Exquisite Emergency Treatment

Hemp twigs can replace Sichuan peppercorns, Red Heart Peppers are even spicier than millet peppers, and White Spirit Fruits taste sweet and sour.

Ji Ruo mashed them all up, stuffed them into the hollow of the tree stump, and began marinating those little fish.

Liang Shixian had told Ji Ruo not to get too cocky, but when it came time to find "seasonings," he still scrounged up some fruits that could substitute for scallions, ginger, and garlic.

"Meow meow meow~ (Master, is it ready yet? Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up~)"

Rosie lay on top of Ji Ruo's head, her eyes filled with longing as she stared at the twenty-odd little fish in the tree stump hollow that had already turned colorful, growing impatient from the wait.

A strange smell crept into her nose, and Rosie couldn't hold back any longer.

"Don't rush, they'll taste even better after marinating—definitely a flavor you've never tried before," Ji Ruo said cheerfully.

He had no idea how these little fish grew, but their bones actually turned crispy under high heat—he'd noticed it when Rosie finished her first fish earlier. After roasting, the bones were so brittle they crumbled at a finger's pinch, so the texture should be pretty good.

He carved slits into each little fish, letting these tasty... ah no, cute little things absorb the marinade more easily.

"Let them sit for about half an hour," Ji Ruo said, glancing at his wristwatch.

This gadget was specially made for the martial arts exam, originally used to record scores and send distress signals.

But now that the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain secret realm had gone haywire, the basic network humans had set up was long dead, and the watch was half-useless.

It could only tell time—recording scores was pointless without a network for data upload, and too many scores would fill up its memory, so Ji Ruo was just using it as a clock for now.

While waiting, Ji Ruo continued teaching Liang Shixian the Lightning Flash.

The Lightning Flash was essentially just a normal draw-cut, but paired with a special breathing technique, its power was nothing to scoff at.

Not to mention, if Liang Shixian could learn and apply the breathing technique quickly, their survival rate in this secret realm would skyrocket—though even with that boost, the overall odds were still abysmally low.

"Meow~ Meow~ (Master, you go on ahead, I'm staying with my fish!)"

"Alright, but don't sneak a bite—eating raw stuff will give you a stomachache," Ji Ruo warned, setting Rosie down.

Rosie crouched by the tree stump, staring at the twenty-odd little fish in the hollow, all colorful and looking delicious. She drooled.

"Gulp~"

She turned her head to glance at Ji Ruo and Liang Shixian, who were seriously teaching, and suddenly thought, "So many fish, sneaking a little bite shouldn't matter. No! Master said no sneaking. Just one tiny taste to check the flavor."

After confirming again that Ji Ruo and the others weren't watching, Rosie carefully extended a paw, hesitated, then grabbed a Red Heart Pepper instead of a fish.

"I'm just tasting the seasoning, that's not stealing."

She convinced herself, opened her mouth, and swallowed the Red Heart Pepper—"Mmm~ This taste."

Rosie jumped off the tree stump, panicked, and ran around frantically, meowing urgently under each tree demon as if spreading the news.

"Meow! Meow! Meow! (Spicy! Spicy! So spicy!)"

Half an hour later.

Ji Ruo timed it perfectly and came back to find Rosie lying on the ground with a look of utter despair. He couldn't help but laugh: "I told you eating raw stuff would give you a stomachache, right? Anyway, it's pretty much marinated now. Hang on a bit, we can eat soon."

Rosie weakly meowed: "Meow~ (No more, no more, that pepper nearly killed this cat.)"

Ji Ruo chuckled, ran to the stream to wash his hands, came back, grabbed a little fish from the tree stump hollow, placed it in his palm, and pressed his hands together.

A crimson glow flared between Ji Ruo's palms, and the temperature shot up sharply.

The Iron Sand Palm at the Mastery level generated extreme heat, theoretically beyond what a martial apprentice could control.

If Ji Ruo were already at the Qi Meridian realm, this Iron Sand Palm could even burst into roaring flames with devastating power.

But it was still decent now—with both palms pressed together, it was essentially a double-sided frying pan.

"Sizzle~~~"

The marinated little fish was seared from both sides, the high heat cooking the flesh through. An enticing aroma drifted out, even making Liang Shixian swallow his saliva.

He never dreamed that in this Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain secret realm, he'd actually get to eat grilled fish!

Ji Ruo grilled one first for Rosie.

The little guy was still a bit wary, but she couldn't resist the tempting smell and took a cautious bite.

Her eyes lit up, and she sat up, pointing at the grilled fish while flailing her paws: "Meow meow meow! (Master, this is way too good!)"

Ji Ruo smiled, and the grilling sped up from there. Both of them and the cat ate until their mouths dripped with oil, not even leaving the fish bones behind.

Rosie lay on the ground, rubbing her round little belly, contentedly meowing: "Meow~ (So comfy~)"

Ji Ruo glanced at her—yeah, she was a female cat. He wondered if she could turn into a catgirl someday.

Full and satisfied, they picked some spirit fruits for dessert. Ji Ruo then called Liang Shixian to help him stand the tree demon he'd cut down earlier back up and place it on the stump.

Liang Shixian: "...You're really putting it back?"

Its insides were already hollowed out by you, what's the point of putting it back!

"Can't let our tree demon brother sleep on the ground, right? Sleeping on the ground might give it a cold."

"......"

The two worked together to set the trunk back in place.

Liang Shixian stared at the obvious blade marks on the trunk and muttered, "If it wakes up tonight, it probably won't be able to walk away, will it?"

A Tree Demon's feet are its roots; the so-called "rising from the ground" refers to a Tree Demon's migration.

Ji Ruo rubbed his chin. "That really is a problem."

After thinking for a moment, Ji Ruo scooped up a few clumps of mud from the ground, ran to the stream to wet them, then ran back and plastered the mud over the 'wound' on the tree trunk. He clapped his hands and said, "That should do it."

It was a bit of a pity that such an ingenious first-aid technique didn't trigger an achievement.

"."

"What do we do now?" Liang Shixian asked.

Ji Ruo thought it over. "How about we get some sleep? The Tree Demon will be migrating all night. If we don't catch a nap, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold out."

"True." Liang Shixian nodded in agreement. "You sleep first, then. I'll keep watch for you, and you can switch with me later."

"That's too much trouble."

Ji Ruo suddenly picked up Rosie and asked, "Little Rosie, we're planning to sleep now. Could you trouble yourself to keep watch for us? You can sleep later when we wake up at night."

Little Rosie patted her chest. "Meow! (Master, rest assured, leave it to me!)"

Ji Ruo looked at Liang Shixian. "Alright, sleep now."

Liang Shixian: "???"

He glanced thoughtfully at Rosie.

This cat... its intelligence seemed rather high.

"Boom!"

Suddenly!

A thunderous blast came from the distant mountain forest. Ji Ruo quickly climbed to the top of the tallest Tree Demon and looked toward the sound.

His current position was at least several dozen li from where the explosion had originated, and the blast seemed to have come from the direction of the mountaintop.

Rolling black smoke rose into the air, and terrifying demonic qi and devilish qi swept out in an instant, pressing down with waves of oppressive force.

"Ribbit! (Damn humans)"

(This monster had been croaking 'ribbit' all day.)