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Besides meat, Jian Mo also saw them dividing up some tubers and wild greens.

That was probably where the tubers stored at Wu Jiong's home had come from.

By the time they finished dividing the meat, the sky was ablaze with the evening glow.

The young men didn't leave. Instead, they washed their hands and followed Wu Jiong inside.

As Wu Jiong and the others rubbed salt into the meat, Jian Mo helped out, guessing that Wu Jiong intended to hang it under the eaves for storage.

The yellowish-brown coarse salt was very rough, and Jian Mo was noticeably less deft than the others as he rubbed it into the meat.

Wu Jiong said, "We can handle this. Take out the food. They're staying here to eat."

A young man behind him grinned at Jian Mo and said, "Your cooking smells amazing."

Jian Mo glanced at Wu Jiong, nodded, and uncovered the food he'd prepared, setting it in the middle of the table.

He'd noticed how much Wu Jiong ate and had made extra on purpose. Now there was enough for everyone to eat together.

The young men looked at Wu Jiong, and one of them suddenly whispered to the person beside him, "He looks so well-behaved."

It went without saying who "he" meant.

Jian Mo kept a straight face and pretended not to hear.

Jian Mo took out the washed knife and cut the food into small pieces, then brought out bowls and ladled out the soup.

Unlike when Wu Jiong grilled meat, Jian Mo had deliberately put some fatty meat on first to render a little oil. He'd also heated the stone slab until it was blazing hot.

The pieces of meat had seared on the blazing-hot, greased stone slab, forming a wonderful crisp crust.

Now that it was cut, the juices flowed out. The steak was soft and slightly pink inside, crisp and fragrant outside. It looked absolutely delicious.

When the meat was placed before the young men, they didn't hesitate for a moment, grabbing pieces and tossing them into their mouths.

Immediately afterward, they burst into discussion:

"It's so good!!!"

"This meat is so tender, and it's flavorful inside too!"

"What kind of meat is this? I've never had it before."

Jian Mo had taken care to marinate the meat and poke small holes in it, so it was flavorful inside too.

As for what kind of meat it was, Jian Mo looked at Wu Jiong.

Wu Jiong said, "Fork-Horned Beast meat."

"Impossible! How could Fork-Horned Beast meat be so tender?"

"Exactly. My father cooked Fork-Horned Beast meat yesterday, and when my little brother ate it, he chipped a baby tooth. My dad scolded Father half to death."

"Fork-Horned Beast meat doesn't smell this good either!"

The young men didn't quite believe it and asked Jian Mo, "The chief's fooling us, right?"

Jian Mo shook his head and pointed at the meat hanging under the eaves. "It's that meat."

"Huh? It really is Fork-Horned Beast meat?"

"How did you make it? I want to remember how so I can make it the same way when I get home."

Jian Mo looked at Wu Jiong, and seeing that he didn't object, carefully explained how he'd made it-as an outsider, he had to demonstrate his value.

The group nodded, saying they'd remembered.

Someone else noticed the meat patty he was cutting. "What's that?"

Jian Mo showed them the patty. "A meat patty with tubers added. It's a little juicier."

When everyone heard there was a meat patty too, they clamored for some.

Wu Jiong took the knife from his hand. "I'll do it."

Jian Mo stepped aside, and Wu Jiong divided the patty evenly into small pieces, one for each person.

Diced fat had been added to the patty, along with salt and crushed tubers worked into the mixture. It was fragrant, tender, and juicy, and the diced meat seemed to dance on their tongues.

The group ate without any regard for appearances. Not only did they finish the patty, they even gathered up the crumbs on the table and ate those.

"You're amazing!"

"You're the best cook of any sub-beastman I've ever met."

"Do you have a mate?"

"He must, right? He's so good-looking, and his skin is so fair and soft, just like Pack-Pack Beast milk. He definitely has a mate."

"His mate isn't here, though."

Everyone looked to Jian Mo for confirmation.

Jian Mo avoided their gazes. He'd indeed had many admirers in college, but he hadn't entered a relationship with any of them.

Keeping a straight face, Jian Mo said, "I don't have a mate, and I'm not planning to find one for now."

Wu Jiong rapped on the table. "Eat your meat. Stop hounding him with questions."

The young men seemed a little afraid of Wu Jiong. Sure enough, they stopped pressing Jian Mo and turned to other topics.

Jian Mo breathed a sigh of relief and served everyone soup.

As they drank, they returned to the subject of his cooking. "Are you really not the best cook in your tribe?"

It seemed they had been curious about him, but they hadn't known him well enough before to ask too many questions.

Jian Mo shook his head. "I'm a veterinarian."

The term was completely unfamiliar to them, and everyone looked at Wu Jiong.

Wu Jiong asked, "What's a veterinarian?"

Jian Mo said, "Someone who treats animals when they're sick."

Jian Mo tried to explain. "I try to ease sick animals' conditions, treat them, and do my best to keep them from dying."

The beastmen understood that.

"Then are you a priest?"

"Isn't Hong Qiu sick right now? Can you treat him?"

"I'll go get him!"

"Ban Ming, slow down!"

Before Jian Mo could say a word, one of the young men had already dashed out.

Jian Mo opened his mouth to call him back, but he was already out of sight.

Wait, I'm a veterinarian, all right, but there are no tools or medicines here. Even if someone's sick, I might not be able to cure them.

Besides, I'm a veterinarian, and you're beastmen. Our physiological makeup is completely different!

Jian Mo stood there helplessly. Why are you beastmen in such a hurry?

Wu Jiong said to Jian Mo, "Let him bring Hong Qiu over for you to take a look first. It's all right if you can't cure him."

Jian Mo didn't know what to say. He could only give a dry "Oh" and sit back down.

Soon, a big cat arrived carrying a middle-aged man with a sallow complexion.

Jian Mo looked at the big cat-wasn't this the one he'd encountered at the very beginning?

No wonder the name "Ban Ming" had sounded so familiar.