Ch. 131 - Uh... Do You Guys Have Fire?

"Let's get something to eat first."

Chen Shu didn't have a care in the world—all he felt was hungry.

The three walked into a cave in the cliff wall behind them, planning to use it as a temporary shelter.

"Be careful—there might be fierce beasts inside!"

Chen Shu's expression turned cautious as he headed deeper in.

The cave walls were dotted with a type of blue-green stone that emitted a faint glow—enough to see clearly.

"Fierce beasts!"

Xie Sunan called out a warning. His Winged Caterpillar had sensed their presence.

Chen Shu nodded slightly. The summoning cooldown had ended, and the Slime appeared inside the cave once more.

Its massive body—even without using Gigantification—nearly filled the entire cave, leaving only a person-sized gap.

With the Slime taking point, all three breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sleeping Ice Fang Snakes?"

Chen Shu immediately spotted three Ice Fang Snakes slumbering inside.

"Well, looks like lunch is sorted. And it's a family meal deal—all three of them."

Chen Shu grinned and shot the other two a look.

The three quietly backed out of the cave, leaving only the snoring Slime behind.

What followed was an absolutely brutal massacre! The kind where it just kept crushing them back and forth!

The Ice Fang Snakes' innate talent was to transmit ice-attribute power through their fangs into an enemy's body, severely slowing their movement.

But against the Slime? Completely useless.

The Slime was now Level 8. Its Overlord Body could nullify any negative status effect below Black Iron rank.

Half an hour later, the battle was over.

The three walked back into the cave.

Chen Shu pulled out various seasonings and started assembling a grill.

Nearby, Xie Sunan took out his butcher's knife and began sharpening it, ready to carve up the Ice Fang Snakes.

The two exchanged a glance—their teamwork was seamless.

Xu Xingxing stretched lazily, then pulled a set of hospital patient clothes out of his bag.

"You really DO have that problem!"

Chen Shu and Xie Sunan spoke in unison. What the hell are you doing?!

"Set up the tent! Why would you wear patient clothes in broad daylight?!"

Xu Xingxing let out an "oh" and got to work on the tent.

The three bustled about, acting like this wasn't a crisis-filled Alternate Dimension at all.

Half an hour later, everything was ready.

Chen Shu pulled out over a dozen metal skewers, threaded the sliced snake meat onto them, and placed them on the grill.

The other two stared eagerly.

Time passed slowly. Chen Shu didn't make a move.

Xie Sunan spoke up: "What are you standing there for? Start grilling!"

"Uh... do you guys have any fire?"

Instantly, the atmosphere plunged to freezing point.

Xie Sunan's lip twitched. "You brought the grill, brought the seasonings, brought the charcoal—but you didn't bring FIRE?!"

Right now, he wanted to take that butcher's knife and chop Chen Shu into pieces!

"How was I supposed to know? Fire-type contract spirits are super common."

The three exchanged glances, then simultaneously turned to look at the Mutant Thunder Bird.

The Thunder Bird, resting in a corner, shuddered. A bad feeling washed over it.

Chen Shu asked uncertainly: "Lightning can start fires too, right?"

Xie Sunan stroked his chin. "In theory, yes. Xiao Xing, have you ever used it to start a fire?"

Xu Xingxing threw up his hands. "Don't look at me. I have no idea. Do I look crazy enough to use a Thunder Bird to start fires at home?"

One minute later.

All three stared intently at the Thunder Bird.

Its eyes were filled with despair. Like a machine, it kept spitting at the charcoal pile...

It swore this was the most miserable spitting session of its entire life...

"I feel like we might as well be waiting for pigs to fly. What do you guys think?"

Chen Shu yawned. Watching a bird spit?

He'd never been this bored in his entire life...

"Forget it!"

The Mutant Thunder Bird's spit did have some warmth to it, but actually igniting charcoal? That was pure fantasy.

Have you ever seen anyone start a fire with boiling water?

Chen Shu stood up, walked out of the cave, and shouted at the sky.

"Teacher Shen! Come down for some BBQ!"

High above, Shen Wushuang paused for a moment. After a brief thought, he descended to the cave entrance.

Shen Wushuang spoke: "How did you know it was me?"

"Lucky guess." Chen Shu grinned.

"We've got everything ready—just need one final push. Hoping Teacher Shen can provide some support..."

Shen Wushuang's lip twitched. "I knew there'd be a catch. What do you need?"

"Fire!"

Shen Wushuang froze, eyes widening.

A moment later, he couldn't hold back anymore and burst out laughing—the kind that kept getting louder.

Chen Shu mentally chanted to himself: He's not mocking me, he's not mocking me...

After a while, Shen Wushuang finally managed to compose himself. "Chen Pi, I'm really not laughing at you..."

"..."

Chen Shu turned and walked back into the cave. He was ready to crawl into a hole and die.

"Haha..." Shen Wushuang followed behind, still unable to contain himself. "You brought literally everything except fire. The Nanjiang Bandit really never does things the normal way!"

"Teacher Shen!"

Xie Sunan and Xu Xingxing both stood up, surprised that Chen Shu had actually gotten Shen Wushuang to come down.

When Shen Wushuang saw the Thunder Bird still spitting at the charcoal, he completely lost it again.

"HAHAHAHA!"

His laughter echoed through the cave. The three wore expressions of utter defeat.

Is it really THAT funny?

Finally, Shen Wushuang tossed out two red fire stones.

Watching the flames rise before them, the three were moved to tears.

Like primitive humans witnessing fire for the first time.

The aroma of snake meat gradually filled the air, making all four of them swallow involuntarily.

The sizzling spicy sauce dripping down only made it more appetizing.

"I have to say, Chen Shu—your cooking skills are genuinely impressive."

Shen Wushuang praised him. He hadn't had BBQ this good in ages.

The four of them devoured all three Ice Fang Snakes, feeling deeply satisfied despite the freezing environment.

This was happiness!

"Teacher Shen, please leave now—we're going to sleep!"

Chen Shu stood up. The three of them comfortably changed into their hospital patient clothes and crawled into the tent.

"You three really ARE insane!"

Shen Wushuang's lip twitched as he left the cave.

The Slime blocked the cave entrance, shielding them from the cold wind. The Winged Caterpillar stood guard.

Nearby, the Mutant Thunder Bird was gulping down water. It had lost way too much moisture...

Frost Canyon's biting winds and harsh environment made things miserable for other Beast Tamers. In comparison, these three were living the good life.

An hour later, the three woke from their nap, feeling refreshed.

"Pack up—time to cause some trouble!"

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