CH 80

Chapter 80: Beggar’s Chicken

"The previous arrangement has changed. Apart from Li Ying, the remaining superhumans and mecha warriors will form teams of two, cooperating with each other with safety as the priority and the mission as secondary," Lin Weiran earnestly advised.

Among the mutants, aside from Li Ying, all the others are land-based beast-form mutants, powerful in terrestrial combat but helpless against flying creatures. On the other hand, mechas can fly in the air.

Therefore, by pairing mutants with mechas, their strengths and weaknesses complement each other, allowing them to confront the Flame Bird together.

Xiao Qingyang, Gu Xiaotian, and Zheng Kainan still followed the original plan and stayed in a safe location.

Before the team set off to confront the Flame Bird, Xiao Qingyang distributed some healing potions to the others, instructing them to immediately take the potions if they were injured.

Although his healing potions were not very effective for severe injuries, they worked well for minor wounds.

Many people outside would hardly seek treatment for minor injuries, allowing them to heal naturally, enduring a bit of discomfort. They were reluctant to use higher-level healing potions, and it was impractical to carry a large quantity of lower-level potions since storage space was limited.

However, minor injuries should not be underestimated as they could accumulate and become fatal. Xiao Qingyang's low-level healing potions played a role in such situations.

"Qingyang, thanks a lot," Xu Kaiyang said with his healing potion, smiling from ear to ear.

"Thank you," the others also expressed their gratitude.

Although they hadn't found many spirit plants for Xiao Qingyang along the way, they had found far more spirit plants than the potions they could produce. Thus, they had gained a significant advantage.

"No need to be polite. You guys will charge forward and fight at the front, while I can only do this much," Xiao Qingyang replied with a smile. He then made a cheering gesture to encourage everyone. "Go for it! We'll be waiting here for your return."

"We'll return with victory," Xu Kaiyang said confidently.

While Xiao Qingyang and the others were positioned at the rear, they didn't dare to stray too far from the main force. After all, the forest was full of dangers. If they encountered any danger while being too far away, their teammates wouldn't be able to come to their rescue in time.

Of course, they didn't want to get too close either, as it would risk being discovered by the Flame Bird.

"I wonder how they are doing over there," Gu Xiaotian anxiously said, his eyes fixed on the front, as if he could see the situation ahead through the flowers and trees.

Seeing his anxiety, Xiao Qingyang hurriedly reassured him, "Don't worry, they will be fine. It's just a few Flame birds. They are so capable; they will definitely come back safely."

"You're right, not to mention that they have the healing potions Qingyang provided. Even if they get injured, they can receive prompt treatment. Xiaotian, don't be too anxious," Zheng Kainan joined in to comfort everyone.

As a mecha repairman, Zheng Kainan had even fewer opportunities to contribute to the team than Gu Xiaotian. He would only be useful when mechas encountered malfunctions and otherwise followed along with the group.

On the other hand, Gu Xiaotian would cook delicious meals every day, keeping everyone's spirits high and providing them with more motivation and energy during battles.

And let's not forget Xiao Qingyang. The impact of his potions was no less significant than that of everyone fighting on the frontlines.

However, after three days of being together, they had developed an understanding among themselves. Although their roles were limited, they did not feel inferior or guilty because they all got along well. No one looked down on them because of it.

Gu Xiaotian checked the time and realized it was almost noon. He asked Xiao Qingyang and Zheng Kainan, "How much food do we have left?"

"I still have quite a bit. I don't think we'll have time to find new ingredients for lunch today," Xiao Qingyang glanced at the time and immediately understood Gu Xiaotian's intention.

"Then let's start preparing some food now. It'll be the perfect timing for them to have a meal when they return. They've been fighting multiple times this morning and must be exhausted," Gu Xiaotian suggested again.

All Gu Xiaotian could do now was to ensure the logistics services were well taken care of, so that their teammates had nothing to worry about and could focus on the battle with a better mood and motivation.

"That sounds good," Zheng Kainan immediately agreed.

Thus, while Lin Weiran and the others fought on the frontlines, the three logistics personnel began preparing lunch.

"I still have a leftover chicken from yesterday. Why don't I make Beggar Chicken?" Xiao Qingyang smiled and suggested it to his two teammates.

"Beggar Chicken? What's that?" The two native interstellar inhabitants had never heard of such a dish.

However, these past few days, Xiao Qingyang's constant variety of cooking had deeply impressed them. Whenever they heard unfamiliar dish names, they couldn't help but salivate involuntarily.

"It's a way of roasting chicken, but it tastes incredibly delicious," Xiao Qingyang couldn't help but drool at the thought of the scrumptious Beggar Chicken.

The last time he had eaten Beggar Chicken was when his father made it for his mother, and this time he had to make it himself.

Fortunately, the method for making Beggar Chicken was relatively simple, and even he should be able to make it delicious.

Zheng Kainan assisted Gu Xiaotian by helping him with the vegetable cutting, while Xiao Qingyang was in another nearby location preparing the Beggar Chicken on his own.

First, he found an open area without grass and dug a shallow pit. Then, he collected some larger pieces of soil from the surroundings and built a small cone-shaped structure on top of the pit. Afterward, he started a fire in the pit and continued until all the soil pieces turned bright red.

During this time, Xiao Qingyang stuffed the prepared chicken with some mushrooms and seasonings and wrapped it in a large leaf that emitted a pleasant fragrance.

Ideally, Beggar Chicken should be wrapped in lotus leaves to infuse the chicken with their aromatic scent. However, there were no lotus leaves to be found in their current location, so Xiao Qingyang had to settle for another type of non-toxic leaf with a pleasant fragrance.

He wrapped the chicken in the leaf and then coated the outer layer with damp mud, ensuring that all the leaves were covered in mud.

With the soil pieces now red-hot, Xiao Qingyang cleared the ashes from the pit and placed the wrapped chicken inside. He covered it with the heated soil pieces and let the Beggar Chicken roast and cook.

During this time, Xiao Qingyang kept his spiritual awareness constantly active. On one hand, he could observe the situation with Lin Weiran and immediately provide support if needed. On the other hand, he was also checking for the presence of any other teams in the vicinity.

They didn't have the energy to deal with other teams, especially the three of them. If they encountered another team head-on, they would be practically defenseless.

If his formidable physique from his previous life were still intact, he could have fought to buy precious time for Gu Xiaotian and Zheng Kainan to escape.

But for now, all he could do was use his spiritual awareness to provide early warning.

It was unclear whether they were lucky or unlucky, but just as Xiao Qingyang buried the Beggar Chicken in the soil, he suddenly "saw" an unfamiliar team heading their way. They were likely coming for the Flame bird.

"Quick, put everything away. Someone is coming," Xiao Qingyang urgently told Gu Xiaotian and Zheng Kainan.

At this moment, Gu Xiaotian had already finished two dishes, and the rest were still in progress. But there was no time to consider if the dishes would spoil, so they immediately stored everything in their spatial rings.

Xiao Qingyang looked at the freshly buried Beggar Chicken on the ground. It definitely wouldn't be cooked through at this point, but if they were to dig it out now, it wouldn't taste good later.

After all, the Beggar Chicken was buried in the soil, and before it was uncovered, there wouldn't be even a hint of its fragrance. Those people shouldn't notice it. Xiao Qingyang quickly calculated in his mind and ultimately decided to leave the Beggar Chicken there. Maybe once those people left, he could come back and dig it out. By then, the Beggar Chicken would be perfectly cooked.

"What should we do?" Gu Xiaotian asked nervously.

The three of them had almost no combat strength. If they encountered another team, wouldn't they just be handing themselves over?

"We should go find Weiran and the others," Xiao Qingyang made a decisive decision.

Whether or not those people had sensed their presence, they had to find Lin Weiran and the others and inform them about this situation.

If Lin Weiran and the others were currently engaged in a battle with the Flamebird and failed to notice the arrival of another team, they would be in a dire situation if they were attacked from behind.

"Alright, let's go quickly," Zheng Kainan agreed.

The three of them carried the two dishes they had just prepared and headed towards the direction where Lin Weiran and the others were located. With Xiao Qingyang as their guide, they weren't afraid of getting lost.

Fortunately, they weren't far from Lin Weiran and the others. It took them about a minute to spot them. Lin Weiran was indeed engaged in a fierce battle with the Flamebird, and even Li Ying was there.

Seeing Li Ying, who had a strong combat power, Xiao Qingyang knew that they had already fought a battle earlier. Now, there were only three Flame Birds left, and it seemed like the battle would soon come to an end.

Xiao Qingyang checked the position of the other team and calculated the time. He decided not to disturb them and wait until they finished their fight.

As expected, the three Flame birds couldn't withstand the assault from so many people for long and were eventually defeated. They successfully obtained five Flame Feathers, leaving only four more to complete the task.

At this moment, everyone noticed the presence of Xiao Qingyang and the others.

"Why did you come over?" Xu Kaiyang asked in confusion.

"Another team is heading this way, and we have to leave here quickly," Xiao Qingyang quickly and succinctly informed everyone of the situation.

"Then let's go," everyone agreed to the decision to relocate upon hearing this.

Xiao Qingyang continuously observed the direction of the other team's progress with his spiritual awareness, while also allocating a small portion of his attention to monitoring his Beggar Chicken, fearing that the other team might discover it.

"We should go this way. They seem to be coming from the other side," Xiao Qingyang directed.