"What?" Fang Er instinctively looked back at him.
Sun Simiao frowned and pondered for a moment, then suddenly uttered two words lightly.
"Di Jiang!"
Li Tai suddenly darted to the "stool" and, drawing the dagger from his waist, began to pry it up with grunts.
Li Ke looked at his sudden display of interest with some confusion. "Fourth brother, what are you doing?"
Li Tai, busy with his hands, replied without looking up, "What else could I be doing? Di Jiang!"
"This damn thing is a divine creature from the Classic of Mountains and Seas!"
"They say eating it can grant immortality..."
Fang Er: ...
It's over!
If this thing wasn't Di Jiang, it would be fine.
But if it really was...
"Clang..."
"Clang..."
"..."
Piece by piece, Li Tai pried off the armor plates on the "stool" and casually tossed them onto the empty ground beside them.
He had treated these plates like treasures before, but now, under the allure of Di Jiang, he completely disregarded them.
If one were to describe its size, it was a plump...
One meter tall, one meter long.
And its waist circumference...
Was also a meter!
Half an hour later, the "stool" inside the armor was completely unearthed.
Just like when it was encased in armor, Fang Er never saw where its head was located!
After studying the creature back and forth, Sun Simiao nodded calmly.
"Three hundred and fifty miles further west lies Mount Tian, which abounds with gold and jade, and possesses cinnabar and realgar. The Ying River originates here and flows southwest into the Tang Valley. There is a spirit there, shaped like a yellow sack, red as a burning coal, with six feet and four wings, a chaotic mass without a face or eyes, but it knows song and dance; it is indeed Di Jiang."
"Indeed, the ancients never lied to me!"
Having said this, he suddenly frowned again.
"However, according to what Prince Kun said, the place where this creature appears seems a little off."
"What are you talking about? This thing is a living creature, can't it move its territory?" Li Tai felt his explanation was quite plausible.
After speaking, he walked towards the distant woods and soon returned with a pile of dry firewood.
Fang Er was speechless. "You really plan to stew it?"
"No, no, no!" Li Tai shook his head quite seriously.
This was the first one they had caught, and there were many aspects that needed to be clarified.
Hearing him say this, Fang Er felt relieved.
But then, Li Tai said again.
"Di Jiang is big, one pot won't be enough, we'll need a barbecue grill too!"
"Half braised, half spicy."
Fang Er: ...
However, looking at its plump body, it really was...
"Slurp..."
To hell with it, let's eat first, and if necessary, we can go back and catch another one!
However, before he could express his opinion, Li Tai had already dived into the temporal passage.
About half an hour later, he returned with empty claws.
But behind him followed Fang Er's cook, Li Baoju!
Several servants from the Wei King's manor carried iron pots, barbecue grills, and some carried wooden buckets filled with various spices.
This was too much!
But this thought only lasted for about ten minutes.
Smelling the aroma emanating from the iron pot, even the calm Sun Simiao couldn't sit still, occasionally poking it with chopsticks to see if it was cooked.
In the eyes of a foodie, animals are divided into two categories.
One is edible.
The other is suitable for brewing wine...
"Hiss... Delicious, this thing is indeed a nourishing tonic!"
"If you add some goji berries, angelica, and ginseng, it would be an excellent aid for lactating mothers."
Sun Simiao, holding a leg of the Di Jiang, was gnawing on it with his mouth full of oil.
But these words made Fang Er subconsciously look below his neck.
Damn it...
He could even taste its medicinal properties, was this old man a reincarnation of Shennong!
He tore off a piece from the barbecue grill and tasted it.
Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, with an endless aftertaste...
"My goodness, it's truly delicious!" Li Tai also praised loudly.
"Alas, Master, the book says this thing is a divine beast, but I don't feel anything particularly special about it?"
After saying that, he casually spat out a bone and curiously asked Fang Er.
Fang Er had no idea about this, he didn't write the Classic of Mountains and Seas.
"You ask me? Who am I supposed to ask!"
Li Tai seemed not entirely satisfied with this answer, so he continued.
"Alas, Master, do you think the Classic of Mountains and Seas is actually a cookbook, as later netizens say?"
Fang Er: ...
As expected, a foodie's perspective was different from that of ordinary people.
"Alas, Master, this thing makes my body feel warm after eating..."
Li Ke, drinking wine and gnawing on meat beside him, was annoyed by Li Tai's repeated speech.
"Fourth brother, can you shut your mouth!"
"When you open your mouth, I can see down your throat!"
Li Tai: ...
The entire Di Jiang, after skinning and gutting, weighed about three to four hundred pounds, and the meat seemed much denser than pork.
After eating a fist-sized piece, Fang Er felt a sinking sensation in his stomach.
Li Tai wiped the oil from the corner of his mouth and leaned over. "I can't get enough of this thing, Master. Where did you catch it? Take me with you."
"I need to catch a few more to present to the Retired Emperor..."
Li Ke raised his foot and kicked him. "Fourth brother, can you use your brain? Eldest brother hasn't dared to hold the abdication ceremony yet, and you're already calling him Retired Emperor?"
Ever since Li Shimin made the move to abdicate, this guy seemed to have changed into someone else, completely letting loose and acting much more casually than before.
When interacting with Li Tai, he had also gradually assumed the authority of an older brother.
Not to mention anything else, just this act of kicking was something he had never done before.
On the contrary, Li Tai was also a bit of a rascal, and he didn't get angry at all after being kicked.
He said cheerfully, "Third brother, you're wrong. Whether the abdication ceremony is held or not, it's just a formality."
"The old man is having too much fun. If you have the ability, try making him go back and squat in the Hall of Ultimate Void again?"
Li Ke was speechless.
That old man...
Forget it!
After the four of them finished eating, Li Tai insisted on not going back, so he had Li Baoju take the remaining Di Jiang meat back to the Great Tang to present to Empress Zhangsun and the Grand Princess.
Then, they set off together, each in a gold-mining ship, heading for Mount Fuji.
With such a good thing, eating it once wasn't enough.