Watching the Great Owl Being Cooked

As evening approached, the beasts scattered.

"Truly not simple..."

Sighing helplessly in his heart, Ren Li opened his eyes.

He had been sitting cross-legged, concentrating and sensing, in this spot for nearly half a day.

The result was nothing!

His mind weary, he raised a hand to rub his temples and looked up, seeing the Corpse Buriers looking quite tense.

Simply put, they had finished their work for the day moments ago, packed up their tools, and instead of acting as usual, they were standing rigidly at the edge, lost in thought, occasionally lowering their heads and glancing sideways at Ren Li.

The Foreman was still here!

The Foreman hadn't said they could knock off yet!

That was a Foreman at Peak Qi Refining!

In the shantytown area of the border town, that was a dominant cultivation level, coupled with a status a cut above the gang leaders. How dare they take any independent action without permission?

Ren Li could see at a glance that this was their usual cautious and fearful mindset. He also saw at a glance that one person was missing among the Corpse Buriers.

Du En was, unsurprisingly, absent.

Ren Li stood up, his Magic Power vibrating lightly to shake off the dirt, and walked over.

Seeing this, Ning Caize and the others instinctively bent over and stepped back, not daring to let their own stench offend the Foreman's nose and eyes.

Although he himself seemed completely unbothered.

"Heh, that kid never cared about that, so he left without even reporting to me?"

"Uh, Du En said that you were focused on your own matters and couldn't be disturbed, that he had his own plans, so, so, there was no need to wait."

Ning Caize said, bracing himself.

As soon as he finished speaking, he couldn't help but cough twice.

"The root of the illness is in the lungs, the damage to metal is still shallow. Hmm? Looking at you, in your forties, it doesn't seem shallow."

Only then did Ren Li shift some of his attention to Ning Caize, quickly assessing his Old Chronic Illness, and felt a sense of strangeness.

This made Old Ning's heart tighten, and he stammered, not daring to answer.

After all, the matter involved Du En.

Fortunately, Ren Li merely raised an eyebrow slightly and didn't press further or reprimand him, instead turning his head.

Because Du En had returned.

He had used the cart as bait, successfully luring the gluttonous Great Owl, and managed to catch it not far away. He then used the freed-up time to find medicinal herbs, gathering several large sacks, which were piled onto the cart and brought back together.

Ren Li: "..."

I had anticipated what kind of situations I might encounter while working as a Foreman here.

But I never expected that you, a seemingly ordinary little foreman, would be so unconventional and do as you please!

He couldn't help but click his tongue. Seeing Du En finishing up and preparing to leave, he couldn't help but speak, "Kid, it seems I've truly misunderstood you!"

"What?" Du En asked, feigning ignorance.

Ren Li snorted lightly, immediately making the others break out in a cold sweat.

In comparison, he immediately felt bored and sighed, "It's just that I don't like to fuss over these things, otherwise, I would definitely teach you a good lesson."

"Foreman Ren, you should say that it was precisely because I realized you were this kind of person that I chose to act this way."

"Sizing people up, huh? Then why didn't you size up Steward He's reaction?"

Ren Li shook his head, walked over, and without minding the dirt, sat down on the cart, continuing, "Alright, let's go. It won't be safe here after a while."

Hearing this, Du En waved his hand, and the others, along with the two Grey Jackals, began to move.

He then took the opportunity to ask, "What exactly happens in this wilderness at night?"

These Corpse Buriers knew nothing about it, but Ren Li, who had just taken up his post, was quite aware of it.

However, Ren Li did not answer, and instead, he unfastened the medicinal herb bags and took a look: "Yang-warm herbs, neutral-natured herbs, cooling tonic herbs, quite a complete set. And they were picked well, you're quite skilled. Why did you gather so much? Do you usually moonlight selling medicinal soup for a living?"

From He Bo's attitude, he had guessed that wages wouldn't be paid normally under his command, so this speculation at this time was normal.

Du En did answer, but simply: "For myself."

"For yourself?"

Ren Li was a little confused and subconsciously looked at the Great Owl, which was still dripping blood.

Isn't that the ingredient?

Although it was obvious it would be difficult to eat, it was still a piece of meat. If he could swallow it, his meals would be considered decent compared to ordinary laborers.

"Yes, for myself."

Du En still answered this way.

Fine, let me see how you eat it!

Feeling like he'd hit a brick wall, Ren Li was a bit annoyed.

He didn't say any more, just sat quietly, watching Du En and the others use their legs to get around.

Honestly, the others didn't dare get in the cart, but Du En didn't get in because the cart was piled so high that sitting squeezed together would not only be uncomfortable but also likely dirty Ren Li's clothes, which was why he hadn't gotten in.

His attitude towards Ren Li was just his usual demeanor, not a genuine lack of composure or politeness.

And so, the seven people, two jackals, and one cart returned to the shack district.

The people they saw along the way were all surprised and astonished, but because Ren Li was so visibly "high and mighty," they didn't dare to gossip.

They returned to the small courtyard peacefully.

Ren Li sniffed, sealed his nostrils with his Magic Power, and then nodded, saying, "You actually have a separate small courtyard? It seems the former Foreman was quite generous!"

So that's how it was.

Among the Corpse Buriers, the position of Foreman was likely kept vacant specifically for situations like this.

Du En thought this, solving one mystery. He didn't say much, just went about his usual tasks.

He put the pot on the stove, boiled water, plucked and gutted the bird, rinsed it with clean water, added medicinal herbs, tossed them in handfuls, then submerged the pale, plump Great Owl. Afterward, he clapped his hands and went to wash up and change his clothes.

Ren Li frowned, pacing a bit. He understood now, but was also a little shocked.

Spirit Cuisine?

No way!?

He wanted to ask the others, but when he turned his head, he only saw them looking distracted and nervous. They forced a calm expression when they met his gaze, clearly looking guilty.

They're just hiding a little stash, and they're afraid I'll find out?

If they had a thousand or eight hundred Mid-grade Spirit Stones, I might actually do something.

Ren Li shook his head and said nothing, just waited.

The waiting made him increasingly agitated. Seeing that the pot had already boiled and a stew of rotten smell mixed with medicinal scents was rising, he started to feel like the eunuch was more anxious than the emperor.

If you're really cooking Spirit Cuisine, how can you leave?

How can you control the heat? And the medicinal herbs clearly haven't been added yet!

You're taking your sweet time, what a smug guy!

Tsk! My brain must be fried to be talking so politely to this kid!

Many thoughts raced through his mind, but glancing at Ning Caize and the others, who were acting like quails, and thinking that he would likely be staying here for a while, and that a boring, monotonous life without anyone to chat with would affect his mindset and the outcome, Ren Li suppressed his irritation.

Du En seemed to be completely ignoring him, but in reality, he was taking breaks to observe.

He made an initial assessment and continued to observe.

Not finding anything that required him to change his daily rhythm, he continued as before.

In Ren Li's view, Du En was just late, and he looked over with some displeasure.