NOVEL NEXT Chapter 49 - Hot Spring and Fine Food
Chapter 49: Hot Spring and Fine Food
Chen B-Dog walked over to it. The roof was covered with snow and the wooden door that had been left ajar was blocked by the snow. He swept away the snow from the roof and in front of the door before opening it.
The camera filmed the interior of the house as B-Dog explained, “This should have been the temporary habitat that was built by the Evenki for the convenience of hunting in the mountains. There is a stove and a wooden bed here. A window was made on the side of the wall, so the lighting is quite adequate.”
“However, the house had fallen into disrepair. The ground work and the wood are all rotten. Clearly no one has been here for a long time. I will spend my night here. But I have to clean the place first so that it won’t collapse suddenly in the middle of the night.”
“Let’s take a look at our surroundings first. Did you see the white gas just now? Maybe there will be a surprise.”
He readjusted the drooping Tiger Leather Pouch and went to the back of the hut. It wasn’t far before he found the source of the white gas in the stone forest.
The audience of the whole live broadcast room suddenly exploded at this time.
“Oh my god, a hot spring!”
“Will you be broadcasting your bath in the hot spring live? I am starting to drool.”
“Lord B-Dog, can you get any luckier? You even found a hot spring here.”
“The view is so beautiful. I am going to screenshot this to be my desktop wallpaper.”
The white gas seen from afar was actually the natural hot spring at the left side of the hut. The hot spring was not a big one. It was surrounded by glistening white snow and fallen leaves, yet there was a warm spring in the middle. The scenery was also dotted by some primitive trees and strange rocks.
Everyone was ravished with the beautiful scenery.
Just look at the smiling face of Chen B-Dog, he was grinning from ear to ear. He said, “Obviously this will be a comfortable night.”
He couldn’t wait. He quickly started searching for firewood, branches and kindling nearby. Fortunately, these were quite abundant in the forest. He carried the woods back altogether, but just as he was ready to start, he suddenly heard a buzzing sound. It made Chen B-Dog’s ears erect and his body posture of holding woods became stiff.
The audience seemed to be experienced with his sudden change. They immediately tensed up.
“Oh no, something is going on.”
“I am so nervous. Will something go wrong?”
“Is it a wild animal here to attack? A wolf, a bear, or a tiger?”
“I can’t forget that part when Lord B-Dog was nearly killed by the bear. When the bear suddenly pounced, it almost made me pee in my pants… I have decided to watch it 10 times again later.”
Chen B-Dog put down the woods and said, “It’s already dark out and this is not far from my destination. I was even going to take a bath in the hot spring tonight. It is going to be the most wonderful night since I entered this forest. However, if you are letting your guard down just because you are approaching your destination and have started to enjoy yourselves, you will pay heavily for it. But, don’t worry for the time being. That’s not a beast coming. I just found honeybees.”
Maybe because the ambient temperature had risen, the hardworking bees had unexpectedly come out to gather nectar, even in the winter.
Where there were bees, there must be a hive. B-Dog had been looking for it for so long in the day yet he could not find it. So even if he did not need it right now, he insisted to go take a look.
Normally, the bees had a certain foraging range to gather nectar. They would not fly great distances for fear they could not find their way home. Hence, Chen B-Dog was not worried about losing his way.
Good things come to those who wait. He passed through the dense thorn forests and immediately saw the black mass of a big hive on a towering cliff. The tower on the top of the cliff sheltered the hive from the snow. This location also increased the difficulty of harvesting honey.
The weather was too cold, only a few honeybees flew out occasionally. The rest were snuggling up to warm themselves in the hive.
After exploring the surroundings, Chen B-Dog found a route to climb up. It was not a dangerous route and his LV3 Climbing Skill was more than enough. As he drew closer, he used his coat to cover his face with one hand, and with the other he pulled out his hunting knife and waved it at the bottom of the hive. A golden honeycomb fell off; he grabbed it and immediately ran away.
A black mass of bees flew out despite the cold. They were looking for the thief who stole their honey. Yet, the timid thief had swiftly vanished into thin air.
Upon returning to the hot spring, Chen B-Dog was extremely happy. He couldn’t help but show off, saying, “My friends, the wild is not so horrible, isn’t it? As long as you are willing, you will discover fine food eventually. The golden honey in this honeycomb is making me drool. I can guarantee you, with this, the quality of my meal tonight will be upgraded to a higher level.”
He set up the bonfire quickly. Then he picked a protruding primitive shale block and took out his hunting knife, making harsh slashes on the rock.
(Crashing sound)
The shale block that had been forming for over ten thousand years. Yet, it was cut apart like tofu under his knife.
“Bravo.”
“Lord B-Dog, where did you get the hunting knife? I will pay a 100 thousand for the same knife.”
“Is that a rock or tofu? If those slashes were made on the human body, wouldn’t it be instantly broken into two?”
“This Huntsman’s Glaive of mine is invincible. It’s the absolute genuine product for LOL jungle champions.”
Chen B-Dog brandished the knife like raindrops falling, cutting out a gourd-shaped hole. Yet, the blade did not curl at all!
He placed the black pot on top to test it and it was just right. “This makes a pretty good stove. We can light a fire beneath it and the flame will pass through the gourd hole to provide me with heat continuously.”
After a while, a red bonfire reappeared in the wild. “The sky is totally dark now and I am starving. But when I think of the fine food I am going to cook today, I feel very excited and full of energy.”
“Ladies and gentleman, it is time for my favorite section again.”
“As of now, I still have some of the wolf thigh lean meat, a processed Flying Dragon bird and half a rabbit. I plan to make three dishes, the first of which is called Mud-Roasted Flying Dragon Bird.”
“The cooking method of Mud-Roasted Flying Dragon Bird is similar to the famous Jiangnan dish – Mud-Roasted Chicken. The usual cooking method for the Mud-Roasted Chicken is to make a small hole at the back of the chicken directly without bloodletting and plucking its feathers. After that, remove the giblets and clean its internal cavity. This traditional dish also has a very famous name: Beggar’s Chicken. It is the signature dish of “Nine Fingered Divine Beggar” Hong Qigong, who’s the chief of the Beggars’ Sect.”
“This dish is absolutely delicious but it is not very sanitary. I shall modify the cooking method slightly when making the Mud Roasted Flying Dragon Bird today. I don’t want to affect the delicate texture of the Flying Dragon meat even in the slightest, so I have sorted out the bird’s feathers ahead of time at the icy lake.”
He talked as he cooked. The step of hollowing out the viscera of flying dragon bird required top knife skills but it came naturally to him. He held the bird with one hand and the knife with the other as he guided the knife point into the abdomen of Flying Dragon bird. With a swift turn and twist, a mass of viscera had been taken out.
The audience felt numb to it. Without some powerful skills, he wouldn’t dare call himself The Godlike Gourmet of the Wild.
“After cleaning, you can season the cavity according to your personal preference. You may also put in the spices. It is usually wrapped in lotus leaves but I can’t find any lotus leaves here. Luckily I have some fresh and wide leaves to replace the lotus leaves. And I have plenty of condiments such as Hen-of-the-wood, black fungus, Naratake, pine nut, cashew nut, hazelnut and etc which, of course, will not be wasted.”
“Especially the Hen-of-the-wood, it may not be famous as White Truffle, but it is not any less valuable than it.”
“Hen-of-the-wood has an agaric-like fragrance while its texture is tender; it taste like chicken floss and it is crispy as Magnolia. According to authoritative certification, the nutritional value and taste of Hen-of-the-wood is superior to that of Black Mushroom, which has been referred to as the king of mushrooms. Its flesh is crisp and refreshing. You will never get sick of it. And it could be used to make many delicious dishes. In addition, its nutritional value is good for health and has high medicinal value. It has been recognized as a high-class health food in recent years and is popular in the Japan and Singapore markets. Those families with a better financial condition can often eat it.”
Of course, he did not forget the honey too.