Chapter 29: The Generous Big Brother

“Whoosh!”

Ye Liyan felt a slight tug on the fishing rod and quickly tightened her grip, lifting it upwards with her small hands.

A palm-sized white minnow was caught with its tail flapping in the air.

“Your Highness, is this a white minnow?” Ye Liyan carefully removed the hook, her clear eyes shining brightly.

“Yes, it is a white minnow. Well done.”

Shen Yian smiled gently.

He remembered the last time they went fishing, this silly girl had caught a white minnow and thought it was a juvenile fish, so she wanted to let it go.

“You can keep it. We’ll have Cheng Hai clean it and roast it later.”

Ye Liyan happily nodded her little head and put the white minnow into the fish basket.

Soon, Shen Yian also caught a fish.

A white minnow that was not even as long as a finger was thrown back into the river by Shen Yian mercilessly. 

Go call your parents! 

“Your Highness! Miss! The meat is ready!”

Jinlian came running over, holding a bunch of freshly roasted lamb skewers.

Shen Yian took them and said, “You three eat first, we’ll fish a little longer.”

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Jinlian happily ran back, almost drooling at the mouth.

“Come, eat it while it’s hot.” 

“Thank you, Your Highness.” 

Shen Yian, not caring about his image, handed over the larger portion to the silly girl. The two of them ate the skewers just like they were at a street food stall.

Even though she was eating skewers, Ye Liyan managed to look otherworldly, taking small bites, with her opinion of the taste hidden deep within her azure eyes.

In contrast, Shen Yian reminisced about the street food from his past life, though he regretted not having a cold beer in hand, which would have made the experience more refreshing.

After a few more white minnow and two carp were added to their basket, the two of them ended their fishing and brought their small stools and fish basket over to where Cheng Hai and the others were.

“Your Highness!”

Shen Yian held back a laugh as he saw a smudge of black charcoal on Cheng Hai’s face and said, “Thanks for your hard work.”

He wondered if he should have Yin Hai share some of Cheng Hai’s workload next time.

After all, Yin Hai’s skills in roasting chicken were excellent.

“It’s my duty!”

After eating some skewers and drinking some cold juice, Shen Yian got busy.

He found a flat, dry spot and set up a simple rotating barbecue rack.

He placed a marinated leg of lamb on it, brushed it with a secret sauce, lit the charcoal, and sat at one end, slowly turning the wheel.

The three girls wanted to help, but he refused, as the real show was about to begin.

Shen Yian called this technique the “Fast-Roasting Leg of Lamb Method.”

Vast amounts of true energy wrapped around the flames, forming a fire dragon that coiled around the leg of lamb. The drum rotated faster and faster under the sweeping force of a gust of wind.

After five years of exploration and refinement, this technique had become highly mature, allowing Shen Yian to control the tenderness of the meat. The only drawback was its significant consumption of true energy, making it unsuitable for those below the Mysterious Realm.

What usually took two to three hours to roast a leg of lamb could be done by Shen Yian in just a few minutes, even faster than roasting lamb skewers.

Once it was nearly done, Shen Yian waved his hand, dispersing the vast true energy, and the leg of lamb instantly emitted a rich aroma.

Whoosh!

A sudden wind blew from north to south. Cheng Hai, who was preparing to roast some vegetables, narrowed his eyes and quickly drew the long knife beside him.

Shen Yian frowned and signaled to Yin Hai to let the approaching person come closer.

“Smells so good! So delicious! Hahaha!”

A pair of straw sandals rapidly approached, stepping on the tips of the grass. As the figure drew nearer, it became clear it was a middle-aged man with strange short hair, a face smudged with dirt, wearing patched-up clothes, and holding a tree branch with a half-eaten roast chicken impaled on it, looking very much like a beggar.

Shen Yian frowned. This appearance… If he didn’t recall the original story, he would have thought this was some old beggar from the Beggar Sect.

Wait a minute, who did this character resemble?

“Thud!”

The riverbank ahead had no grass. The shabby man stepped on empty ground, fell flat on his face, and slid half a meter forward, yet the roast chicken in his hand remained untouched by dirt.

Ye Liyan took off the jade flute from her waist, adopting a defensive posture and protecting the two girls behind her. The lightness skill displayed by this man indicated he was far from an ordinary beggar.

“Who are you?” Cheng Hai demanded, holding his knife forward.

The shabby man slapped the ground with one hand, did a 360-degree spin in the air, and landed steadily. His eyes fixed on his roast chicken, relieved, “That was close. Almost got dirty.”

He then took a big bite, not forgetting to savor it.

“Who are you?” Cheng Hai asked again.

The shabby man wiped his mouth with his sleeve, his eyes brightening as he glanced at the three girls. “Oh! Such beautiful girls! But not my type, alas~”

“Right, right, the leg of lamb. I smelled the roasted leg of lamb, hehe!”

Cheng Hai took a deep breath. He wasn’t sure if he could defeat this shabby man, but as the prince’s guard, it was his duty to try.

“Cheng Hai.”

Shen Yian had approached unnoticed and signaled Cheng Hai to stand down.

He remembered who this guy was.

Wasn’t this the crazy treasure-giving big brother from the original novel?

The leader of the Northern Martial Alliance – Shan Yue!

Eccentric, often pretending to be crazy, his whereabouts unpredictable, and fond of giving people martial arts manuals.

In the original story, Shan Yue had pretended to be a beggar with a broken leg in Tianwu City and met Gu Ruoyi by chance. Seeing his pitiful state, Shan Yue had thrown a piece of silver into his bowl.

Then this guy grabbed Gu Ruoyi and wouldn’t let her leave, insisting she spend another copper coin to buy a book from him.

Seeing this, Gu Ruoyi didn’t refuse, as it was just a copper coin.

The book was a unique sword manual with a beautiful name, “Sword Dance of the Beauty“.

Sword Dance of the Beauty smiles, cutting through the world’s sorrows.

The strength of this sword manual lay not in the formation it created but in its ability to continuously stack and enhance a person’s strength.

In the original story, at least thirty percent of her power came from the enhancements provided by this sword dance.

Traveling from north to south meant Shan Yue was heading to Tianwu City, and the “Sword Dance of the Beauty” should still be on him.

Shan Yue was visibly taken aback when he saw Shen Yian.

“You, kid, are actually more handsome than me!”

“I am indeed more handsome than you!” Shen Yian replied with a smile.

“Damn it! Do you think being handsome is a big deal?”

“I have lamb chops to eat.”

“I have roast chicken to eat!” Shan Yue retorted angrily, glaring and huffing.

“I have lamb chops.”

“I have roast chicken!”

This exchange not only left Ye Liyan and the other three girls dumbfounded but also confused Yin Hai, who was lurking in the shadows, ready to act.

Having managed the intelligence system for so many years, he also recognized Shan Yue.

No matter what, there must be a purpose behind His Highness’s actions!

If Shan Yue made a wrong move, even his title as the leader of the Northern Martial Alliance couldn’t save him.

A few minutes later, Shan Yue sat beside Shen Yian, eagerly asking, “Is it ready yet?”

Shen Yian, sprinkling spices on the lamb leg, rolled his eyes, “Why are you in such a hurry? If you keep rushing, you won’t get any!”

“Then I won’t rush,” Shan Yue said, scratching his nose and laughing.

“What is His Highness doing…” Jinxiu asked, bewildered.

Ye Liyan shook her head. She was equally puzzled, but it seemed that His Highness knew this shabby man.

Shen Yian took out a small knife and personally cut a large piece of lamb leg for Shan Yue. “Here.”

“Hehe, thank you. Have some of my roast chicken!” Shan Yue tore off a whole chicken leg and handed it over.

Shen Yian didn’t hesitate, reaching out to take the chicken leg.

The two sat, one eating lamb leg, the other holding the chicken leg without eating.

Don’t ask why he wasn’t eating.

That chicken leg had been torn off by Shan Yue with the same hand he had used to scratch his nose.

After eating a large piece of lamb leg, Shan Yue licked his fingers and let out a satisfied burp, “I’m full, I’m full. Thank you for the lamb chops. I’ll give you a book!”

Shen Yian’s mouth twitched. Dude, are you an NPC? Increase goodwill and you give a book?

As he spoke, Shan Yue pulled out five or six books from his coat and placed them on the ground. “Don’t be shy. Pick any, choose any!”

Shen Yian glanced over them. The “Sword Dance of the Beauty” was not among them.

“Your collection isn’t complete, is it?”