But now Shen Xiaoyan and the others arrived, their successive actions left them stunned.
Look at them, with meat, vegetables, and porridge.
Then look at the simple food in their hands, and suddenly they lost their appetite.
Shen Xiaoyan didn't think much of it; people eat their own meals, what's there to look at.
She took out homemade barbecue sauce from her space and brushed it onto the ingredients.
Soon, after heating, the barbecue sauce emitted a rich aroma.
Just one whiff made one's mouth water.
A boy-like figure, after swallowing several times, his eyes flickered with desire.
"Brother, the food in that group's hands looks so abundant!"
The man addressed as "brother" by the boy appeared to be around thirty, with dark eyebrows and starry eyes, though his expression was somewhat cold.
"Don't you have some in your hand? It's the wild pheasant meat you've been craving."
The boy pouted upon hearing this, "I used to think this wild pheasant meat was delicious, but look at theirs... I think theirs is even better."
As the boy finished speaking, he looked at the man, but the man remained silent.
The boy drooped his lips, then looked at Shen Xiaoyan and the others again. Finally, he said, "Brother, I think they seem approachable. Why don't we go ask for a meal?"
The man glanced at the boy and after a while, said, "If you want to go, then go."
The boy's mouth opened. He wanted to ask, "Are you not going?"
But looking at the man's stern face, he ultimately didn't say it.
However, that aroma seemed to come alive, constantly drilling into his nose.
Finally, the boy couldn't bear it any longer.
He suddenly stood up and walked towards Shen Xiaoyan and the others.
Shen Xiaoyan looked at the boy strangely, completely unaware of what he was planning to do.
The boy hesitated for a moment before saying, "Can..."
"Can I have some of your food?"
It seemed the boy had mustered immense courage to utter these words.
It wasn't because he was shy, but because for so many years, he had always been waited on hand and foot. He had never had to ask anyone for food before.
It was just that the food today was too fragrant, and his small, greedy mouth couldn't resist the temptation, so he had to brazenly come and ask for some.
Even after speaking, his face was still flushed red, clearly embarrassed.
Shen Xiaoyan was initially a bit puzzled, wondering if this boy was testing them.
But when she saw his flushed face, yet his eyes still fixed on their food, she understood that this boy had indeed come to ask for food.
Upon realizing this, Shen Xiaoyan almost burst out laughing.
She had never seen such a boy.
How to put it, this boy gave her a feeling of being rather unrestrained.
Simply because other people's food was delicious, he came to ask for it, and did so naturally.
Although he was a little embarrassed, judging by his demeanor, he wouldn't leave without success.
It wasn't a big deal, and Shen Xiaoyan didn't find it particularly annoying, so she smiled and said, "Then sit down!"
As she spoke, Shen Xiaoyan took a stool from her space and handed it to the boy. The boy took the stool and sat directly to Shen Xiaoyan's other side.
He had his reasons for doing so. He could tell that Shen Xiaoyan's culinary skills were the best. Because the skewers in her hand were the most fragrant.
Don't ask him how he knew; he smelled it. His nose had always been very sensitive since childhood.
He watched Shen Xiaoyan continuously flip the skewers in her hands, occasionally sprinkling them with spices.
As time ticked by, the aroma intensified, constantly drilling into the boy's nose.
The boy took a deep breath and impatiently asked, "When will it be ready?"
Although asking such a question was somewhat embarrassing, in the world of foodies, eating was paramount.
Shen Xiaoyan understood the world of foodies and wasn't displeased. She smiled and said, "Just one more sprinkle of seasoning, and it will be almost ready to eat."
Hearing Shen Xiaoyan, the boy exhaled. He wouldn't have to wait any longer, otherwise, he felt he would turn into a wolf.
When he received the skewers handed to him by Shen Xiaoyan, the boy held them under his nose to smell them, his face showing a look of satisfaction. Then he took a bite.
With that one bite, the fresh, fragrant taste immediately filled his mouth, making him feel like his tongue was about to melt.
He had never tasted such a wonderful flavor before, and his eyes showed ecstasy.
After the ecstasy, he didn't care that the skewers were still very hot and devoured them in no time.
He sighed with satisfaction, then his eyes fell back on Shen Xiaoyan's hands, where there were more skewers.
Seeing his wolf-like expression, Shen Xiaoyan smiled and said, "You don't look very old, why are you here?"
Although the boy's mind was on the skewers, he showed a knowing expression upon hearing Shen Xiaoyan's words. This was Shen Xiaoyan collecting her interest.
However, Shen Xiaoyan's approach was quite acceptable to him. After all, he had eaten their food, and it was only right to answer a couple of questions.
He didn't like to take advantage of others, so he straightforwardly replied, "My elder brother wanted to come here for training, and I wanted to come along to see, so I came with him."
Shen Xiaoyan listened, exchanged a look with the others without a trace, and continued to ask, "Are you from very close to here to come for training?"
The boy shook his head, "Not very close. But with so many flying artifacts and spirit ships now, this distance is nothing, don't you think?"
Hearing the boy's words, Shen Xiaoyan's expression remained unchanged, but her heart was deeply shocked.
If she hadn't been sure before, she was now absolutely certain that this was no longer the Eastern Immortal Land.
Because in the Eastern Immortal Land, spirit ships were very rare.
The entire Changqiu Palace only had one in Zhen Lingrong's possession, and it was estimated that other factions were similar.
However, the other person's slight shake of the head just now told her that she didn't know this boy or the people around him.
Possessing a spirit ship but not letting it be known meant they were not from the Eastern Immortal Land at all.
Coupled with Lin Xin's earlier speculation, it was now certain that they were no longer in the Eastern Immortal Land.
They still needed to find out where they were.
It was a pity that they dared not reveal their origins rashly. Otherwise, given this boy's temperament, if they had asked directly, he would have answered truthfully.
After the boy said this and saw that Shen Xiaoyan hadn't continued asking, he was a bit surprised.
However, he wasn't a talkative person. If others didn't ask, he wouldn't go out of his way to say anything.
After one person handed him a skewer, he focused on eating it.
By the time he finished eating and thanked them, and got up to leave, Shen Xiaoyan hadn't asked any more questions.
When he returned to their area, the boy quickly approached the man and whispered, "Brother, their food is delicious. Compared to theirs, ours is like pig slop."
The man initially didn't react. But when he heard the boy's last sentence, his face immediately darkened.
Although he could tell from the boy's eating habits earlier that the food there was indeed very delicious, boy, was it really okay to disparage their own food like that? You know, the food that you and your brother and companions are eating is all "pig slop" in your words!
The man showed displeasure on his face, and the boy realized he had spoken incorrectly. He quickly fell silent and didn't say another word.
After a while, when their food had been mostly digested, it was time for evening rest.
Both sides had people on guard, and the night passed peacefully.
Time flew by, and it was already the next morning. Shen Xiaoyan opened her eyes and stretched.
Although the environment was indeed simple, she had slept very comfortably.
After washing up outside the cave, Su Yuyu returned and began preparing breakfast.
As the old saying goes, heaven and earth are great, and eating is paramount. The day's plans begin in the morning, so how can breakfast not be good?
As soon as she put the rice in the pot, the boy came over.
He had eaten too much barbecue last night and had no room for porridge!
Seeing Shen Xiaoyan cooking porridge again today, he couldn't help but drool!
Perhaps it was because after begging for food last night, the boy's courage had grown significantly, and he had become much more talkative.
He looked at Shen Xiaoyan, who was busy in her hands, and smiled, "Sister Shen, why are your cooking skills so good? Even the best female chefs in our family don't cook as well as you do."
Hearing this, Shen Xiaoyan didn't react much, but Shen Xiaoming had already walked over with a cold face.
"What kind of person is my sister? Can you compare yourself to her?"
The boy was stunned upon hearing this, and then he understood that he had spoken incorrectly.
The boy wasn't unreasonable. Realizing he was wrong, he quickly apologized.
"Sister Shen, please don't mind what I said. I just feel that your food is really delicious and I wanted to praise you."
Seeing the boy's red-faced explanation, Shen Xiaoyan couldn't help but want to laugh.
She wasn't petty. It was just a sentence, and she wouldn't get angry over it.
Moreover, she didn't think there was anything wrong with what the boy had said.
After all, it was someone else's affirmation of her cooking skills, wasn't it?
However, she wouldn't say this. Her younger brother was defending her, and if she said this, wouldn't she be slapping her brother's face?
She wouldn't do such a foolish thing.
"It's nothing," Shen Xiaoyan replied indifferently.
But this single sentence made the boy happy again.
"Sister Shen, I knew you were the best."
Listening to the boy's coquettish words, Shen Xiaoyan could only smile wryly.
Without a doubt, she knew this boy must be very doted on at home, otherwise, he wouldn't have such a temper.
His elder brother, although he had a dark face and no expression, did whatever the boy said and never showed any unwillingness.
Thinking this, Shen Xiaoyan gave up on continuing the topic.
Her eyes shifted, and Shen Xiaoyan decided to ask about something else.
"What's your name?"
After all, they had spent an evening together, and she had invited him to dinner last night, and she would probably continue to treat him this morning. It wouldn't be too much to ask for his name, Shen Xiaoyan thought.
The boy was also straightforward. He directly revealed his name, "My name is Zheng Cai, and my brother's name is Zheng Fu."
Zheng surname?
Shen Xiaoyan raised an eyebrow. What a coincidence, they also had the Zheng surname.
Although she thought this, she didn't show anything on her face. She still smiled and said, "Then why did you and your brother come here? There's nothing fun to do in this mountain."
Hearing Shen Xiaoyan, Zheng Cai grinned, "Big Sister, what you said is funny. There are many spirit beasts in this mountain, and one can easily die here if not careful. Didn't I say last night that we are here for training?"
Shen Xiaoyan then remembered that the boy had indeed said so, but she was still a bit puzzled, "What is there to train for?"
She understood what the word "training" meant.
Even if no one had explained it to her, and she hadn't experienced it herself, her past life's novels weren't read in vain.
But Zheng Cai, judging by his appearance, was clearly a spoiled child from a wealthy family. Did he still need training?
Wouldn't such people be like hothouse flowers, afraid of the wind and rain outside?
As if sensing Ling Rong's confusion, Zheng Cai showed a hint of dejection on his face.
"It's always like this. Why does everyone react like this when I say I want to go out for training? I just want to go out and experience the outside world. I don't want to be confined at home and protected all the time."
Listening to Zheng Cai's complaint, Shen Xiaoyan raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything.
Zheng Cai's idea was indeed very good.
But that was his family's business. What he did and what his family did had little to do with her. She didn't want to get involved in other people's family affairs.
Perhaps if she had gone along with Zheng Cai's words, he would have been very happy at the moment. But later, he might have felt that Shen Xiaoyan was driving a wedge between their family.