The conversation in the tent earlier, though seemingly ordinary, was actually fraught with hidden meanings.
The Grand Shaman's entry into the tent without immediately questioning Gui Lich, but instead engaging in a dialogue with Hu Tu, was sufficient proof that he was unconcerned and could easily protect Gui Lich.
Hu Tu was like a sickly tiger; though his majesty remained, his posture was not as imposing, and he was merely putting up a brave front.
Without realizing it, I closed my eyes.
My mind flitted between thoughts of Hu Tu and the Grand Shaman, and then to the black spider pattern on my chest. I fell asleep like this.
When I awoke, there was no longer any light outside.
Damn, how long has it been?
Since leaving the Kasa tribe, I hadn't had a single peaceful sleep on this journey.
*Crack!*
I stretched languidly, and my bones creaked with the movement, like a rusty machine that had been lubricated and was now resuming its work.
By the time I had fully stretched out my body, the lingering sleepiness had vanished.
"Brother Batu, are you awake?"
Just as I was about to stand up, I suddenly heard Ada calling me from outside the tent.
"Hey, I'm awake."
I lifted the tent flap with one hand and stepped out.
"You've slept all afternoon! Come on, let's go eat!"
Ada was very affectionate upon seeing me, and he grabbed my arm, pulling me along.
He led me to an open space outside the Du'an tribe and began to dig a hole with his hands.
"Ada, what are you doing?"
I was a little puzzled, wondering if Ada had bumped his head. He said he was taking me to eat, so why were we digging a hole here?
"Heh heh, you'll know soon!"
Ada turned and smiled at me. In a short while, he had dug a moderately deep pit with his hands, and a piece of animal hide gradually emerged.
"Hahahaha, it's flavored, it's flavored!"
Ada grabbed the hide and pulled with all his might, dragging it out completely.
He gently blew away the loose dust, carefully opened the hide, and inside was a small lamb that had been completely coated in a dark sauce.
My eyes lit up. I hadn't expected Ada to have such a good thing.
Although this small lamb had only been simply marinated and not yet roasted, it already emitted a tempting aroma.
"This smells amazing! Ada, how did you do it?"
Seeing Ada bring out the lamb, I quickly leaned closer and asked.
This was the most fragrant food I had smelled since arriving on the island.
If I could learn the recipe from Ada, it would be a great thing, whether returning to the camp or going back to the outside world.
"Hahahaha, Brother Batu, this is not difficult. You just need to catch a three-month-old lamb, skin and gut it, and then gather purple grass and green leaf gall..."
As Ada spoke to me, he skillfully started a fire on the ground, preparing to roast the lamb.
"Roar roar..."
I nodded in response to Ada, silently memorizing the recipe he was telling me.
He spoke very quickly, and there were many things I hadn't heard of before. I could only force myself to remember them, planning to ask Ke Ya later when I got back.
"It's only for you, Brother Batu. I wouldn't do this for anyone else. In the entire Du'an tribe, only my family knows how to make this!"
Hearing Ada's proud and somewhat boastful tone, I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
I didn't expect to encounter a "wild gourmet" in a savage tribe on this deserted island. It seems food lovers are everywhere.
I hadn't been this relaxed in a long time. With anticipation for the delicious food, I quietly watched Ada prepare the lamb.
Ada grabbed the lamb by its hindquarters with his right hand, lifted it by the neck bone with his left hand, and placed it on a roasting rack made of crossed sticks. He positioned it such that the hind legs were between the third and fourth horizontal bars, and the front legs between the first and second, ensuring the lamb was centered and balanced on the rack.
This step was just to roughly shape it, and it wasn't finished.
Ada then wrapped the lamb's hooves several times with thin hemp ropes. When the fire was burning red, he placed it on the rack to roast.
There were two fire points: one aimed at the center of the shoulder blade at the end of the lamb's neck bone, and the other aimed at the base of the lamb's tail.
Watching the blazing flames, Ada kept his eyes fixed on them, ready to add or remove firewood at any time to ensure the lamb's taste was not compromised.
Watching Ada's fluid operation, I couldn't help but recall a story from my textbook back in school.
The oil vendor: it was not his innate talent, but his skill from practice!
If he were in the outside world, Ada could probably become a chef at a five-star hotel.
I sat by Ada's side and waited for a while longer. Finally, with a crisp sound, Ada, with lightning speed, took the lamb off the rack and threw it onto the clean animal hide that had been prepared nearby!
And this was far from over!