Beggar's Chicken

It wasn't until dusk that the last batch of talisman masters left the arena, marking the complete end of today's first round of competition.

The following day was reserved for the senior talisman masters of the Talisman Master Assembly to evaluate the ten basic talismans drawn by each participating talisman master.

Therefore, there would be no competitions.

However, an internal discussion and exchange gathering would be held in the residential area of the talisman masters.

After all, it was a rare opportunity for so many talisman masters from all over the world to gather together. Furthermore, mighty talisman masters would attend this exchange gathering to share some of their insights.

While they certainly wouldn't bare their souls and share too many core secrets, sometimes a few basic pointers that seemed insignificant to a mighty expert could be immensely beneficial to these ordinary talisman masters.

Moreover, due to regional differences, this kind of exchange gathering was actually quite useful. Everyone could learn more about the various situations in different regions, as well as their distinct talisman-crafting styles and traditions.

Although out of the fifty thousand people here today, probably less than half would remain in a few days.

But with the current number of people, even the tiny bits of information each person was willing to reveal would pool together into something that could greatly benefit everyone involved.

The first few rounds of the Talisman Master Assembly directly eliminated half the participants each time.

Only when the number of participants was reduced to five hundred would the ranking begin.

By the time Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu returned to their cave dwelling, it was already late at night.

Yuan Qing was already soaking his feet in the cave dwelling, waiting for them.

Upon entering the cave dwelling, the two sat down on the couch next to Yuan Qing. With practiced ease, they took out their foot-soaking wooden tubs and began to soak their feet. Then, they pulled out a few piping hot clumps of dirt from their storage bags.

Jiang Youfu handed one of them to Yuan Qing.

Yuan Qing took it, completely baffled. Examining the dirt clump that was even larger than his head, he asked in confusion:

"What is this?"

As Jiang Youfu placed his own dirt clump on the table, he explained:

"This is the Beggar's Chicken we just went and made! Hurry up and try it, it smells amazing!"

Recently, they had discovered a type of relatively small demonic beast that looked like a chicken. It was said to be called the Mottled Sparrow, and its meat was incredibly delicious.

Since they had spent the whole day watching the bustling event, on their way back that night, they figured they should whip up a hot, savory midnight snack. So, the two of them found a secluded corner in the wilderness and cooked up these Beggar's "Chickens."

That was why they came back so late.

Yuan Qing stared at the large dirt clump in his hands, having no idea how to take a bite.

Then, he watched as Jiang Youfu and Lin Xiao beside him raised their hands in perfect unison and gave a gentle tap. The outer layer of dirt shattered, revealing a large, steaming, and moist bundle wrapped in lotus leaves.

As the two tore open the layers of lotus leaves, a rich, mouth-watering aroma instantly wafted out from the opening. Yuan Qing couldn't help but take two deep breaths.

It smelled amazing!

When he saw the golden meat exposed within the torn lotus leaves, glistening with droplets of oil rendered from the meat juices, Yuan Qing swallowed hard several times. He immediately mimicked their actions, peeling open his own portion of Beggar's Chicken, grabbed a leg, and gave it a pull.

The meat, which was already falling off the bone, tore away effortlessly along with the tendons attached to the leg bone he pulled. A portion of the meat hung loosely on the bone, teetering on the edge of falling off, while a few drops of savory juice flicked through the air.

Unable to wait any longer, Yuan Qing eagerly took a huge bite.

!

As soon as the meat touched his tongue, he felt his taste buds completely surrender!

His mouth immediately began to chew rapidly. He wanted to carefully savor this wonderful flavor, yet at the same time, he could not wait to swallow it down to take a second bite.

Beside him, Jiang Youfu and Lin Xiao's eating manners were equally ravenous.

For a time, there was nothing else in the entire cave dwelling but the sound of the three people incessantly devouring their delicious food.

Only Liao Pantu, who was inside the Soul-Nourishing Jade Pendant, suffered the torment of these sounds. He desperately wanted to throw caution to the wind, rush out to knock the three of them unconscious, and snatch all their meat to enjoy along with his own portion.

Unfortunately, he probably could not defeat Lin Xiao at the moment.

Alas.

So he could only wait for them to finish eating, hoping that Lin Xiao would be kind enough to remember him waiting bitterly in the Soul-Nourishing Jade Pendant, and then bring him into the inner room so he could finally eat the delicious food.

Fortunately, Lin Xiao still kept Liao Pantu in his thoughts after all.

Before he even finished eating, having only consumed half, he remembered that there was a soul entity in his clothes waiting for food.

Thus, Lin Xiao immediately pretended to stretch his legs after a comfortable meal and strolled into the inner room. After setting up an isolation array, he took out the Soul-Nourishing Jade Pendant. Then, acting as if nothing had happened, he strolled back out and continued to gnaw on the remaining half of his Spotted Sparrow meat.

In the inner room, Liao Pantu muttered in his heart:

"At least you still have a conscience."

At the same time, he immediately took out the portion of Beggar's Chicken that Jiang Youfu had given him earlier outside. He did not even care about the footbath bucket and started eating right away.

After the three people outside had eaten and drunk their fill, they sprawled lazily on the couch, soaking their feet while chatting about what they had seen and heard today.

Lin Xiao and Jiang Youfu talked lively for a while about today's Talisman Master Conference. Seeing that Yuan Qing mostly just listened and did not say much about the conference, they asked:

"Did you not watch it today?"

Early this morning, Yuan Qing had gone with the two of them. After all, Yuan Qing had volunteered to be their guide, so naturally, he could not let them go by themselves when the Talisman Master Conference officially began.

But after successfully escorting the two of them to a good seat relatively near the front, Yuan Qing had left.

Yuan Qing shook his head and said:

"Today, a good fellow disciple of mine happened to be off duty. Since the Talisman Master Conference was being held, most people went over there, which made it a perfect time to avoid the crowds and not be seen. So, we found a place to meet up."

Lin Xiao tilted his head and asked:

"So how are things going with your matter? Is there anything you need help with?"

Yuan Qing smiled and said:

"It is going alright. I have already troubled you two so much, how could I ask for your help again? Do not worry, this matter is not difficult to resolve. I just do not know if I will be able to return to the Profound Sky Sect after it is settled."

Hearing this, Jiang Youfu was a little confused:

"Why is that? You were framed. If you can truly clear your name, shouldn't they naturally give you justice and let you return to the sect?"

Yuan Qing sighed:

"If only it were that simple. But the one who expelled me from the sect back then was my master. Even if this matter is resolved and my enemy is exposed and punished by the sect, no matter what, my master will definitely not take me back."

My master is a man who values his pride above all else. Back then, he punished me without even bothering to distinguish right from wrong simply because he felt I had brought shame upon him. If he were to take me back now, it would be akin to slapping his own face, so there is absolutely no way he would ever do such a thing.