I Want One Thing

Yi Yun could hardly wait. He poured on the sauce he had prepared earlier, tore off a chicken leg, gave it a deep sniff, and took a bite.

The skin was crisp and delicious, the meat tender and succulent, the juices slicking his teeth and the fragrance lingering in his mouth.

It had to be said that the nameless wild chicken the Fat Old Man had given him was unbelievably delicious. No wonder the old man had roasted the chicken into that sorry state and still eaten it with such relish.

Moreover, the chicken contained a stream of pure energy. As Yi Yun swallowed the meat, that energy flowed through his entire body, filling him with a warm, indescribably comfortable sensation.

The wine the old man had given him was special as well. Even after being salt-baked, its flavor had not dissipated. Instead, it had seeped into the chicken, infusing it with an intoxicating aroma.

The energy contained in the fine wine was even purer, making Yi Yun feel so comfortable that every pore across his body seemed to open.

Lin Xin Tong looked at Yi Yun curiously. Just from the fragrance and appearance, she could tell that the chicken had to taste excellent.

This child looked no more than twelve years old. He could actually cook like this?

"Fairy Sister, would you like some?"

Yi Yun had a very sweet mouth. He could tell that this girl's identity and status were far from ordinary, and that the old man treated her like the apple of his eye. Since he did not know her name, calling her Fairy Sister certainly could not be wrong.

"Uh..." Lin Xin Tong froze for a moment. Yi Yun had torn off another untouched chicken leg and was offering it to her, leaving her somewhat at a loss.

After hesitating briefly, she accepted it and took a small bite.

Sure enough, the fresh fragrance was utterly intoxicating!

Compared with this, the "charcoal chicken" roasted by her master was simply impossible to swallow.

The girl took out a handkerchief, wiped the corner of her mouth, and smiled in thanks.

She had never tried this cooking method before. The flavor was extraordinarily unique.

Although Lin Xin Tong was indifferent by nature and not particularly attached to food, she had been out training for so long and eating "charcoal chicken" with its bitter, burnt taste every day. She had had more than enough of it.

Although the girl was appreciative, she did not react with any exaggeration. The Fat Old Man, however, was different. He was a greedy old glutton. He had reached the Bigu realm countless years ago, but he had never gained the awareness to practice Bigu. He could not go without four meals a day: breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a midnight snack.

When he was at home, servants supplied him with food and drink. The flavors were decent, and he ate to his heart's content. But now that he had come out to train his disciple, things had become rather miserable. After eating charcoal-roasted food for so long, he had grown sick of it.

He was drooling with hunger, but he could not bring himself to ask Yi Yun for some. Seeing that Yi Yun had no intention of sharing the chicken with him, the Fat Old Man became displeased. This brat is truly ungrateful. Has he forgotten who gave him the chicken and wine?

"I never would have guessed that a child like you could cook. Over the years, this old man has sampled every delicacy under the heavens, so there's no need to mention the authority of my palate! Come, young fellow. Let this old man appraise your cooking and see how your skills are. If there's anything that can be improved, I won't be stingy with my guidance."

As the Fat Old Man spoke, one greasy, soot-smeared hand reached over. He had not even wiped his hands after eating the roasted chicken!

Yi Yun instinctively tried to dodge, but for some reason, although the fat hand looked slow, he could not evade it at all. The old man tore off nearly half the chicken in one pull, taking both of the choice wings!

Damn it!

Yi Yun cursed inwardly, but by then the Fat Old Man had already taken a bite. As he bit down, his little eyes cast a sly glance at Yi Yun, as if saying, With those puny skills of yours, you still thought you could evade this old man's hand?

The Fat Old Man's bite released a gush of grease and filled his mouth with fragrance. His eyes instantly lit up!

The flavor of the chicken itself went without saying. The most important part was the taste of the wine.

In truth, the old man had eaten plenty of rare and exquisite delicacies before, but this method of Yi Yun's was something he had never seen.

The fine wine had seeped into the chicken, making it even richer and more mellow!

He was not only a foodie but a drunkard as well. He had never imagined that wine could be used this way. Two delicious flavors, wine and chicken, had originally been separate, yet when combined, they produced a marvelous result!

By comparison, the roasted chicken he had made earlier was practically fit only for feeding dogs!

The old man had clearly already eaten one chicken, and this nameless wild chicken had been plump and hefty at that. Yi Yun had learned the Elephant Swallowing Art, so he could sense that this chicken was extremely easy to digest. An ordinary person who ate only one chicken leg would probably not feel hungry for several days.

Yet the old man had eaten one and a half chickens without feeling anything at all.

The Fat Old Man appeared to eat the chicken quite elegantly, but he was astonishingly fast. In a little over a minute, the half-chicken had been reduced to a pile of bones.

And what a clean pile it was. Even the thin ribs had been gnawed until every one stood out distinctly. Even a dog would have felt ashamed.

Ignoring Yi Yun's astonished gaze, the old man calmly wiped the grease from his lips and said, "The taste is all right, I suppose. Improve it a little more and it might even catch up to this old man's roasted chicken."

The old man said this shamelessly. Yi Yun nearly choked. What kind of person is this fellow? His identity and status seem extraordinary, so how did he end up with such a character?

The old man seemed not to notice Yi Yun's contemptuous gaze. He looked at the salt-baked chicken in Yi Yun's hand and said, "Why aren't you eating? Are you full?"

"No!" Yi Yun was startled and hurriedly shook his head, quickly attacking the salt-baked chicken in his hand.

You must be joking. If I'm even a second too slow, the chicken in my hand will probably turn into a pile of bones in the blink of an eye.

The chicken was delicious, but it was also an enormous tonic for the body. Yi Yun could feel that, in this short while, his depleted body had already replenished a great deal of energy. The flesh and blood within him began stirring again, as if they were about to strengthen once more.

Could this chicken be an ancient bird similar to a desolate beast?

Yi Yun felt somewhat emotional. The wealthy ate things like this every day, so it was only natural that their strength advanced by leaps and bounds.

He had been overjoyed just moments ago because he had reached perfection in Body Refinement, but he had calmed down now.

His strength was still too low. Among a small tribe, he stood alone like a lone peak, but within a great Lineage, he might not stand out at all. He still had a long road ahead of him.

"Hey, old man sees that you have some talent for cooking. Since fate has brought us together, this old man should get to know you..."

As the Fat Old Man spoke, he reached for his ring.

This was the second time Yi Yun had heard those words, so he was practically immune to them. He calmly wiped his mouth and waited for the Fat Old Man to take something out.

"Heh heh, young fellow, take these and buy yourself some candy." The Fat Old Man pulled two heavy Gold Ingots from his ring. They looked to weigh forty or fifty taels.

This was the first time Yi Yun had seen Gold Ingots. Back on Earth, he had only seen gold bars displayed in bank windows, and even those had not been this large.

Yi Yun could not help taking a couple more looks.

"Come, this old man has another twenty or thirty chickens. Process them for me, and these two ingots of gold will be yours. They'll buy you plenty of candy." The old man beamed. Although he refused to admit it aloud, he knew that his cooking skills were utterly outclassed by Yi Yun's. In particular, Yi Yun's salt-baked chicken, with its combination of wine and meat fragrances, had left the Fat Old Man drooling.

Yi Yun curled his lips. In Yunhuang, gold was attractive to look at but useless in practice.

On Earth, two chunks of gold this large would have been enough to buy food for a lifetime. But in this other world, grain was extremely expensive. In Yunhuang especially, having gold did not necessarily mean one could buy anything. If he tried to use gold to purchase grain from Lian Chengyu, would that not be walking straight into a tiger's den?

"I don't want gold." Yi Yun was completely unmoved. The old man had first offered him copper coins and now gold. In the end, he had always treated Yi Yun as an ordinary child who had enjoyed a stroke of luck, not a martial artist. "Senior, do you not know that a child carrying gold through a busy marketplace will meet a miserable end?"

"Uh?" The Fat Old Man was instantly left speechless. He thought, If you don't want it, you could still give it to your parents.

Beside the Fat Old Man, Lin Xin Tong looked at Yi Yun in surprise. The principle that possessing a treasure would bring trouble was simple enough, but for an eleven- or twelve-year-old child to remain utterly unmoved at the sight of such massive Gold Ingots and calmly say these words was truly impressive.

"Then what do you want?" The Fat Old Man put the gold away.

"I only want to ask Senior for one thing." Yi Yun spoke slowly, meeting the Fat Old Man's gaze calmly.

The Fat Old Man became interested. "Let's hear it."

"From the moment I saw Senior, I knew you weren't an ordinary person. You must hold a high position, with an extraordinary status, and possess..."

"All right, stop flattering me." The Fat Old Man looked at Yi Yun contemptuously. This brat is truly a little sly fox.

"Mm... I'm not flattering you, Senior. I'm merely expressing my admiration. The reason you possess everything you have, and the reason countless people, including me, admire you, is because... Senior, you have strength!!"

"In the Great Wilderness, only those with strength can earn respect!"

"So I boldly ask Senior for the one thing I want, which is—strength!!"

Yi Yun spoke with immense conviction. His tone was slow, yet his words struck straight into the ear, causing the Fat Old Man to freeze in surprise.

Lin Xin Tong also blinked her beautiful eyes and looked at Yi Yun in astonishment. In truth, the principle Yi Yun had spoken of was very simple. But when his master had asked what he wanted, Yi Yun had used it to solemnly express his desire to become stronger, rather than casually saying something like an ordinary child.

Those words truly did not sound like something a child would say.