Chapter 284: Chapter 284: Interlude

Translator: 549690339 |

Zhou Tianhao was in a reasonably good mood.

He had found a trace of the Star Hunter at the Leaping Fish Banquet and inferred that his opponent would soon arrive in Lanqiu City. Therefore, he rushed to Lanqiu City immediately after the banquet ended in an attempt to catch the cunning rogue whom he had once crossed paths with.

However, upon arriving in Lanqiu City and following clues for two days, he finally tracked his opponent to the famous tourist attraction, Lan Qiu Forest.

The trail ended here.

He was unavoidably annoyed. He was perhaps one step too late.

The only consolation was that according to his itinerary, Lanqiu City was a place he had to pass through anyway.

So this little detour wouldn’t interfere with his journey.

Although he had the feeling of being toyed with by the Star Hunter, Zhou Tianhao’s mood brightened again when he discovered that there were many wild ingredients in Lan Qiu Forest. As long as he did not slaughter them indiscriminately, he could hunt them for food.

At this moment, Zhou Tianhao randomly caught a passing roe deer, planning to find a place to taste the flavor of roasted deer.

Before he found a suitable camping spot, he smelled a peculiar fragrance. The smell was faint at first but became more intense within a very short time.

There are people nearby!

Smelling this unmistakable aroma of cooked food, Zhou Tianhao felt a surge of energy.

It was normal to encounter other people in the open forest of Lan Qiu, but at this moment, Zhou Tianhao thought of his target.

Could it be possible that the person cooking was the Star Hunter he had been desperately searching for?

Thinking of this improbable possibility, Zhou Tianhao’s steps quickened.

He would go and see. Even if it wasn’t the Star Hunter, it would still be nice to make small talk with other people.

Following the fragrance, Zhou Tianhao soon saw a faint figure in the distance through the gaps in the trees.

As he got closer, the figure became clearer.

“Hmm?” Zhou Tianhao walked out of the dense forest in a few steps, looked at the man and woman in front of him, and exclaimed in surprise, “Qin Lang?”

“Brother Zhou?!”

Seeing Zhou Tianhao walking out of the dense forest, Qin Lang’s face showed a touch of surprise.

Meanwhile, Shen Qian, who was standing next to him, had a somewhat strange expression on her face.

After all, they had just mentioned what they would do if dangerous wild beasts were attracted by the fragrance.

No wild beast had come, but a person had.

Seeing familiar faces, Zhou Tianhao immediately relaxed.

Although it wasn’t the Star Hunter, encountering acquaintances in the depths of the forest was also a pleasant experience.

“How come you are in Lanqiu City?” He casually sat on the ground and asked with a smile.

“This is Shen Qian, a friend I met in Yue Hu City. This is Brother Zhou Tianhao, who, like me, is from Tianhua State. Brother Zhou is the champion of the provincial training competition in Tianhua State.”

After introducing the two to each other, Qin Lang began to explain, “I’m traveling with Shen Qian. We are planning to visit Crown Ling City, and our first stop is Lanqiu City.”

“Brother Zhou, you set off two days ago. Did you find any clues?”

“Nope, the Star Hunter is too cunning. I tracked him all the way here, but I lost his trail.” Zhou Tianhao frowned, “I feel like he’s messing with me.”

Shen Qian on the side blinked her eyes.

Champion of the provincial training competition… Star Hunter…

That’s a lot of information to take in.

“I’ll go after that wretched guy again when I have the chance.” Zhou Tianhao laughed after giving a glance at the puzzled Shen Qian and quickly changed the topic, “Are you guys camping out and cooking? That’s perfect because I just caught a roe deer. Let’s…”

As he was speaking, Zhou Tianhao’s eyes moved to the tasty food on the fire.

He stopped talking abruptly. His eyes widened, “What’s this?”

Zhou Tianhao dropped the deer and leaned over to the roasted sparrow which look nothing like what he was used to seeing. He ignored the heat of the flame and inspected it carefully.

“This is a roasted sparrow brushed with crispy skin water.” Qin Lang explained briefly, “Considering the time, it should be almost ready.”

Soon, Dan Bao stopped spewing flames.

The skewered fish and roasted sparrows radiating tempting fragrances made the people and the Food Spirit around swallow their saliva.

“There’s not much sparrow meat, so let’s each have a small share.” The roasted sparrows were quickly divided into smaller pieces by Qin Lang, each piece covered in a red-brown crispy skin.

Even the two of them and their four Food Spirits did not have enough to share, let alone Zhou Tianhao who just showed up with his four Food Spirits.

But Zhou Tianhao brought a roe deer, which would be good to roast and share later.

“Let me try!” Shen Qian, who had been watching the whole process of roasting the sparrow, couldn’t hold back any longer.

She had also roasted poultry before and at this moment, was curious to see how the flavor of roasted sparrows would change after adding crispy skin water.

“Crack ”

It was like a crispy paper with a rich aroma wrapped around it. When Shen Qian bit into it, the crispy exterior broke apart, making a pleasant sound.

Underneath the skin, the fat had completely melted into the meat after roasting. The remaining part was not greasy, and a rich aroma, carried in the heat, entered Shen Qian’s nostrils.

It was the result of the aroma of the sparrow meat mingling with the flavors of the marinade. If Shen Qian had any knowledge of this, she would immediately exclaim “five spices” when she smelled it.

On the other side, Qin Lang nodded contentedly.

The “Five Spice Crispy Roast Sparrow” turned out even better than expected.

Wild sparrow meat is firm but not tough, making it a perfect match for the five-spice marinade.

The taste of the crispy skin was just right as well. Thanks to Dan Bao’s accurate control of the fire, they were able to achieve the effect of a professional oven even when roasting outdoors.

And Zhou Tianhao, who had never tasted similar delicacies, was even more astonished.

Qin Lang’s culinary skills always surprised him.

Right, Qin Lang and a girl named Shen Qian were heading to Crown Ling City?

At this moment, Zhou Tianhao remembered the destination Qin Lang had mentioned earlier.

Crown Ling City is the location for all the provincial level competitions in Mingjing Province. As Zhou Tianhao was planning on staying in Mingjing Province for a while, his travels would naturally take him there.

If that was the case…

He had an idea in his heart and suddenly smiled, “Qin Lang, I too am planning to visit Crown Ling City. Since we have the same destination, why don’t we travel together?”

“Really?” Qin Lang’s face showed a look of pleasant surprise.

From the first time he met Zhou Tianhao, Zhou had kindly given him many suggestions on Spirit Battles. He was a righteous person and worthy of making friends with.

In addition, Zhou Tianhao had four Food Spirits and the highest five-star strength, offering better security for their journey.

From any perspective, he had no reason to refuse.

Thinking of this, Qin Lang turned to Shen Qian, “What do you think, Shen Qian?”

“Me?” Shen Qian began to ponder.

She wasn’t very familiar with Zhou Tianhao but her first impression was not bad.

He seemed very powerful; traveling together seemed to be fine, right?

“I don’t mind!” She looked at Zhou Tianhao, “Please take care of me, Brother Zhou!”

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