The Spirit Rat Thief

He took a barbecue grill, charcoal, and a large quantity of Two-Headed Silver-Ringed Python back-meat, which he had skewered in advance, out of his Qiankun Pouch.

He sprinkled on his secret marinade and grilled the meat until the flavors were fully absorbed.

The sight of the golden, crispy meat, overflowing with a rich aroma, made Shen Mo feel increasingly ravenous, his mouth watering at the sight.

"Smells divine!"

He patiently grilled the tender back-meat until it was golden and crispy before carrying it over to the stone table in the pavilion.

After taking a seat on the stone bench nearby, he retrieved a jar of wine from his Qiankun Pouch.

Green Mystic Spirit Wine.

This was a gift from Senior Brother Guo Zhao, given in gratitude for the opportunity Shen Mo had provided him.

Guo Zhao had given Shen Mo four jars of wine in total, and usually, Shen Mo found the wine too precious to bring out and drink.

But at this moment, having just experienced a breakthrough and with delicious barbecue for company, listening to the tides of the river and facing the gentle breeze, he felt it would be inexcusable not to bring out a jar and drink his fill.

"Mmm."

He took a deep gulp of the wine, then picked up the barbecue and began to feast alone.

[You have consumed a mouthful of Green Mystic Spirit Wine; your cultivation has improved.]

[You have consumed a mouthful of Green Mystic Spirit Wine; your cultivation has improved.]

[You have eaten two pounds of Two-Headed Silver-Ringed Python meat; you finally feel somewhat satiated.]

[You have consumed a mouthful of Green Mystic Spirit Wine; the potency of the wine gradually disperses, and your newly broken-through realm is steadily consolidated.]

Glancing briefly at the notifications constantly popping up on the information panel, Shen Mo closed it, choosing not to look any further.

He then reached out, intending to grab the jar of Green Mystic Spirit Wine to drink a few more hearty gulps.

However, when he lifted the half-empty jar, he found it completely hollow.

"What?" Shen Mo was slightly stunned, feeling bewildered. "I clearly hadn't finished it just now. Could I truly be that drunk?"

"This Green Mystic Spirit Wine shouldn't be this intoxicating."

Just as he was feeling puzzled, he looked up and glanced at the barbecue on the stone table.

In an instant, his entire body went numb.

"Where did my roasted meat go?"

The two or three pounds of meat that had been on the stone table were now missing a good portion.

"What the hell!"

He could have attributed the mysterious disappearance of the spirit wine to a lapse in his own memory.

But with the barbecue also vanishing, Shen Mo finally sensed that something was wrong.

He scanned his surroundings; it was quiet and deserted, with only the sound of the tide lapping against the shore echoing, but soon, Shen Mo heard an unusual noise.

"Crunch! Crunch!"

It seemed that, faintly, the sound of something chewing food had emerged.

"Under the table!"

After identifying the source of the sound, he thrust his head directly under the table.

Hidden beneath the table was a massive rat!

The giant rat was entirely crimson, with short, sparse fur and a single pale-gold tuft of hair on its head, making it look somewhat foolish.

It resembled a mouse in appearance, but its size was nothing like an ordinary rodent; on the contrary, it was as fat and large as a cat.

When Shen Mo discovered it, it was using its slender hands to clutch a large piece of meat, working hard to eat.

Seeing Shen Mo's gaze, its movements paused.

Man and rat stared at each other, the atmosphere turning eerily quiet.

"A Gold-Devouring Rat?" Upon seeing this giant rat, Shen Mo was first taken aback.

Soon, that astonishment transformed into the fiery rage of someone demanding an explanation: "You little rascal, you've got some nerve, stealing food right under my nose!"

Logically speaking, Gold-Devouring Rats were supposed to feed on gold and mineral ores, having no interest in human grains or meat.

Shen Mo felt puzzled, eventually attributing it to the fact that his barbecue was simply too fragrant.

It was this that had tempted even a Gold-Devouring Rat, a creature that specialized in eating ore, to become a glutton.

"Crunch!"

"Crunch!"

Under the table, the crimson-furred giant rat stared back at Shen Mo for a full ten breaths, and then, seeing that he made no move to drive it away, it seemed to set its mind at ease.

It actually continued to gnaw on the stolen barbecued monster meat, treating Shen Mo as if he were air.

"This guy..."

The sight left Shen Mo between laughter and tears.

During this period of time in the Guardian Cave Abode, he had seen several Gold-Devouring Rats.

However, most of those Gold-Devouring Rats were extremely timid; once discovered, they would either flee the scene immediately or flop straight onto the ground to play dead.

Compared to this brazen, giant rat that showed no fear of humans whatsoever, they were as different as clouds and mud.

"Forget it, I'm in a good mood today, so I won't hold it against you!"

He thought for a moment and ultimately decided not to drive the beast away.

Eating alone was satisfying, but it was ultimately a bit lonely.

Having a beast share a meal with him actually added a touch of warmth and amusement to the atmosphere.

Consider it my treat, Shen Mo thought, making no further attempt to snatch the roasted meat back from its paws.

In any case, it wasn't eating much.

However, Shen Mo soon discovered that he was dead wrong!

He had just returned to the table and eaten for a short while when that giant rat, which had been secretly eating under the table, had already finished all the spirit meat it had stolen.

After finishing, it didn't leave.

Instead, it leaped directly onto the stone table and stared blankly at Shen Mo.

"You're not leaving after you've finished?"

"What do you want?"

Shen Mo paused in his chewing, staring closely at this foolish giant rat; he seemed to read its intentions in its narrow eyes.

An utterly absurd thought surfaced in his mind, and Shen Mo tentatively asked, "You're still not full?"

"Dun dun dun!"

The giant rat seemed to understand Shen Mo's words, nodding its head like a pestle pounding garlic, then spread out its slender paws in a gesture of begging.

Clearly, it wanted Shen Mo to continue handing over the few remaining skewers of roasted meat in his hand.

"..."

Shen Mo ultimately tossed the remaining roasted meat in his hand to this spiritual giant rat.

"Crunch! Crunch!"

Seeing the roasted meat tossed over, the giant rat's eyes lit up as if it had found a treasure; it opened its mouth and began to wolf down the meat again.

Half a stick of incense later, this last piece of roasted meat had also been devoured by the giant rat.

After finishing, the giant rat did not feel satisfied and leave as Shen Mo had expected; instead, it continued to stand there foolishly, staring at Shen Mo with its small, beady eyes, standing on tiptoe with its head tilted back, as if it were still waiting for him to distribute more meat.

"Still not full?"

This was truly outrageous!

Shen Mo clicked his tongue in wonder. Although the giant rat was not small in size, the roasted meat it had just consumed weighed at least two pounds.

That amount would be enough to fill the stomach of an adult human.

Yet, the giant rat's belly showed no change at all; its appetite was like a bottomless pit.

"I'm out even if you're not full!"

This time, Shen Mo did not indulge it further; he spread his hands in annoyance to signal that the roasted meat was all gone.

The giant rat was highly intelligent; upon receiving Shen Mo's answer, its eyes clearly showed a hint of disappointment.

"Ying! Ying! Ying!"

It let out a few cries, and seeing that Shen Mo truly had nothing left, it reluctantly patted its belly and left.

Only one chapter today, apologies; I'm not in a good state, and on top of that, I lost my recommendation this week, so I'm feeling quite depressed~~ The follower count is starting to drop. So sad~~~