Yi Gege, You're Being Mean to Me!

"Just having the intention isn't enough. I put both the Li Fire Bull Demon and the King-level Demon Ape into my Cavern Heavens because I planned to bring them back and make a lavish feast to repay the Willow Deity."

Shi Yi patted his chest hard, looking deeply earnest.

At nine years old, he was high-spirited and possessed the will of a young prodigy, surpassing all under heaven.

If it had been anyone else,

the Willow Deity might not even have acknowledged them. But seeing Shi Yi patting his chest like that, she felt a trace of curiosity. She wondered what kind of cooking could earn Old Suanni's approval.

"I don't want roasted meat," the Willow Deity said.

She knew Shi Yi was skilled at roasting meat, enough that even Old Suanni sang his praises. But since Shi Yi intended to repay her, he could not repay her with the same roasted meat.

"No problem."

Shi Yi wore a confident smile. Roasting, braising, boiling, stir-frying—what wasn't he proficient at?

No roasted meat today.

Today, they were having Hotpot!

Very soon.

Shi Yi opened his six Cavern Heavens and released two Ancient Descendant carcasses in the very center of Stone Village. They were the remains of the King-level Demon Ape and the Li Fire Bull Demon.

The King-level Demon Ape was nothing much to speak of. It stood around two meters tall and looked rather ordinary, but the Li Fire Bull Demon was terrifying, its body more than ten meters tall and dozens of meters long.

Although a month had passed since their deaths, they were Ancient Descendants. Their flesh would not decay for a thousand years, much less after a mere month.

They looked as though they had only recently died.

The torn remains left behind by Old Suanni were still dripping blood.

"These are Ancient Descendants? The King-level Demon Ape and the Li Fire Bull Demon, the two kings who often roam outside the Vast Mountain Range. Shi Yi, did you hunt these Ancient Descendants?" Old Clan Leader Shi Yunfeng was the first to recognize them. He had traveled through the Great Wilderness in his youth and possessed basic knowledge of some Ancient Descendants.

The Great Wilderness did not only contain small villages like Stone Village. It also had great clans and tribes. Tribal Clans with tens of millions of people were as numerous as the sands of the Ganges across the boundless Great Wilderness.

There was no helping it. The human race was simply too capable of reproducing. Population explosions could occur within mere decades or centuries, which was why there were now more than enough Pure-Blooded Ferocious Beasts to eat in the Great Wilderness.

Humans ate beasts, beasts ate humans. Both sides devoured each other, and the weak were prey to the strong.

It had nothing to do with cruelty. It was simply part of nature's laws.

"No. I picked up their remains," Shi Yi shook his head.

"Shi Yi, do... do you have any true..." Old Clan Leader Shi Yunfeng hesitated.

"Yes, Old Clan Leader. You still don't treat me like family. I've stored away all the true blood. It can be used to cleanse Hu Niu, Pi Houzi, and the others at any time."

The six Cavern Heavens behind Shi Yi, resembling volcanic craters, erupted with several waist-high wooden barrels. They were filled with the true blood of the King-level Demon Ape and the Li Fire Bull Demon.

True blood, also known as heart blood, had to be drawn from the hearts of Ancient Descendants and Pure-Blooded Ferocious Beasts. Its quantity was limited.

These several waist-high barrels contained all the true blood from the hearts of the King-level Demon Ape and the Li Fire Bull Demon.

Just then.

A girl about Shi Yi's age pounced onto his back from behind, clinging to him like an accessory.

"Yi Gege!"

Though the girl was still young, she was already beginning to show the makings of a beauty. Her waist-length, ink-black hair could not hide her shapely figure.

"Hu Niu, stop fooling around. Get off me."

Shi Yi pried apart the long legs wrapped around his waist. He could not understand it—was her development really this advanced at her age? Did girls fully mature in their teens?

"No, no!"

Hu Niu shook her head vigorously. Looking both fierce and adorable, she wrapped her legs around him again, giving Shi Yi no chance to break free.

"Get down. I'll treat you to Hotpot later," Shi Yi coaxed.

"Hotpot? I remember. Is it that red, spicy, oily thing we ate last time?"

The moment Hu Niu heard the word Hotpot, drool began spilling from her mouth. That would have been one thing, but it all dripped onto Shi Yi's neck, leaving him truly at a loss for words.

He could not hit her. If he did, she would cry.

"Yes, yes, yes. Now get down!" Shi Yi urged.

"Yi Gege, you're being mean to me!"

Hu Niu's eyes filled with tears, and her aggrieved gaze seemed able to speak.

"I... Hu Niu, actually, I..."

Shi Yi's mouth twitched. He hurriedly soothed this little troublemaker, lest she truly start making a fuss and ruin his important plans.

Today's Hotpot was of great significance to him. It determined whether he could make the Willow Deity maintain her human Law Body for a long time.

Only if she could maintain her human Law Body for a long time

would he have a chance to pursue the Willow Deity.

Otherwise, could he really be perverted enough to fantasize about a willow tree?

That was impossible! That went beyond merely being perverted.

Ten minutes later.

After successfully calming Hu Niu down, Shi Yi lowered his head and considered which carcass—the King-level Demon Ape's or the Li Fire Bull Demon's—to use as the main ingredient for today's Hotpot.

The King-level Demon Ape was the first to be ruled out. Not only was it pitch-black and ugly, it did not even have much meat. That left only the Li Fire Bull Demon.

"Old Clan Leader, I'll leave this King-level Demon Ape to you. It devoured countless people in life. After death, it should naturally become food in human stomachs."

Shi Yi gave the King-level Demon Ape's remains to Old Clan Leader Shi Yunfeng. Although the carcass no longer contained true blood, and Shi Yi had already taken its precious bones,

it was still an Ancient Descendant. Its flesh still contained many benefits.

If Stone Village's hunting party ate its remains, their strength could increase greatly as well.

Then they would not end up like last time, when they went out to hunt a Prehistoric Ferocious Beast.

Because Shi Yi had been at a critical moment in breaking through to the Cavern Heaven realm and had not gone with them, Shi Linhu, the candidate for the next Stone Village clan leader, had carelessly met his death in the jaws of a ferocious beast.

The Willow Deity was not a nanny either. She would only protect Stone Village and keep the village safe. When they went out to hunt for food, they had to face the dangers outside on their own.

Besides.

Death at the jaws of ferocious beasts happened every day throughout the Great Wilderness. Shi Linhu was not an exception.

Some cruel Ancient Descendants and Pure-Blooded Ferocious Beasts would devour an entire Tribal Clan in one meal.

"Shi Yi... We've just accepted so much Ancient Descendant true blood from you, and now you're giving us an Ancient Descendant carcass as well..." Old Clan Leader Shi Yunfeng was too moved to speak.

Others might not understand the true value of Ancient Descendant true blood and Ancient Descendant remains, since they could not hunt ferocious beasts of that level in their entire lives.

But he had traveled through the Great Wilderness. Though he had never left it to see the outside world or witness ancient kingdoms with long legacies such as the Stone Kingdom and the Fire Kingdom,

he had visited many Tribal Clans in the Great Wilderness and knew that among those tribes, this Ancient Descendant true blood and these Ancient Descendant remains were treasured heirlooms kept hidden away.

"Old Clan Leader, your surname is Shi, and so is mine. We are family to begin with. Family shouldn't say such distant things." Shi Yi put on the air of a little adult.

And so.

After successfully giving away the King-level Demon Ape, which he did not need, to people who did, Shi Yi took out a sharp stone knife and efficiently began dissecting the Li Fire Bull Demon's remains.

Do not ask why he was so efficient.

The answer was simply that the past few years had been too bitter.

Crack. The stone knife suddenly snapped.

Shi Yi stared helplessly at the stone knife that had accompanied him for three years as it broke apart. He sighed and said softly, "Even after I carefully sharpened it until its edge was incomparably sharp, this stone knife still cannot cut through the Li Fire Bull Demon's hide. It truly is worthy of being an Ancient Descendant."