The aroma escaped the small, dilapidated hut, drifting in all directions on this rainy night… Once again, he was grateful no one lived nearby. Otherwise, the neighbors would have had a rough night.

Cen An slowly stirred the fat in the pot. The fatigue of recent days melted away unnoticed, a smile spreading across his face.

Suddenly, he felt a tug on his pant leg.

But there was no one else in the house! Startled, he looked down…

“Huh? A carnivorous plant?”

It was indeed the carnivorous plant Yu Lin had given him.

Cen An couldn’t bear to feed it crystal nuclei, but water was plentiful. The little carnivorous plant thrived, though it hadn’t grown much, still only as tall as a finger.

Occasionally, he’d catch sight of its mouth snapping shut to catch flying insects, making it resemble a pitcher plant. He didn’t pay it much mind.

Unexpectedly, this carnivorous plant behaved like a puppy, using its mouth to tug at his pant leg.

Cen An stroked it with his fingertip. “What is it?”

The carnivorous plant seemed pleased by the touch, its large head swaying before tilting to the side.

Cen An followed its gaze and saw the roaring rabbit. He’d been too busy preparing ingredients tonight to deal with it yet. The rabbit lay on the ground, teeth bared, eyes wide open in death.

The carnivorous plant tilted its head again.

Cen An pondered its meaning. “You want this?”

He tentatively brought the roaring rabbit’s carcass closer. With a snap, the carnivorous plant’s massive jaws opened to 180 degrees, snapping shut and tearing off a chunk of flesh, skin, and all, with a satisfying crunch.

The huge mouth chewed a few times before gulping it down.

Then it began to brace itself, exerting force~ growing a full segment taller.

The child was clearly starved and pent up.

This series of actions stunned Cen An. When he finally snapped out of it, he realized, “So you can eat mutant beast meat besides crystal cores!”

That was great news—he had plenty of mutant beast meat!

Tossing the roaring rabbit aside, Cen An retrieved seven or eight more chunks of mutant beast meat. He arranged them in a circle around the flowerpot, as if performing some mysterious ritual. “Grow up quickly and guard the place for me.”

The delay had allowed the oil in the pot to finish rendering. A clear layer of fat filled nearly half the pot, while golden-brown cracklings floated on top, swirling in tiny bubbles.

He poured the lard into a prepared oil jar, but it wouldn’t fit. So he fashioned a wooden container.

The clear, crystalline fat poured into the jar, slowly solidifying over time into snow-white lard.

The lard cracklings were carefully scooped into a bowl. A sprinkle of pure white salt and a pinch of pepper released their aroma.

The large iron cauldron used for rendering didn’t need scrubbing; its thin layer of lard lining was perfect for stir-frying.

He pinched a piece of pork crackling into his mouth. With a satisfying crunch, the crispy, caramelized bits shattered between his teeth, releasing their rich oil. Paired with the subtle heat of pepper…

Was there anything in the world tastier than pork cracklings? No way. At best, it could only tie for first place.

Munching on the cracklings, he picked through the pork on the floor, pondering his first meal… Braised pork? Sweet and sour spare ribs? Or perhaps braised pig ears?

Just then, he caught a whiff of blood mixed with the damp air of the rain.

━━ 🐈‍⬛ ━━

Su Rui was racing through the rain curtain.

Lately, the mutant beasts in the mountains had been acting strangely.

Logically, the rainy season should be when these creatures were most docile. Food was plentiful in the mountains, and heavy rain made venturing out difficult. They should have been content to sleep soundly in their dens after eating their fill.

Yet in recent days, several small beast tides had already swept through the mountains.

Though Su Rui was a Silver Moon Wolf, there was no hierarchy where higher-ranked beasts commanded lower ones. Except for pack-dwelling beasts, all others fought their own battles.

Thus, to maintain his territory, Su Rui had to rise early and return late, crushing any foolish mutant beasts daring to challenge him. He had no time to enjoy human delicacies. His human abduction plan was shelved.

Today, after dispatching a group of reckless Level 5 mutant beasts, he passed over Yongning Village and caught a whiff of an unusual aroma.

The famished Silver Moon Wolf halted immediately. He touched the crystal core in his pouch, summoned his wind-element ability to blow himself to the familiar little shack, then raised his head and knocked on the door.

Inside, Cen An instantly grew alert. “Who is it?”

The figure outside cleared their throat. “It’s me.”

Cen An didn’t recognize the voice at first. Peering through the door crack, he realized it was the dog owner.

He opened the door a crack. “What is it?”

Su Rui cleared his throat again. “Dinner. I didn’t bring ingredients, but…”

The door slammed shut. Cen An called out from behind it, “No guests today. Please come back in a few days.”

Silence fell outside the door for a moment. Then, one by one, sparkling crystal cores were pushed through the crack.

Cen An: …

Moments later, the wooden door swung open, and Su Rui stepped inside.

The stench of blood grew thicker. Cen An frowned. “You’re injured?”

Su Rui glanced at his back. “You mean this?”

A long, bone-deep gash ran across his back. Though blood still trickled from the wound, its edges had already begun to tighten slightly, showing early signs of healing.

The regenerative abilities of ability users truly were unlike those of ordinary people.

Even knowing this, the empathy brought from modern society proved impossible to ignore. Cen An sighed and said, “Sit down and wait for me a moment.”

He went into the inner room and retrieved several packets of rejuvenation paste.

Sure enough, Su Rui sat obediently. Rainwater dripped down his clothes, pooling into a small puddle at his feet.

What on earth happened to him? Cen An wondered. The last time he saw this man, he hadn’t even gotten a single drop of water on him.

His clothes were now shredded rags. Cen An simply had him strip off the garments and carefully applied the ointment.

Clothed, it wasn’t apparent, but once undressed, Cen An noticed a layer of lean, powerful muscle covering the dog owner’s frame. The slightest exertion made the lines of his physique stand out beautifully.

Cen An dipped his finger in ointment and gently smoothed it over the wounds. Su Rui instinctively straightened his back and asked, “This medicine… do I owe you for it?”

Cen An smeared the last dollop onto him forcefully. “Yes. I want every crystal core you have.”

Su Rui hesitated, then opened his palm, dumping a handful of crystal cores onto the table. “That’s all I have.”

Cen An glanced at him. “Your left hand—there are three more.”

Su Rui’s expression screamed, “Holy shit, how did you know?” and promptly tossed three more crystal cores onto the pile.

Cen An’s lips twitched slightly as he went into the inner room to fetch rice. The pork bone broth was nearly done simmering. He placed a steamer basket on top and added two bowls of rice to steam.

His earlier indecision between braised pork belly and sweet-and-sour spare ribs was pointless—he had neither sugar nor vinegar…

He asked, “Do you have sugar in your spatial pocket?”

Su Rui wasn’t surprised that Cen An knew about his spatial pocket. He closed his eyes and rummaged around. “You mean this?”

Sure enough, he pulled out a small jar of snow-white sugar. “I got it from my little brother.”

Cen An thought, You’re childish enough yourself, and you actually have a little brother… 

He took the sugar jar. “This will be your ingredient. Today, we’re making a big dish!”

With sugar, braised pork belly was possible.

Knowing Su Rui’s appetite, Cen An pulled out all the pork belly.

Premium pork belly was diced into small cubes and rendered in a cast-iron pot until the fat melted. Into this pool of oil, a thick handful of sugar was tossed. Stir-fried over low heat, it turned a glossy, deep reddish-brown…

Hot water, salt, soy sauce, various seasonings…

Cen An worked methodically as the sauce-red broth bubbled in the pot, releasing an aroma beyond description.

Su Rui couldn’t help but swallow, making a loud gulp.

Cen An glanced up briefly, “Don’t eat all the pork cracklings. “

Su Rui stuffed a handful of pork cracklings into his mouth, mumbling, ”I’m saving half for you… What’s this made of? Next time I’ll find some and bring it over.“

”Pork… Go fetch some wood. The hearth needs more fuel. Also, carve out two more wooden bowls.”

Su Rui responded with a nod and rose naturally to get to work.

The rejuvenation paste on his back had dried, the gruesome wound shrinking noticeably… astonishing regenerative power.

The steamed rice was ready, and the braised pork had come off the stove.

Neatly arranged squares of reddish-brown meat lay on a wooden platter, drenched in a thick layer of sauce… mouthwatering.

A few bok choy stalks were blanched in the pork bone broth, and Cen An chopped some scallions to add in. The milky-white broth was dotted with hints of green, looking almost like a food advertisement.

“Alright, dinner’s ready.” At the command, Su Rui, who had been waiting impatiently, picked up his soup bowl and took a big gulp, only to get scalded and stick out his tongue.

Cen An ignored him, placing a piece of braised pork into his own bowl. The sauce instantly coated his rice with a glossy, rich brown glaze.

His braised pork skills were only average… but the fresh ingredients made up for it. The meat was stewed to tender perfection—a gentle bite sent it melting in his mouth… fragrant without being greasy.

After eating a few pieces of braised pork, he scooped some Chinese bok choy from the pork bone broth. Blanched to perfection, the greens were crisp and sweet, infused with the rich, savory essence of the broth.

The pork bone broth itself was beyond words. On this cold, rainy night, nothing felt more blissful than slurping down a steaming bowl of hot, meaty soup.

While Cen An ate contentedly, Su Rui, across from him, devoured his meal like a battle.

He polished off two large bowls of pork bone broth alone. When his rice ran out, he tossed a few cassava sticks into the fire pit to roast.

Only after confirming Cen An truly had no more did he even wipe the last bit of sauce from the braised pork.

His face radiated pure satisfaction.

Without needing Cen An to ask, he rose to wash the dishes. Sometimes Cen An wondered if Su Rui ate so cleanly just to make washing up easier…

By the time they finished tidying up, it was already late.

Su Rui didn’t linger long before preparing to leave.

Cen An packed him several packets of rejuvenation paste and wrapped a small bundle of pork cracklings in leaves. “For the little pup.”

Su Rui departed, carrying the lingering scent of the meal. Before leaving, he said, “Heavy rains are expected to start the day after tomorrow. It’s best not to go out.”

Then he couldn’t resist adding, “If you really must go out, just blow the wooden whistle to call me. I’ll take you anywhere you want. Anywhere at all!”

Still not giving up on proving his keen hearing.

Cen An smiled and nodded. “Yes, yes, yes. Your ears are the sharpest. Sharper than a dog’s.”

Su Rui walked away frowning, utterly baffled whether he’d been insulted or complimented.

Cen An stored the leftover pork, kept the fish in the wooden basin, and carefully put away the crystal cores Su Rui had left behind.

This guy had actually given over fifty crystal cores tonight, three of which were distinctly different.

Cen An examined them closely by the firelight. The other cores were all sparkling and transparent, like crystal. These three, however, glowed with a silvery light, each bearing a silver vortex at its core—no bigger than a grain of rice, yet strikingly conspicuous.

He couldn’t help but recall his earlier doubts—could high-grade mutant beast crystal cores truly mutate?

If that were the case, what level of supernatural ability did Su Rui possess to hunt such high-grade mutant beasts?

This guy was childish, greedy, and fiercely competitive—Cen An sometimes forgot he was an ability user.

After tidying up, Cen An immediately climbed onto the rickety bamboo bed to rest and recuperate. With only tomorrow left to prepare, he’d have to rise even earlier.