Free Web NovelChapter 2157: Chapter 2194: I Want Some Too
The more they talked, the worse it sounded. Ding Fan didn’t bother with them. He glanced at the wall and at Sirius’s glowing eyes.
Suddenly, Ding Fan turned around and looked at Ningshuang. Both of their eyes lit up.
"Shut up!"
Ding Fan shouted coldly, and with a flicker from the ring in his hand, he suddenly held a giant battle axe, which shimmered as he smashed it fiercely against the wall.
"Boom~!"
Under the terrified gaze of everyone, the wall was smashed into a big hole, and then it collapsed, revealing a passage.
"Just as expected."
Ningshuang nodded lightly. She and Ding Fan exchanged glances earlier, both thinking the same thing — this must be an exit. They had walked for a long time, never encountering a dead end. All pathways were open, but here was a wall — there had to be something wrong.
"Woo~~"
Sirius happily ran to the front, followed by Ding Fan, and the delighted Ningshuang behind him. The rest of the people regained their senses, ecstatic, following the two.
A half-mile ahead, the passage ended, and a door appeared in front. Everyone saw it and went wild with joy, and several young ladies hugged each other, crying.
"Sirius, you’re amazing!"
Ding Fan gave Sirius a thumbs up, while tossing some amethyst ore towards it. Sirius raised its head, eating like a proud child being praised by a senior, looking very happy.
"Go!"
Feeling frantic, no one rested as Herr Liyan rushed towards the door, reaching out to open it. With the door open, everyone’s spirits were refreshed.
"A valley? There’s actually a valley outside!"
Herr Liyan glanced around, full of surprise, and swiftly dashed out. Everyone followed, dumbfounded as they stared outside.
Outside was a beautiful valley, scenic and lush, with a large pond. Even in the distance, you could see many rabbits and deer.
After staying in the Imperial Tomb for so long, suddenly stepping out into a valley left everyone delighted yet disappointed.
To many, getting out of the valley meant leaving the Imperial Tomb, naturally safe outside, but only a few treasures from the Tomb of Emperor Yelang had been acquired.
Five treasures in total, divided among Ding Fan, Ningshuang, and Rufeng. The others gained nothing, suffering along the way, leaving them somewhat dissatisfied.
"Whoosh!"
Herr Liyan explored the area alone, while Ningshuang instructed everyone to rest and wait for the outcome.
Soon, Herr Liyan returned and solemnly said to everyone, "This valley is large, sealed, and safe. There are many doors around. We haven’t completely exited yet; this might be where the Night Wolf Emperor arranged for us to rest."
"Resting place?"
Everyone felt surprised and anxious. Finally, they could rest and continue exploring the Imperial Tomb, but the maze almost killed them — would the path ahead be harder?
"Everyone rest!"
Ningshuang waved her hand, saying, "Zi Qiang, go catch some wild animals, start a fire, and roast them to eat. Misses, come to the pond with me."
A group of young ladies was initially stunned, but quickly realized and excitedly ran to the pond. With a pond here, it meant they could bathe — they hadn’t bathed for days and everyone was smelly.
"Go catch beasts!"
Herr Ziqiang called out, assembling a few people to catch beasts, while the others searched nearby for wild grass and dry wood, preparing to barbecue. They hadn’t eaten cooked food for days. Everyone wanted a good meal, a bath, and a sleep, to rest well.
Ningshuang led people to the pond, making a simple bath pool with cloth, leaving a group outside to guard, washing in turns.
"Hehe... "
"Hehe... "
Soon, a group of women entered the water, their silver-bell laughter mixed with the sound of water, causing the young gentry’s eyes to drift towards them, even thinking of sneaking into the water for the enchanting view.
Ding Fan rested under a tree. Herr Liyan came over, bowing to him, "Island Master Ding, I don’t like to say much, but I owe you my life."
A few young gentlemen nearby witnessed the scene, exchanged glances, and approached Ding Fan, bowing, "Thank you, Island Master Ding. I will surely repay your kindness in the future."
"Let’s not stand on ceremony," Ding Fan smiled and waved, "We’re all tired. Let’s rest for a while."
Though unwilling at heart, these people chatted briefly then left. Herr Liyan did not leave, sitting next to Ding Fan, whispering, "Island Master Ding, don’t mind. The children of large families are arrogant, but deep down they are grateful to you, as they can’t swallow their pride."
"It’s alright!"
Ding Fan shrugged and said, "How they see me, what they think of me, how they treat me, it doesn’t matter. Life is already tough, it’s even harder to care about what others think. The most important thing is to live with a clear conscience; the rest... doesn’t matter."
Ding Fan closed his eyes after speaking and lay on the tree. Herr Liyan took a deep look at him, and his expression changed once again—previously a bit grateful, now a bit impressed.
A group of young ladies frolicked in the water for an hour, sparking endless daydreams among those young gentlemen, who wished they could leap over to join the ladies in bathing.
Here, Herr Ziqiang and a group of people started a barbecue but struggled for half an hour, failing completely. A deer got roasted to char on the outside, yet the inside remained raw, making it utterly inedible.
These young gentlemen, who can’t even tidy up grass at home, let alone barbecue—probably can’t even cook? When Rufeng and Ningshuang returned, they expected a nice meal, but upon seeing Herr Ziqiang and others’ blackened faces and then at the half-raw, burned deer, everyone turned away, unable to bear looking directly.
Ningshuang glanced at Ding Fan, noticed he was asleep, and furrowed her brow. Rufeng, following her sister’s gaze, saw Ding Fan and walked toward him, kicking him and asking, "Ding Fan, stand up."
Ding Fan opened his eyes, dazzled by the sight of a beautiful woman with wet hair, just finished bathing, whose rosy cheeks were particularly captivating, with a nimble little nose and eyes sparkling. For a moment, he gazed stupidly like a fool.
"You idiot!"
Rufeng glared at him, kicked him again, and said, "Get up, can you barbecue?"
Ding Fan recognized Rufeng’s voice, his eyes clearing up. He glanced at her and turned to sleep again: "Nope, aren’t you capable? Do it yourself."
"You..."
Rufeng was infuriated to the point of speechlessness. She angrily turned around, grabbing a rabbit, trying to roast it but had no clue where to start. Without plucking the fur, she considered for a moment and threw the rabbit directly into the fire.
"Haha."
Ningshuang smiled, approaching Ding Fan, bent over, and bowed to him, saying, "Island Master Ding, Rufeng’s just got that heavy-handed temperament. Don’t mind her. We’ve been eating dry food for days; our stomachs can’t take it anymore. Please, Island Master Ding, help us for my sake."
Ningshuang had no doubt Ding Fan knew how to barbecue, having seen his materials. Ding Fan’s survival skills in the wild at Great Python Mountain were very strong.
Ding Fan squinted, regaining some energy. Given Ningshuang’s good attitude, he felt embarrassed to refuse and stood up: "Alright, but Miss Qiu Xue must also lend a hand."
Ningshuang was startled, then smiled, nodding as she followed behind him. Ding Fan came forward and waved his hand: "Everyone step aside. Miss Ningshuang alone is enough."
The crowd looked at each other, surprised Ding Fan dared to have Ningshuang assist him?
Seeing Ningshuang obediently stand aside, many young gentlemen’s eyes were filled with envy, but when it came to barbecuing, they couldn’t do it, so all they could do was retreat aside.
Ding Fan carried a large deer, heading straight to the other side of the pool, with Ningshuang skillfully trailing behind. They arrived by the pool, and Ding Fan extended a hand to Ningshuang, saying, "Give me a small knife or a dagger."
Ningshuang’s ring flashed, producing a dagger, which she handed to Ding Fan. He checked the sharpness of the dagger, then directly stabbed it into the deerskin. No one knew how he did it, but with a left cut, right cut, and a final strong pull, he peeled off the entire deerskin.
Ding Fan then gutted the deer, using a sharp stick to pierce into its body, and returned with Ningshuang.
Ding Fan set up two frames, mounted the deer, instructed Ningshuang to rotate it, and roast it over the campfire, while he retrieved some bottles and jars from his ring, which turned out to contain oils, salts, and other seasonings.
Rufeng curiously approached, followed by the other ladies. Ding Fan ignored them, occasionally instructing Ningshuang to pile firewood, lower the frame, raise the frame, etc., applying fragrant grease oil, salt, and mysterious powders on the venison.
"Smells delicious."
Half an hour later, the venison emitted a faint fragrance, its surface turned yellow and oil seeped out, making Rufeng and the others nearly drool.
"You’re just good at barbecuing, country bumpkin! Look at him all proud."
"Exactly, he just knows some servile skills and acts all high and mighty. If he were so good, why not become a top chef?"
"This fool even dared to make Miss Ningshuang work?" freёwebnovel.com
"..."
A group of young gentlemen from afar murmured quietly, eyes filled with jealousy and resentment. Ding Fan was surrounded by young ladies, occasionally commanding Ningshuang, which made them visibly unhappy.
But lacking the skill, they felt embarrassed to approach, resorting to watching from afar, and grumbling.
"Hmm, it’s ready to eat!"
Another ten minutes, Ding Fan sliced off a piece of meat, skewer it with a sharpened stick, handing it to Ningshuang, "Try the roast venison you helped make," he said with a smile.
Ningshuang’s eyes sparkled, a smile on her face, she gently took a bite, instantly feeling it was the most delicious food in the world. She closed her eyes, savoring it, her face full of delight.
"Ding Fan, I want some too!"
Rufeng called out eagerly, having watched for a while, almost drooling.
Ding Fan glanced at her, seeing her pitiful look, as if Sirius was waiting to be fed, unconsciously smiled at her and handed her a slice. Rufeng took a big bite, smiling and praising like a naive child.
The young ladies nearby wanted some but hesitated to ask outright. Ding Fan shook his head, smiling bitterly as he cut a piece for each of them, then sliced one for himself, yet had no intention of inviting the distant young gentlemen to partake!
The young gentlemen were dumbfounded, the enticing aroma so tempting. Seeing Ningshuang and others’ intoxicated expressions when eating, they caught on, but since Ding Fan roasted the meat, if he didn’t invite them, could they still have the nerve to demand some?
