with him through the Teleportation Gate, but Wang Peng’s panel couldn’t be bound, so he couldn’t be teleported.

So, Jiang Yuxing simply moved his bed and bedding over and slept on the first floor with Wang Peng.

Jiang Yuxing was already fully dressed. He took a pair of pink gloves and a matching hat from his inventory and handed them to Shi Zhile.

"We can go out. There’s no wind today. While Wang Peng and I are both here, you need to get out and familiarize yourself with the island now that it’s covered in snow."

Since the snow started, Shi Zhile hadn’t taken a single step outside her shelter.

It was safe for now, but if she never experienced the wind and snow, she would never adapt to it.

Knowing they meant well, Shi Zhile no longer refused. "What’s the temperature outside?"

Jiang Yuxing’s expression was calm. "Fifty degrees below zero."

"How much?!"

Wang Peng chimed in, "Fifty degrees below zero!"

His stomach rumbled. "It sounds cold, but it’s not actually that bad. Why don’t we run after we eat? We’ve been through all sorts of heat and cold, but we can’t let Sister Zhile go hungry with us."

After a simple breakfast, the three of them, fully bundled up, opened the small west-side door.

The snow came up past their calves. Forget running; for someone of Shi Zhile’s height, even walking was a struggle.

The snowflakes were large, but there was no wind. As they neared the sea, the chill intensified dramatically. The fifty-below-zero temperature had frozen the surface of the ocean along the coast.

A tide surged in, shattering the ice. Layers of broken ice were slapped onto the shore.

Shi Zhile took small, difficult breaths. As the cold air entered her lungs, she couldn’t help but start coughing.

Jiang Yuxing moved in front of her, blocking most of the frigid air.

"The mandatory rules state that we must go out to sea at least once a week for a minimum of five hours. The wind is calm today, so it’s a good day for it."

He looked back at Shi Zhile, who understood and took out her two-masted sailboat.

After the three of them boarded, they officially began their sea expedition for the day.

The weather was too severe, so Shi Zhile abandoned the helm and controlled the sailboat with her mind.

The cabin offered complete privacy and easily blocked the wind and snow. Worried the snow would get heavier, Shi Zhile didn’t sail too far out, stopping about two hundred meters from the shore.

Jiang Yuxing set up a small, wind-blocking tent on the deck, and Wang Peng moved some lounge chairs into it.

Shi Zhile thought for a moment, then set the Magma Stone Basin to about twenty degrees and put it inside as well.

Once everything was ready, the three of them lay back on the lounge chairs, each holding a fishing rod.

Wang Peng took out a bucket and declared excitedly, "Let’s have a competition between the three of us! See who can catch the most seafood."

This time, Shi Zhile spoke up first. "I’m not competing. You two can compete, and I’ll be the judge."

’You’ve got to be kidding. My fishing rod can catch anything and everything *except* fish, shrimp, and crabs.’

The corners of Jiang Yuxing’s lips turned up, but he quickly suppressed his smile. "Alright. Since it’s a competition, let’s raise the stakes. The loser treats the winner to a meal and also has to do all the cooking and dishwashing."

Wang Peng instantly had a bad feeling.

How could he have forgotten! Brother Nan was a pay-to-win player.

Before he could regret it, Jiang Yuxing said with a smile, "You’re afraid of losing. You’re not thinking of backing out, are you?"