The Matter of Treating Someone to a Meal

The scenario of being boiled and eaten didn't happen. A group of onlooking 'barbarians' parted, and an old man walked out, his snow-white beard reaching nearly to his waist, wrinkles on his face deep enough to trap mosquitoes. Leaning on a wooden staff, he approached Bai Yang.

This old man seemed to hold a high status here; as soon as he appeared, the surrounding noise basically died down.

Though the old man was ancient and decrepit, his eyes were sharp, his frame large, and his stride vigorous. Bai Yang figured the old man could probably live another ten or twenty years without issue.

The old man jabbered something at Bai Yang, but he couldn't understand a word. His face was blank, and there was no translator around, which was a bit awkward.

Then the old man said something to the three people who had brought Bai Yang here. Those three responded occasionally, sometimes nodding, sometimes shaking their heads...

Bai Yang could only stare helplessly, sneaking glances at the people around him from the corner of his eye. He sadly realized that if it came to a fight, he probably couldn't even beat the children here. Even the little ones, barely a meter tall, were all muscle...

The people here, men and women alike, were all built sturdy. Standing among them, he was nothing but a weakling.

However, Bai Yang noticed one thing: the way people here dressed was very casual. Well, 'casual' was just a relatively nice term Bai Yang came up with. To put it bluntly, it was downright embarrassing...

Kids under a meter tall mostly ran around bare-assed, regardless of gender. As for the adults, the men were basically shirtless, either wearing an animal hide around their waists or rough shorts made of some unknown fabric. The women were similar, but at least they covered their upper bodies—a strip of coarse cloth or a piece of animal hide wrapped around did the trick.

"No wonder the kids here grow up like little bulls. Those women are way too 'chesty.' Plenty of milk gave them a solid foundation from childhood!"

Bai Yang's eyes darted around, his face a little red, especially when a group of women pointed at him and deliberately puffed out their chests, bursting into laughter.

Then a big hand landed on Bai Yang's shoulder. He looked up and saw it was Number Two Barbarian. Though there was no verbal communication, the guy winked and made an expression that any man would understand...

"%&...￥%...￥*(&"

The long-bearded old man said something to Bai Yang. Though he couldn't understand, he could grasp the old man's gesture: he wanted Bai Yang to follow.

Adopting a mindset of 'take things as they come, and if things go wrong, he'd run,' Bai Yang followed behind the old man.

The people around pointed at Bai Yang and muttered, as if looking at some exotic spectacle. The old man thumped his wooden staff on the ground and said something in a loud voice, and the crowd immediately scattered.

"Being gawked at is the worst, especially by a bunch of barbarians who look like they could eat me at any moment," Bai Yang muttered to himself, wiping non-existent cold sweat from his forehead.

This village, built in the jungle, was surrounded by walls made of thick tree trunks. It was probably no less than five hundred meters in diameter, with several hundred large trees, most of which would take several or even a dozen people to wrap their arms around.

Bai Yang had to admire these people's survival wisdom. Building houses in the trees not only protected against beast attacks but also prevented flood damage. A river ran through the village, and Bai Yang didn't believe there wouldn't be some flooding.

Following the old man to the largest tree in the village, they climbed a long ladder. The three who had brought Bai Yang here also followed.

Up in the tree, Bai Yang was surprised to find that although the house was built at least thirty meters above the ground, it wasn't small. It wasn't the kind of tiny treehouse he had imagined, but a real set of rooms, probably over a hundred square meters, and three stories high. Bai Yang could tell from the balcony outside. The roof was covered with some kind of grass he didn't recognize.

Entering the house, the first thing that caught Bai Yang's eye was a hall that resembled a mountain stronghold's main hall. At the front was a chair covered in tiger skin, and on either side were two rows of about ten to twenty chairs facing each other.

Just as Bai Yang was wondering if this really was some kind of stronghold, a few nimble women came in, quickly cleared away the chairs on both sides, and set up simple low tables. Behind each table was a soft cushion woven from some unknown material, like a prayer mat.

Under the white-bearded old man's gesture, Bai Yang sat on the cushion. Then those women appeared again, swiftly placing on the table some fruits Bai Yang didn't recognize at all, followed by roasted meat on wooden platters. There was also a rough black jar on the table, about the size of a pregnant woman's belly...

Bai Yang stared blankly at the huge spread of food. Was this an invitation to eat?

Bai Yang had heard that some ethnic minorities in certain parts of Huaxia were very hospitable. Could it be the same in this world?

As it turned out, Bai Yang's guess was pretty much on the mark. This jungle village rarely had outsiders. Unless they needed to trade for essential goods, the villagers almost never went outside. Although Bai Yang seemed a bit strange to them, he was the first guest to arrive here in a long time.

Glancing around the hall, Bai Yang noticed that besides himself and the three who had brought him here, there were about a dozen others who had shown up at some point. Each one was broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, exuding wildness. Like him, they each had a wooden table about a meter long in front of them, piled with fruits, roasted meat, and a big black jar.

At the front, the white-bearded old man, who seemed like the village chief, smiled at Bai Yang and jabbered something incomprehensible. Then he made a 'please' gesture.

Bai Yang then saw the people in the hall start eating. They grabbed big chunks of roasted meat and stuffed them into their mouths, occasionally taking a bite of fruit to cut the grease. Then they opened the jars—it turned out to be alcohol—and drank straight from the jars. In no time, the whole room was filled with the aroma of wine and meat...

Bai Yang stared blankly at this bunch of barbarians feasting. While inwardly shouting, 'You guys are way too bold!' he was also completely dumbfounded. Since this was a meal, where were the bowls? The chopsticks? The rice?

Moreover, there was one thing Bai Yang hesitated to try: the fruits, roasted meat, and alcohol in front of him. These barbarians could eat them without issue, but what about his Earthling constitution? Would he have an adverse reaction? Some things that were food for these people might be deadly poison for him!

While Bai Yang was observing them, they were also secretly watching him, especially the white-bearded old man. He took in all of Bai Yang's reactions and nodded thoughtfully to himself.

Then he said something toward the back of the house, and a woman walked out, carrying a wooden tray as she headed straight for Bai Yang.

At the sight of this woman, Bai Yang's expression froze, and he instinctively swallowed.

She was about 1.7 meters tall, with an hourglass figure that was a devil's dream. Even by Earthling standards, she was a standard beauty. Her wheat-colored skin exuded wildness, with big eyes, a small mouth, a high nose bridge, and a delicate face. Her hair was casually tied back in a neat ponytail.

What really got Bai Yang was her outfit. Her ample chest was wrapped in a strip of cloth about a foot wide, looking like it might burst at any moment. Her slender, supple waist was incredibly striking. A leather skirt covered her lower half, and as she walked toward Bai Yang on straight, long legs, it nearly made him stop breathing.

"What's going on?" Bai Yang was confused.

What surprised him even more was that this woman walked right up to him, knelt down, and placed the wooden tray on the table in front of him. On the tray were two wooden bowls, two pairs of chopsticks, and a small knife.

The wooden bowls and chopsticks, no matter how Bai Yang looked at them, seemed newly made...

Under Bai Yang's stunned gaze, the woman first used the small knife to deftly cut the roasted meat on the table into small pieces. Then she picked up one pair of chopsticks, picked up some meat, and placed it in a bowl. Next, she opened the jar and poured a bowl of emerald-green wine into another bowl. Then she just stared at Bai Yang with her big eyes.

Bai Yang looked up in confusion and saw that everyone was watching him.

"What does this mean?" Bai Yang was utterly bewildered.

The white-bearded old man made a 'please' gesture at Bai Yang. He understood that—he was being told to eat.

Looking around, then at the bowls in front of him, then at the woman beside him who had a faint, pleasant scent, Bai Yang was completely lost.

What left him even more dumbfounded was that the woman blinked her big eyes at him, then reached out, grabbed a pair of chopsticks, and—looking very unskilled—picked up a piece of meat and brought it to his lips.

His thoughts nearly at a standstill, Bai Yang instinctively opened his mouth and ate it. He couldn't tell what the meat tasted like, and he had forgotten all about whether his Earthling constitution could handle this place's food.

Being fed by someone, and a gorgeous woman at that—when had Bai Yang ever experienced such treatment?

Seeing Bai Yang eat, the people in the hall started eating again. But for some reason, their movements had lost their earlier boldness and seemed a bit awkward.

"He really is a young master. He needs bowls and chopsticks, those unnecessary things, to eat. And without a woman to serve him, he can't even feed himself!"

"Having a young master like this come to our village is our good fortune. We must treat him well."

"If he takes a liking to Little Cat, then Little Cat will be set for life."

The feasting crowd muttered quietly in a language Bai Yang couldn't understand...

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