Chapter 288: Ear

At that moment, Huo Yutong suddenly remembered something.

She said, "Senior Sister, I remember there's a stream nearby."

Upon hearing that, Tang Wulin immediately recalled it as well.

Back then, not long after he first met Huo Yutong, his stomach grew hungry, and Huo Yutong was grilling fish for him by that stream.

It was his first time tasting such delicious grilled fish, and thinking back, perhaps that was the beginning of his fondness for Huo Yutong.

Hearing Huo Yutong mention the stream now, Tang Wulin instantly understood her intention.

It's almost noon now, the perfect time for lunch.

She wants to treat them to a good meal.

Zhang Lexuan nodded.

"There is indeed one, what's the matter?"

She has been to the Star Dou Great Forest more than once, and she is far more familiar with the terrain than Huo Yutong.

As Tang Wulin expected, Huo Yutong said seriously:

"Because of my childhood experiences, I'm actually quite good at grilling fish; how about I cook a meal for everyone?"

Zhang Lexuan's eyes lit up instantly.

"Alright."

As the team leader, her way of thinking differs from others'.

For a group like theirs, the most important thing is team harmony, and sharing a meal is clearly a good way to promote it.

Hearing that Huo Yutong also has this skill, they gladly agreed.

Seeing Zhang Lexuan's agreement, Huo Yutong closed her eyes, opened her spiritual detection, and instantly located the old stream's spot.

She stood up and said, "Everyone, follow me."

After speaking, she led the way toward the stream.

At the stream, Zhang Lexuan began assigning tasks, sending Li Yongyue and Mo Xuan to catch fish and gather firewood.

Everyone present were high-level Soul Masters, so this minor task was a piece of cake; soon the two returned with caught fish and gathered firewood.

After roughly preparing the fish, Huo Yutong began grilling it—right in Tang Wulin's arms.

Feeling the amused gazes of everyone, Tang Wulin felt an urge to cover his face.

According to Huo Yutong, this was his punishment for almost embarrassing her in front of everyone.

But was it truly punishment for only him? From Tang Wulin's perspective, Huo Yutong's ears also turned red, showing she was quite embarrassed too.

Yet she never suggested leaving Tang Wulin's embrace, silently continuing to grill the fish.

Soon, the first fish was done and Huo Yutong handed it to Cai Meier.

Cai Meier took a bite and couldn't help but light up.

"Not bad, Yutong, your cooking isn't even worse than Lu Xiaoxiao's, right? You can already be called a generation's top chef."

Huo Yutong gave a slight smile, nodded, and said nothing.

During the extreme solo mission, she learned cooking from Lu Xiaoxiao; although other dishes were far inferior, she was confident her grilled fish wasn't worse than Lu Xiaoxiao's.

More grilled fish was quickly prepared, and everyone present, after tasting them, couldn't help but voice heartfelt praise.

"Here, Wulin, yours."

"Hmm."

Tang Wulin took the grilled fish from Huo Yutong's hand and took a bite.

Instantly, the delicious flavor exploded on his palate, and even stranger, a peculiar energy seemed to flow with the fish meat into his body, entering his Sea of Spirit, making him feel immensely comfortable and warm.

He hadn't tasted Huo Yutong's grilled fish for several years, and this bite left Tang Wulin feeling utterly satisfied.

Watching Huo Yutong grill seriously, Tang Wulin leaned toward her ear and asked:

"Yutong, did you secretly add anything to the fish?"

He didn't expect that the moment he spoke, Huo Yutong's body jolted violently, her ears seeming even redder. She looked at him with a flushed face, shook her head.

"No, didn't you see? They're just ordinary seasonings."

"That is so."

Tang Wulin agreed.

He had been watching Huo Yutong grill up close the whole time; if she added anything, he would have noticed instantly.

That said, he only whispered by her ear; why did she react so strongly?

Wait, could it be...

A suspicion rose in Tang Wulin's mind; he calmly approached Huo Yutong's ear and blew a puff of warm air.

"Eek?!"

Startled by the sudden attack, Huo Yutong let out a strange cry, her body shuddered violently, and the fish in her hand nearly fell.

Seeing everyone turn toward the sound, Huo Yutong quickly waved her hand, indicating she was fine.

"It's nothing, I just added the wrong seasoning by accident."

Hearing that, everyone's expression turned a bit odd.

Those who tasted Huo Yutong's grilled fish could tell she was definitely top-chef level.

A chef of that caliber would mess up seasonings? Who would they be fooling?

Yet everyone pretended not to notice and kept eating the grilled fish.

But for some reason, the fish in their hands seemed to acquire an extra sour taste.

When the others' attention shifted, Huo Yutong glared at Tang Wulin and, via telepathic sense, asked, "What are you doing?!"

Just now, Tang Wulin's sudden breath on her ear made her heart seem to tremble.

Tang Wulin lightly laughed and replied via spiritual sense: "Nothing much, I just had a guess and wanted to test it to confirm it. Huo Yutong, your ears are also a sensitive spot, huh."

He had previously heard Xu San Shi say that some girls' ears are extremely sensitive; just leaning near their ears and whispering sweet nothings makes them feel something. He didn't expect Huo Yutong to be of that type.

Looks like there's another new way from now on.

"Whimper~"

Huo Yutong's eyes glistened with moisture, her cheeks flushed red; she looked quite displeased, yet had no intimidating presence at all.

She suddenly shoved the grilled fish in her hand into Tang Wulin's hands, huffing: "It's all your fault; this grilled fish is basically ruined, so I punish you to eat it!"

"Okay, okay."

Tang Wulin took the grilled fish with a helpless smile and ate it.

Anyway, this is grilled fish made by Huo Yutong; no matter how bad it is, it couldn't possibly be that bad.

But strangely, when Tang Wulin ate this grilled fish, he no longer felt that previous sense of comfort.

What's the difference between this grilled fish and the previous one? He pondered and asked:

"Huo Yutong, did you originally intend to make this grilled fish for me?"

"No." Huo Yutong's attention had already returned to the grilled fish, and she casually replied: "I originally intended to make it for the eldest senior sister."

"Hmm..."

In other words, it's not an issue of the ingredients, but of the recipient, right?

Put another way, is it a difference in Huo Yutong's subjective consciousness?

Could it be that Huo Yutong's subjective consciousness can affect the taste of the grilled fish?

Tang Wulin was amused by his own speculation.

How could that be possible.

(End of chapter)