Chapter 31: Roasted Meat

“Block Ding-57, this is the place, right?”

At the foot of the mountain, the shanty district.

Fang Xing arrived at a spot and saw a row of shacks scattered beside a grove of red-leaved trees.

Not far away, a clear little stream flowed gently by.

These shacks were all built of wood, with wooden plaques nailed above each door.

He found his own home, discovered it was locked, and immediately pulled out a brass key to unlock the chain.

With a creak, the door opened, and a wave of dust mixed with mildew rushed out.

“The environment isn’t great, but at least it’s private…”

Fang Xing put on a mask and began cleaning.

Half an hour later, he finished cleaning the room and carried out a basket of trash.

The door next door opened, and someone stepped out just then.

“Huh? It’s you?”

A cry of surprise came out.

Fang Xing turned his head and saw a radiant woman in her twenties, staring at him in astonishment.

“You’re… the youngest of the Five Righteous of Cangshan, Shen Yuxin?”

He recognized her at once—it was one of that married couple—and inwardly sighed at the twist of fate.

“It’s this humble wife. Friend, you live next door?”

Shen Yuxin recalled her eldest brother’s remarks and felt something strangely odd.

“I just moved in today. We’re neighbors now—look out for each other.”

Fang Xing smiled, then noticed a small head peeking out from behind Shen Yuxin—plump and cute: “Is this your son?”

“Yes, Zijin, come greet your uncle.”

Shen Yuxin pulled the child forward, a hint of pride on her face.

“Uncle…”

Meng Zijin said.

“Good boy. Next time, Uncle will buy you candy.”

Fang Xing smiled, but inwardly grumbled: ‘Am I really that old? Uncle? Brother would be more like it…’

After exchanging a few polite words with Shen Yuxin, he returned to his own house, closed the door, and went to the kitchen.

“Rice cooked over firewood—feels nice too…”

He lifted the lid and saw a full pot of spirit rice, emitting a mouthwatering aroma.

Fang Xing hesitated, then cut off another strip of beef.

This beef was from a beast purchased at the market—thick, muscular, streaked with snowflake-like marbling, clearly top-grade.

“Rice without meat? What a waste.”

Fang Xing pulled out a bottle containing barbecue seasoning from the Blue Star Federation.

He diced the beef, threaded it onto redwood roots, and slowly roasted it over the fire, occasionally sprinkling on spices.

Soon, an earth-shattering aroma burst from the kitchen and drifted to the neighbors.

Next door.

“Husband, the boy we met yesterday is now our neighbor.”

Shen Yuxin was telling Meng Yi what had just happened.

“What?”

Meng Yi’s good mood vanished instantly; he touched the money pouch at his waist.

They, the Five Righteous of Cangshan, had barely managed to kill one beast, sold it, and split a decent amount of low-grade spirit stones—was someone already targeting them?

“Do you think… he’s after us?”

Meng Yi lowered his voice, unconsciously letting a hint of killing intent slip through.

“I don’t think so… even his clothes are worth more than everything we own…” Shen Yuxin thought for a moment and shook her head.

“If not, good. If he is, we’re not easy prey!”

Meng Yi pondered: “We should tell the eldest brother… Hmm. Let Zijin come out—we’ll have tiger beast meat tonight, with spirit rice. Keep these few catties of spirit rice safe—cook him a little porridge every day. He’s five now; next year he’ll undergo the ‘Spirit Test.’ Even without a spiritual root, he can still build a solid foundation and train hard in martial arts…”

Most martial artists in the market had hit a dead end; all they cared about was their children’s future.

“Zijin is naturally clever—I’m sure he has a spiritual root.”

Shen Yuxin comforted her husband, then headed to the kitchen to cook.

Suddenly, an unusual aroma of roasted meat drifted over.

“What’s this? So fragrant?”

Meng Yi involuntarily swallowed.

He’d eaten roasted meat many times, but never had he smelled any this fragrant.

It wasn’t their fault.

After all, the Qinglin Market had few chefs, and they were at the bottom—normally, they were lucky to get a pinch of salt on their roast.

How could that compare to the specially formulated barbecue seasoning from the interstellar age?

Dozens of spices alone—luxury unimaginable in ancient times.

“Could that young man have ordered a meal from Tiancan Pavilion? Only late Qi Refinement experts can afford such delicacies prepared by spirit chefs…”

Shen Yuxin was also puzzled.

“Dad… I want roasted meat!”

At that moment, Meng Zijin poked his head out: “I want to go next door to Uncle Fang’s for roasted meat… waaah…”

…

“Indeed, this beast meat is of extremely high quality… combined with interstellar barbecue seasoning, it’s unbeatable.”

Fang Xing picked up a skewer of beef, took a big bite, and his face lit up with satisfaction: “Tastes even better than the barbecue stall I had on my birthday… truly, ingredients matter most!”

Though the beef was tough, it was perfect for Fang Xing, a second-stage martial artist.

Paired with the beef, he ate a full pot of rice, feeling a pure surge of blood and qi flood his entire body.

“Spirit rice with beast meat… the effect is even stronger?”

Intrigued, Fang Xing immediately assumed the Great Dragon Stance and slowly absorbed the surge of blood and qi.

“Indeed, beast meat and martial artists are a perfect match? It feels just like swallowing a pill—yet without any pill toxicity…”

“Huh? Why is someone crying? Is someone beating a child? Next door? That Meng Zijin?”

“Whatever. Rainy-day beatings—boredom makes you do it…”

…

The next day.

Fang Xing opened his door, breathed in the fresh air, and nodded inwardly.

“Training here is more efficient than at the temporary camp… Immortals speak of spiritual veins; it’s said Qinglin Market was built atop a spiritual land—this must be true…”

He stretched, preparing to practice a fist form to warm up, when the neighboring door opened and Meng Yi stepped out: “Brother Fang…”

“Brother Meng…”

Fang Xing returned the greeting, then thought better of asking about the child.

?￠o

After all, it was their private matter. Besides, synthetic humans struggle to find their parents—this child shouldn’t take his fortune for granted.

“My wife mentioned you just moved in. I have nothing of value, but here are a few catties of tiger bone—consider it a housewarming gift.”

Meng Yi brought over several tiger bones, still damp with fresh blood—clearly from yesterday’s beast.

“Thank you. I’ll soak these in wine—perfect for that.”

Fang Xing took the bones and chatted with Meng Yi for a while.

Meng Yi smiled bitterly: “My son is mischievous—if he ever offends you, please don’t hold it against him…”

“No need to apologize.” Fang Xing thought, then ran back and brought out a packet of spices: “This is my secret barbecue blend—my gift in return.”

“Thank you.”

Meng Yi now realized the roasted meat last night had been made by Fang Xing himself, and he praised him enthusiastically: “Brother Fang, your skill could earn you a place even in this market! My boy finally stopped crying after a whole night of it.”

Mentioning his son, a hint of pride spread across his face.

Fang Xing asked a few more questions and learned that in this world, a child’s spiritual root was fixed by age six or seven, detectable by Spirit-Test Talismans and immortal techniques.

Meng Yi and Shen Yuxin naturally held great hopes for Meng Zijin.

“Sigh… I don’t expect that boy to catch the eye of the Qingxuan Sect’s Spirit Test emissaries—just give him any root, even the worst, and I’ll be satisfied.” Meng Yi sighed deeply at the thought.

Qingxuan Sect was a major immortal sect, traditionally collecting children with superior spiritual roots from its territories to take as disciples.

Many martial artists, who could have ruled the mortal world with power, instead smashed their heads against the immortal realm—largely because they pinned their hopes on their descendants.

If their child had a spiritual root, and the lineage continued generation after generation, they became a tiny immortal family.

‘Spiritual continuity, bloodline continuity… unable to achieve immortality, is this all one can pursue?’

Fang Xing, hearing this, inwardly sighed as well.

He himself would never enter Qingxuan Sect.

Not only did he lack a spiritual root—even if he had one, Qingxuan Sect disliked adult Qi Refinement cultivators, unless they possessed extraordinary talent or a unique skill.

Fang Xing understood this well—it was simply about difficulty in cultivating loyalty…

"Today, the Five Righteous are gathering for a small reunion—will Brother Fang come?"

Meng Yi, finding his conversation with Fang Xing increasingly agreeable, extended an invitation.

"No, I have other matters today..."

Fang Xing had just refused when his expression suddenly changed as he looked toward the sky.

Jiu jiu!

A cry of birds rang out, then a massive black bird with wings spanning over five or six meters appeared, its eyes blood-red, riding a furious wind as it breached the boundaries of Qinglin Mountain.

"An evil avian!"

Meng Yi looked up and, seeing this, his face darkened instantly: "Yuxin, take Zijin to the marketplace quickly—it’s protected by a great array, safe from harm."

"Husband, what about you?"

Shen Yuxin stepped out holding Meng Zijin, her eyes anxious as she stared at her husband.

"I’ll go take a look..."

Meng Yi gazed toward the direction of the evil bird, and his expression carried a hint of excitement.

'These people really don’t value human life, do they?'

Fang Xing watched Meng Yi’s retreating back, internally ranting: 'Is he going to fight the evil bird? No—he’s clearly hoping to profit from the chaos... The marketplace may seem safe, good for small disturbances, but if a major disaster strikes, the center is the most dangerous place!'

'Living here might boost martial training efficiency, but it’s truly unsafe—I’ll have to visit the black market more often, save up enough to buy a laser gun...'