Chapter 22: A Feast for the Bold
There was too much meat to stew at once, so Yu Sheng decided to prepare it in several different dishes. As the saying goes: the first time is raw, the second time is cooked, and the third time needs ginger and cooking wine. Ancient Humans, when first faced with nature’s bounty in the dawn of civilization, must have explored and experimented in much the same way.
Humming a lighthearted tune, Yu Sheng cut the largest portion of meat into thick chunks, blanching them in boiling water to remove the scum. Once cleaned, he set the clay pot on the stove and carefully placed in star anise, fennel, cloves, cinnamon, and other aromatic spices. With the meat submerged in clear water, he added salt, soy sauce, and a generous splash of cooking wine to mask any lingering gaminess. Then, he left it to simmer slowly over the fire.
While the stew brewed, Yu Sheng took the remaining meat and prepared two additional dishes: one stir-fried with hot peppers and another with garlic sprouts. Sampling a piece, he found the flavor unexpectedly savory and tender, with a texture reminiscent of the most succulent beef, though its taste was uniquely its own.
What remained would wait for another meal, assuming this feast didn’t end poorly. Perhaps it could be preserved as cured meat, or dehydrated into salted jerky using the air fryer. He hadn’t tried that before, and he couldn’t help but wonder if it would work.
Ideas swirled in his mind, and he fancied himself a bold scientist pushing the boundaries of culinary experimentation in uncharted territory. After nearly two hours of tireless effort, he finally opened the Door and carried dish after dish into the dining area, laying them out on the grand table.
From within the Cursed Oil Painting, Irene watched in horrified fascination, her expression caught between exasperation and disbelief. One moment she seemed resigned, too exhausted to care, and the next she looked like she might burst out and stop him. Eventually, she couldn’t hold back anymore.
“You’re not seriously going to eat that, are you? It’s Otherworld meat! What if it kills you?!” she cried out.
Yu Sheng glanced at her calmly. “What if I told you I’ve already eaten it twice before?”
Her shocked expression froze solid. “…What?!”
“I’m alive and well, so it’s probably fine,” Yu Sheng said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. “You know about hunting, right? This is my trophy—one day, I’m going to hunt that thing down entirely and show it who’s at the top of the food chain.”
Irene could only stare, stupefied. Intrigued by her reaction, Yu Sheng couldn’t help but press further. “Has no one really ever tried to eat an Entity from the Otherworld? You said they come in all shapes and sizes—surely some of them must look edible.”
“Who would even think of that?!” Irene’s frustration erupted. “There’s no telling what kind of bizarre properties they might have. Poison is the least of your worries! And you ate it…twice?!”
Yu Sheng shrugged nonchalantly. “Yeah. The first two times were raw, like sashimi. The situation was too urgent to cook it, one of those ‘eat now or die’ moments.”
He sat opposite the painting and casually picked up a slice of meat with his chopsticks, popping it into his mouth and savoring it with evident satisfaction.
“What… what happened after you ate it?” Irene asked, caught between disbelief and curiosity.
“I died,” Yu Sheng replied with disarming honesty.
“And you still—” Irene yelped, only to realize something wasn’t right. Unaware of Yu Sheng’s Resurrection ability, she thought he was just teasing her and glared at him in annoyance. “I’m serious here!”
Yu Sheng just laughed at the flustered Doll Lady, finding more joy than he expected in their banter. After all, she couldn’t exactly leap out of the painting to smack him.
He still hadn’t shared his Resurrection ability with her. It wasn’t that he wanted to keep secrets, but rather that explaining it now would sound too far-fetched, and he had too many uncertainties of his own to sort out. It was better to wait until he had a clearer understanding.
Unaware of the turbulent thoughts swirling behind his mischievous grin, Irene couldn’t help but glance at the feast laid out on the table. The dishes looked tantalizing, their colors vibrant and fragrant. Gone was the eerie raw meat—it now looked indistinguishable from any well-cooked meal.
“…Does it taste good?” she finally asked, trying to sound indifferent.
Yu Sheng couldn’t help but laugh, as if he’d anticipated this moment all along. Casually picking up the empty bowl and plate he’d set on the table earlier, he served Irene a portion of food and meat soup, placing it before the Cursed Oil Painting.
“I didn’t say I wanted…” Irene mumbled.
Yu Sheng spoke nonchalantly, “You can’t actually eat it anyway, so why bother worrying about the ingredients?”
Irene thought for a moment, realizing it made sense. “Right… That’s true.”
Reassured, she resumed her usual demeanor, appearing lively and cheerful before the neatly arranged cutlery and bowls.
Halfway through the meal, the conversation naturally drifted back to their earlier discussion about ‘professionals.’
“There’s another possibility as to why no one’s come looking for you yet,” Irene said, clutching a teddy bear while sitting near the edge of the painting frame. “Some organization or official personnel might have noticed the anomaly here, but they’ve deemed it unwise to take immediate action. Or perhaps they haven’t precisely located the connection point to the Otherworld and related intel, so they’re just keeping it under surveillance for now.”
“Surveillance?” Yu Sheng raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah, maybe there’s a bunch of undercover agents outside your house right now. After all, you returned from the Otherworld on your own without waiting for rescue—whether it was due to your strength or luck. Since the Special Affairs Bureau didn’t have time to act or pinpoint your location, they might have just set up some monitoring measures around here. For the next few days, keep an eye out for any unfamiliar faces. They might be undercover operatives, detectives, or investigators. You know, just stay cautious while you’re out there looking for ads on utility poles…”
Yu Sheng ignored her comment about utility pole ads and glanced out the window. Irene made it sound so simple—keep an eye out for strangers. But how was he supposed to know who was a stranger? He’d only been in this area for two months, and the first month he’d practically been a recluse, barely leaving the house. Plus, he wasn’t great with faces—half the people around here still seemed like strangers to him!
“Do you think that pancake vendor on the corner might be undercover?” After nervously peering out the window for a while, Yu Sheng whispered to Irene.
“I wouldn’t know—I can’t see from here.”
“Oh, right.” Realizing his mistake, Yu Sheng hurriedly picked up Irene’s painting frame and placed it near the window. “That one over there…”
“Doesn’t look like it.”
“You’re that sure?”
“Obviously. Fifty seconds per serving with extra sausage and egg? If he were undercover, he wouldn’t be able to handle the oil that fast.”
“Good point… What about the guy putting on phone screen protectors?”
“Also doesn’t seem like it—too dexterous.”
“Oh… Hey, how about that…”
“Stop guessing,” Irene interrupted. “If they’re real pros, you wouldn’t spot them anyway. Instead of wasting time speculating, why not just head out yourself? You’ve still got traces of the Otherworld’s aura on you. If any professionals are around, they’ll spot you right away.”
“Yeah… I guess that makes sense.”
Yu Sheng sighed, unable to argue. He turned back to tidy up the dishes from the table.
As he did, he heard Irene suddenly yell, “Hey! Put me back! I’m still stuck on the windowsill!”
Sighing in exasperation, Yu Sheng moved back, picked up the painting, and set it back on the dining table while grumbling, “Such a hassle.”
“Well, get me a body already! Then I can move around on my own,” Irene shot back, lifting her gaze to Yu Sheng. “Since I feel like we’re a bit closer now, I figured I’d ask again…”
The corner of Yu Sheng’s mouth twitched. When they first discussed Irene’s escape plan, she insisted they weren’t familiar enough to cooperate on it. He hadn’t expected her sense of familiarity to be so flexible.
“We’ll see… I’ve got a ton of stuff to deal with right now. At least let me get through this busy period first…”
“Alright, fine.” Irene gave a small, disappointed nod. “But don’t forget!”
She fell silent for a few moments, but as Yu Sheng finished clearing the dishes, she piped up again, “What are you gonna do next? Head out to find those utility pole ads?”
“What is it with you and those ads?” Yu Sheng glared at her. “I’m going upstairs to sleep! After everything that’s happened, I’m exhausted!”
“Oh…” Irene gestured toward the TV across from the painting. “Can you fix the TV first? The signal just cut out, and now there’s nothing to watch…”
Yu Sheng’s response was a deep, heavy sigh.
After spending such a short time with this chatty Doll, he was already longing for the carefree solitude of his previous life.