"What is this?"
The voice came from behind Yumei, cool and elegant. Yumei couldn't help but be cautious—before he spoke, she hadn't sensed him at all, indicating that his cultivation surpassed hers by a considerable margin.
Turning around to look, the young man stood there with an air of arrogance, his ink-black clothes contrasting with his white hair. The narrow, ice-like eyes held a hint of chill, and his imposing aura couldn't be ignored.
"Greetings, fellow daoist," Yumei offered a courteous nod. Though she didn't know who this person was, she couldn't afford to offend him.
"Hmm," the young man responded faintly, his gaze still fixed on the bird on the fire and the fruit on the ground.
Feeling ignored, Yumei was displeased inwardly but she didn't show it. This person clearly wasn't easy to provoke. What if she upset him and he killed her with a single strike? It was better not to act impulsively in anger. Even if they weren't friends, there was no need to actively antagonize someone.
Yumei tentatively asked, "This is a type of flying bird. Its meat is tender and delicious, especially when paired with the sweet juice of these fruits. After roasting, it has a nice flavour. If fellow daoist doesn't mind, would you like to taste it?"
The young man hesitated for a moment, then walked to a spot not far from the fire and sat down cross-legged. "Very well."
Yumei used her finger as a blade to make a few cuts on the bird, smeared the juice on it, and continued roasting.
"Why are you doing this?" the young man asked, clearly puzzled by Yumei's actions.
Seeing that the young man's attitude had improved somewhat, Yumei's lingering frustration had mostly dissipated. Assuming he wasn't inclined to communicate, she explained, "The meat of this bird is tender but lacks flavour. By adding the juice from these fruits, it gains a smoky, slightly sweet taste."
Just as it was almost cooked, Yumei handed the wooden stick to him. The young man looked at the bird but didn't take it. Thinking he might be concerned about poison, Yumei broke off a leg herself and took a bite before offering it again.
"It's very tasty!"
The young man took the stick, looked at the bird on it, but didn't eat. Instead, he asked with curiosity, "Why did you eat it?"
Yumei was taken aback. She had thought that the young man might be of the same kind as the bird or that he refrained from killing, and that her act of eating the bird might have angered him. But this wasn't a big deal; Yumei felt rather innocent.
"Because it's delicious! It doesn't have spiritual energy; it's just an ordinary creature. I caught it while it was hunting other creatures. Why can it eat other living beings but I can't eat it?" Yumei took another bite of the meat in her hand and innocently responded with a question.
"Are you... hungry?" The young man was even more puzzled.
"No, no, no," Yumei shook her head playfully. "Just satisfying my appetite."
The young man nodded and tore off a piece of meat, tasting it in a refined manner. After eating, he nodded. "Indeed, it tastes good. But we gods and spirits of the Primordial Era can abstain from eating. Why cling to such desires of the flesh?"
So that was the reason. He just hadn't experienced eating before, which was why he didn't understand. He wasn't one of those peculiar individuals who had compassion for all living beings and couldn't stand seeing others kill. Yumei started explaining her theory to him happily, "Do you have any hobbies?"
"Naturally," the young man responded, though still puzzled.
"Then why do you have hobbies?" Yumei inquired again.
This time the young man didn't respond, possibly because he didn't know how to answer. Seeing him lost in thought, Yumei continued:
"Everyone has their own hobbies, and they're all different. Regardless of the reason, it's something we enjoy. I have two hobbies. First, I love tasting delicious foods. With such a long lifespan, it's good to have some variety in flavours. Second, I love cultivating. I do it to protect myself, so I won't be easily killed by others. Plus, it allows me to indulge in tasting delicacies."
The voice came from behind Yumei, cool and elegant. Yumei couldn't help but be cautious—before he spoke, she hadn't sensed him at all, indicating that his cultivation surpassed hers by a considerable margin.
Turning around to look, the young man stood there with an air of arrogance, his ink-black clothes contrasting with his white hair. The narrow, ice-like eyes held a hint of chill, and his imposing aura couldn't be ignored.
"Greetings, fellow daoist," Yumei offered a courteous nod. Though she didn't know who this person was, she couldn't afford to offend him.
"Hmm," the young man responded faintly, his gaze still fixed on the bird on the fire and the fruit on the ground.
Feeling ignored, Yumei was displeased inwardly but she didn't show it. This person clearly wasn't easy to provoke. What if she upset him and he killed her with a single strike? It was better not to act impulsively in anger. Even if they weren't friends, there was no need to actively antagonize someone.
Yumei tentatively asked, "This is a type of flying bird. Its meat is tender and delicious, especially when paired with the sweet juice of these fruits. After roasting, it has a nice flavour. If fellow daoist doesn't mind, would you like to taste it?"
The young man hesitated for a moment, then walked to a spot not far from the fire and sat down cross-legged. "Very well."
Yumei used her finger as a blade to make a few cuts on the bird, smeared the juice on it, and continued roasting.
"Why are you doing this?" the young man asked, clearly puzzled by Yumei's actions.
Seeing that the young man's attitude had improved somewhat, Yumei's lingering frustration had mostly dissipated. Assuming he wasn't inclined to communicate, she explained, "The meat of this bird is tender but lacks flavour. By adding the juice from these fruits, it gains a smoky, slightly sweet taste."
Just as it was almost cooked, Yumei handed the wooden stick to him. The young man looked at the bird but didn't take it. Thinking he might be concerned about poison, Yumei broke off a leg herself and took a bite before offering it again.
"It's very tasty!"
The young man took the stick, looked at the bird on it, but didn't eat. Instead, he asked with curiosity, "Why did you eat it?"
Yumei was taken aback. She had thought that the young man might be of the same kind as the bird or that he refrained from killing, and that her act of eating the bird might have angered him. But this wasn't a big deal; Yumei felt rather innocent.
"Because it's delicious! It doesn't have spiritual energy; it's just an ordinary creature. I caught it while it was hunting other creatures. Why can it eat other living beings but I can't eat it?" Yumei took another bite of the meat in her hand and innocently responded with a question.
"Are you... hungry?" The young man was even more puzzled.
"No, no, no," Yumei shook her head playfully. "Just satisfying my appetite."
The young man nodded and tore off a piece of meat, tasting it in a refined manner. After eating, he nodded. "Indeed, it tastes good. But we gods and spirits of the Primordial Era can abstain from eating. Why cling to such desires of the flesh?"
So that was the reason. He just hadn't experienced eating before, which was why he didn't understand. He wasn't one of those peculiar individuals who had compassion for all living beings and couldn't stand seeing others kill. Yumei started explaining her theory to him happily, "Do you have any hobbies?"
"Naturally," the young man responded, though still puzzled.
"Then why do you have hobbies?" Yumei inquired again.
This time the young man didn't respond, possibly because he didn't know how to answer. Seeing him lost in thought, Yumei continued:
"Everyone has their own hobbies, and they're all different. Regardless of the reason, it's something we enjoy. I have two hobbies. First, I love tasting delicious foods. With such a long lifespan, it's good to have some variety in flavours. Second, I love cultivating. I do it to protect myself, so I won't be easily killed by others. Plus, it allows me to indulge in tasting delicacies."
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