Chapter 104: Grilled Fish (Part One)

Dao Sansheng dashed toward the cave exit. The fish pursued him, growing in number by the second. At first, he fought them off as he fled, but now he could no longer afford to worry about the school behind him and accelerated toward the outside.

Turning a corner, he caught sight of a glimmer of light and rushed toward it. The moment Dao Sansheng's head broke the surface of the pool, he took a deep breath and scrambled onto the bank. However, the fish behind him leaped out of the water after him.

Hundreds of fish flopped on the grassy bank. With effortless ease, Dao Sansheng gathered them all up.

More delicious food to eat. Dao Sansheng swept the fish into his storage bag. Only then did he realize he was not at the pool he had entered, but on the bank of another. It was just like the Unicorn Dust Rat's previous experience—entering from one side and exiting from the other.

Returning to his wooden cabin, Dao Sansheng retrieved the freshly caught fish. He built a fire, took out the grilling tools and seasonings he kept in his storage bag, and began to roast the fish.

As one side of the fish turned a rich, golden brown, Dao Sansheng sprinkled seasonings over it, flipped it to the other side, and continued grilling. Gradually, a mouth-watering aroma drifted out of the cabin, wafting all the way to the nearby thatched cottage.

The Unicorn Dust Rat sniffed the air and scurried out of the cottage, following the scent all the way to Dao Sansheng's cabin. Reaching the threshold, it sat by the door, watching Dao Sansheng flip the fish inside, not quite daring to enter.

The events of that morning were still fresh in its mind. After all, it was no longer a mindless spirit beast; dwelling within it was the soul of Chen Xiaofeng.

Resting in the thatched cottage, Du Xuetao saw the Unicorn Dust Rat suddenly dash out. Soon after, he caught the enticing aroma himself and followed in the rat's wake.

From afar, he saw Dao Sansheng standing by the cabin window, grilling something. As he drew closer, his mouth began to water. The golden-brown fish, dusted with spices and a hint of chili, looked so delectable that he couldn't wait to take a bite. His eyes remained glued to the grill as he shuffled forward, stopping right at the door.

Dao Sansheng was focused on sprinkling seasonings and had not noticed the two drooling figures. It was only when the two fish in his hands were fully grilled and he turned to place them on a nearby plate that he realized the fish he had previously set down was gone. Then, he saw the two drooling gluttons.

One was sprawled at the door, a grilled fish clamped in its mouth, pinning it down with its paws as it ate bite by bite. In its eagerness, its hind legs kept twitching forward, trying to scrape off more meat.

The other stood by the window, staring at the grill through the frame. His drool had soaked the windowsill, and his eyes were so glued to the food that he did not even notice Dao Sansheng turning around.

Dao Sansheng casually handed the freshly grilled fish out the window. Du Xuetao immediately leaned in, bit down on the fish to take it from Dao Sansheng's hand, and began to devour it ravenously.

Ignoring the two gluttons, Dao Sansheng continued grilling. He hadn't even had a single bite himself, yet these two had devoured everything. They really had no consideration for him. He could only keep grilling, hoping the next one wouldn't be snatched away.

He had just placed another fish over the fire and flipped it twice. Just as he was about to sprinkle seasonings, Du Xuetao leaned over the windowsill, completely ignoring the greasy smoke, and spoke.

"Master, is it done yet? Can I have another one?"

Just as Dao Sansheng looked up to reply, the Unicorn Dust Rat had already climbed onto the grill. Ignoring the flames underneath, it crouched right next to the heat. Its whiskers were singed off, but it hadn't even noticed.

It seemed he wouldn't be eating anytime soon. He could only sigh and reply.

"I'll give it to you once it's done."

Then he flicked the Unicorn Dust Rat on the head.

"Get down, little guy, or I'll roast you instead. I haven't tasted your kind yet; I wonder if it's any good."

Saying this, Dao Sansheng licked his lips and stared at the Unicorn Dust Rat. But before long, he smelled burning.

"Oh no, my fish!"

Dao Sansheng quickly resumed grilling in earnest. When Du Xuetao heard that Dao Sansheng wanted to roast the Unicorn Dust Rat, his brain didn't process it immediately. Drooling, he blurted out:

"I haven't tasted it either. Why don't we try it?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he realized what he had said. He shook his head and waved his hands frantically, saying:

"I misspoke! I don't want to taste it. We have to keep it—that's the spirit beast that has accompanied me for thirty years!"

Inside the Unicorn Dust Rat, Chen Xiaofeng's soul was startled. He leaped off the grill and ran to the door. Once there, he licked the grease off his paws that he had just gotten from the grill. But hearing Du Xuetao's words...

The Unicorn Dust Rat's fur stood on end. It glared at Du Xuetao, its eyes seemingly saying: *I think you really want to roast me! What thirty years of companionship? Your drool is hanging in strings, looking like you haven't seen a drop of oil in over a decade. Did those words sound fake?*

Then it looked at Dao Sansheng with vigilance. Judging by the guy's technique, he had over a decade of grilling experience, yet he was only in his teens. He himself had escaped pursuit time and again, finally making it here, and to survive, he had even cast aside his dignity to inject his soul into a spirit beast.

Was his life not miserable enough? These two actually wanted to eat him now. This was far more vicious than killing him outright.

Yet, although Chen Xiaofeng resented the two of them in his heart, having just tasted the grilled fish, he couldn't even move his paws. He stood there harboring resentment while licking his paws, the drool and grease at the corners of his mouth betraying his true feelings.

Another grilled fish was almost ready. The Unicorn Dust Rat couldn't wait any longer and pounced, trying to snatch it from Dao Sansheng's hand. But Dao Sansheng didn't give him the slightest chance. He took a bite directly and ate it happily.

Looking at the clawing and baring-toothed Unicorn Dust Rat, Dao Sansheng reached out with one hand to grab it, pretending to roast it. Frightened, the little guy ran out again, sitting piteously at the door.

"You went into the pool? The fish inside are very powerful. You must never go deep inside. I've entered many times. Only once, when I found a tool that could mask my own aura and hide from their spiritual sense, was I able to go deep."

"I had a mask, but because it was only an ordinary artifact, it couldn't fully block the spiritual sense of those fish. Once I almost reached the depths, but I failed in the end. How did you get in, Master? You probably didn't go deep inside."

Du Xuetao watched the fish, his eyes and mouth moving in rhythm with Dao Sansheng flipping the fish as he spoke.

Hearing Du Xuetao's explanation, Dao Sansheng finally understood. It turned out those fish relied on spiritual sense and aura to identify intruders. As long as he masked his aura and deceived their spiritual sense, wouldn't he be able to come and go as he pleased?

Thinking of this, Dao Sansheng grinned foolishly, standing dazed in place without moving, completely forgetting the two fellows waiting outside.