"These roots are edible too! They taste a bit like scallion roots—pungent and sharp, with a savory fragrance, though they're rather tough."
An Jing was famished and couldn't wait for the meat to finish roasting, so he picked out some of the thick roots growing along the Tooth Pig's back and chewed on them.
It had started as nothing more than a hungry instinct, but the result made his eyes light up.
The roots had a peculiar, richly salty flavor. They were a little tough on the teeth, but that was nothing to a martial artist, and they had a satisfying chew.
"Roast meat with its own seasoning."
As he chewed the roots, An Jing kept an eye on the fire.
The Tooth Pig was very fatty. Even roasting it over a plain fire made it sizzle and drip with oil. He scraped away the ash and charcoal on the surface with his knife, revealing purple-gold pork beneath. Fat seeped from between the fibers and dripped into the flames.
Too impatient to care about the heat, An Jing took a fierce bite. The meat was tender and incredibly juicy.
The roots growing in symbiosis with the Tooth Pig had charred in the fire, turning pitch-black, but they tasted savory and delicious. They crunched in his mouth with a charred fragrance, like they'd been coated in breadcrumbs, making the meat twice as tasty.
An Jing wolfed down a large piece of roast tenderloin, then eagerly roasted a rib and swallowed it whole, bone and all.
He crunched through the bone, his strong teeth grinding up and breaking apart every scrap of cartilage and meat. The rich aroma of fat spread through the air, and he swallowed the mixture of bone and flesh. An Jing felt ample nourishment enter his stomach and