The Emperor Reigns Them All

Chapter 142 So Delicious

Seeing the pile of coins, Li Ye opened his mouth but did not know what to say. There were not more than 20 coins, which was definitely not enough to buy even just half a wheel, so he really was not sure if she was joking.

The seriousness on Su Emei’s face told Li Ye she that she was not trying to trick him. Maybe she really did not have much of an idea about money. He could not help asking her, “Where did you two come from?”

“The mountains,” answered Su Emei, appearing a little bewildered. “What does that have to do with the price of this carriage?”

“Nothing.” Li Ye decided to accept her coins. Usually, people would answer his question by telling him which place or sect they were from, instead of just answering “the mountains”. It seemed that this breathtakingly beautiful young lady was not even aware of that basic convention in this world, and he found that very peculiar because she did not look dumb at all.

A hint of worry flashed across Su Emei’s clear eyes as she saw her purse half-empty. They had spent half of their money in one go, and now they might face difficulties paying for food and accommodation. Their master had constantly reminded them that accommodation would often cost more than food, and that they must not waste any money. After all, the temple was not very well-to-do.

Su Emei glanced at Li Ye, and was worried that he just cheated her out of money. Seconds later, however, she denied that thought. She indeed found him ugly, yet he did not look like a shady person to her.

If Li Ye ever found out that Su Emei found him ugly, he might find it both strange and amusing. He had the look of a fine young childe, which was exactly the opposite of what Su Emei had seen since she was a child. As someone who had been raised in the mountains, the only types of men she had ever seen were hunters and strong farmers, so she thought that any good-looking man must have bronze skin, a muscular build, a wide chest, and be tough in character. Li Ye, however, was the exact opposite of what she had in mind.

“Let’s stop right up ahead,” Su Emei said all of a sudden, as if she just made up her mind about something.

Li Ye was just chatting with Wei Xiaozhuang as he heard her. He then looked ahead and found nothing but a forest. There was not even a village nearby, and they were still quite some distance away from the next courier station, so he asked, “Why here?”

“We will rest there for the night,” answered Su Emei as she pointed at that forest. She shortly realized it sounded slightly inappropriate, so she added quickly, “You don’t have to come with us.”

“You guys are sleeping out in the open?” Li Ye recalled that there was not much money in Su Emei’s purse, so he smiled and said, “Since we’re fated to travel together, why don’t we all head toward a courier station? I’ll pay for the accommodation.”

Su Emei strongly objected to his suggestion. “We truly appreciate your kindness, yet we’ve created enough trouble for you, we can’t always be a burden to you.”

Her tone was firm as she spoke, not sounding pretentious at all.

“My senior is right. How can we keep troubling you?” said Wei Xiaozhuang righteously.

In the end, Li Ye agreed to sleep out in the open with them because Wei Xiaozhuang was still unable to move much. In order to prove that he would not harm him, Li Ye decided to help them till the end. Li Ye could have left, but he did not find that necessary. Sleeping out in the open was no big deal to him, he was meant to experience the Jianghu anyway.

Li Ye stopped the carriage next to the road, then carried Wei Xiaozhuang out and put him under a tree so he could rest against it. Su Emei said gratefully, “You don’t have to trouble yourself this much, this is too kind of you.”

“Don’t mention it.” Li Ye was never someone who cared about all these details, so he waved his hand to make them not worry. As the sky was getting dark, he looked around for a while then said to Su Emei, “I’ll hunt for some food for us.”

Su Emei called Li Ye’s name, yet he was already too far away to hear it. She stood there for a few seconds as she looked in the direction Li Ye had gone, feeling a little lost, then bit her lip gently and walked back to Wei Xiaozhuang. She squatted down next to him, looking vexed, yet no one could tell what was on her mind.

Wei Xiaozhuang found her not in her usual state, so he asked, “What’s on your mind?”

Su Emei raised her head to look at him, then looked down again. Staring at the official road, she brushed her long bangs and said, “Nothing... It’s just that when we were at the temple, I was always the one taking care of everyone else, including the patients that master brought back. There was never a time when I didn’t need to worry about our dinner.”

Not understanding what she meant completely, Wei Xiaozhuang simply replied, “Oh,” then continued, “you’re just not used to it.”

Su Emei did not continue the conversation, but instead asked him, “How do you feel? Can you move now?”

It was an important question that could determine what she would think of Li Ye.

Wei Xiaozhuang’s face showed joy and relief as he turned his head and moved his wrists, and said, “I still can’t walk around, but I do feel much better than before. Judging by my current condition, I should be able to walk freely in a couple of hours.”

“So... what he said earlier was all true?” said Su Emei, seeming to be in deep thought.

Wei Xiaozhuang blinked a few times, obviously not knowing what she was referring to, and asked, “What did he say?”

Su Emei was too lazy to explain, so she just glared at Wei Xiaozhuang. She only developed the habit of taking care of others because of him and her master. The younger one was never reliable, while the older one always liked bringing strangers to their temple...

Li Ye was back shortly after. Seeing a rabbit and a pheasant in his hands, Wei Xiaozhuang looked much livelier and started cheering. Su Emei started feeling frustrated, however, since she had no idea how to cook them without any wok or stove, she also did not know how to roast them. After all, their master never liked killing living creatures, so she never had many chances to deal with animals. All the ducks and roosters in the temple were only raised to lay eggs. When it came to cooking, she was only best at making pancakes because they were simple and direct... After all, cultivators are not picky about food at all.

Just as Su Emei was thinking that she had no idea how to cook them, Li Ye had already skinned them skillfully and removed all their internal organs. Since he was a cultivator, his movements were smooth and pleasant to watch, so much so that even Su Emei opened her mouth in surprise as she tried to keep up with her eyes.

Li Ye set up a bonfire in no time and poked two spiritual swords through the animals, then started roasting them.

Seeing that both Su Emei and Wei Xiaozhuang had their eyes opened wide, Li Ye felt a little confused and asked jokingly, “Have you never tried roasted chicken before?”

They both shook their heads, especially Wei Xiaozhuang, whose head was shaking like a rattle drum. Seeing his round, thick neck moving so flexibly, Li Ye almost couldn’t suppress his urge to laugh.

“Then, get ready for a feast.” Li Ye took out salt and all sorts of seasonings as he flipped over the spiritual swords. With a flicker of his finger, a dash of salt flew from his hand. Using Spiritual Qi, he managed to evenly spread the salt over the meat. He then used the same method to add the other seasonings to the meat. An irresistible fragrance soon started spreading through the air, improving the appetite of everyone who smelled it.

Wei Xiaozhuang was already drooling at the sight of the cooked rabbit and pheasant. He had never seen any food with a color as mouth-watering as this, nor had he smelled any food as delectable as this.

Su Emei just stood there looking at Li Ye, her clear and beautiful eyes were lit up with surprise and admiration. “Isn’t this fair guy just a scholar? Based on his clothes, he’s definitely from a well-to-do family. How can someone like this be so good at cooking? Judging from his skilled and smooth movements, it doesn’t at all seem to be his first time roasting meat.

“What seasonings did he use? How can they smell so good? Is he using chilies and pepper? I never thought they could be ground into power! His roasting method is very detailed, and he has been so careful in his execution! But he’s a man, how can a man be so meticulous in doing this?”

Gradually, Li Ye was becoming no longer ugly in Su Emei’s eyes.

Li Ye observed both of their expressions, and was certain that his skills had successfully impressed them. “You must be kidding me, it’s not my first time in the Jianghu, so I gotta have all my tools ready in order to not starve myself,” he thought. “Also, I hunted rather frequently before the time travel happened, and it’s rare to find these natural and harmless sources of food.”

When Li Ye finished roasting, he first tore off a drumstick and passed it to Su Emei. The look on her face showed that she had been looking forward to this feast. “Try it,” he said.

He then tore off another one for himself, and threw the rest of the roasted pheasant to Wei Xiaozhuang. He obviously could not wait any longer either.

Staring at the drumstick in her hand, Su Emei suddenly did not know where on it she should put her mouth. The whole thing looked so tender and delicious, like a delicate work of art. She had never seen someone cook chicken like that, she thought the people out there would just pluck all its feathers, clear out all its internal organs, chop it into pieces, and poach it in a wok.

Su Emei thought that she might just not be knowledgeable enough, so she did not think any further and started tasting the chicken. As a reserved young lady, she bit one part off carefully and chewed slowly. Over time, her eyes opened so wide and they could not hide her sense of disbelief. She then closed her eyes and took a deep breath, getting ready to enjoy it bit by bit.

“This is so delicious!”

Pheasants move around very actively and their muscles have developed over time to be very strong, so their meat is extremely chewy. On the other hand, Li Ye used his outstanding roasting method to make sure the meat would be tender and juicy, instead of making it too dry and hard to eat. He had even managed to let the chicken oil seep through every part of the meat, enhancing its original flavor. With just the right amount of chilies and pepper, not only was the original taste preserved, but the meat was also balanced to be less oily. That tinge of spiciness also played a huge part in improving one’s appetite, making one no longer able to hold back the urge to taste it and just want to take one huge bite after another!

“I never knew such delicious food existed in this world!

“I never knew chicken could taste this delicious!”

Su Emei was completely lost in this incredible taste, and she finished the last bite in no time. Only then did she realize that she had been eating too quickly, and was no longer reserved and elegant like a young lady! When she turned to Wei Xiaozhuang, however, she only saw his face entirely covered up by the chicken and could only hear his loud chewing sounds. He kept saying “yummy” the whole time.

“Try the rabbit meat as well,” said Li Ye as he passed her a rabbit leg just at the right time.

Su Emei purposely tried to hold back, yet she decided to give up the moment she smelled that tender, juicy rabbit leg. She took it from him and started enjoying it slowly.

“I can’t believe that this rabbit is even more delicious than the chicken!”

Su Emei had no time to feel surprised because at that moment, all she cared about was enjoying the rabbit meat.

“Who is this guy... Not only did he managed to cure my junior’s illness that even my master couldn’t cure, but he also has such incredible cooking skills. Although he looks a little ugly, it doesn’t make him any less kind and gentle... Well, okay, he’s not THAT ugly... Anyway, it seems that this childe who went hunting and cooked for us is really no ordinary figure!”

When Su Emei looked at Li Ye again after finishing her food, she suddenly realized that this well-groomed man in front of her no longer looked as ugly to her as before. In fact, he even looked kind of nice, and even nicer the longer she looked at him...

As someone who had never been taken care of by others before, Su Emei felt so warm and gleeful after having the most delicious food she’d ever had in her life. However, she also felt quite embarrassed that she did not help in any part of this, so she stood up and said subconsciously, “I’ll do the dishes...” After realizing that there were no dishes to be cleaned, she quickly added, “I’ll clean up...” There was also not much to be cleaned up, so she felt even more awkward and blushed all the way to her earlobes. Suddenly, she stood there holding on to the hem of her clothes, not knowing what to do or say.

“Don’t worry. Just leave it to me,” said Li Ye as he smiled and saved her from this awkward situation.

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