Chapter One Hundred: Not a Picky Eater

"Are you really just going to leave like this?"

The ease with which those words were spoken made them almost impossible to believe. To walk away so openly in the midst of a pack of wolves—would that not be far too brazen? And yet, seeing him stride forward without the slightest hesitation, his calm composure was beyond words.

It was only when his figure began to blur beneath the night that Hua Rong belatedly realized she had fallen some distance behind him. She hurried after him on tiptoe. "Wait for me!"

Shrinking her neck a little, Hua Rong kept darting her eyes left and right. The wolf pack did not seem inclined to leave, but neither did they dare launch a reckless attack. It was as though a tense stalemate had formed between them.

After they had gone some distance and she saw the man quicken his pace, Hua Rong followed suit, and at last they gradually pulled away from the wolves.

Far ahead, a faint light glimmered like a fisherman's lamp. The man's steps were purposeful, which only made Hua Rong more surprised. "So this is where you live by yourself?"

"Where else would it be?"

He turned back, still carrying the wolf's corpse in his hands, which only made Hua Rong slightly startled. "We're home already, so why are you still carrying that? It's been dripping blood all the way here. Wait a little longer and it'll be nothing but a dried-up husk..."

More than anything, the bloodied corpse was revolting to look at, and that feral, clawing posture made it obvious it had died with its eyes still open in rage. To hold it in one's hands—was he not afraid of having nightmares?

The man weighed the thing in his hand, glanced at the trail of blood it had left behind, and nodded thoughtfully. "That's true. Then we'd better cook it quickly and eat it before it goes bad."

What a strange way of putting it.

"No, that's not what I meant. I meant we should find a place and bury it..."

Hua Rong had grown up this far without ever tasting wolf meat. This fellow was truly made of sterner stuff.

"Bury it? Then what was the point of taking the risk to enter the wolf pack? Was I really only there to save you?"

His disdainful tone, and the look he gave her as if she were a fool, left Hua Rong speechless for a moment. So it seemed she really had been thinking too much.

But then again, why had he saved her for no reason at all?

"Fine, eat it if you want. It isn't mine anyway." Hua Rong curled her lip. Looking at the small courtyard, it did not seem like the home of a wealthy family; perhaps they only used wolves for meat because they could not hunt anything else for a long time.

"All right, I'll go make dinner first. Rest in the room for now. It's already late, and you aren't going anywhere tonight." He did not linger. Turning away at once, he headed toward the side of the courtyard.

Hua Rong stood in place, looking at the pitch-black world around her. The courtyard was encircled by trees on all sides, and she no longer dared entertain any foolish thoughts.

"Forget it. Since he saved me, he can't be a bad person. And even if he is, a man who fights wolves—I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to run anyway."

With that thought, Hua Rong walked into the house with righteous confidence. Though the furnishings were somewhat sparse, the place was spacious enough and gave off a feeling of simple comfort.

She found a random spot to sit, took a teacup, and drank a few hasty mouthfuls of water before finally letting out a contented sigh.

Yet with her mind a blank, unease still rippled through her heart. "Who am I, really? And if I leave, where am I supposed to go? Can this jade pendant truly help me find my family?"

All her doubts spread outward, and even Hua Rong herself could not make sense of them.

As time slowly passed, a trace of drowsiness crept over her. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep on the table.

No one knew how long had passed before a rich, mouthwatering aroma drifted in from outside.

Her stomach, already hungry, had also begun growling noisily in her sleep.

Now that fragrance was enough to make a person dream awake. Hua Rong slowly opened her eyes and could not help taking a deep, greedy breath.

"What is that? It smells so good. Has my dream come true?"

The dream she had just had happened to be a feast beyond imagining, which only made one’s thoughts wander all the more.

While she was still wondering, someone appeared at the door carrying a large pot. "Move aside, move aside! Don't block me, it's hot!"

This was no dream. Only after the other person set the earthen pot on the table did Hua Rong see the rich, fatty meat wrapped inside, and it was from there that the intoxicating aroma rose.

"Oh heavens, what is this? Why does it smell so good?"

Hua Rong swallowed hard, feeling the hunger within her surge even stronger. She nearly wanted to grab it with her hands and eat straight from the pot.

Seeing her drooling expression, the man quickly slapped her hand away, looking disgusted. "Hey, hey, what are you doing? Didn't you say you wouldn't eat wolf meat? I specially prepared something else for you!"

Before Hua Rong could even react, he turned around and, in just a moment, brought out a bowl of greens, dropped it onto the table, and said, "Here. This is your dish—healthy, nutritious, and tasty. Much more suitable for you."

Looking at that plate of limp green vegetables, not even glistening with oil, Hua Rong was completely bewildered. "No way—is this how you treat a guest in your home?"

"Weren't you the one who said you couldn't eat those things? How could I force you? Hurry up and eat. Once you're done, go to sleep."

He sat down and, all by himself, lifted the chopsticks and bowl, poured the bones into the bowl, and picked the meat from them to eat. His manner was unexpectedly elegant.

As for Hua Rong, that plate of plain vegetables was clearly all she had to her name.

Watching him eat so appetizingly, with the fragrance of meat filling the air and utterly impossible to resist, Hua Rong could not help swallowing again, while the protests from her stomach grew louder and louder.

"Damn it, this guy is obviously doing this to get back at me."

Enduring a belly full of complaints, she finally could not hold back any longer and shamelessly leaned in. "Actually, I'm not that picky. A mix of meat and vegetables is best for health. Since it's already been cooked and you couldn't finish it in a month anyway, why not share it with everyone? It'd be such a waste to throw it away."

Saying this, she ignored everything and snatched a pair of chopsticks, then reached straight into the pot to take a piece of meat.

It was her first time eating it, and the taste was a little hard to accept, but hunger left her no room for hesitation.

Seeing Hua Rong eat even more happily than he did, the man said nothing and continued his own graceful meal.

They ate for more than half an hour before Hua Rong was finally full. Satisfied at last, she put down her chopsticks, let out a slight burp, and looked a little embarrassed.

She quickly covered her mouth and smiled. "Heh, your cooking is pretty good."

At that, the man glanced at the untouched plate of vegetables beside her and shook his head. "I thought you liked vegetables. What a pity—I wasted all that effort."

Though he was smiling, it somehow did not feel friendly at all. Anyone could hear the faint edge of mockery in his words.

Hua Rong felt somewhat put on the spot. Unable to stop herself, she curled her lip and muttered, "He is handsome enough, so why is he so petty?"