Chapter 21: The Profound "Malice" from the Master

Looking at Yu Yan, one can’t help but feel envious—her daughter is fair and delicate, clearly untouched by hardship. Good things seem to flow to them without cost; every time Yu Yan casually pulls something out, Tang Yan hasn’t seen anything like it before. Truly, comparing oneself to others leads only to despair!

“Do you want to be as powerful as I am?” Yu Yan spoke lazily, picking her teeth—the meat of the Black Turtle was delicious, but the tendons were indeed plentiful.

Tang Yan stared in disbelief. Was such a fortune really falling into his lap?

“What’s your condition?” Of course he wanted to be powerful—being beaten helplessly by monsters, unable to fight back, forced to watch his beloved daughter eat bugs and grass… any man with blood in his veins would find that intolerable.

“No conditions. Just cook for me and my daughter from now on.” Yu Yan paused, “You’re not just good at roasting meat, are you?”

If Tang Yan only knew how to roast meat, well… she’d just have to accept it. Not only had Tang Siqi been kind to her daughter in the past, but Yu Yan admired Tang Yan himself. Not in the way a woman admires a man, but for his courage, meticulousness, intelligence, and principles. The way he taught his daughter said enough—he was someone worth working with.

If she didn’t recruit such a person for her team, who else was she waiting for?

Indeed, Yu Yan planned to assemble her own squad. The deeper one ventured into the world of dungeons, the harder it became to survive. Yu Yan’s recent exploits, cutting down monsters left and right, seemed impressive, but there were reasons for her success. She knew the dungeons near her home inside out—their resources and monsters were familiar territory.

Moreover, during the adaptation period, dungeons operated at only ten percent of their true power, enabling Yu Yan’s extraordinary record of clearing dozens of high-level dungeons in three days. Still, she approached the first dozen or so high-level dungeons with extreme caution, barely daring to take a step.

Her success was due entirely to her carefulness and vigilance. The method? Refer to how she stealthily acquired the twelfth-grade Sky Lotus and a whole Space Lotus Root during the welfare period. The form mattered little—what counted was getting good things!

Three years in the dungeon world, Yu Yan’s scruples had long since been thrown to the dogs. Only after amassing a pile of Fire Rhinoceros Horns did she finally straighten her back a little. Yet, the sixth-grade Fire Rhinoceros Horns would eventually run out, and she couldn’t bear to use the seventh-grade ones as disposable items. Thus, forming a strong team was necessary.

“Uh, I only know some homestyle dishes,” Tang Yan said nervously, worried the expert would refuse to carry him along.

Please, no!

“Actually, I can cook some Cantonese and Shandong dishes too. If you and Yun Duo’er like other styles, I can learn.” Tang Yan felt more humble than ever—had he shown such humility years ago, perhaps his child’s mother wouldn’t have left him for being emotionally inept.

“Fine.” Yu Yan waved her hand. “Hurry up and roast the bird, I’m waiting to eat.”

Finally, someone else would cook. Her daughter wouldn’t have to alternate between raw and cooked meals anymore, and Yu Yan was relieved. It wasn’t that she couldn’t cook; she’d been busy seizing opportunities right after her rebirth, and after sleeping for two days, she hadn’t had time to properly care for her daughter.

She’d only managed to stuff Yun Duo’er’s spatial pocket with edible supplies. Instant noodles, bread, and snacks sufficed before, but once Yun Duo’er refined the blood crystal and became a bloodline enhancer, those foods became unsuitable. Eating food without spiritual energy meant the enhancer had to use their own energy to detoxify. A day or two didn’t matter, but over time, it could affect their advancement.

So poor Yun Duo’er, while Yu Yan slept, had to gnaw on raw spirit beast meat to stave off hunger. After trying several types, she found Black Turtle meat the tastiest—though tough, its flavor and chewiness were irresistible, not inferior to some cooked meats she’d had before.

Yu Yan felt sorry, but with life and death at stake in the dungeon world, who could afford to be overly sentimental?

Before the dungeon world descended, there was a saying: “If I pick up a brick, I can’t hold you; if I put down the brick, I can’t provide for you.” Now, it could be replaced with, “If I don’t fight desperately, I can’t keep you safe; if I do, I can’t let you live like a pampered princess.” Besides, her culinary skills were barely adequate.

Tang Dad’s cooking—just the roasted meat alone—was leagues beyond hers.

“Mom, this meat is full of spiritual energy!” Half an hour later, Tang Yan, drenched in sweat, finally finished roasting the Vermilion Bird meat. Yun Duo’er took a bite, face alight with joy.

Yu Yan smiled; it was only natural. Previously, Yun Duo’er was only able to eat spirit beast meat below fourth-grade—not because she couldn’t handle higher grades, but because the excess spiritual energy couldn’t be absorbed quickly, rampaging inside her body… Yu Yan had experienced that in her past life. It wasn’t quite agony, but certainly far from pleasant.

She would never let her little treasure suffer like that.

So she’d only given her meat she could handle, with no side effects. Now, having fully absorbed the Vermilion Fruit’s energy, Yun Duo’er was a fourth-grade Xuan-class bloodline enhancer; eating fifth-grade Vermilion Bird meat posed no challenge.

Tang Yan huddled in the corner with his daughter, trying his best to ignore the tantalizing aroma and the sizzling of roasting meat… Yu Yan, could you please be a little more humane? If eating in front of him wasn’t enough, why did they have to make such loud chewing noises?

It was intolerable—even he, a grown man, could barely resist. How could his young daughter hold out?

“Siqi’s dad, are you sure you don’t want to eat with us?” Yu Yan maliciously waved the Vermilion Bird meat in her hand. Tang Yan’s cooking was truly superb! The meat was crisp on the outside, tender within, fragrant and rich with an indescribable aroma.

Tang Yan forced himself to look away. “No, thank you…” A man must stand by his principles—if he said he wouldn’t take advantage, then he wouldn’t.

But, “Could you let my daughter have a piece? It doesn’t need to be big, just a small one.” Humble as he was, Tang Yan held up two fingers, indicating a centimeter’s width.

“That’s really not possible,” Yu Yan shook her head regretfully. “It’s not stinginess—this Vermilion Bird meat is fifth-grade, fire-type. If your daughter ate it, she’d likely lose half her life.”

Yu Yan wasn’t exaggerating. Fire-type energy was notoriously violent and hard to tame. Yu Yan could see Tang Yan’s resolve—he was a man of iron will. Though he’d suffer through the pain of rampaging energy, he could endure it. That’s why she encouraged him to eat with them.

But Tang Siqi was different. She was a well-protected child; despite seeming to have experienced some hardships lately, it was barely a fraction of what Yun Duo’er had gone through. Letting her eat fifth-grade Vermilion Bird meat wasn’t pampering, but harming her.

Tang Yan: … My daughter would lose half her life, but I’d be fine?

He felt the expert’s malicious intent.

“Then never mind—thank you.”

Yu Yan felt a little regret. In some ways, fate is always fair. Spiritual vein enhancers (a term for both plant and bloodline enhancers) have far more advantages than ordinary enhancers. So fate imposed certain restrictions—such as in the area of abilities.