Chapter 65 (continued)

The weather is dry now, even deep within the Magic Forest.

It's very comfortable to walk in.

Xie Juanhan and Telingewei would sometimes deliberately come in for a walk, and incidentally find a secluded corner to kiss.

Except for the little Griffin, all the little creatures were very familiar with the Magic Forest.

They know where most mushrooms, berries, and nuts grow.

In no time, they filled the basket.

"Chirp chirp!" The Companion Beast turned around and urged the two dragons who were walking slowly behind them, holding hands.

Xie Juanhan: "Are you going to hunt the Erteme Demonic Beast?"

"Chirp!"

Xie Juanhan: "Give us that basket."

Xie Juanhan and Telingewei took the baskets from the little ones.

The little creatures immediately turned around, nudged the little Demon Wolf with their heads, and swarmed around it as they went to find the Erteme Demonic Beast.

The little Demon Wolf walked steadily, sniffing the air.

It quickly found the trail of the Erteme Demonic Beast and tracked it down.

There are quite a few Erteme Demonic Beast in the forest.

The little guys caught one very quickly.

Xie Juanhan looked at the Erteme Demonic Beast trembling under the claws of the little creatures. "Wait, is it pregnant?"

The little Demon Wolf's wet nose twitched. "Awoo?"

"She's pregnant." After confirming, Xie Juanhan discussed with the little ones, "How about we switch to an Erteme Demonic Beast to fight?"

The little ones obediently yelped.

The little ones loosened their grip.

The Erteme Demonic Beast lay motionless, trembling in place.

He was clearly terrified.

After examining it, Xie Juanhan turned to Telingewei and said, "Help me check if my Blessing Magic is authentic?"

Xie Juanhan cast a Blessing Magic on the giant tree beside him.

He had witnessed Elf casting Blessing Magic many times, and had also seen records of Blessing Magic in human magic manuals.

However, this was the first time he had ever cast a true Blessing Magic on a living being.

He drew a magic rune with some difficulty.

With a flash of Dragon Power, the magical runes vanished from the tree trunk.

"Rustle--"

Above, leaves that had turned completely yellow fell down in a flurry, accumulating into a large pile.

Xie Juanhan was stunned, looking at his hands. "Did my Blessing Magic fail?"

That shouldn't be the case; his runes were drawn quite perfectly.

Telingewei observed the tree trunk and affirmed, "There was no failure. This tree, after being blessed, has stronger vitality, which is why it's losing leaves so quickly."

Xie Juanhan looked up. "What's the principle behind it?"

Telingewei touched the tree trunk. "Its shedding leaves is a way of recycling the substances in the leaves; it's actively discarding the leaves, not a sign of weakness."

"Is that so?" Xie Juanhan looked at the giant tree, then at Telingewei, and said to him, "I've discovered that your understanding of the forest is deeper than I imagined."

Telingewei: "I've been living here too long."

When the two dragons are talking, they easily become oblivious to the existence of the creatures around them.

An impatient Haxi couldn't resist scratching Telingewei's leg with his paw. "Ouch."

Xie Juanhan snapped out of his daze, "Right away."

Xie Juanhan cast a Blessing Magic on the Erteme Demonic Beast.

The mother animal quickly calmed down, and her condition visibly improved.

Xie Juanhan placed the mother beast at the entrance of its burrow. "Grow up well."

The Companion Beast watched intently as the mother beast disappeared through the cave entrance, chirping, "Chirp!"

The little Demon Wolf sniffed the air again, continuing its search for the next Erteme Demonic Beast.

Xie Juanhan and his group spent some time and effort, but only managed to catch the old and weak Demonic Beast.

In addition, Xie Juanhan would also bestow blessings upon female beasts in their prime and young beasts that had not yet grown up.

I spent the whole day doing that.

When they returned in the evening, they had only managed to capture three Erteme Demonic Beasts.

Prepare it today and marinate it overnight; it will be ready to eat tomorrow.

The little ones stared intently at the Demonic Beast, their furry faces full of anticipation.

The little Griffin, in particular, with its big, blinking eyes, stared intently at the Demonic Beast, its mouth practically watering.

Xie Juanhan was drinking water when he saw the little ones like this, and then he saw Telingewei carrying the small beast to the backyard to deal with it. Suddenly, he thought, "Should we try a different way of feeding them?"

Telingewei and the furry creatures were all looking at him.

Xie Juanhan said, "Besides the spicy roasted meat, the sweet and sour crispy roasted meat is also especially delicious and perfect for children."

The little ones hesitated.

Xie Juanhan said slowly, "Since we're eating tomorrow, we can prepare it properly today. We can brush on a layer of crispy skin glaze, and the meat will be fragrant and crispy on the outside and tender and soft on the inside after grilling tomorrow. Then we can dip it in a sweet and sour jam—"

Several little ones started swallowing hard. "Glug."

Xie Juanhan: "Meat grilled that way is less irritating to the stomach, so you can eat more pieces."

The little ones quickly agreed, "Aww!"

Xie Juanhan: "Then we'll have to find a different way to handle it. Telingewei, wait for me, I'll help you prepare the meat."

Xie Juanhan finished drinking the water, he went to the backyard with Telingewei.

Previously, Telingewei would peel off the animal hides, but to make crispy roast meat, the hides had to be kept.

Xie Juanhan and Telingewei cleaned the Erteme Demonic Beast thoroughly, even slightly burning its hide before scraping and washing it to remove as much of the odor as possible.

Xie Juanhan was still inside, boiling the glaze for crispy skin.

Sugar, vinegar, wine, honey... Telingewei watched intently as he placed each ingredient into the pot and simmered it slowly over low heat.

Xie Juanhan looked up at him. "Do you want me to teach you?"

Telingewei replied without hesitation, "Yes!"

Xie Juanhan beckoned. "Then come over and take a look at the detailed proportions and cooking time."

Telingewei was very interested in the crispy skin glaze.

They worked from dusk till nightfall without feeling tired.

Xie Juanhan used seasonings to marinate the inside of the Erteme Demonic Beast, and then brushed the outer skin with crispy skin glaze.

In addition, he separated the hide from the meat at the Demonic Beast's neck and then pumped air into it.

After filling the container, he sewed the animal hide together with needle and thread.

The processed meat became bulging and puffy, like little water sacs.

Telingewei had never seen this meat-handling technique before.

The little ones had never seen anything like it.

The little ones watched in amazement as Xie Juanhan dealt with the Erteme Demonic Beast again and again.

At first, they would run over to check every now and then.

As they watched, they became so engrossed that they lay down in the corridor, intently observing every step Xie Juanhan took.

Xie Juanhan hung the three Erteme Demonic Beasts in the corridor to air dry.

The wind was dry in late autumn, and the temperature was low.

The meat dried very successfully in the corridor.

When he woke up the next day, he touched it; the animal hide was bright red, dry to the touch and not sticky, and it smelled wonderful.

"Chirp!" The Companion Beast that had run over early in the morning stared at Xie Juanhan with bright eyes.

After inspecting the meat, Xie Juanhan said, "It's ready to eat. We'll roast it right away."

The Companion Beast were very excited. "Chirp!"

Xie Juanhan, "I'll go preheat the oven first. Can you guys call Telingewei, the little Demon Wolf, and the little Griffin over for me?"

The little ones, having received their mission, immediately split into two groups and rushed into the Magic Forest: "Chirp!!!"

The little Demon Wolf and the little Griffin arrived rather late.

When they ran back with their Companion Beast, the Erteme Demonic Beast was almost cooked.

Xie Juanhan was making jam in the kitchen.

In early summer, Xie Juanhan followed the example of the locals and picked some unripe small berries in the forest, then put them in a jar and preserved them with salt at a low temperature.

Pickled berries already taste quite salty, sour, and refreshing in the summer.

Now that you take it out, the aroma is even better.

It is greenish-yellow overall, and when cut open, the pulp inside is translucent with a jelly-like texture.

Xie Juanhan chopped the fruit pulp and put it in a small pot, added sugar, vinegar, honey, lemon juice and water, and simmered it over low heat.

The sauce that's been simmered is sweet and sour with a pleasant aroma; it smells wonderful.

The jam is ready.

Xie Juanhan took the meat out of the oven.

When it was put in to roast, the meat was plump and bulging; when it was taken out, the meat was still plump and bulging, with a perfect shape and a wonderful aroma.

It was even dripping with rich, fragrant juices, which shows how tender and juicy it was.

The little ones started salivating as soon as they smelled it.

The little Demon Wolf, in particular, with its keen sense of smell, already had its stomach rumbling.

"Chirp!" The Companion Beast rushed up.

"Don't rush," Xie Juanhan turned away from the little ones, "There's one last step."

"Chirp?!"

When Xie Juanhan heard the little ones ask why there was still some left, he smiled and said, "We need to bake the skin until it's crispy."

Xie Juanhan's control over the heat was not as good as Telingewei's.

He left the final step to Telingewei.

Telingewei placed the Erteme Demonic Beast directly in the yard and roasted it over an open flame on a grill.

Following Xie Juanhan's instructions, he colored the meat at high temperature.

In no time, Telingewei had roasted the meat until the skin was a golden-red and glossy.

Xie Juanhan tapped it with chopsticks, and a crisp sound could be heard.

"Alright." Xie Juanhan took the meat down. "Let it rest a little longer, then it'll be ready to eat."

The little ones' appetites were completely whetted.

If at first they were just really eager to eat, now that they're waiting for the meat to rest, their desire to eat has reached 100%!

No little creature can resist the allure of such an exquisite fragrance.

All the little ones were swallowing hard.

Finally, the meat woke up.

Xie Juanhan took a knife and inserted it into the lower abdomen of the Erteme Demonic Beast, causing the juices to flow out.