"It's not ready yet; it has to be fully roasted until all the fat is rendered to taste good," Li Lin said, knowing that if the meat is too greasy, the taste would greatly diminish.
Watching Li Lin being surrounded by people, only Wang Liang and Li Shaohu looked at him disdainfully, but their gazes involuntarily kept drifting towards the fragrant wild boar.
A moment later, the wild boar had shrunk by a fifth, and its aroma had become extremely rich, spreading around and making everyone's mouth water. The entire wild boar had turned a tempting golden brown.
Li Lin himself was swallowing hard. This natural, wild boar meat was truly delicious, something he couldn't enjoy in his previous life.
"It's ready now, Elder. Please, have a taste," Li Lin said, turning to Elder Bai Mei and tearing off a wild boar's front leg. The aroma wafted from the freshly torn meat, steaming and irresistible. Naturally, Li Lin offered the first piece to Elder Bai Mei, as a senior elder of the Yunyang Sect with considerable influence, flattering him could only be beneficial.
"Alright, let me try," Elder Bai Mei, who had been eagerly waiting, picked up a leg, sniffed it, and then took a bite without minding the heat.
The meat was fragrant, slightly chewy but not tough, tender but not firm, with juices flowing out with each bite. Elder Bai Mei's eyes widened in surprise as he exclaimed, "Good lad, I didn't expect you to have this skill. Delicious, this is too good."
"To the officers, everyone, please have a taste," Li Lin said to the four Yunyang Sect officers, tearing off two more legs, handing one to Li Wushuang, "Sister Wushuang, try this, it's really good."
"This is for you, Miss Binglan, and Cuiyu," Li Lin handed another leg to Du Gu Binglan.
"I've never tried food prepared this way before; naturally, I have to try it," Du Gu Binglan said with a slight smile, accepting it.
"To the officers, just use your hands. This is best eaten with your hands," Li Lin turned and saw the four officers, three men and a woman, hesitating to start. He smiled slightly and grabbed a rib to gnaw on.
The taste was savory, leaving a lingering fragrance on the lips and teeth. For the first time, Li Lin felt his culinary skills were indeed excellent.
Seeing everyone enjoying the food, the four officers let go of their reservations and started tearing off big pieces to eat, savoring the delicious meat and looking satisfied.
"I won't be polite then," Qin Tianhao said with a slight smile, stepping forward to grab a piece of roasted meat, oil dripping from the corners of his mouth as he remarked, "This is really good, so fragrant."
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"Then eat more," Li Lin tore off a large piece for Qin Tianhao, appreciating Qin Tianhao's straightforward and honest demeanor. Li Lin felt comfortable around someone who was genuine and didn't have to worry about being schemed against.
"Thank you," Qin Tianhao said, unabashedly taking big bites.
Yang Miao watched everyone, her stomach growling, feeling somewhat embarrassed to step forward due to her unfamiliarity with Li Lin. Moreover, the relationship between her, Yang Man, and Li Wushuang was somewhat competitive, making it even more awkward for her to approach. Yet, her gaze, along with that of the other girls, couldn't help but linger on the delicious wild boar.
"Here, give it a try, it tastes good," Li Lin said, noticing Yang Miao's hesitation and then tearing off the remaining front leg of the wild boar and throwing it to her. Although Yang Miao and Yang Man were sisters, their personalities were quite different. Li Lin didn't have much dislike for Yang Miao; on the contrary, he somewhat appreciated her straightforwardness.
"Thank you," Yang Miao said, accepting the wild boar leg from Li Lin and showing gratitude in her eyes. She then went over to Yang Man, who also didn't refuse. The two women took a small bite each, and, finding the meat delicious, they started eating without concern for their image, getting grease all over.
Li Lin smiled slightly, knowing that after seven days of dry food, having roasted meat now was like a blessing in the cold winter. He glanced at Li Shaohu and Wang Liang, who stood aside, and sneered slightly, paying them no mind.
"Shaohu, this is too much for me. Help me eat some," Li Wushuang, noticing this, approached Li Shaohu and handed him half of a hind leg. The leg was quite large, and she genuinely couldn't finish it. Despite being aware of some tension between Li Shaohu and Li Lin, Li Wushuang felt obliged to take care of her cousin from her perspective.
Li Lin glanced over but said nothing, sitting on the ground and gnawing on a large piece of roasted meat. Now was not the time to deal with Li Shaohu.
"Thank you, Sister Wushuang," Li Shaohu said, glancing at Li Lin, who was ignoring him from afar. Smelling the fragrant roasted meat, he eventually couldn't resist and started eating.
The aroma attracted many wild animals. After a while, a number of them had gathered around, their calls echoing, but they dared not come close to the people.
"What a delight, it's been a long time since I've had such an appetizing meal," Elder Bai Mei said, burping and patting his stomach contentedly.
"Indeed, it's delicious. It seems our days ahead will be much more comfortable," said a middle-aged female officer of the Yunyang Sect with a slight smile.
Everyone had eaten their fill, greasy and satisfied. Only Wang Liang stood aside the whole time, too embarrassed to join, his stomach growling loudly.
"It's time for us to leave," Elder Bai Mei announced.
"Elder, I need to step away for a moment," Li Lin said, then disappeared behind the trees.
Behind a towering tree, a pale yellow light flashed, and the little dragon landed on Li Lin's shoulder, sniffing for the scent of meat around his mouth, unable to hide its interest in the aroma.
"Stop searching, I've saved some for you," Li Lin said with a smile, already holding out a piece of roasted meat.
"Squeak!"
The little dragon opened its mouth and gulped down the palm-sized piece of roasted meat, its small body almost the same size as the meat, leaving Li Lin wondering how it managed to eat it.
"It's time to go," Li Lin said, and the little dragon crawled into his sleeve and disappeared.
When Li Lin returned to the group, two rock eagles were already circling overhead. Everyone mounted the eagles and set off again. They hadn't finished the wild boar and couldn't take it with them. The remaining half of the roasted meat was left behind, and several wild animals rushed out to quickly devour it after the group departed.