bookrandom Chapter 211 The Consequences of Prayer
Chapter 211 The Consequences of Prayer
The returning caravan traveled for about two days before Fox Ice caught up, followed by the remaining Silver Tiger and Silver Fox beastmen.
When Hu Bing arrived, following the mark left by the fox's tail, Lin Baiyan and the others were grilling fish under a big tree.
There was a large river next to their temporary camp, so Lang Cang led his people to hunt.
Perhaps because the area is sparsely populated, the river is teeming with fish, and they easily scooped up several baskets of them. Hu Qing and his group also gathered a lot of wild vegetables.
Seeing that there were plenty of ingredients, Lin Baiyan decided to make them all into grilled fish!
When the surrounding beastmen saw Lin Baiyan roll up his sleeves, they knew he was about to start cooking, and a hint of anticipation appeared in their hearts.
Although it's impossible for everyone to eat their fill, it shouldn't be a problem for each of them to try a bite of the food Lin Baiyan made.
Stone pot grilled fish: The whole fish is grilled until golden and crispy, then placed in a stone trough and simmered with vegetables until it becomes fragrant.
While he was at it, Lin Baiyan set up another stove and steamed a pot of rice. He hadn't tasted the rice since he got it from Bao Nan.
Hu Yang sniffed hard. It was strange. How could the food made by this little priest of the Cangyan tribe smell so good?
Lin Baiyan only cooked the first batch of five grilled fish; Hu Qing took care of the rest.
After being taught by Lin Baiyan, Hu Qing not only learned 100% of his skills, but he could also make it about 70-80% of the way. In any case, the taste was definitely better than that of others.
Just as the first batch of grilled fish came out of the oven, Hu Bing arrived at the temporary camp with the beastmen. Without any hesitation, he plopped down next to Lin Baiyan and tugged at his arm, saying, "Quick, quick, give me a bowl first. I'm starving."
Fox Ice stared unblinkingly at the bubbling, steaming grilled fish in front of her.
Seeing how hungry he looked, Lin Baiyan chuckled and served him a bowl. Hu Bing eagerly took it, blew on it haphazardly a couple of times, and then popped a piece of fish into his mouth, exclaiming, "Hot, hot, hot! Whew~"
The fish meat in Hu Bing's mouth was being tossed around so much it could have danced a waltz, but Hu Bing refused to spit it out and swallowed it in no time.
"Ah~ Delicious!" Fox Ice smacked her lips contentedly. "Food made by White Flame is still the best!"
Despite Lang Cang's starving appearance, he surprisingly refrained from mocking him and even handed him a bamboo tube of water.
Fox Ice looked at the bamboo tube handed to her, then looked up at Wolf Cang, who had no expression, as if she had seen a ghost.
He turned to look at the sun beside him, muttering to himself, "That's right."
Lin Baiyan found it somewhat amusing. "What's wrong?"
"The sun didn't rise in the west today! What's wrong with him?" Hu Bing was a little confused, but still couldn't help but blurt out a few words.
Hearing Hu Bing's sarcasm, the veins on Lang Cang's forehead throbbed. He was about to retaliate when he saw Lin Baiyan's disapproving look.
"Thank you for calling Hu Yang and the others to rescue us." Lang Cang suppressed the urge to verbally attack Hu Bing and patiently explained.
"Oh~" Fox Ice suddenly realized.
He thought it was something serious, given how he was being so hesitant.
Fox Ice waved his hand dismissively, "It's nothing serious. I just find you all agreeable and couldn't bear to see you die in front of me."
Hu Yuan immediately exposed him without hesitation, "Bai Yan, don't listen to Bing Hu."
"His ability to pray for the future is very harmful to his health. Basically, the Silver Fox Clan only holds prayers during the spring and autumn hunting seasons each year."
"Because of this ability to pray, he was able to wear this thick polar bear skin even in the middle of summer."
"He prayed for you this time because he genuinely considers you his friends; he's just too shy to say it out loud."
"Yuan! Why are you talking so much today?" Hu Bing said, annoyed and embarrassed.
Tiger Kite chuckled and leaned over to ruffle Fox Ice's soft, flowing silver hair. "Do you think everyone is like you? You clearly like someone, but you still have a sharp tongue."
Lin Baiyan looked thoughtfully at the bearskin cloak that Hu Bing was wearing.
He had assumed this was standard attire for priests on the orc continent, since the first time he met the old priest of the Silver Tiger Clan, he was also wearing a cloak.
Unexpectedly, it turned out that Fox Ice's precognitive abilities had injured his body.
"Hurry up and eat your grilled fish, stop chattering and you're showing off." Hu Bing picked up a piece of grilled fish from her bowl and stuffed it directly into Hu Yuan's mouth, but her ears were secretly blushing.
This made Hu Bing's skin appear even whiter, as if she were a celestial being descended to earthly life.
"Besides being afraid of the cold, is your usual excessive sleepiness also due to your precognitive abilities?" Lin Baiyan suddenly asked.
Fox Ice didn't expect him to ask that question so suddenly. She paused for a moment, then said casually, "That might be part of the reason, but it's not serious."
“What Yuan said is an exaggeration, you don’t need to pay attention to her.”
Tiger Kite wrinkled his nose. "Where am I exaggerating? You clearly can't get out of bed during the snow season, and you're very sleepy even when you're holed up in the cave."
Hearing Hu Yuan say this, Lin Baiyan looked at him with some heartache, "I have a technique for making a heated kang (a traditional heated bed). If you're willing, I can build you a house on the snow mountain and install a heated kang inside. It will keep you warm throughout the entire snow season."
Fox Ice stared at Lin Baiyan in shock, "A house? You guys can build houses?"
Lin Baiyan nodded.
"I visited the Cangyan tribe with Yang before. Their houses are beautiful and sturdy, much better than tents!" Hu Yuan said with some envy.
"But what is a heated kang (a traditional Chinese bed-stove)?"
Lin Baiyan explained, "A kang (heated brick bed) is a fire lit outside the house. The smoke from the fire raises the temperature of the entire house, making the temperature inside feel just like springtime."
"Yes, we want it!" Fox Tail's eyes lit up when she heard Lin Baiyan's description, and she answered him first, her face full of excitement.
The snow season is the most difficult time for Fox Ice. Although there are hot springs on the snow-capped mountains, Fox Ice can't stay by the hot springs every day.
He spent most of his time shivering in the cave, and would get a fever several times during the snowy season.
"Tail!" Fox Ice glanced at Fox Tail with some displeasure.
"This is too much trouble for you." Hu Bing shook his head. "This is an old problem of mine that I've had for many years. There's no need for you to go to such lengths."
Building a house is already a difficult task, but building one on a snow-capped mountain makes it even more challenging.
Moreover, they would have to work under the very noses of the Silver Fox Clan orcs to build their houses, which would inevitably expose their construction techniques.
Fox Ice's initial intention to help them was simple: he just liked them. He didn't intend to use that to blackmail Lin Baiyan.
Lin Baiyan seemed to know what Hu Bing was thinking. He smiled faintly and said, "It's not a secret. I originally planned to teach you how to build houses when I went back this time."