Chapter Five: The Mysterious Old Man
Chen Xiang turned around and saw an old man trailing after him, dressed in ragged clothes, hair wild and unkempt, a wine gourd hanging from his waist. He ambled behind, keeping pace effortlessly.
A shock ran through Chen Xiang’s heart. The man had approached unnoticed—an expert, without a doubt!
But then, Chen Xiang’s lips curled in amusement. Even such a classic scenario had come his way. This old man was certainly someone with profound cultivation, foul-tempered, partial to wine, and most importantly... a lover of good food!
What incredible luck! Chen Xiang inwardly exclaimed.
Though thrilled, he wore a look of disdain. “Tch, old man, this is meat I roasted with my own sweat and toil. What makes you think you deserve a share?”
As they drew closer, the old man inhaled deeply, intoxicated by the aroma. “Ah! Fragrant—so incredibly fragrant! I’ve never seen meat that smells so heavenly!”
He then waved it off carelessly. “Young friend, look behind you. If you treat me to your roast, I’ll help you deal with what’s coming.”
Chen Xiang scoffed, “It’s just a beast tide. I can handle it alone. Why would I need your help?”
The old man eyed him with interest. “Your cultivation is merely at the second stage of Qi Refinement. Though most of the beasts behind are wild animals, there are more than a dozen demon beasts in the mix, the strongest at the fifth stage of Qi Refinement. Even without demon beasts, the sheer number of wild ones would shred you to pieces.”
Chen Xiang, far from alarmed, felt delighted. Demon beasts! Over ten of them at the Qi Refinement stage! All of them would yield valuable experience!
He mused inwardly, then asked, “System, how should I deal with the beast tide behind me?”
“Beast tide detected: caused by host’s special ‘Fragrant Musk Deer Roast.’ System will list three solutions:
1. Purchase the Basic Space Escape Talisman from the store, which uses spatial power to teleport host ten miles in any direction. The beast tide will disperse. Only costs ten reputation points.
2. Purchase the Breaking Pill, which temporarily boosts cultivation to the Core Formation stage. Side effect: one day of weakness after the effects wear off. Costs twenty reputation points.
3. Discard the musk deer meat. Friendly advice, no commission charged.”
Useless! The first option? Won’t gain any experience. The second? What, donate myself to the beasts out here in the wilderness? The third? No way—if he threw the meat away, this high-level old man would snatch it in a heartbeat!
The old man watched Chen Xiang, puzzled at his excitement when hearing about demon beasts, then saw his face darken. Was this youth daft?
Chen Xiang asked the system again; plenty of solutions, but... not enough reputation points!
Poverty—this single word defined Chen Xiang.
He sighed, then his eyes gleamed as he looked at the old man with a smile.
“Well? Decided yet? I have no demands. Share half your roast with me—let me taste it—and I’ll deal with the beast tide,” the old man said, relaxed.
Chen Xiang wasn’t worried. The old man was formidable, yet hadn’t tried to snatch the roast, which showed some integrity.
Chen Xiang shook his head, lamenting, “Such a pity, such a pity!”
“Kid, what’s so pitiful?” The old man dropped all courtesy, no longer calling him “young friend.”
Chen Xiang tore off a leg of musk deer, took a bite—the golden skin, succulent yellowish meat, rich juices, and intoxicating aroma.
The old man’s eyes sparkled, swallowing hard. The scent nearly overwhelmed his urge to grab it.
Chen Xiang sneered inwardly, then wolfed down the leg, leaving only bone, which he flung behind him into the beast horde.
The old man glanced back and saw the beasts hesitate, crowding toward the spot, but soon resumed their charge.
---
The old man was surprised. He’d thought the meat smelled enticing and wanted to try it, but hadn’t realized the roast itself had triggered the beast tide. Clearly, it was no ordinary meat.
“Old man, do you have cultivation at the Core Formation stage?” Chen Xiang asked, sniffing the roast.
The old man chuckled, “What do you think?”
“You don’t,” Chen Xiang replied.
“Oh? How do you know?” the old man asked.
Chen Xiang smiled, enunciating, “Of course you don’t, because you’re a master above the Infant Transformation stage!”
He’d used the system to check—the system couldn’t detect cultivation above Infant Transformation.
The old man regarded Chen Xiang with interest. “You know me?”
Chen Xiang shook his head, snorting, “Tch, who knows you? Can’t I guess? If you can appear behind me undetected, you’re no ordinary person.”
“To sneak behind a little guy at the second stage of Qi Refinement, someone with three or four stages above you could easily do it,” the old man pointed out.
Chen Xiang sneered, “Not necessarily. Old man, if you want my roast, just promise to help me with one little matter.”
“Oh? What matter? Got an enemy you want me to deal with?” the old man asked.
Chen Xiang shook his head. “No. I barely know anyone in this world, so how would I have enemies? It won’t trouble you—will be done right away.”
“I only want you to subdue all the demon beasts in the beast tide, leave them alive, and disperse the rest of the wild beasts.”
The old man was puzzled. “That simple?”
“Exactly,” Chen Xiang replied.
“Why subdue the demon beasts? Planning to raise them? They’re already grown, wild nature ingrained—can’t be tamed. And they’re just ordinary demon beasts, too weak to be useful,” the old man said.
He wondered at the youth’s audacity. Knowing he was a master above Infant Transformation, yet still so casual and blunt—what gave him such courage?
Chen Xiang ignored him, tore off a small piece of musk deer roast, and handed it over.
The old man’s eyes lit up as he accepted it, inhaling the aroma.
He closed his eyes, savoring the scent—expression as rapt as an addict inhaling powder.
“Fragrant!” he praised, then popped the meat into his mouth.
Crunch! The rib bone snapped easily as he bit down, juices flooding his mouth, the flavor lingering.
The old man stared in disbelief at the roast in Chen Xiang’s hand.
“How could such delicious food exist in this world?”
That thought echoed in his mind.
---
He’d tasted delicacies from every corner, eaten countless roasts, but none could compare to this! No wonder the primeval forest would see a beast tide over a single roast!
The world of cultivation, focused on spiritual practice, neglected technology and enjoyed mostly simple fare—nothing like the gourmet delights of Earth.
Chen Xiang had realized this when staying with Xiao Yun’s family. Xiao Yun's mother cooked with just oil, salt, and a few seasonings—hardly delicious, though Xiao Yun considered it a treat.
“Not a single one can be missed; all must be left alive. And half is impossible. You’ll get a leg and a bit of rib meat,” Chen Xiang’s voice came.
The old man snapped out of his reverie, sighing, torn as he eyed the roast in Chen Xiang’s hand.
Though he was a gourmand and could easily deal with this low-cultivation youth, he was a righteous man and couldn’t act unjustly.
He moved, vanishing from Chen Xiang’s side.
Chen Xiang stopped, turning to see the beast tide halted.
The old man appeared above the horde, hovering in midair. With a wave, spiritual energy surged, forming giant hands that plucked over a dozen demon beasts from the crowd.
Wolves, tigers, lion-like creatures—varied and strange.
As the old man released his aura, the wild beasts below bristled in terror, scattering in every direction.
A few stubborn ones still eyed Chen Xiang’s roast, but he dispatched them quickly with a few punches.
Hmph! He’d hoped to avoid killing too many to preserve the balance, but some beasts were just too foolish—bad luck for them!
The system chimed in his mind—he’d gained another ten or so experience points.
The old man reappeared at his side and, with another gesture, the demon beasts lay unconscious at his feet.
Chen Xiang stepped forward to inspect—seventeen demon beasts, all still breathing. He beamed at the old man. “Old man, you’re quite impressive!”
“Of course! These little demon beasts are nothing—I could wipe them out with a breath, but you wanted them alive,” the old man boasted.
“Keep blowing, the cows fly in the sky and you blow on the ground!” Chen Xiang snorted, tearing off a musk deer leg and some rib meat and handing it over. “Here, old man, this is your payment. Not to brag, but this roast isn’t something just anyone can taste.”
The old man snatched the leg, not just accepting but nearly grabbing it, and immediately dug in, mumbling, “Delicious! Kid, how did you cook this roast? Teach me?”
Chen Xiang glanced at him, smug. “Want to learn? Beg me!”
“Beg you? Are you dreaming?” the old man raged. The kid was infuriating—knowing his cultivation was unfathomable, yet still so cocky.
Then his eyes twinkled, and he smiled slyly. “Young friend, tell me how you make this roast and I’ll teach you a cultivation technique. It’ll boost your cultivation tremendously.”
He guessed Chen Xiang was eighteen or nineteen, yet only at the second stage of Qi Refinement—either he’d started late, or his talent was poor. Either way, he’d never achieve greatness, so he tried to tempt him with a cultivation boost.
But Chen Xiang sneered, “Cultivation technique? Boost my cultivation? I don’t want it!”
The old man was stunned.
“To be continued...”