Chapter Forty-Six: Braised Delicacies and the Dance of War

What was Sun Licheng doing? He was making lu zhu, a savory stew beloved by the people of the Imperial Capital. The bread was baked through but not sticky, the meat tender yet intact, the flavor rich and heavy—a mere thought of it paired with a couple of sips of spirits was enough to make one's mouth water.

Though Sun Licheng lacked the legendary aged broth, his ingredients were unmatched. Whether it was the brain of a black carp, the small intestines of a wild boar, or the lungs of a highland elk, every component was top-tier. Coupled with his own blend of spices, the taste surpassed even the original recipe.

As for the poor goblins, they had never seen anything like this. Their meals were usually raw or simply roasted over a fire; the fanciest was boiled. For Elder Isidor to have a small pouch of seasoning already set him apart as a culinary master in their eyes.

Now, with Sun Licheng simmering a great clay pot of lu zhu, all eyes were drawn to him. Except for the goblins who were busy cooking, everyone crowded around, watching his every move with hungry eyes and drooling mouths.

Elder Isidor grabbed a young goblin to replace him by the fire, ignoring the youth's complaints, and squeezed into the gathering crowd.

At that moment, Sun Licheng, seeing the stew was nearly done, pulled out a handful of special seasoning from his pocket and tossed it into the pot. Instantly, a mouthwatering aroma wafted through the air, making the goblins' gazes burn even brighter.

"Hmm? He has something like that too? I wonder what it's made of—maybe I can learn it someday," Isidor thought, his eyes lighting up.

After simmering a while longer, Sun Licheng covered half of the clay pot with a wooden board to let it cook slowly. He instructed a goblin woman nearby to stir it from time to time so it wouldn't burn, then strolled over to another campfire where goblins were grilling food.

Sun Licheng already knew these goblins had next to no salt, and the little they did have was full of impurities and tasted bitter. So he had brought plenty of salt with him—Mr. Nimblehands’ finely milled premium salt, no less.

At each campfire, he sprinkled a pinch of salt and a handful of his own spices beside the goblins who were grilling, and explained how to use them.

Trailing behind, Isidor was stunned. He never imagined Sun Licheng would so casually give away such treasures.

“What a spendthrift! If I had these things, I’d hide them away, not share them,” he thought bitterly.

One of the reasons Isidor had risen to the rank of elder was his exceptional cooking skills, the secret to which lay in his exclusive seasonings. Watching Sun Licheng hand them out freely, even if they weren’t his own, filled him with fury.

If Sun Licheng knew, he would sigh, “So even primitives aren’t that simple.”

When Sun Licheng finished distributing the salt and spices and saw the stew was nearly ready, he unloaded some flatbreads from the wagon.

These flatbreads were made primarily from a root vegetable buried deep underground, which was abundant but slightly toxic. After being heated to high temperatures, the toxins dissipated, making the root edible. Once, after a landslide exposed these roots, Sun Licheng took some back for experiments and found them highly nutritious and rich in protein, entirely suitable as a staple. They resembled cassava, so he called them that.

Mr. Nimblehands had milled a large supply of cassava flour as a strategic reserve, and these flatbreads were one of Sun Licheng’s culinary inventions. They resembled baked naan, filled with all sorts of spices and bursting with flavor.

Lu zhu was best enjoyed with baked bread. Although Sun Licheng had not found any sesame and couldn’t make traditional fire-roasted bread, the flatbreads sufficed.

As the last rays of sunlight disappeared, Sun Licheng and his companions began their evening meal.

“Delicious! So good!” the goblins exclaimed, praising the food. Even the proud Isidor was no exception, gnawing on a large chunk of bread.

Thick flatbread torn into pieces and soaked in the stew’s rich broth became a rare delicacy. Each bite filled the mouth with fragrance.

The young girl Christina was already on her second bowl of stew-soaked bread, showing no signs of being full. She seemed ready for a third helping.

“What an appetite,” Sun Licheng couldn’t help but remark as he watched.

“Heh, it’s really because you cook so well. I’ve never eaten anything this good in my life,” said Voll, smiling. He now thoroughly understood his daughter—he himself had eaten several bowls.

Isidor had wanted to join in the praise, but seeing his painstakingly prepared roast meats being ignored made his face darken once again.

“Brother Sun Licheng, your cooking is so delicious. I’m afraid after this I won’t be able to eat anything else—what should I do? I’ll starve!” Christina, now serving herself a third bowl, began to tease Sun Licheng coquettishly.

In this world, goblin girls typically married around thirteen or fourteen. Christina was already of marriageable age, and Sun Licheng was a perfect candidate: young, handsome, strong, brave, well-spoken—a dream come true! Seeing what he could do in the kitchen, her eyes were full of little hearts. If she hadn’t been the revered Saintess, she would have chased off all the other women and snuggled up to him already.

Sun Licheng understood that look all too well. He wondered if the girl had a thing for older men.

At this point, he had yet to adjust to his new identity, still thinking of himself as the middle-aged man of his previous life, over forty years old. Yet his current body was only fifteen or sixteen, full of youthful energy.

“Sigh… I’ll need to talk to Voll sometime, make sure his daughter doesn’t do anything foolish,” Sun Licheng decided privately. In his mind, he was even older than Isidor, who wasn’t yet forty—by that calculation, he could be Christina’s grandfather. He wasn’t from the illustrious Yang family, after all; he just couldn’t bring himself to do such a thing.

“Sun Licheng, thank you for your hospitality. I wonder when we can set out for your tribe to meet your chieftain?” At that moment, Voll’s words brought Sun Licheng back to reality.

Sun Licheng could only give a wry smile. What must come, must come.

He decided to tell the truth.

When Sun Licheng finished explaining, Voll’s jaw dropped and hung open for a long time.

Isidor smirked slyly to himself: “I saw through it long ago—only fool Voll could be kept in the dark.”

The mood instantly became awkward.

The naïve Christina only admired Sun Licheng more. “Brother Sun Licheng, you’re so amazing, surviving here all by yourself! It’s hard to even imagine.”

“Pure luck, nothing more,” Sun Licheng replied, scratching his head.

Thanks to the young girl’s interruption, the atmosphere lightened a bit.

Though disappointed, Voll politely asked Sun Licheng about his plans.

“As for my plans, I intend to keep heading south in search of a few things. Maybe you all can help—just let me know if you’ve heard of any strange places nearby, like unusual caves or the like.”

Sun Licheng spoke frankly. His whole purpose in entertaining Voll’s group was to gather information.

“No problem! Leave it to me. Our Silvermoon Tribe is quite resourceful—we’ll definitely help you find out,” Voll promised with a pat on his chest.

“That’s wonderful, thank you so much,” Sun Licheng replied gratefully.

Suddenly, Voll seemed to think of something. “Would you be interested in visiting the Silvermoon Tribe as our guest? It would be easier to get information there.”

Sun Licheng thought for a moment and agreed.

Isidor, standing nearby, was unhappy at first, but soon smiled again. Though he had his misgivings about Sun Licheng, he coveted all those wonderful things the outsider possessed. With Sun Licheng in the Silvermoon Tribe, it would be much easier to steal some culinary secrets for himself.

“But I can’t let this country bumpkin look down on us. What to do?” Isidor pondered, and an idea came to him.

“Voll, as a token of our gratitude towards Sun Licheng, why don’t we perform a war dance for him?” he suggested.

“Is this really appropriate? A war dance at a time like this…” Voll hesitated, feeling the mood wasn’t quite right, but Sun Licheng was very interested, so he agreed.

Soon, Voll and Isidor led all the male goblins, weapons in hand, into a triangular formation. Suddenly, a wave of killing intent swept forth, and Sun Licheng’s smile faded.

Christina stepped to the front of the formation and began to dance. The movements were brimming with power—each motion exuded a sense of lethal force, and even though performed by a girl, the dance was sharp and fierce.

“Ha!” the men shouted in unison, and a rousing chant echoed within the formation.

“Warriors, the radiance of the Guardian Spirit!
O gods! Grant us the strength to fight the darkness!
O darkness, vanish before the light of the gods!
O Silvermoon’s radiance…”

As the song rang out, white light began to shimmer around the goblins, dazzling bright against the night.

At this point, Christina had left the ranks, and the goblin warriors, singing loudly, brandished their weapons.

By instinct, Sun Licheng could sense the goblins growing visibly stronger, their bodies even transforming. Voll himself swelled into a towering figure two meters tall, muscles knotted and powerful. In his mind, Sun Licheng exclaimed a name—Bear Goblin.