A Buffet Delivered to My Door

"Who... who are you?"

"How are you inside my body!"

Ye Tian had only just regained consciousness when he heard a timid little girl's voice ringing in his mind.

Ye Tian did not answer immediately, choosing instead to survey his surroundings.

The area was shrouded in a layer of mist, with only a dozen square meters of space visible beneath his feet.

Ye Tian tried to reach his hand into the mist behind him, but his fingers felt as if they had struck a heavy wall, unable to advance even an inch.

It seemed he would be staying here for a while.

Only then did Ye Tian cast his gaze toward the edge of the mist, where the little girl was watching him timidly.

The little girl was about four or five years old; though her clothes were clean, their age was impossible to hide. Her tear-streaked face looked toward Ye Tian, one wheat-colored hand quietly clutching the corner of her shirt to soothe her nerves.

"Don't be afraid, little one. I'm here to help you."

"This is your consciousness space. Whenever you want to leave, you just need to give yourself a subconscious command."

"Really?"

Seeing that Ye Tian did not approach, the little girl felt a sliver of trust and instinctively did as he said.

The next second, the little girl's body vanished from this space in a flash.

"Ah, it's actually true!"

The little girl's voice, filled with surprise, echoed from above the space.

Soon, her figure reappeared, only to vanish again just as quickly.

Ye Tian began to comfort the little girl, and he soon obtained a great deal of information from her.

Just as he intended to use the little girl's eyes to see the outside world, she covered her stomach, looking a bit embarrassed.

"Brother Ye Tian, I'm hungry. I'm going to go find something to eat."

"Dong'er, do you know how to cook?" Ye Tian's question left the little girl named Dong'er frozen in place.

"I'll teach you."

Ye Tian's next sentence immediately brought a glow to Dong'er's face.

"Thank you, Brother Ye Tian!"

Ye Tian taught Dong'er a few things, and soon he was able to see the outside world through her vision.

Dong'er crawled out of the burrow, the narrow opening just large enough for her to squeeze through while pressed against the ground.

Outside the burrow was a long-abandoned wooden shack, and under a relatively intact eave sat a stove that clearly showed signs of use.

Dong'er reached into the pitch-black stove and pulled out a few wild fruits that had already begun to rot.

Seeing the food, Dong'er's mouth began to water. Just as she was about to take a bite, she suddenly thought of Ye Tian.

"Brother Ye Tian, are you hungry? You eat these fruits first."

"No need. In my current state, I don't need to eat."

Ye Tian could see that Dong'er had clearly been wandering for some time in reality; her clothes were filthy, and her face and hands were smudged with dirt. He taught her to cut away the rotten parts, and once she was full, Ye Tian guided her to go outside for a walk.

"Brother Ye Tian, it's getting dark outside, and there are wild beasts about." Dong'er looked toward the outside of the shack with fear in her eyes.

"Dong'er." Ye Tian was about to continue his persuasion when his expression suddenly shifted. He shouted urgently, "Go back into the burrow, quickly!"

"Huh?"

Dong'er let out a confused sound, but when Ye Tian shouted again, she finally reacted and ran toward the entrance of the burrow.

However, that moment of hesitation had already cost her too much.

At the dilapidated doorway of the shack, the head of an old wolf poked in, drool dripping from its jaws. A flicker of hunger for prey flashed in its weak, lupine eyes.

"A wolf!"

"There's a wolf!"

Dong'er locked eyes with the old wolf. Struck by the killing intent in its gaze, she stumbled and tripped over a piece of wood, falling to the ground.

The old wolf let out a roar, opened its foul-smelling maw, and lunged at Dong'er, its eyes filled with nothing but the hunger for food.

"Ah!"

At this critical moment, Thousand Jun, Ye Tian shouted in a deep voice: "Dong'er, can you trust me just this once?"

"Give your body to me!"

Should she trust Ye Tian, whom she had only just met, or trust that she could escape the jaws of an old wolf capable of swallowing her whole?

Dong'er made her decision quickly. "I trust you, Brother Ye Tian!"

As soon as the words left her lips, Ye Tian's form vanished, and Dong'er collapsed into the spot where he had been standing.

In reality, the moment the old wolf lunged, Dong'er, who had fallen to the ground, rolled forward several times. She snatched up a broken table leg, and the fear in her vivid eyes dissipated, replaced by the calm composure of an adult.

The soul within Dong'er's small body had now been replaced by Ye Tian.

He swept his gaze over the old wolf, instantly discerning its weaknesses.

Its stamina was lacking; it had started panting after just one pounce, and an old injury on its right hind leg made its stance unstable.

It was likely a lone wolf that had been driven out of its pack not long ago.

The old wolf failed its first pounce, then arched its body and pushed off with its hind legs, crossing the ten-meter distance between it and Ye Tian in a single bound. Its claws, glinting with a cold light, slashed viciously toward Ye Tian's throat.

"Brother Ye Tian, watch out!" Dong'er cried out at the sight, her body instinctively crouching as if that could dodge those terrifying, sharp claws.

Ye Tian remained motionless until the very moment the old wolf's claws extended, then he shifted his body two steps to the side with uncanny grace, the cold light of the claws grazing the tip of his nose.

Ye Tian gripped the spiked table leg with both hands and thrust it forcefully toward the side.

A sharp whistle of wind cut through the air as the old wolf's midsection suddenly appeared in the space where the wooden spike was aimed.

With a squelch, the old wolf felt a sudden, sharp pain in its belly, and its raised claws instantly lost all strength.

Ye Tian wasn't finished; he yanked the table leg out and, treating it like a club, brought it down hard on the old wolf, which could no longer even stand.

After a few heavy thuds, the last glimmer of light faded from the old wolf's eyes. The next moment, specks of pale white light seeped from the wolf's body, coalescing into a pale white ring above it.

"What is this?" Through Ye Tian's perspective, Dong'er curiously examined the ring of light.

"A spirit ring. This old wolf is a ten-year spirit beast."

Ye Tian sat down and wiped his head, his forehead drenched in sweat.

This body was still too weak; after just those few movements, Ye Tian felt his stamina was severely overdrawn, to the point where he could barely stand.

"Dong'er, I'll explain it to you later. Let me deal with this buffet that delivered itself to our doorstep first."

Looking at the old wolf, Dong'er roughly guessed what Brother Ye Tian meant by "buffet." She gave a soft hum and immediately quieted down.

Ye Tian pulled a rusted kitchen knife from the dugout and, while it was still light, began to peel the wolf's hide bit by bit. The knife thudded against the carcass, and soon a large pile of meat lay on the ground.

Before darkness fully set in, Ye Tian circled the cabin to set up some simple warning traps. He returned to the cabin, lit a bonfire, rubbed the herbs he had just gathered onto the wolf meat, and set it over the fire to roast.

Once all the meat was processed, Ye Tian moved it all back into the dugout and returned control of the body to Dong'er. She, who had been spirited just moments before, felt a wave of exhaustion wash over her, and her eyelids grew heavier and heavier.