58: Chapter 58 Riverside Barbecue

While Sa Yu was away, Sang Qing found some dry wood nearby to prepare the firewood for the barbecue and took the seasonings out of her Storage Grid in advance.

Thud~

A plump, large fish leaped out of the river, making a significant sound and splashing water everywhere.

Sang Qing turned her head to look, and her eyes instantly lit up.

There's fish!

She quietly looked around, and after confirming there were no beasts nearby, she casually bought a discounted Carbon Fiber Fishing Rod from the Mall.

She would first see if she could catch a fish; if not, she would chum the water and cast a net.

Picking up the bait provided by the seller, Sang Qing clumsily hooked the bait and cast the line.

She wondered how the fish in the Beast World tasted and hoped they were delicious.

Soon, the float on the water bobbed a few times.

A fish is on!

Sang Qing gripped the fishing rod tightly and began to reel it in.

Splash, splash, splash. The plump fish slapped the water's surface vigorously, not understanding how it had been hooked just for taking a bite of food.

A joyful smile appeared on Sang Qing's face, and with a burst of strength, she swung the fish directly onto the shore.

Trying to escape her grasp? No way.

This fish looked quite large, weighing about twenty or thirty catties, but since this was the Beast World, it should be considered relatively small.

She hadn't seen the Tribesmen in the Tribe eat fish before.

Sang Qing removed the hook from the fish's mouth, knocked it unconscious, and clicked on the system scan.

[Scan complete. Delicious river fish, tender meat, estimated value: 0.01 points. List for sale?]

Sang Qing chose no, then continued to bait the hook and cast the rod back into the water.

Since no fish had bitten yet, Sang Qing rested her head on her hand and called out to the system.

"System, does this fish have that Beast World energy?" She had never understood what the energy her Father and brother talked about was; to her, everything tasted the same. Aside from having a better texture than food on Earth, she still couldn't distinguish between energy and non-energy.

[The system cannot perceive it.]

"What use are you then?" If it didn't even know that, what kind of system was it?

Sang Qing expressed her doubt.

[I'm talking back to you!]

"..." Hey, her system was trying to usurp her; it actually dared to talk back to her now.

Speechless, Sang Qing continued to squat by the river.

Before long, she had caught five or six fish; three of them looked different, while the others were the same.

Looking into the forest, Sa Yu still hadn't returned, so she had to start processing the fish herself.

She scraped off the scales, gutted them, threw the internal organs into a small pit she had dug, rinsed the cleaned fish in the water, and skewered them with wooden sticks.

Wisps of cooking smoke rose as Sang Qing placed the fish over the fire. She only grilled two, putting the rest into her Storage Grid to take back.

Rustling footsteps came from the forest, and it wasn't just one beast. Sang Qing's ears twitched, and a dagger slid into her hand. Just as she was about to stand up and check the situation, she saw Sa Yu walking back, carrying a massive wild beast on his shoulder.

Sa Yu glanced at a nearby bush, a cold light erupting in his eyes. He released a terrifying aura, and the movement in the bushes immediately ceased.

Only then did he continue forward, satisfied.

"Sorry, I went a bit too far."

The moment he saw Sang Qing, he quickly apologized.

"It's fine, I'm not in a hurry." Sang Qing put away her dagger and smiled at him, her gaze falling on his shoulder.

This... what kind of wild beast was it this time?

She felt like she had seen it somewhere before, but she definitely hadn't eaten it.

Sa Yu came to the riverbank and set the beast down. Under Sang Qing's astonished gaze, he stripped off his animal skin and jumped straight into the river.

"!!!!" Ah, Sang Qing covered her face and turned around in disbelief.

Was Sa Yu crazy? Stripping in front of her and skinny-dipping?

What was the meaning of this?

He didn't even think to give her a heads-up; she had seen everything.

"Sa Yu!"

Sang Qing stomped her foot in annoyance and called his name fiercely.

"What's wrong?" Sa Yu was still washing himself in the water. Hearing her voice, he quickly looked up from the water and glanced over in confusion.

"Next time you take off your animal skin, can you please tell me first!" One should avoid looking at what is improper; what was their relationship? How could they have such a lack of boundaries?

Sang Qing's face turned beet red, and her voice was a bit flustered.

"Why should I tell you? You're not supposed to look at my body." A hint of confusion flashed in Sa Yu's eyes. Did she want to see his body?

That wouldn't do!

She was a female and he was a male; they were just friends, so she couldn't look.

"..." She had already seen everything, okay? Although she only saw a butt cheek, what was the difference between one hundred percent and ninety-nine percent?

"You know I'm not supposed to look, yet you still stripped right in front of me!" Sang Qing's toes gripped the ground tightly. She stared at the grilled fish over the fire and let out a long breath, the heat on her face gradually subsiding.

"Ah!" She saw? Sa Yu's face crumpled oddly, and he suddenly lowered his head in embarrassment. "I, I forgot!"

He was used to being alone; usually, the first thing he did after hunting was bathe. Today... he had forgotten there was a female around and instinctively took off his animal skin.

A faint awkwardness filled the air. Sa Yu, blushing, carved off a piece of the processed beast meat and handed it to Sang Qing, his eyes avoiding hers.

"Eh, Sang Qing, why did you catch Prickly Beasts?"

He turned his head away shyly, suddenly noticing two nearly cooked Prickly Beasts on the fire, and quickly asked.

Prickly Beasts didn't taste good; they were prickly and smelly. Although they had some energy, they were hard to catch and didn't taste good, so no beasts caught them.

"I caught them to try the taste." Sang Qing found his bashful appearance amusing.

However, if his face didn't have those terrifying scars, he might be even more pleasing to the eye.

Should she give him some medicine to treat the scars? But she didn't know him that well yet. In case... better wait a bit longer. She felt they would have more interactions in the future.

Sa Yu sat down cross-legged and shook his head honestly. "Prickly Beasts are not tasty!"

So fish are called Prickly Beasts; that's quite a vivid name.

Sang Qing started grilling the seasoned beast meat and said to him with a smile, "Try it in a bit and you'll see."

Smelling it, it was about the same as in her previous life, no different; it should be edible.

Wait, Sa Yu nodded.

Sitting by the river, a cool breeze blew, carrying the aroma of food far away.

Sa Yu sat with his back slightly arched, elbows on his knees. His firm, smooth muscles were clearly defined, and the muscles on his arms were particularly robust. His wheat-colored skin looked quite alluring; she really wanted to touch it.

Under Sang Qing's searching and intense gaze, Sa Yu's heart pounded wildly.

Why was Sang Qing looking at him like that? He was so ugly, yet she kept staring at him.

She couldn't have some malicious intent toward him, could she? Did she want to eat his flesh or drink his blood?

Sa Yu felt a bit afraid for a moment and tried to shrink his presence.

Sang Qing's lips twitched, and she quickly withdrew her unfriendly gaze, secretly scolding herself.

She had said they were friends, and friends were essentially off-limits!

Forget it, she'd go home and touch her brother's muscles.

The savory aroma of the Prickly Beast wafted over. Sang Qing picked up the nearly cooked Prickly Beast and sprinkled seasoning on it.

Seeing her about to eat the Prickly Beast, Sa Yu's heart hung in suspense, and he spoke up to warn her, "The bones of the Prickly Beast can't be eaten, Sang Qing!"

Otherwise, what if she got poked?

Sang Qing nodded, blew on the steaming grilled fish in her hand, and took a small bite.

But to her surprise, there didn't seem to be any small bones in the Prickly Beast meat; they were all obvious large bones. This way, she wouldn't get poked by fish bones at all.

A sweet and refreshing taste bloomed in her mouth, combined with the savory seasoning. Sang Qing was very satisfied with the taste of the Prickly Beast.

Beside her, Sa Yu watched her nervously, fearing she would be poked by a bone.

After noticing his gaze, Sang Qing gave him an apologetic look and handed him the other grilled Prickly Beast. "Here, let me teach you how to eat it."

Something this delicious definitely had to be shared.

Sa Yu hesitated for a moment but still took the Prickly Beast she handed over.

Maybe he should just stick to the barbecue.

But to avoid making her sad, he dove into the Prickly Beast, mimicking her way of eating and tearing off a large chunk of meat in one bite.

Hmm? There really weren't any bones that poked his mouth.

Chewing the delicious Prickly Beast, Sa Yu's eyes sparkled as he looked at Sang Qing, filled with a bit of admiration.

She really seemed amazing, as if she knew everything.

Reaching the tail, there seemed to be a few small bones. Sang Qing simply chose to give up on it, as she had mostly finished the meat anyway.

She let out a burp, feeling like she couldn't eat any more barbecue.

In contrast, Sa Yu looked like he wanted more.

Sang Qing smiled. Looking at the meat that was also nearly done, she first took a piece and handed it to him. "Try the barbecue I made."

Sa Yu couldn't wait and quickly took the meat.

The Prickly Beast she grilled was truly delicious and didn't poke his mouth at all; this barbecue must be delicious too.

Without waiting for it to cool, Sa Yu took a bite of the marbled meat and tore off a large chunk.

"Si-ha~"

It was a bit hot, but for him, it was trivial; eating was all that mattered.

"Sang Qing, why aren't you eating?" Did she not like this wild beast's meat? Should he change it to another kind next time?

Sa Yu had already eaten several pieces, but seeing that Sang Qing hadn't taken a single bite, he stopped and asked with a puzzled expression.

Sang Qing patted her stomach, still feeling very full, and explained to him with a smile, "I'm full. I'll eat some more after resting for a bit."

"Don't mind me; if you like it, eat more."

He of course liked it, but her appetite was far too small. No wonder she was so thin.

Sa Yu looked thoughtful, and his eating pace slowed down.

The sound of a wild beast's approaching footsteps reached his ears, and Sa Yu turned to look.

But the beast didn't dare approach, merely hiding in the forest.

Sang Qing also noticed this. She was a bit nervous; after all, with Sa Yu around this morning, she hadn't encountered a single wild beast.

She had even thought about catching a wild beast to take back and cook.

The beast seemed to sense Sa Yu's presence; after staying for a while, it got up and left.

Sang Qing picked up a piece of barbecue and began to eat slowly.

Mmh, this wild beast meat tasted good too, similar in texture to the Black-Haired Beast—tender, chewy but not dry at all, juicy, and very fragrant.

"Sa Yu, what kind of wild beast is this?"

Sang Qing decided that if her brother went out hunting, she would have him catch this kind of beast.

"I think it's called a Cloud Dream Beast."

Sa Yu thought for a moment.

Cloud Dream Beast? A nice name and tasty meat—the perfect match!

Sang Qing nodded, memorizing the name.

After eating, she extinguished the fire. Sang Qing didn't plan to continue looking for herbal medicine; instead, she had Sa Yu accompany her for a stroll in the forest.

She rarely came to the forest before and didn't know much about the area around the Tribe.

Aside from the road to the Market, she didn't even know the locations of other nearby Tribes.

As the two of them wandered through the forest, Sang Qing looked around, casually plucked a weed to chew on, and asked nonchalantly, "By the way, Sa Yu, what is your Beast Form?"

Sa Yu's body stiffened, and his hands fidgeted awkwardly, not knowing where to put them. "I... I... I am..."

Should he tell the truth? But he was afraid that once his only friend knew his Beast Form, she would start to despise him.

"What's wrong? It's fine if you don't want to say." Seeing his hesitation, Sang Qing gave a very understanding smile and continued walking as if it didn't matter.

She guessed his Beast Form probably wasn't good-looking, which was why he was hesitating.

Sa Yu lowered his head and pursed his lips, deciding not to say anything. "...Mm!"

Or he'd wait for the day she discovered it herself.

"Do you usually live alone in the forest then?" Sang Qing was curious about his life as a solitary beast; perhaps she would also live alone one day.

Sa Yu turned to look at her and gave a simple, honest smile. "Yeah."

Although it was a bit lonely, it had the advantage of being free and unfettered; no one could control him.

It was just a pity he couldn't invite her to his home yet; he'd wait until he had decorated it a bit better.

Sang Qing nodded slightly and continued walking; before long, she had a bouquet of flowers in her hand.

Of course, she had picked them all herself.

The scenery in the forest was truly beautiful, with lush leaves and abundant vegetation. Before, she was always just focused on traveling and never had time to stop and enjoy it slowly.

After wandering for a long time, Sang Qing's calves felt a bit sore, and she planned to return to the Tribe.

"Sa Yu, I'm tired of walking. I want to go back to the Tribe." She turned to Sa Yu, who was looking around, and spoke.

"Ah? You're going back so soon?" Sa Yu was reluctant to see her go. He hadn't walked with another beast in a long time; he had finally met her today, but it hadn't been long before she wanted to return to the Tribe.

Sang Qing smiled and nodded, saying softly, "I'm afraid my Father and brother will worry if I get back late.

But don't worry, we'll have more chances to meet in the future."

Sa Yu puffed out his cheeks, a hint of loneliness flashing in his eyes. "Alright then."

"Then should I walk you back to the Tribe?" There were too many wild beasts around. He wasn't sure if it was because of her or because it was breeding season, but either way, he didn't feel comfortable letting her go back alone.

Sang Qing shrugged, a friendly smile on her face. "That's not necessary. I can manage on my own. Besides, didn't you say our Tribe is far from your home? No need to escort me; you should head back early too."

She felt a bit guilty for taking up his whole day.

Sa Yu felt even more dejected. His lips twitched slightly as he stared straight at her. "But I'm afraid..."

Sang Qing shook her head, cutting him off. "Alright, enough. I have to go. See you later."

Why did he seem as worried as an old mother, fretting over this and that?