Chapter 39: Calming the Turmoil

The women and children had long mastered the art of grilling, quickly processing the game the hunting party brought back. Soon, the fragrant aroma of the roast spread throughout the valley.

Although there were many light and serious injuries in the hunting party, fortunately no one died. Even the seriously wounded struggled to the fire to enjoy the tempting roast.

As the crowd gathered, Zhou Yi erected a massive fire pit in the center, with a crab the size of a small hill perched directly over it, turning a deep red in the flames as its fat dripped.

The roast sizzled, its fragrance filling the air.

Di Jiang originally thought nothing special, but the scent instantly changed his mind.

Interestingly, Yao Yan, while out searching for herbs, accidentally discovered many seasonings. These seasonings, encompassing spicy, salty and sweet flavors, have already been widely cultivated in the valley.

With them, the roast's flavor rose to another level, becoming even more delicious.

Ye Yi skillfully sprinkled the seasonings, his movements smooth and effortless. Di Jiang's palate was awakened, and a deep longing for fine food was stirred within him.

He could not wait for the roast to cool slightly, and seized a massive crab leg to devour heartily.

The crab meat melted in his mouth, its fresh flavor perfectly blending with the seasonings, staging a feast on his tongue that left him intoxicated.

Zhou Yi watched all this quietly from the side, his heart full of joy. Against the backdrop of the Human Race and Demon Race's antagonism, the Wu Clan, as the Demon Race's enemy, naturally became a potential friend of the Human Race.

Especially upon seeing Di Jiang relish the Human Race's roast, Zhou Yi felt that communication might proceed more smoothly.

However, this time Ye Yi and Di Jiang chatted with great enthusiasm, though both were secretly testing each other, their outward smiles hiding their own intentions.

In the end, neither obtained any useful information from the other, so they decided to say no more and focus on the food.

At that moment, Zhou Yi interjected, "The Human Race's roast is truly fragrant; someday teach me how?" Beyond the earlier probing, Zhou Yi's thoughts now centered on the roast. He knew that introducing this skill to the Wu Clan could become a key to opening the Wu Clan's appetite.

Nevertheless, he would not readily pass on the technique, yet he needed to handle it carefully to avoid seeming overly dismissive. So he smiled and replied, "No problem, I also wish to visit the Wu Clan; thanks to Zhu Song for the previous assistance, and thank you for today's hospitality."

Hearing this, Di Jiang paused slightly, eyeing Zhou Yi with a doubtful gaze, but found no flaw, so he simply nodded in agreement.

Regarding a trip to the Wu Clan, he was untroubled, confident that even against the Wu Clan's formidable forces he could respond calmly.

Di Jiang, while enjoying the roast, used telepathy to inform his siblings still at the Pangu Temple of the situation here.

Upon hearing that Zhou Yi of the Human Race would visit again, everyone's moods varied.

Hou Tu felt a little fear, worrying that his secret might be exposed. Zhu Song, however, was unusually excited; the thought of the delicious roast made his excitement hard to contain, and he even planned to go out and capture a few stronger members of the Demon Race to try fresh.

Yu Qiang appeared calm as water on the surface, yet was scheming different plans inside. The others were full of curiosity, all wanting to know who exactly Zhou Yi, the one stirring the Primordial Wilderness, truly was.

A sigh echoed from the Eight Scenery Palace, and Xuan Du frowned upon hearing it. Lately, his master Taishang Laojun seemed constantly burdened. Since returning from the Zixiao Palace, such sighs had become frequent. Whenever Xuan Du tried to help, the response always sent him to cultivate first.

Taishang Laojun watched everything unfolding within the Ren Zu Jin Di, growing increasingly angry. He had originally hoped the Demon Race could resolve the issue, but reality far exceeded his expectations.

"Since it is so, there's nothing we can do!" The original plan was for Zhou Yi to go to the Wu Clan with Di Jiang the next day, but that day Zhou Yi had a sudden idea and prepared several new dishes using fine salt and wild mountain vegetables.

The enticing aroma immediately drew Di Jiang; after tasting, he could not stop praising the new flavors and strongly urged Zhou Yi to make more. Thus the party stayed an extra two days, during which Zhou Yi displayed extraordinary culinary skill, each dish satisfying.

"Brother Zhou, your cooking is truly superb!" Di Jiang said, half‑mumbled while eating.

Even the onlookers like Ye Yi got a chance to taste his skill.

"Brother Zhou, join our Wu Clan, and we will protect you." A satisfied Di Jiang said happily, "When we defeat the Demon Race and rule the Primordial Wilderness, first take care of those two golden crows for me."

At those words, the valley fell into dead silence, and everyone's gaze turned toward him.

Everyone knew Di Jiang's power was extraordinary, a key figure of the Wu Clan. Yet his scheme to take the Human Race's progenitor was sheer fantasy. Even the children stared at Di Jiang with wide eyes.

"I am of the Human Race, I will not join the Wu Clan," Zhou Yi said calmly, "but we will also learn to cook these delicacies, and then you can come taste them."

Di Jiang chewed the fried meat, hoping Zhou Yi would follow him into the Wu Clan for easy meals. Seeing Zhou Yi's disinterest, he could only give up, thinking it was no big deal to make a few more trips.

Suddenly, the valley fell into darkness, and everyone looked up in astonishment to the sky, seeing an endless blackness envelop everything. Zhou Yi frowned, and Di Jiang, through keen perception, identified the newcomer: "Kun Peng, why is he here again?"

Hearing the name, Hen Ren, Ye Yi and the others rose, their momentum surging to act, but Zhou Yi stopped them: "He has just been defeated; if he intends to cause trouble, he would not come alone."

Sure enough, a massive silhouette slowly descended from the sky—it was Kun Peng. With a tilt of its body, countless members of the Human Race surged down like a tide.

Ye Yi, Shi Hao, and Yao Yan quickly teamed up, constructing a golden passage in the air that safely caught the Human Race.

Kun Peng was deeply depressed. Since the last crushing defeat, his standing in the Demon Race had plummeted. He had not only lost a spirit treasure but was forced to take away a million blood meals.

What he found hardest to accept was that Taiyi and Di Cun had made him personally return these members of the Human Race.

He let them step on his back, a huge blow to his dignity, yet he could not voice his anger, because he knew it was all because of him.

"Your request is fulfilled!" As the last member of the Human Race left his back, Kun Peng vanished from the air instantly, unwilling to linger here even a second.

Zhou Yi observed the people in the valley, crying with excitement and embracing, cheering and celebrating the reunion.

However, a few minor chaos arose among the crowd; the sheer number inevitably caused collisions, leading to trampling and shoving incidents.

Fortunately, Xiao Ling'er and Number Three promptly directed the hunting party to intervene, and after some effort, they quelled the disturbance.

Sui Huang told Zhou Yi, "We'll handle this side; Ye Yi and Hen Ren will accompany you to the Wu Clan." Though they did not understand why Zhou Yi was eager to go to the Wu Clan, they continued to support his decision as always.