Chapter 53: Eating Meat

Ding Hua’s impression of Xiang Ye had shifted dramatically over a handful of hours.

Initially, she’d dismissed him as merely one of Ying Li’s subordinates—not worth paying attention to.

Then, she’d assumed he was a venerable A-Rank Guide of advanced age, and her respect had soared.

After learning how young he was… she’d just found the little Guide rather adorable.

But now, in this moment… she realized he might very well be her lifeline.

Xiang Ye clearly had feelings for Ying Li. She had no chance of forming a Mental Bond with him… but once he became an A-Rank, he could still comb her Mental Sea.

Combined with the mental-training methods Ying Li had taught her… that pushed back her estimated time before the Berserk state claimed her by at least forty years.

In that single moment, Ding Hua resolved: no matter the cost, she would protect Xiang Ye with her life.

Simultaneously, the entirety of Freedom City descended into frenzy.

“Did you hear?! An A-Rank Guide showed up here!”

“I heard! Word is, with a single move, he soothed a C-Rank Sentinel already deep in the Berserk!”

“From what I know, the City Lord personally brought that great personage here! The City Lord is just too powerful!”

“I never heard of any Starlight Guide that strong… you think they came from some other city?”

“What’s it gonna take to get him to comb our Mental Seas?!”

Speculation ran wild. The Sentinels mobbed Ding Hua’s subordinates, desperate for any scrap of information.

But her subordinates knew just as little about this cloaked figure she called “Elder Ye.”

All they could do was go and pester Ding Hua directly.

Ding Hua, however, was busy attending to Xiang Ye, recommending all manner of foods beneficial for Guides, quietly waiting for his Mental Power to replenish.

At the same time, she could sense the crowd amassing outside her door growing larger by the minute.

Were these brats far too idle or what?

Ding Hua had no desire to open the door. But just then, someone arrived hauling two Mutant Beasts, shouting in an excited rush: “City Lord! You asked for intact beast carcasses? I brought you some!”

The two were both D-Rank, common to the vicinity around Freedom City… and more importantly, both were species Xiang Ye had explicitly named and approved as delicious!

After scanning the scene outside with her Mental Power, Ding Hua turned to Xiang Ye. “Xiang Ye, someone’s already brought beasts back.”

“Let him in then,” Xiang Ye replied. “City Lord Ding, your subordinates can come in too.”

That he could purge Corrosive Energy from flesh… wasn’t a secret that could stay hidden. In that case, it was better not to hide it.

Once he demonstrated his unique value, his standing in Freedom City would rise even higher. Then, he could truly do whatever he wished.

Ding Hua understood his intent immediately.

She gave a short bark of acknowledgment. Then she threw the door open and faced her core men crowding outside. “None of you have anything better to do today? Lining up outside my office like pillars?!”

Her subordinates called out a mixture of “City Lord!” and “Boss!” plastering ingratiating grins across their faces.

Ding Hua knew perfectly well what they were after. She relented: “Fine, all of you, come inside. Remember—absolute respect before the Elder Ye!”

Everyone nodded frantically. They filed in, trailing nervously behind Ding Hua. Once inside, they stood dead still, rigid and reverent, refusing to even sneak a glance at Xiang Ye for fear their scrutiny might offend him.

Freedom City’s sparse population meant huge per-capita space. Ding Hua’s office had been remodeled by merging several rooms together—over a hundred square meters.

Though quite a crowd had squeezed in, everyone fit. More than that, the wide space in front of the sofa where Xiang Ye sat remained entirely off-limits. Nobody dared approach.

Ding Hua’s men all held this mysterious, mighty Guide in profound awe.

Then… Xiang Ye’s low, gravelly voice rasped out: “Place those two beasts in front of me.”

Before the Sentinel who’d brought them could react, Ding Hua had already snatched the carcasses and set them down personally.

Neither beast was large. And Xiang Ye was keen to showcase his skill. In a single mental sweep of his net, he purged every last trace of Corrosive Energy from the two carcasses.

At the same moment, his freshly recovered Mental Power plummeted—eighty percent of his reserves, gone in an instant.

If Ying Li were here, he’d definitely scold him… Xiang Ye wrapped his lips around the drinking tube affixed near his Visor’s mouth and sucked down a mouthful of Vine Sap.

Only then did he speak: “Roast these two beasts up. Consider it a welcoming gift from me.”

The gathered Sentinels were baffled.

They’d brought these beasts back… how did it become a gift from him?

And roasting Mutant Beast meat? You couldn’t eat that stuff! Why bother?

Completely bewildered…

Then Ding Hua calmly pulled out a Corrosive Energy Detector and scanned the two carcasses.

Green light.

“Guess,” she said. “What kind of meat did I use to make the Dried Meat I handed out earlier?”

Her subordinates’ brains caught up instantly. They stared at the two carcasses as though their eyes were about to burst into flames.

Ding Hua added, “Now, hurry up and butcher these two beasts. Someone go find some cooking equipment.”

The men scrambled.

Butchering was second nature. They efficiently dismembered the creatures. Finding cooking gear… now that was harder. Freedom City sold no fresh food, so nobody cooked.

…Wait. The RV their boss had just purchased had a full stove!

In no time, someone had ripped the stove right out of the RV and hauled it over.

Ding Hua: “…!” They dismantled her RV without asking?! Absolutely outrageous!

…Still, having the stove here meant she could eat cooked meat fresh off the heat. She could let it slide.

One Sentinel with actual cooking experience was given the honor of using the stove to cook. But a single stove couldn’t cook nearly enough for so many people.

Just then, another man dragged over a metal-working bench.

By slotting in Crystal Cores, the bench could generate terrifying heat for melting metal—adjustable, of course. They set the temperature to something reasonable, slapped a massive iron bucket on top, poured in water, dumped the mutant bones and meat in… and just started boiling.

These Sentinels had zero culinary finesse; it was just a one-pot stew. But the thing they were stewing… was meat!

The aroma of cooking flesh soon permeated every corner of Ding Hua’s office.

Before the meat was even fully cooked, the pack of Sentinels was practically ready to start fishing it out barehanded. It took Ding Hua roaring, “No fighting! Even shares once it’s cooked!” to restore order.

Fine… they finally settled down.

Old Zhou returned right at that moment: “City Lord, I captured the beasts you asked for! …Are you all eating meat behind my back?!”

The rich, fatty scent of meat hit Old Zhou like a palpable wave. He nearly fainted from the fragrance, swallowing convulsively.

He’d eaten meat plenty of times… but meat in the past had never smelled this hypnotic.

“Haven’t started eating yet. Perfect timing,” Ding Hua said.

Forget the carcasses he’d dragged back—Old Zhou dropped them at the door and charged straight into the room, staring fixedly at the iron bucket with desperate longing, waiting for his share.

Seeing this, several of the others dashed outside and swarmed Old Zhou’s fresh kills, frantically processing them.

Pelts and bones tossed aside. The meat was carved and plated with meticulous care.

The City Lord’s plan was to roast the meat first, then ask Elder Ye to purge it. That would make it easier on the Elder.

“What the hell are you doing?” Old Zhou hollered when he saw them grilling the mutant meat.

Someone yelled back: “Can’t you see? We’re roasting meat!”

“Why are you roasting Aberrant Beast Meat?! You can’t eat it!”

“Who says we can’t? It’s delicious!”

Old Zhou’s face twisted in horror. Were these people planning some kind of mass suicide?!

A hurried explanation ensued. Old Zhou swiftly learned the truth… and soon enough, he was stuffing his face with roasted Aberrant Beast Meat, washing it down with the stew’s broth.

This meat was unbelievably good! No foul taste at all!

Old Zhou’s brain had gone blank except for one overwhelming, singular impulse: he needed to capture every last beast in the region.

Alright… that was just a fleeting fantasy. Their City Lord had already said: Purging the meat with Elder Ye’s help required payment in Crystal Cores. And the amount he could cleanse per day was limited.

So hoarding too many carcasses was pointless!

Elder Ye was just too merciful. Getting him to cleanse the meat cost roughly the same in Crystal Cores as buying pork in Starlight City.

But this was Freedom City! Here, food prices were always several times higher—pork was practically priceless.

And Aberrant Beast Meat… tasted better than pork.

The Sentinels turned their fervent, blazing gazes to Xiang Ye.

Meanwhile, Xiang Ye lounged back on the sofa, playing the part of lofty expert. By his hand, the best cook among Ding Hua’s men had arranged a platter of the finest roasted cuts, a bowl of Lotus Seed Soup, and a custom beverage—a restorative mix of Vine Sap and a Flower Nectar that similarly aided Guide Mental Power recovery.

This quality of life? Peerless.

Xiang Ye was rising like a rocket in Freedom City, his reputation—under his Elder Ye persona—skyrocketing.

But at the City Entrance, the spies sent to investigate were twisting in anxiety.

The undercover agents several Great Families had planted inside Freedom City had long since lost contact. Growing too restless to wait any longer, they’d dispatched people to scout the situation… only to find they couldn’t even enter the damn city.

These scouts expended considerable effort, bribing low-rank Freedom City Sentinels with food to loosen their tongues.

From these loose lips, they heard nothing about the missing agents. What they did learn was the reason for Freedom City’s lockdown:

Ding Hua was trying to fix the city’s Air Purification System and Water Purification System.

Why would she do that? Freedom City had absolutely no ordinary citizens!

Confused, they soon learned more: Freedom City had gained an A-Rank Guide.

How could Freedom City possibly have an A-Rank Guide?! Had some other city-state secretly made contact with Ding Hua?!

Could they be planning an assault on Starlight City?!

The informants scrambled to send word back. So did Yu Mingwei’s own men.

Upon spotting Yu Mingwei’s RV sitting abandoned in Freedom City’s parking lot, they knew instantly—Yu Juntao was almost certainly dead.

Yu Juntao’s temperament had been terrible. And the thugs he’d taken with him were all scum. More than anything, Ding Hua loathed exactly that type of person.

It was obvious now: the Sentinel who’d helped the Hunting Team kill the beast had indeed been Ding Hua. And that idiot Yu Juntao—of all the people to offend—just had to offend her.

The various spies began racing back toward Starlight City.

Meanwhile, Ying Li was locked in combat with an A-level Mutant Beast, honing his Combat Techniques while mapping the surrounding territory.

He needed to know—the S-class Mutant Beasts that emerged during the Beast Tide… where exactly did they come from?