Watching the Owl Being Boiled

At dusk, the birds and beasts scattered in all directions.

"So it really is no simple matter..."

With a helpless sigh in his heart, Ren Li opened his eyes.

He had been sitting cross-legged in this spot, concentrating on his insight, for nearly half a day.

And the result was nothing!

Fatigued in both body and spirit, he raised a hand to rub his temples. When he looked up, he saw that the corpse buriers seemed rather tense.

Put simply, they had finished today's work a moment ago, packed away all their tools, and then, instead of acting as they usually did, stood rooted at the edge, staring blankly while occasionally lowering their heads and furtively glancing toward Ren Li.

The overseer was still here!

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

And that was an overseer at Peak Qi Refining!

In the Shack District of the border city, such cultivation was practically that of a hegemon. On top of that, his status was a cut above those gang leaders. How could they dare take any independent action without permission?

At a glance, Ren Li could see their usual mixture of caution and fear. At the same glance, he could also see that one person was missing from among the corpse buriers.

Du En was, quite naturally, absent.

Ren Li rose to his feet. With a slight tremor of magical power, he shook off the dust and mud, then paced over.

Seeing this, Ning Caize and the others instinctively bent over and stepped aside, not daring to let the filth and stench on their bodies offend the overseer's nose and eyes.

Even though he himself seemed not to care in the slightest.

"Heh, that boy never cared about this sort of thing. So he went back first without even reporting to me?"

"Uh, Du En said that you were focused on your own affairs and couldn't be disturbed, and that he knew what he was doing, so, so there was no need to wait."

Ning Caize forced himself to say this.

As soon as he finished, he couldn't help coughing twice.

"The illness is rooted in the lungs. Metal damage is still shallow. Hm? Judging by the way you look in your forties, it doesn't seem shallow at all."

Only then did Ren Li turn some of his attention to Ning Caize. He quickly judged the condition of his longstanding illness and immediately sensed something strange.

Old Ning's heart tightened. He stammered, not daring to answer.

After all, this involved Du En.

Fortunately, Ren Li merely raised his brows slightly without pressing him or scolding him. Instead, he turned his head away.

Because Du En had returned.

Using the handcart as bait, he had successfully lured in the greedy great owl. He had caught it without running too far, then used the spare time to search for medicinal herbs, gathering several huge bags and piling them onto the cart before hauling everything back together.

Ren Li: "..."

I had already imagined what situations I might encounter while serving as an overseer here.

But I never imagined that you, a small foreman with such an unremarkable appearance, would be so unconventional and utterly do as you pleased!

He couldn't help clicking his tongue. Seeing Du En finish tidying up and prepare to leave, he still couldn't resist speaking. "Boy, it seems I really did misunderstand you!"

"What?" Du En asked, seemingly pretending not to know.

Ren Li gave a soft snort, immediately frightening the others into breaking out in a cold sweat.

By comparison, he instantly found it boring again. With a sigh, he said, "It's only because I'm not someone who likes to quibble over such things. Otherwise, I would definitely have taught you a proper lesson."

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

"Picking the vegetables according to who's watching? Then why didn't you pick them according to Steward He's expression?"

Ren Li shook his head and walked over. Not minding the dirt, he plopped down onto the handcart, then continued, "All right, let's go. This place won't be safe after a while."

At his words, Du En waved his hand. The others, along with the two Grey Jackals, began moving.

He then casually asked, "What exactly happens in this wasteland at night?"

The corpse buriers knew nothing about it. On the other hand, Ren Li, who had only just taken up his post, clearly knew the situation fairly well.

However, Ren Li did not answer. He busied himself opening the bundles of medicinal herbs and took a look. "Warming herbs, neutral herbs, cooling tonics—you've got quite a complete assortment. And they were gathered well, too. You're an experienced hand. Why did you get so many? Do you sell medicinal soup on the side to make ends meet?"

From He Bo's attitude, he could already guess that wages under him would never be paid out properly. So this speculation was perfectly natural.

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

"For yourself?"

Ren Li was puzzled. Almost instinctively, he looked toward the great owl that was still dripping blood.

Isn't that the ingredient?

Although it was obviously hard to eat at a glance, it was meat all the same. If he could swallow it, then compared with ordinary Underlying Layer laborers, the meals would still be fairly decent.

"For myself."

Du En gave the same answer.

Fine. Let me see how you plan to eat it!

Feeling as though he had hit a soft nail, Ren Li grew somewhat irritated.

He said no more, merely sitting in silence and watching Du En and the others run on foot.

To be honest, the others didn't dare get on the cart. As for Du En, the cart was piled high, and squeezing in would not only be uncomfortable but would also risk dirtying Ren Li's clothes. That was why he did not climb aboard.

His attitude toward Ren Li was merely ordinary. It wasn't that he truly lacked judgment, nor that he was genuinely without manners.

Thus, seven people, one cart, and two Grey Jackals returned to the Shack District.

The people they passed along the way were startled and astonished, but because Ren Li's "lofty position" was visible to the naked eye, they did not dare discuss anything.

They returned peacefully to the small courtyard.

Ren Li twitched his nose and used magical power to block the smell before nodding. "You actually have a private little courtyard. Looks like the previous overseers were quite generous!"

So that's how it is.

On the corpse buriers' side, this overseer's position had probably been deliberately left vacant and nominal, to be used for matters like this one now.

Thinking this, Du En solved one of his doubts. He said nothing more and simply went about his ordinary tasks.

He set a pot on the fire and boiled water, plucked the feathers and gutted the owl, changed the water, added the medicinal herbs by the handful, then lowered the pale, glistening great owl into the pot. After that, he clapped his hands and went off to bathe and wash his clothes.

Ren Li furrowed his brows and paced about. Along with sudden understanding, a trace of astonishment appeared on his face.

Spirit cuisine?

No way!?

He wanted to ask the others, but when he turned his head, he saw only their distracted, terrified faces. Under his gaze, they forced themselves to remain calm, their guilt written plainly across their expressions.

They're merely hiding a little of their household savings. Are they really afraid I'll discover it?

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

Ren Li shook his head without speaking and silently waited.

The longer he waited, the more agitated he became. Watching the pot boil, with the stench of decay mingling with the medicinal aroma as it rose from the stewed owl, he began to fret more than the person involved.

If you're really cooking spirit cuisine, how can you leave?

How are you supposed to control the heat? Besides, it's obvious you haven't added enough medicinal herbs yet!

Taking your sweet time, are you? Good boy, you're really arrogant!

Tsk! I must have had a screw loose to speak so gently and politely with this brat!

Many thoughts churned through his mind. But when he glanced at Ning Caize and the others, who were huddled together like quails, and remembered that he would probably have to stay here for quite some time, he realized that if every day was dull and tedious, without even anyone to chat with and dispel the boredom, it might affect his state of mind and his results. Thus, Ren Li still restrained his irritation.

Du En seemed completely indifferent to him, but in reality, he took time out to observe him.

He first made a preliminary judgment, then continued observing.

After finding no need to alter his daily rhythm, he continued maintaining it.

In Ren Li's eyes, Du En was simply late to the party, and he immediately looked over at him with displeasure.