Chapter 35: The Fox Bristles

She picked up a piece of pork intestine with her chopsticks and popped it into her mouth. While it didn't quite match the stir-fried intestines she used to eat in the apocalypse, it was still quite good.

"Gurgle..."

Instantly, the sound of swallowing echoed all around her. Eyes were fixed hungrily on the stone plate in her hand, glowing with desire. Had they not been afraid of embarrassing themselves, they would have snatched it right out of her hands.

Ye Ling, Mo Lin, Qing Zhu, and Xuan Ming could only watch as the intoxicating aroma drifted into their noses, teasing the appetites they didn't even know they had. The four of them exchanged glances, their eyes filled with astonishment. Was this really made by Su Xiyue? How could she possibly create something that smelled this delicious?

Hearing the chorus of swallowing and feeling the weight of those intense stares, Su Xiyue twitched the corner of her mouth. She handed the plate of intestines and the chopsticks to Bai Qi, smiling as she said, "Try it and see how it tastes."

Bai Qi had already been driven wild by the aroma. He didn't stand on ceremony, taking the chopsticks and popping a piece into his mouth. Although he had never used chopsticks before, he had just watched Su Xiyue use them and picked up the technique immediately. His movements were a bit clumsy, but he managed to grab a piece.

As he chewed the intestine, his eyes lit up, his face filled with disbelief. It was delicious. Truly, incredibly delicious. The intestine had been stir-fried until it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. With every bite, the rendered fat burst in his mouth, savory and crisp. Combined with the complex blend of spices, it was simply addictive.

Bai Qi had never tasted anything so wonderful; he completely forgot that this was made from pig offal. He ate without lifting his head, his nine tails swishing happily behind him. He looked nothing like the elegant and aloof fox-beast he usually was; he looked exactly like a puppy happily gnawing on a bone.

Su Xiyue’s mouth twitched again, left speechless. She looked up at Ye Ling, Mo Lin, Qing Zhu, and Xuan Ming, a faint, mocking smile playing on her lips. "What? Do you want some too?"

The four of them stiffened at her words. Want some? How could they possibly want to eat such a thing? They already knew this was made from the pork intestines Su Xiyue had taken from the tribe’s plaza last night. They just couldn't understand how something that had been so foul-smelling could, through her hands, become so fragrant.

Seeing Bai Qi eating with such gusto, his mouth glistening with oil, they knew it must taste amazing. Ye Ling’s expression hardened, and he glared at Bai Qi, cursing inwardly, "That fox has no pride."

He coldly turned his head away, saying with visible disdain, "Who would want to eat the dirty trash you made? Only someone with no taste like Bai Qi would be able to stomach it."

Bai Qi, who had been eating happily, paused at these words. Moments later, his nine tails, which had been swishing back and forth, stood straight up—he was clearly bristling. He looked at Ye Ling, his beautiful fox eyes narrowing, his tone sharp. "Ye Ling, who are you calling tasteless?"

Foxes pride themselves on their refined taste and love for all things beautiful; they hated nothing more than being told they lacked taste or had poor judgment.

Ye Ling scoffed, unbothered by having provoked the fox. "If the shoe fits, wear it," he mocked. "I’m talking about whoever eats pig offal."

"You!"

Bai Qi was instantly enraged; a bristling fox is a terrifying thing. He shifted into his true form—a massive, snow-white, fluffy creature with nine tails curling in the air, rippling with power as his aura surged. He looked ready to fight.

Ye Ling’s silver eyes flashed with excitement. He transformed into a tall, silver-white wolf, his body powerful and breathtakingly beautiful. He took an attacking stance, his gaze sharp and ferocious. He had long wanted to spar with this fox to test his strength.

The two were at daggers drawn, ready to clash at any moment. The surrounding beasts and females scrambled back to give them space. The females watched with excitement; it was rare to see males fight. Especially Bai Qi, who was known for his gentle nature and legendary patience—he could even tolerate an "ugly" person like Su Xiyue, let alone get angry enough to fight. It seemed Ye Ling’s comment about foxes having no taste had truly struck a nerve.

"Take your fight somewhere else. If you break my cave, I’m moving into yours tonight," a crisp female voice suddenly rang out, filled with annoyance.

The beasts looked over and saw it was Su Xiyue. She was leaning against the stone stove, her round, chubby face expressionless, using her thick fingers to bring another piece of stir-fried intestine to her mouth, eating with great relish. She didn't care at all about the impending fight; she only cared that they might break her cave and leave her with nowhere to sleep.

The beasts: "..."

Su Xiyue’s words caused the about-to-clash Ye Ling and Bai Qi to freeze. Both turned to look at her, their expressions complex. Ye Ling’s silver eyes were particularly dangerous, as if to say, "You wouldn't dare."

Moving into his cave? How could that ever happen? If that fat woman dared to move in, she would be begging for trouble.

Seeing Ye Ling’s warning look, Su Xiyue curled her lip in silence. That dog of a man, why was he acting so fierce? She didn't actually want to move into his cave; it was built too high up, and she was too lazy to climb it. She was just trying to scare them. The stove, the stone pot, and the cave were her most important possessions right now; if any were damaged, her heart would ache.

Bai Qi, seeing her pained expression, understood exactly what she was thinking. He realized the stove hadn't been easy to build, and it would be a shame to break it. Plus, he still wanted to come back and mooch more delicious food. With that thought, his anger dissipated.

He shifted back into human form and walked up to Su Xiyue, his beautiful, androgynous face showing a hint of apology. "My apologies, I was impulsive. I almost fought right in front of your cave."

She looked at him with surprise; she hadn't expected the fox to apologize. She shook her head. "It's fine. There's still more in the pot—do you want some more?" She pointed to the stone pot behind her.

Bai Qi looked at the pot and the remaining intestines inside, his beautiful fox eyes lighting up instantly.

"Yes." He nodded without hesitation, full of excitement. Even if it was pig offal, it was delicious—he had never tasted such good food, and he hadn't had his fill yet.

Su Xiyue’s eyes curved into crescents. She filled the stone plate he had used earlier with a generous portion of intestines and handed it to him. "Here you go. There’s still plenty in the pot; that should be enough."

Bai Qi took it, not standing on ceremony. He grabbed the chopsticks he had used earlier and sat down on a stone left over from building the stove, continuing to eat.

The surrounding beasts and females watched him eat with such delight that they couldn't help but swallow their own saliva. The females, in particular, watching Bai Qi’s elegant (though perhaps not quite as elegant as usual) way of eating and smelling the fragrance filling the air, felt their hunger grow even sharper.

Miya watched with jealous, red-rimmed eyes. She never imagined that this ugly woman could make such delicious food. She couldn't understand it—the intestines clearly smelled foul, so how on earth did this ugly woman make them taste so good and smell so fragrant? It smelled so good that she was tempted to try it herself.

But she was too embarrassed to ask for some. With a cold huff, she turned and left, her face dark. "It's just cooking, isn't it? As if I couldn't do it." She decided she would go back and try it herself. There was no reason that ugly woman could do it and she couldn't. She would definitely make something even better than this, hmph!