A long time passed until Ice Empress returned with an entire Snowfield Yak, and Gu Feng finally managed to escape from Snow Empress's clutches.
Gu Feng stared at the massive chunk of meat before him and couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed.
Who on earth could eat this much?
"What are you looking at? Why don't you just eat it raw like we do?" Ice Empress suggested.
"This meat has a great texture," she added.
As she spoke, Ice Empress tore off a piece of raw meat from the Snowfield Yak, still dripping with blood, and was about to pop it into her mouth.
"Stop, stop, stop!"
Seeing this, Gu Feng quickly intervened. He couldn't stand the sight of such a physiologically unsettling scene.
Ice Empress froze mid-action, blinking innocently. "What's wrong? I promise you, this meat is incredibly fresh. Don't you want to try a bite?"
"Forget it. Today, I'm going to show you what real food is all about."
With that, Gu Feng flicked his wrist with flair and, as if performing magic, pulled out an array of spices from his Soul Guidance Ring, his face brimming with pride. "Here! Peng oil, Xinjiang beef skewers—just eat them, and you'll feel amazing afterward!"
Soon after, Snow Empress and Ice Empress watched as Gu Feng busied himself alone, fiddling with the spices and flipping the meat on the fire, completely absorbed in his task.
As the smoke billowed before her, Ice Empress wrinkled her delicate nose and turned to Snow Empress. "Xue Er, do you really think that stuff is edible? Look at all this smoke. It feels so strange, almost like it's polluting my pristine territory."
Snow Empress quietly observed Gu Feng's busy figure for a while before replying blankly, "Then don't eat it later."
Hearing this, Ice Empress immediately perked up and pressed, "What about you, Xue Er? Will you eat it?"
Snow Empress nodded gently, her voice soft. "I will."
As a natural-born spirit of ice and snow, she usually didn't need to eat. Absorbing the essence of the sun and moon was enough for her cultivation, and she could go without food for long periods.
However, Snow Empress would occasionally drink the morning dew and eat some spiritual fruits.
As for human delicacies, she had never tried them before but was willing to give them a taste.
Ice Empress crossed her arms and turned her head away with a haughty snort. "I won't eat it. How could something so smoky and charred possibly taste better than raw meat? I don't care for it."
But her gaze kept drifting toward Gu Feng, a hint of curiosity hidden in her eyes.
At that moment, Gu Feng's voice floated over, tinged with teasing. "Yes, yes, you don't care for it. So, Bing'er, make sure you don't touch the food later, okay?"
"Hmph!" Ice Empress let out a delicate snort from her small nose, her head turning away with a proud tilt, her lively twin ponytails drawing a playful arc in the air. "I won't eat it! As the Ice Empress, one of the rulers of the Far North, what delicacy in this world haven't I tasted?"
"I've even sampled Whale Brain from across the sea—now that's what I call delicious and exquisite. As for this smoky mess of yours, I have no interest in it."
Gu Feng simply watched her act, his lips twitching occasionally.
Could anyone in the world, except for monks, really resist the temptation of barbecue?
Gu Feng certainly didn't believe so.
If there was someone who could, it must be because the meat wasn't big enough or the chef didn't grill it well.
Twenty minutes passed in the blink of an eye, and a rich, intoxicating aroma wafted through the air, penetrating straight to the heart.
Ice Empress, who had been feigning composure out of boredom, was suddenly captivated by the scent. She couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.
She wondered to herself, what on earth is this? How can it smell so good?
Gu Feng raised the glistening beef skewers high in the air, waving his arm enthusiastically as he called out, "Sister Xue Er, come over and try this! I guarantee you'll be amazed!"
"Alright," Snow Empress replied softly, then gracefully walked over to Gu Feng. She gently took the beef skewer and carefully took a small bite.
In an instant, her eyes lit up, and her usual cold demeanor was thrown to the winds. Her eating speed unconsciously quickened as she became immersed in the unparalleled deliciousness.
At some point, Ice Empress, like a sneaky cat, quietly crept over. Her eyes were fixed on the beef skewer in Snow Empress's hand, though she pretended not to care. She asked, "Xue Er, is it really that good?"
"Mhm," Snow Empress nodded eagerly, her mouth full of meat. She then handed over another skewer and said warmly, "Here, Bing'er, you should try it too."
Ice Empress stared at the golden, sizzling skewer, her mouth watering uncontrollably. Just as she reached out to take it, she heard Gu Feng's teasing voice from the side, "Sister Bing'er, didn't you swear earlier that you wouldn't eat any?"
Ice Empress's delicate fingers froze mid-air, as if she had been hit by a spell. After a moment, she awkwardly retracted her hand and stubbornly said, "I won't eat it, so what? Who cares! Your meat probably only smells good but tastes terrible."
"Well, no need for you to worry about it then," Gu Feng replied, barely holding back his laughter as he deliberately teased her.
"Humph!" Ice Empress puffed up her cheeks like a pufferfish, turned her head away in a huff, and stomped off toward the cave, sulking alone inside.
Inside the cave, Ice Empress stomped her dainty foot hard, shattering a rock on the ground with a loud "crack." She muttered under her breath, "Humph, that stinky Gu Feng, that dead Gu Feng! It's just a few skewers of grilled meat, what's the big deal?"
"If I don't eat it, so what? It's just human grilled meat. I'll just catch a few humans every day from now on and have them grill for me."
But Ice Empress had no idea that the unique method of preparing these XJ beef skewers was one of a kind in this world, and no one else could replicate it.
As Ice Empress crouched on the ground, her lips pouting so much they could hang a bottle, feeling utterly wronged, a skewer of irresistibly fragrant beef was suddenly held out in front of her.
Ice Empress's small nose instinctively twitched. When she opened her eyes and saw it was Gu Feng, her face immediately darkened. She turned her head away and snapped, "Stinky Gu Feng, what are you doing here? Get out!"
"Sister Bing'er, Sister Bing'er, are you really not going to try my delicious, energy-boosting XJ beef skewers?"
Gu Feng deliberately waved the skewer in front of her, the aroma wafting straight into Ice Empress's nose, tempting her.
"Grr!" Ice Empress finally couldn't resist the fatal temptation and took a big bite.
In that instant, an unprecedented sense of happiness flooded over her like a tidal wave.
Mmm, this is so delicious!
At this moment, Ice Empress realized how harsh her life had been for tens of thousands of years.
Raw meat? Even dogs wouldn't eat that!
But a single skewer of beef was far from enough to satisfy Ice Empress. In the blink of an eye, she devoured it all.
The next second, Ice Empress gazed at Gu Feng with longing eyes, her voice filled with anticipation: "Little Feng, is there any more?"
(End of Chapter)