Fantasy: The Second Miss Said She Was Ordinary

On the Hurricane Mercenary Group's side, everyone saw everything happening on the other side.

The men were all filled with righteous indignation, and Chu Kuangfeng and Wei Ji clenched their fists so tightly they cracked.

"Damn it, this kid is a scoundrel!" Chu Kuangfeng roared.

Wei Ji's face was extremely grim, but he held Chu Kuangfeng down and said in a deep voice, "Calm down, now is not the time to take action. That girl is obviously being controlled by someone else, and we don't know why she is being so patient. If we intervene rashly, we might harm her."

Qin Youyou looked at the thin figure, her fingertips gently stroking the cold body of the jade bow.

“Yanyang City Foundry Guild… Li Jian, Li Gang…” she repeated the two names in a low voice, her eyes deep.

She could certainly unleash her full power, but...

If you want to uncover something serious, you need sufficient evidence to convince the world; otherwise, it won't work.

She will let the whole world see what kind of people they really are.

Besides, there's a certain fun in cat-and-mouse games.

Qin Youyou turned around. "My hands are itching. Let me grill some skewers for everyone."

Upon hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up instantly.

The Creator God is going to cook himself? This is an incredible blessing!

Normally, they would savor a piece of jerky that Qin Youyou casually gave them for days, but today they were actually going to have a proper roasted lamb leg?

The mercenaries sprang into action immediately, even more eager than if they were fighting.

Someone quickly carried out a large, well-prepared, marbled hind leg of a Himalayan blue sheep from the supply truck.

Someone quickly set up a specially made large grill;

Someone brought over dried fruitwood; meat cooked over this kind of firewood has a unique fruity aroma.

Qin Youyou rolled up her sleeves, revealing her fair wrists.

She first used her fingertips to gently make several deep cuts on the surface of the lamb leg, reaching into the bone crevices, with fluid and precise movements.

Then, she took out several small jade bottles from her mustard seed bag, which contained spices specially made by the Mud Leg Sect.

There's rock salt mixed with star pollen, rosemary flakes with a hint of minty coolness, and a reddish-brown pepper powder that exudes a strange warmth.

She evenly applied the spices to every inch of the lamb leg, especially deep into the cuts, to ensure the flavors penetrated.

Then, she placed her hands lightly above the lamb leg, and a gentle yet incredibly pure spiritual energy slowly flowed into the lamb meat.

This is not a simple heating process, but rather a process that uses spiritual energy to bring out the natural sweetness of the meat and allows the flavors of the spices to blend perfectly.

"Keep it low and cook it slowly." While out and about, she didn't use the Netherworld Star Flame, but instead instructed the mercenary beside her.

The mercenary in charge of the fire carefully lit the fruitwood, controlling the flames to maintain a steady and gentle heat.

The leg of lamb is placed on a rotating grill and rotates at a constant speed above the flames.

Soon, an indescribable, exotic fragrance began to spread.

It's not just the aroma of meat, but also a blend of the smoky scent of fruitwood, the complex fragrance of spices, and a fresh and delicious aroma that comes from the very essence of the ingredients, inspired by spiritual energy.

The aroma seemed to have a life of its own, penetrating everyone's nostrils and reaching the top of their heads, whetting their appetites!

"Gulp..." On the Hurricane Mercenary Group's side, someone couldn't help but swallow a big mouthful of saliva.

Meanwhile, the camp of spoiled brats across the street, which had been loudly boasting about the delicacies and fine wines they had brought, gradually quieted down.

The jerky and dried fruit in the hands of the attendants and the weapon makers suddenly lost their appeal.

They craned their necks, inhaling the irresistible aroma in the air, their eyes fixed on the sizzling, golden-brown lamb leg on the grill, their mouths practically watering.

"Young...Young Master...what kind of meat is that? It smells so good..." a servant couldn't help but mutter to himself.

Li Jian himself was also dumbfounded.

As the young master of the Yanyang City Guild, what delicacies hasn't he tasted?

But in my entire life, I have never smelled such a captivating fragrance!

The aroma is rich and layered, with the richness of oils, the allure of spices, and an indescribable feeling of complete comfort.

Compared to this aroma, the meat of the mythical bird and the century-old wine in his hands were utterly worthless.

His Adam's apple bobbed as he suppressed the urge to swallow, his face burning.

He wanted to ask for some, even if it meant spending a lot of money to buy a piece to try, but he had just been criticizing the other party for being poor and having cheap meat soup. How could he bring himself to do that now?

He could only force himself to endure it, turning his head away with feigned disdain, but his nose twitched uncontrollably.

Seeing the drooling looks on the faces of the people opposite him, Chu Kuangfeng deliberately raised his voice: "When will the lamb leg be ready? My mouth is watering so much it's practically flooding this place!"

Wei Ji punched him lightly: "Don't rush me, you can't eat a good lamb leg in a hurry."

While controlling the heat, Qin Youyou smiled and said, "What's the rush? It'll be ready soon."

After another incense stick's time, the lamb leg was roasted to a golden brown and crispy exterior, glistening with oil. Drops of golden fat fell onto the embers, sizzling and releasing an even richer aroma.

Qin Youyou gently stabbed the thickest part of the lamb leg with a small silver knife, and the juices instantly gushed out, clear and bright, indicating that the meat was cooked to perfection.

"Okay, let's eat!"

The mercenaries cheered and immediately lined up.

Qin Youyou personally took charge of the knife, slicing off pieces of crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, juicy and flavorful mutton, and placing them on each of the plates that were handed to her.

The first mercenary to get the mutton couldn't wait to take a bite. His eyes widened instantly, his face filled with ecstasy, and he exclaimed incoherently, "My goodness! This...this meat...it melts in your mouth! Delicious! So delicious! After eating this meat, I feel like I could punch a dragon to death!"

The second person who tasted it was even more exaggerated, throwing his head back and roaring with happiness: "Waaah... This life is worth it! Even dying is worth it! This isn't mutton, it's clearly an elixir of immortality!"

"Quickly suck out the juice inside! It's so delicious, my tongue is about to fall off!"

"And this crispy outer crust! It's so crumbly it crumbles!"

"I feel like my cultivation level is about to break through!"

The mercenaries wolfed down their food while making all sorts of incredibly embarrassing food reviews.

They ate with gusto, their mouths glistening with oil, overflowing with happiness.

Across from them, Li Jian and his group listened to the praise, smelled the increasingly strong aroma, and watched the mercenaries' ravenous expressions, as if they wanted to devour the bones whole. Their faces grew increasingly grim.

The food in their hands tasted like cardboard, and they were all restless and anxious.

Li Jian's face turned ashen; he was both angry and greedy.

Unable to endure the dual torment of mind and body any longer, he abruptly stood up, slunk away into his luxurious tent, and decided to avoid seeing it altogether.

But he couldn't resist secretly leaving a crack in the curtain of his tent... He lay down by the crack, sniffing greedily like a dog.

Qin Youyou looked at her own gluttonous mercenaries, then glanced at the restless figures opposite her, and a smile played on her lips.

Yeah, it feels good to occasionally use my cooking skills to bully people.

■

As night deepened, the light of the campfire flickered in the breeze, casting long and short shadows.

On the Hurricane Mercenary Group's side, everyone had already devoured the roasted lamb leg, sucking out every last bit of meat and marrow from between the bones. They were all completely satisfied, their faces glowing with satiated delight as they surrounded Ember.

At the camp opposite, Cheng Jian and the others seemed to have eaten and drunk their fill and crawled into their luxurious tents to rest.

Only two attendants on night watch were left, dozing by the campfire.

The girl named Qingci was still huddled in a shadowy corner far from the main tent, her back to everyone, her thin shoulders shivering slightly in the night wind.

She had no tent and had to sleep outdoors.

Qin Youyou wiped her hands clean and quietly took out a plate of mutton from her mustard bag.

Those were the tenderest and juiciest pieces of mutton she had specially reserved.

She didn't say anything, but handed the plate to her uncle beside her, and then glanced meaningfully at the lonely figure opposite her.

Wei Ji understood immediately.

He took the plate, found a clean piece of oil paper, and carefully wrapped the mutton to make sure it wouldn't leak oil or cool down too quickly.

But he didn't get up immediately. Instead, he sat patiently and chatted quietly with everyone, as if he were just enjoying the leisurely time after the meal.

He is waiting.

As night deepened, as the guards on the opposite side grew more weary, and as the entire camp fell into a deep sleep.

Time passed slowly, the moon rose high in the sky, and all was quiet except for the babbling of the stream and the occasional chirping of insects in the distance. The campfire in the opposite camp dimmed, and the night watchman's head bobbed as he drifted off to sleep.

Wei Ji felt the time was about right.

He nodded slightly to Qin Youyou, stood up, and, under the cover of the tent and the night, silently circled around to the back of the opposite camp like a shadow, making no sound as he moved.

As a top expert, even with his aura and energy concealed, he could easily avoid the rubble and withered branches and arrive behind Qingci.

The girl remained curled up, motionless, as if she were asleep, but Wei Ji keenly noticed that her faint breathing was not steady.

Wei Ji did not approach rashly, but stopped a few steps away and softly transmitted his voice: "Miss Qingci?"

The thin figure stiffened abruptly, but did not turn around.

Wei Ji knew she was scared, so he continued softly, "Don't be afraid, I'm from the mercenary group on the other side. We...we roasted a leg of lamb tonight, and it tasted pretty good. We saved some for you."

As he spoke, he gently placed the mutton wrapped in oil paper on the grass not far behind her.

"Eat it while it's hot, no one will see."

After Wei Ji finished speaking, he didn't linger. He immediately turned around and disappeared into the night with equally light and agile steps, as if he had never been there.

Qingci remained stiff in her posture until she heard the faint footsteps behind her completely fade away, before she dared to turn around very slowly and cautiously.

Under the moonlight, the oil paper package lay quietly on the grass, emitting a faint yet irresistible aroma of meat.

The mercenary's figure appeared exceptionally tall in the moonlight.

The celadon porcelain was in a daze.

She finally came to her senses, looked around, and confirmed that Li Jian and his entourage were all asleep, and the night watchmen were also drowsy.

He then trembled as he reached out and quickly grabbed the oil paper package, clutching it tightly to his chest.

The oil paper still carried a trace of warmth, which seeped through the fabric to her palm, almost bringing tears to her eyes.

She carefully unwrapped the parchment paper, and several pieces of roasted, golden-brown, and juicy lamb came into view, their aroma wafting even more intensely.

She could no longer resist and dared not hesitate, so she grabbed a piece and stuffed it into her mouth.

The meat was tender and juicy, and the spices brought out the natural flavor of the lamb perfectly, making it a hundred times more delicious than anything she had ever eaten in her life!

She dared not make a sound, and could only chew quickly in small bites.

Hot tears finally streamed down his face, and he swallowed them, mingling with the meat juices.

As she ate, she couldn't help but glance at the quiet mercenary camp across the street.

His eyes were filled with gratitude.

■

The first rays of sunlight in the morning pierced through the thin mist.

Qingci suddenly opened her eyes, feeling more awake than ever before.

She couldn't even remember when she fell asleep. It seemed that after eating the last piece of mutton yesterday, a warm sensation rose in her stomach and rushed to her brain, and she fainted.

Touch your full belly.

This feels so strange.

Even though she only ate a few small pieces of mutton last night, she felt no hunger at all. Instead, she felt a warm and powerful energy flowing through her body, as if she had inexhaustible strength.

What shocked her even more was that the beast bloodline within her, diluted with human blood, seemed to be faintly awakening.

Ancient, vast fragments of inherited memories flooded into her mind like a burst dam.

Those were about the use of power, about the glory of ancestors, about certain instincts deeply rooted in one's blood...

She sat there, stunned, processing the sudden influx of information.

I finally understand that those seemingly ordinary pieces of mutton last night were anything but ordinary.

The energy contained within was gentle yet incredibly pure, not only nourishing her body but also acting like a key, completely awakening and soothing the mixed-race power within her that had been suppressed and rejected.

“My benefactor…” Qingci felt an indescribable surge of excitement and gratitude.

She eagerly looked up, wanting to find that ordinary yet mysterious figure in the opposite camp, and wanted to thank him in person.

However, what came into view was an empty meadow.

The Hurricane Mercenary Group's camp had been cleaned up thoroughly, even the ashes of the campfire had been carefully buried, as if no one had ever stayed there.

They left, silently, before dawn.

A profound sense of loss gripped Qingci's heart. She hadn't even had a chance to say thank you...

"Idiot! What are you standing there for? The sun's already high in the sky! Get up and pack your things, get ready to go! Do you want a beating for dawdling?"

Li Jian, impatient, kicked her in the back.

Qingci was taken aback.

When Li Jian kicked her, she felt almost no pain; for the first time, the instinct to retaliate was born in her muscles.

She clenched her fists tightly.

She seems to have the ability to resist now!

This thought spread through her mind like wildfire.

She could sense that if she threw a punch, she would definitely teach this spoiled brat a lesson!

However, impulse was ultimately overcome by reason.

Her parents' haggard and worried faces appeared clearly before her eyes. They were still in Yanyang City, under the control of the Li family, held hostage to control her...

No! Not now!

Qingci took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the power that was about to burst out of her body.

Her clenched fist slowly loosened. She lowered her head, concealing the fleeting fierceness and humiliation in her eyes, and replied in a weak voice, "...Yes, young master."