Chapter 436: A fellow brother and His Excellency (1/2)

Chapter 436: A fellow brother and His Excellency

The scent of rice!

Jun Yixie felt energized as soon as he caught whiff of it. He followed his nose until it led him to the depths of the forest. There on the ground was a black-robed man in the middle of cooking. This fellow looked like he came prepared, because there were multiple bags of things by his body. He had set up two stone stoves with a pot on each, with one boiling water while the other cooked his rice. Those snow-white kernels and fine round grains were a mouth-watering sight. Hot steam rose from the pot, making Jun Yixie swallow his drool.

Three months, ah. Three months without a single grain of rice!

Despite how much he wanted the meal, how could a man like him bow and scrape to get a share? Despite his sore straits, Jun Yixie held himself back and gulped a few times before reining his emotions in check.

Then he walked over and greeted, “This younger brother looks exceptionally refined.”

Gu Qishao surveyed him before he laughed. “I expect that you must be Northern Li’s Duke of Kang, Jun Yixie?”

Jun Yixie started feeling awkward at those words. The news that Long Feiye had moved the entire Tianning Navy just to blockade him on Fishery Island had long spread across Cloud Realm continent. It wasn’t strange for visitors here to recognize him. But the embarrassment only lasted for a moment. The presumptuous Jun Yixie admitted it openly.

“It’s exactly your lord. I don’t know how I should address you in turn?”

“Just another idler in the jianghu,” Gu Qishao replied vaguely, seemingly uninterested in Jun Yixie’s status.

“Fellow brother, this isn’t the season for fishing, is it?” Jun Yixie asked next. Although half his soul had already floated away with the scent of rice, he could still keep a cool head. Wasn’t it strange for this black-robed man to run over here and cook?

“Hehe, this is the perfect time to visit. The Illusory Sea Lake’s lobsters are fattest during the cusp between spring and summer,” Gu Qishao explained.

“I see, I see…” Jun Yixie had heard of the Illusory Sea Lake’s lobsters, but it wasn’t easy fishing them up without extreme patience. That was why few people bothered trying. He’d met with two people who tried last month before giving up out of sheer difficulty.

By now, the water in the pot had come to a boil. Gu Qishao took out a packet of powder and poured it into the pot, sending up another cloud of delicious fragrance. Unlike the fresh scent of rice, this smelled like meat and was absolutely irresistible. Jun Yixie sucked in a deep breath, unable to hide his pleasant surprise.

“This is Northern Li’s fatty lamb hotpot stock from Rong City! It has a reputation as the world’s finest hotpot.”

“Your Highness Duke of Kang can tell the taste just by a hint of its scent? It may not be a bad idea for you to have a taste,” Gu Qishao grinned. He was right. The fragrance had yet to spread fully. Once the water boiled a little bit longer, the scene would increase ten-thousand fold and linger on the tongue.

Jun Yixie’s stomach had long grown restless from the scent, so he invited himself to a seat and chuckled. “Fatty lamb hotpot stock is a tribute of the imperial clan. It’s only spread to the common people in the last two years, so the supply is limited. Fellow brother, you must have expended some effort to buy this stock?”

Gu Qishao laughed. “Heheh, people will die for the sake of a good meal1 after all!” The original saying was supposed to be ‘People die for the sake of wealth, birds die for the sake of a meal,’ but this fellow had simply combined the two phrases into one!

Jun Yixie laughed out loud. “Fellow brother has quite a personality, your lord approves!”

By now, the hotpot was cooking away nicely, its distinctive fragrance rising with the steam to tempt one’s nose and tastebuds. Gu Qishao grinned and purposely took a deep breath. “Delicious! Truly delicious!”

Jun Yixie hastened to speak, “Fellow brother, this isn’t how you’re supposed to sniff the stock. It’s more like this.” So speaking, he took in a deep breath and held it until the fragrance gradually filled his nasal cavity and then spread down to his mouth. Gu Qishao quickly copied the motion. A deep breath like that, combined with holding one’s breath afterwards, really reached new heights of enjoyment with the lingering scent!

“Your Highness Duke of Kang is still the expert on this,” Gu Qishao said.

Jun Yixie chuckled and kept taking deep breaths, enjoying the delicious scent. Even if he couldn’t eat any, smelling it was enjoyable as well! Once the hotpot starting boiling, Gu Qishao brought over two more packages—one big, one small—and opened them up to reveal two things. One was thinly sliced mutton strips, while the other was fresh green vegetables. Jun Yixie couldn’t hold back his drool then. Not only was there delicious white rice, but also lamb and fresh vegetables for the hotpot! The combination would be delectable!

Gu Qishao glanced at Jun Yixie as his eyes flashed with icy laughter. He mixed up his sauce on the side before beginning to broil the meat. Piece of piece, he swished the slices of mutton in the hot water before scooping them out, dipping them in the sauce, and taking a bite while the meat was still steaming. The tender juices left a mouthwatering aftertaste on his tongue as a truly scrumptious bite.

Jun Yixie’s stomach grumbled at the sight, and he awkwardly pressed a hand against his abdomen to muffle the sound. Gu Qishao pretended not to notice and ate a few more bits before he said in satisfaction, “Mm, the taste is just right. Your Highness Duke Kang, want to try some?”

Jun Yixie would never ask to try some himself. He was waiting for these very words! In delight, he replied, “It is better to accept deferentially than to decline courteously.”

Gu Qishao broke his chopsticks in half and offered one portion to Jun Yixie. “We’ll have to make do with this.”

He only brought one pair of chopsticks? Then it’s probable he didn’t come just for me. Those were Jun Yixie’s thoughts, but he still had enough caution to check whether the lamb was poisoned before eating it himself. As it turned out, once he started eating, he couldn’t stop.

Soon enough, both men had polished off the pot of rice and an entire hotpot’s worth of lamb and vegetables. Once full to his heart’s content, Jun Yixie asked, “Fellow brother, have you heard any news regarding the war between Northern Li and Tianning?”

From what Jun Yixie knew of his sovereign, the Northern Li emperor would never take Long Feiye’s slight lying down. He would definitely fight back and threatened Emperor Tianhui. There was no reason for things to stay so quiet!

Gu Qishao leaned lazily against the tree trunk as he arched an eyebrow at Jun Yixie. Laughing coldly, he said, “This young master has never been interested in court politics.”

Jun Yixie knit his brows. There’s something off about his attitude. What does he mean by that?

Gu Qishao’s eyes turned cold. “This young master’s only interested in you!”