Yu Sheng blinked, feeling that something was off.
However, now that the words had already been spoken, it didn’t seem right to back out. The good news was that since Zhan Xiaotian knew the way, there was no danger of him changing the storyline too much. At least, his appearance wouldn’t cause Zhan Xiaotian to suddenly stop getting lost for decades.
The two of them set off together. Yu Sheng didn’t have a specific destination in mind, only thinking about how to find another opportunity to exit the situation. He even forgot to ask Zhan Xiaotian where he was planning to go.
When Yu Sheng snapped back from his deep thoughts, the two of them had already left the unfamiliar mountain and arrived at a flat, open forest. Zhan Xiaotian, walking beside him, suddenly sensed something, reached out to stop Yu Sheng, and immediately fell into a state of full alert.
Was there another beast or spirit beast about to attack?
Yu Sheng instantly thought of the self-destructing spirit beast and became a bit anxious. He froze, not daring to move, and even tried to lower his breathing, minimizing his presence as much as possible.
Then he saw Zhan Xiaotian suddenly pull out a short knife and, aiming at a slightly shaking bush, threw the blade with force.
A few birds were startled and flew off. Zhan Xiaotian stood up straight, relaxed his tension, and walked over confidently. He picked up a wild chicken that had been killed with a single strike.
Yu Sheng, relieved from the false alarm, silently facepalmed. He felt that a world without proper communication was really exhausting. Just now, he almost used his whip to lash out in panic!
Not noticing Yu Sheng's subtle expression, Zhan Xiaotian was clearly delighted with his catch. He quickly found a spot, drew a circle in the dirt, and set up a small fire. He began plucking the feathers off the wild chicken, skewered it on a smoothened stick, and started roasting it.
Not only was the meat tender, but he had even brought salt with him?
Yu Sheng slowly ambled over and sat on a nearby rock, watching Zhan Xiaotian roast the chicken. He had thought Zhan Xiaotian would stay by the fire the whole time, but after setting up the chicken, he glanced around and left.
After a while, Zhan Xiaotian returned, holding a large wild beehive filled with honey. Strangely, he had no noticeable bee stings on his body. In his other hand, he was carrying a bundle of wildflowers. When he sat down by the fire, he eagerly handed the flowers to Yu Sheng, his eyes sparkling with anticipation.
Yu Sheng: ?
So, was this a "you eat meat, I eat flowers" situation?
Still confused, he accepted the flowers and quietly set aside the few inedible ones.
Zhan Xiaotian pulled out a piece of tattered cloth and began writing on it.
Do you like them? I picked these especially for you.
Yu Sheng remained expressionless. No, I don’t like them. I want to eat meat too.
I heard that people like you don’t eat the five grains of the world, nor do you eat meat.
Who the hell said that? Let them come out and face me in a duel!
Yu Sheng sighed inwardly, feeling a sense of injustice. The feeling of having delicious food placed in front of him but being unable to eat it stirred up some eerily familiar memories.
...That's right. When the three of them suddenly came to find him, Zhan Xiaotian had done the same thing—placing a bunch of food in front of him, saying it should be buried in the soil, taunting him in front of his face. It had made his heart ache terribly.
No way?! Weren’t Zhan Xiaotian and the others supposed to know about his identity already and be aware that he hadn’t died?
So back then, what was Zhan Xiaotian’s attitude?!
Was it intentional?!
Damn!!!
No wonder he always felt like Zhan Xiaotian looked so guilty after his cover was blown!
Damn it… Yu Sheng silently clenched his fists. His disciple, who had been teasing him, was right in front of him, but since the timelines were different, he couldn’t confront this innocent Zhan Xiaotian now! The current Zhan Xiaotian hadn’t done anything yet and was innocent!
Yu Sheng sniffed the air, and the smell of roasted meat filled his senses, causing his stomach, which hadn’t had proper food for days, to eagerly contract.
Could it be that some things are just impossible to change? The Zhan Xiaotian in front of him, despite being the first time they met, had no previous grudges or reasons to trick him with roasted chicken…
Even if it was intentional, it wasn’t to mock him. Maybe it was just that food was hard to come by in these deep mountains and forests, and he had caught the wild chicken himself. Whether he shared it with others was entirely up to him. Since Yu Sheng hadn’t done anything and even caused him to get hurt, he certainly couldn’t shamelessly mooch off him.
Realizing this, Yu Sheng hesitated. If Zhan Xiaotian didn’t want to share his food, then saying he could eat meat right now would be too shameless. He should just let it be.
While mulling this over, Yu Sheng finally understood why, when he kept circling around that previous mountain, he could only eat flowers. It was because Zhan Xiaotian had probably eaten all the other edible things.
That’s impressive.
As he rubbed his stomach in frustration over the flowers, Yu Sheng’s eyes caught Zhan Xiaotian’s mouth twitching slightly.
Hmm? What’s he smiling about?
Yu Sheng watched him carefully as he slowly poured honey into a large bowl. He was puzzled but couldn’t help being curious, and just as he looked up, their gazes met.
After a while, the large bowl of honey was brought over, accompanied by a line of words written on the nearby cloth.
Can you eat honey?
Of course, I can eat honey!
Yu Sheng took his pen and wrote on the side, pressing hard on the fabric to clarify his stance.
I’m not picky with food.
This line was well-written—it could mean he would eat any kind of honey, or it could be extended to mean that he ate meat too. It just depended on how Zhan Xiaotian chose to interpret it.
But he still felt that since there was honey, wouldn’t spreading it on the chicken and roasting it make it even more delicious? Drinking it straight seemed like such a waste.
Thus, he made a decision in his heart—if Xiaotian shared the meat, he would suggest this honey-glazed roasted chicken idea. If not, he would just use the honey to stave off hunger.
What a fair and clever plan.
Yu Sheng picked up a flower nearby, sucked out the nectar, and began plucking petals one by one: meat to eat, no meat, meat to eat, no meat…
Ah, his stomach was still so empty. He really missed the days when he could survive on fasting alone.
As the chicken roasted, the surrounding mist finally began to dissipate. Yu Sheng plucked the last petal, which landed on no meat, and as he looked up, his gaze met Zhan Xiaotian’s.
Why was Xiaotian staring at him?
And why did his face seem a little flushed?
Zhan Xiaotian seemed to hesitate about something. After much deliberation, he started writing again.
Are you very hungry?
Obviously…
Yu Sheng helplessly replied.
What’s the matter? Why are you staring at me?
Was there something he wanted to say? Like inviting him to eat some chicken?
Zhan Xiaotian hesitated again, clearly torn.
"I’ve been hearing your stomach growling this whole time. I’m sorry," Zhan Xiaotian wrote.
Yu Sheng: "…"
Zhan Xiaotian continued writing.
"The mist cleared, and you didn’t disappear. So, you’re really not someone who lives in the mist."
Yu Sheng couldn’t help but laugh bitterly.
I’m sorry I’m not some divine being, truly. I wish I could be one of those immortals who could survive on just flowers.
On a whim, Yu Sheng added a line after Zhan Xiaotian’s note:
"If you spread honey on the meat before roasting, it will taste even better. You should try it."
Even though Yu Sheng initially thought, I don’t even get to eat the meat, why should I share the honey and make it better for him? after a while, his hunger softened his heart.
A few bites of meat wouldn’t kill him, and seeing his future disciple eat happily was a pleasing thought in itself. Yu Sheng still felt Zhan Xiaotian’s life was too harsh—no money, no home, wandering aimlessly and enduring harsh conditions. Even if he’d become a dominant figure in the future, his current state was heart-wrenching.
Zhan Xiaotian followed Yu Sheng’s suggestion without hesitation, using a generous amount of honey. By the time the chicken was cooked and Yu Sheng was practically drooling, a large chicken leg was broken off and handed to him.
"Want to try?"
Yu Sheng’s eyes immediately turned red with emotion.
"You’re a good person," he wrote.
Zhan Xiaotian looked at the note and seemed puzzled, clearly not fully understanding. Yu Sheng, equally confused, stared back at him with an innocent expression. Was there something wrong with his compliment?
"You don’t owe me anything," Zhan Xiaotian wrote after a moment.
Yu Sheng felt even more baffled, as if their logic was entirely on different planes.
After finishing the chicken, Zhan Xiaotian got up and started leading Yu Sheng around again. As they walked, he hunted relentlessly—birds, rabbits, chickens, ducks, even a wild boar. In no time, he had amassed a pile of game and was scouting for a place to stay.
There wasn’t a natural cave nearby, but they found an abandoned, dilapidated temple. Coincidentally, the temple had a weathered plaque hanging above the entrance, covered in dust and cobwebs. The faded characters on it read: Put Down the Blade.
Zhan Xiaotian didn’t care in the slightest. He let out a laugh, smashed the plaque to the ground, and stepped on it as he entered the temple.
Yu Sheng followed behind, frowning slightly. After a moment of hesitation, he took out his whisk and carefully brushed away the dust and cobwebs from the plaque. He then leaned it neatly against the wall before stepping inside.
It was only then that he truly observed Zhan Xiaotian clearly and noticed how starkly different this version of him was from the one in his memories.
They were the same person, yet, in many ways, completely different.
If just the past and future could lead to such dramatic differences in a person, it wasn’t surprising that, after splitting into three, they had turned into the complex individuals they became.
The hunted animals weren’t all completely dead; some were left alive to stay fresh, occasionally moving and struggling in the pile. Zhan Xiaotian, while setting up a resting place nearby, didn’t stop the animals trying to escape. He only waited for one to reach the doorway before throwing a sharp weapon to kill it.
Yu Sheng thought there was far too much meat for them to finish quickly. Unless Zhan Xiaotian had an enormous appetite, a lot of it would surely go to waste.
He looked at Zhan Xiaotian but, unable to find any cloth, had to grab a small piece of something to write on the ground. Then he tugged at Zhan Xiaotian’s sleeve to show him what he had written as a way to communicate.
Do you know why those three spirit beasts attacked you?
Thinking back now, Yu Sheng suddenly found it odd. Spirit beasts were not like ordinary wild animals; they had a natural intelligence. Most of them were smart enough to know self-preservation. Without some deep-seated hatred, it was rare for them to engage in such a reckless, mutual destruction-like fight.
Zhan Xiaotian looked at him with a puzzled expression, glancing at him several times before writing a reply below.
Do animals need a reason to kill people?