23: Chapter 23: Only the world where Teacher Xu was injured is complete.

Lin Ye didn't rush to use his knife. Instead, he dusted off his backside, stood up, and dove into the nearby bushes.

Afterward, he made several trips back and forth.

He didn't just bring back a large pile of broad leaves; he also gathered quite a few branches that were a mix of dry and damp.

Finally, he carried back a relatively flat stone slab.

In the Great Xia Live Stream, the audience watched him bustling about, completely confused.

"Is Brother Eye bored now that he's full? He's started tinkering with junk again."

"I get picking up leaves, but what's the deal with the rock? Is he going to perform breaking a boulder on his chest live?"

"Some of those branches are wet; they won't even burn. It's a total waste of effort!"

"He just ate, why isn't he resting properly? What's he messing around for?"

Lin Ye sat down in front of the tree hollow, picked up the small iron pot, and poured out a tiny bit of water.

He used his palm to scrub the surface of the stone slab, then washed a few large leaves.

His entire operation was miserly; he refused to waste a single drop of water.

After washing, he picked up a thin branch and used his dagger to whittle a few small wooden skewers.

He chose a leaf, folded its edges upward, and formed a shape resembling a square bowl.

Then, he used the whittled wooden skewers to pierce the folded corners and secure them.

In the blink of an eye, an all-natural, leak-proof "leaf bowl" was formed.

Lin Ye picked up the small iron pot and poured about a third of the water inside into the "leaf bowl."

He then placed it inside the tree hollow as backup drinking water.

With the water issue settled, Lin Ye moved the stone slab in front of him to serve as a natural cutting board.

He moved the pieces of Iron-Jaw Beast meat onto the stone slab.

He first cut off a large, succulent, and thick piece of tenderloin, setting it aside on a clean leaf.

"This piece is the tenderest; I'll save it for today's lunch."

Lin Ye smacked his lips.

He was extremely patient while processing the rest of the meat.

His dagger glided along the edges of the meat, meticulously trimming away the white fascia on the surface.

"I have to trim it clean. In this godforsaken place, I don't want to have to use twigs to pick my teeth."

Afterward, he cut all the remaining meat into long strips, one centimeter thick and two fingers wide.

After finishing the meat, he built a simple support structure with branches next to the campfire and placed the small iron pot on it.

He dumped all the raw meat strips into the pot and started boiling them immediately.

Seeing this, the audience in the Great Xia Live Stream finally understood what he was doing.

"Holy cow, so he's making boiled meat slices!"

"This iron pot is finally doing real work; it was worth it for it to follow Brother Eye this whole way."

"Boiled meat slices without chili or Sichuan peppercorns? Zero stars! (Dog head)"

"You're lucky to even have meat to eat. The guy from India next door can't even chew tree bark."

"Boiling everything in one pot—it's all about being wild and raw!"

At the commentary desk, Xu Mingyuan perked up and straightened his back.

This was his most familiar territory; the perfect opportunity to demonstrate his professionalism had arrived!

"Lin Ye's move is very wise!"

"Wild beast meat carries parasites and unknown bacteria. If you roast it directly over an open flame, it's hard to ensure the inside is fully cooked."

He summarized confidently to the camera:

"Boiling at high temperatures is the safest way to kill potential dangers! He is ensuring the safety of his food!"

...

Meanwhile.

In Great Xia, H City, at Lin Ye's home.

The television was broadcasting footage of Lin Ye boiling meat.

On the sofa, Li Mei saw that her son was not only alive and well, but had also stockpiled a large amount of meat, and the heavy stone that had been weighing on her heart finally dropped.

"This child... he's actually gotten pretty good at cooking, and he even knows about sterilization. It seems he won't starve in that godforsaken place after all."

Her eyes were slightly red, but a smile of relief hung on her lips.

As long as her son could eat and dress warmly and was not in danger, that was better than anything else.

"Ding-dong—"

The doorbell rang.

Li Mei wiped the corners of her eyes and got up to open the door.

Standing outside were the same male and female operational team agents who had delivered supplies earlier.

"Sister Li, sorry to bother you." The male agent smiled gently, his attitude respectful.

"No, no, please come in!" Li Mei hurriedly stepped aside.

The female agent smiled and waved her hand, saying:

"Sister Li, we won't sit down. We came today to bring you some good news."

"The General Administration considered that Lin Ye is fighting for the country, and they are worried about you living alone in H City, so they communicated with the Western Military Region."

"The Western Military Region? Where Old Lin is?" Li Mei was stunned.

"Yes."

The female agent nodded and said,

"The commanders at the military region have already approved it. They agree to let you go live in the family housing compound of your husband's unit."

"This way, you and your husband can spend more time together and look out for each other in daily life."

Upon hearing this, tears welled up in Li Mei's eyes.

She covered her mouth, her voice choked with emotion: "Thank you... thank you to the country for still thinking of us like this..."

"This is only right. The car is already downstairs. If it's convenient for you, shall we help you pack your luggage today?"

"Okay... no... no need to trouble you, I can pack it myself..."

...

Back to Lin Ye, his work hadn't stopped at all.

The boiled meat was still rolling in the pot, and he started a second campfire nearby.

He picked out a few forked branches, crossed and stacked them, and then tied them tightly with thin vines.

He quickly built a simple wooden frame a few dozen centimeters off the ground.

He found a few more damp branches and scraped them frantically with his dagger.

In just a few minutes, he had whittled a large pile of moist wood shavings and twigs, piling them aside for later use.

Twenty minutes passed, and the small iron pot was already boiling.

A layer of animal fat and grayish-white foam floated on the surface, and the meat strips had turned completely white and shrunk.

Lin Ye leaned over to take a look and picked up a meat strip.

He blew on it slightly, tore off a small piece, put it in his mouth, and chewed twice.

"It's cooked, the texture is just right."

Confirming the meat was cooked, he lifted the iron pot off the heat source.

Subsequently.

Lin Ye scooped up the pile of damp wood shavings and leafy green branches he had just whittled and, without hesitation, smothered them all onto the second campfire.

"Hiss—"

The open flame was suppressed by the damp wood shavings and couldn't burn fully.

A large cloud of choking white smoke rose into the air.

Lin Ye squinted from the smoke and couldn't help but cough twice:

"Ahem... that's the smell. This is exactly the smoke I wanted."

He hurriedly moved the wooden frame he had just built and placed it over the thick smoke.

With agile movements, he fished the cooked meat strips out of the pot and laid them out neatly on the smoking rack.

The low fire at the bottom slowly released heat, and a large amount of thick smoke passed through the wooden frame, tightly enveloping the meat strips.

Boiling at high temperatures had killed the parasites and bacteria.

And now, he was utilizing environmental conditions to slow-smoke and dehydrate the meat strips.

The tens of millions of viewers in the Great Xia Live Stream were stunned at first, then realized what was happening.

"Holy crap! I'm such an idiot. What kind of 'boiled meat slices' is that!"

"I was wondering why he was picking up those damp branches; it was to create smoke!"

"Boiling to sterilize, smoking to dehydrate and preserve—the shelf life is completely maxed out!"

"Teacher Xu, hurry, hurry, pick up your thermos!"

At the commentary desk, after a brief moment of shock, Commentator Chen Guofeng slapped his thigh and roared with laughter:

"Hahahaha! Old Xu! You misjudged again!"

"He wasn't making boiled meat slices; he was building a strategic reserve!"

Xu Mingyuan's old face flushed red; he was so embarrassed he could almost dig a three-bedroom apartment with his toes inside his shoes.

In the end, he could only silently take a tactical sip of water:

"This kid's line of thinking... is indeed... indeed beyond common sense."

Su Qinglan covered her mouth and chuckled from the side:

"Don't mind it, Teacher Xu. Lin Ye always manages to bring us unexpected surprises."

Meanwhile, in the jungle of the Void Sea.

While the smoked meat was still being slow-cooked in the thick smoke, Lin Ye picked up the small iron pot and dumped the water inside far away.

The water used to boil raw meat wasn't exactly broth.

It was full of blood foam and parasite remains; keeping it would just be asking for trouble.

After cleaning the iron pot, Lin Ye turned and walked toward the remaining pile of branches.

He scanned the area and pulled out a thick branch he had specifically picked out while gathering firewood.

This branch was over two meters long, and the material was extremely straight, hard, and heavy.

He weighed it in his hand; the feel was excellent.

He drew his dagger, pressed the blade against the bark, and began to scrape away the rough outer skin and excess twigs and burrs inch by inch.

Wind-Chasing Claw is good, but it is ultimately auxiliary equipment.

In this dangerous Void Sea, he didn't have the cultivation to fight three thousand emperors single-handedly.

That meant he needed a thick, long weapon that could deliver a piercing blow at any moment!