140: The Monkey King loves to eat roasted meat

Just then, a burst of "squeaking" broke the silence.

Lu Fan and An Lan looked toward the sound and saw the Monkey King swaggering toward the Shelter with two Little Monkeys in tow.

The Monkey King looked quite dashing; its fur shimmered with a brown luster under the sunlight, and its tail was cocked high, as if announcing its territorial sovereignty to the whole world.

Even more eye-catching was the fat rabbit it held tightly in its hand; the rabbit thrashed about, but couldn't break free no matter how it tried.

Lu Fan's eyes lit up, thinking to himself, "Good fellow, is this Monkey King here to give us a grand gift? If this rabbit is roasted, the taste will definitely be superb."

He stood up with a smile, preparing to welcome this "surprise."

But as he approached the Monkey King, he realized something seemed a bit off.

The Monkey King didn't hand the rabbit to him as Lu Fan had imagined.

Instead, it waved the rabbit around while gesturing toward the stove, pots, and pans, all while making various strange sounds.

The two Little Monkeys were also jumping up and down nearby, seemingly helping the Monkey King convey some sort of message.

"What... does this mean?" An Lan also walked over, looking at the scene with a face full of confusion.

Lu Fan scratched his head, carefully observing the Monkey King's movements.

Suddenly, he had an epiphany and said with a laugh, "Haha, I get it! This Monkey King is tired of eating raw meat and wants to try some cooked food. It's here to ask us for help roasting the meat!"

An Lan couldn't help but laugh as well. "I didn't expect this monkey to have such a refined palate, knowing that we can make delicious food here."

Since he understood the Monkey King's intention, Lu Fan naturally didn't say another word and prepared to show off his skills.

He first took the rabbit from the Monkey King; the rabbit was still struggling frantically.

Lu Fan gently patted its head and soothed it, "Stop tossing about. In a moment, I'll turn you into a delicacy, ensuring your life wasn't in vain."

Next was processing the rabbit. Lu Fan skillfully picked up a knife and began to skin it.

He muttered while skinning, "I never thought I'd be cooking for a monkey one day. It's really strange."

His movements were as practiced as an artistic performance; before long, the rabbit skin was completely removed.

An Lan helped prepare the seasonings on the side, picking out some Wild Green Onion, Wild Garlic, and unknown herbs from their stored spices—these were all "treasure seasonings" they had found in the wilderness.

She chopped these spices and mixed them together, releasing a unique aroma.

"Once these seasonings are added, this roasted rabbit will definitely be so fragrant it'll attract animals from the entire forest," An Lan said with a smile.

"That won't do. If they all come to snatch our food, we won't have anything left to eat," Lu Fan responded jokingly.

After preparing the rabbit, Lu Fan found a branch, skewered the rabbit, and set it over the stove to begin roasting.

He constantly turned the branch so the rabbit would heat evenly. The flames licked the rabbit meat, and soon, the meat began to sizzle with oil, and the aroma gradually drifted through the air.

The Monkey King and the two Little Monkeys sat to one side, their eyes fixed intently on the roasted rabbit, saliva nearly dripping out.

The Monkey King would occasionally lean in to take a sniff, letting out "squeaks" as if urging Lu Fan, "Hurry up, hurry up, I can't wait anymore."

"Don't worry, don't worry. Fine food requires time."

Lu Fan said to the Monkey King with a smile, as if the Monkey King could understand his words.

As time passed, the roasted rabbit's color became a tempting golden brown, and the surface took on an alluring caramelized hue.

The fragrance wafted over, making one's mouth water. Da Hei was also drawn over by the scent; he lay nearby, eyes glued to the roasted rabbit, his tail wagging incessantly.

"Alright, it's about ready."

Lu Fan looked at the roasted rabbit and nodded with satisfaction.

He took the roasted rabbit off the stove, placed it on a clean stone slab, and cut it into small pieces with a knife.

The Monkey King had long been impatient; it reached out to grab a piece of rabbit meat, but ended up squealing from the heat and quickly pulled its hand back.

"Haha, haste makes waste." Lu Fan smiled and handed the Monkey King a leaf, signaling for it to eat by wrapping the meat in the leaf.

The Monkey King took the leaf, imitated Lu Fan, carefully picked up a piece of rabbit meat, and put it in its mouth.

Its eyes instantly lit up, and it let out satisfied noises while chewing; the two Little Monkeys also rushed forward, scrambling to eat the rabbit meat.

Seeing the Monkey King eating so happily, Lu Fan and An Lan also felt a sense of accomplishment.

While the Monkey King enjoyed the delicacy, Lu Fan and An Lan also started chatting with it.

Although they couldn't understand the Monkey King's speech and it couldn't understand theirs, they seemed to establish a wonderful way of communicating through gestures and expressions.

"Do you think this Monkey King will often bring food for us to roast in the future?" An Lan asked with a smile.

"That's hard to say. If that really happens, our Shelter will become a 'Wilderness Gourmet Restaurant'," Lu Fan said jokingly.

After finishing the roasted rabbit, the Monkey King still seemed to want more.

It circled the stove a few times and looked at the drying Nuts, seemingly thinking about what delicacy to bring for Lu Fan and the others to process next time.

Suddenly, Lu Fan had an idea.

Monkeys have very strong exploration abilities in nature; with their innate physical advantages, they can go to places other animals cannot reach.

Crucially, they are very intelligent. Perhaps he could get them to help him find supplies.

Thinking of this, Lu Fan picked up a piece of meat and spoke to the Monkey King: "Monkey, do you want to eat roasted meat in the future?"

The Monkey King's eyes were fixed on the roasted meat, and it gestured excitedly as if saying: "Yes, yes, yes!"

Seeing the Monkey King's excited state, Lu Fan smiled.

"You help me find things, and I'll give you roasted meat."

After saying this, Lu Fan gave the Monkey King a fruit, then took the fruit back into his own hand, and then handed the roasted meat to the Monkey King.

"Exchange, do you understand?"

Under Lu Fan's constant gesturing, the Monkey King finally understood Lu Fan's meaning.

It patted its own chest with its hand, as if saying: "As long as you give me roasted meat, I'll find whatever you want."

An Lan was also surprised on the side: "This Monkey King is so smart. We won't be short on fruit in the future."

Lu Fan smiled: "Think bigger. Why does it have to be fruit?"

Then he picked up a piece of pitch-black charcoal from beside the fire to show the Monkey King.

"Find this black stone, and I'll give you roasted meat."

Lu Fan picked up another stone and held it together with the charcoal in front of the Monkey King.

The Monkey King lowered its head to observe, and after thinking for a moment, it patted its chest with full confidence.

"You want it to help us find a Coal Mine?"