Seeing that Chen Qing didn’t stop her from taking the sword, Su Mu breathed a sigh of relief.
She gripped the sword tightly in her hand. Although she knew she couldn’t beat this vicious Villain, having a sword made her feel a bit more secure.
She placed the still-flopping fat fish on a relatively flat stone, picked up another stone, and smashed it hard against its head.
Once the fish stopped moving, the remaining steps were much simpler now that she had the sword.
She slit open the fish’s belly, gutted the insides, washed the blood away in the river, and soon a fresh fish ready for grilling appeared.
Repeating the process, the two portions of grilled fish were nearly prepared.
The fire had already been burning while Su Mu was preparing the fish.
It was a shame there were no seasonings; otherwise, it could have turned into a proper wilderness feast.
But for Su Mu, whose stomach was already flat from hunger, that hardly mattered. She skewered all the fish onto the sword.
Squatting by the fire, the fragrant aroma of roasting meat drifted into Su Mu’s nose on the river breeze.
It made her mouth water, and she couldn’t help but sniff the air.
Though she knew it might not taste as good as she imagined, she still found herself anticipating it.
At that moment, Chen Qing was no longer leaning against the tree. Instead, she stood up and walked over to Su Mu’s side.
Su Mu looked up, staring blankly at Chen Qing.
What did this mean? Was she going to steal the fruits of all her hard labor?
As it turned out, her guess was correct. Chen Qing extended her hand, her intention clear.
“Could you… leave two for me?”
Su Mu looked at her humbly, her watery, delicate eyes gazing pitifully.
But Chen Qing proved even more ruthless than Su Mu had imagined, smiling back at her.
Her beautiful smile carried a clear warning.
For the sake of her life, the starving Su Mu could only hand over the sword loaded with grilled fish in humiliation.
After taking the grilled fish, Chen Qing somehow produced several bottles and jars filled with seasonings.
Though not as varied and rich as those from the modern world, these were enough to elevate the grilled fish to a whole new level.
Chen Qing sprinkled chili oil and cumin over the fish, and an intoxicating aroma immediately burst forth amid the flames.
Su Mu watched the fish sizzle and drip oil, swallowing involuntarily.
It looked too delicious—if only she could have just one bite.
But a glance at Chen Qing’s coldly menacing expression made her painfully abandon the thought.
No matter how hungry she was, she wouldn’t dare snatch food from a tiger’s mouth.
This heartless Villain was far too domineering. The fish Su Mu had worked so hard to catch had been taken without mercy.
Not even leaving a single one for her—and to top it off, this woman carried seasonings around. Seeing the fish roast so fragrantly only made her heart ache more.
Meanwhile, Chen Qing had been quietly observing her reactions. Seeing Su Mu too timid to do anything but look aggrieved and drool gave her a sudden twinge of guilt, like bullying a soft persimmon.
But this was the traitor, after all. The moment Chen Qing recalled how this slender figure beside her had backstabbed her, that guilt transformed into the pleasure of revenge.
After grilling a little longer, the fish was just about done.
The mingled aroma of fish and seasonings exploded between Chen Qing’s teeth.
Su Mu’s eyes were practically glued to the golden, crispy grilled fish.
Her growling stomach urged her to shove it into her belly right away.
But Su Mu’s rationality hadn’t yet been overcome by her hunger. Sure, snatching the fish might satisfy her stomach and mouth, but it would spell doom for her.
Chen Qing felt inexplicably uncomfortable under Su Mu’s unwavering stare as she ate.
She wanted to tell her to stop looking, but remembering that the fish in her mouth had been caught by Su Mu made the words stick in her throat.
“Want some?”
“Mm-hmm!”
Sensing a glimmer of conscience in Chen Qing, Su Mu nodded vigorously, gazing at her expectantly.
Chen Qing extended her finger toward Su Mu.
Seeing that white, jade-like slender finger, a faint, intoxicating blush colored Su Mu’s cheeks.
She was offering her finger—did she want Su Mu to…
At the thought, a deeper flush spread across Su Mu’s tender, freshly peeled goose-egg-like face.
Fine, a real hero could bend and stretch. She’d already endured ten hours of penetration last night; this was nothing.
As the saying goes, where there’s life, there’s hope. One day, she’d turn the tables on this detestable Villain.
With that in mind, Su Mu blushed and obediently took Chen Qing’s finger into her mouth.
Her clear, watery eyes gazed seductively at her.
Su Mu’s action left Chen Qing utterly stunned.
She had only meant for Su Mu to wipe the bit of oil from her fingertip, but Su Mu went straight for her mouth.
The cool finger was enveloped by warm, soft, wet tongue that even teased it with a little movement.
And Su Mu’s expression—cool yet laced with subtle allure—inevitably drew the mind toward more risqué thoughts.
Chen Qing’s willow brows arched slightly as a faint smile curved her lips.
Anyone familiar with Chen Qing knew this look meant trouble for others.
Chen Qing generously handed all the remaining grilled fish to Su Mu.
Staring at the sizzling, oily fish, Su Mu wondered if the woman before her had been replaced—she was suddenly so generous.
She stole a glance at her, inwardly suspecting some scheme.
Chen Qing, however, smiled warmly, a complete reversal from before.
“Eat up. You need to be full to have the energy for work.”
“Work?”
Su Mu looked puzzled, missing the implication entirely.
But at this point, Su Mu couldn’t care less about any work—filling her stomach came first.
She grabbed the long-coveted grilled fish, but in her haste, the hot sword scalded her finger.
The spot burned fiercely, but right now, all she saw was the fragrant fish. Belly first.
Watching Su Mu carefully pick out the bones with eager caution, her eyes intensely focused, Chen Qing felt the traitor before her was both familiar and utterly strange.
As Su Mu happily devoured her grilled fish, a caravan not far away struggled desperately against an assault by the horse bandits.
“Miss, you retreat first. The guard team will hold these horse bandits off for a while.”
A tall, heroic girl with a high ponytail, gripping the Silver Spear, spoke anxiously to another girl.
The girl being protected faced the closing horse bandits with remarkable poise beyond the ordinary.
She knew that fleeing in her current outfit would draw the horse bandits after her immediately.
The clothes she’d changed into inside the carriage were simply too eye-catching.
In the end, she gritted her teeth, grabbed a set of men’s clothing, and put it on.
Escorted by the heroic girl, she fled in the direction opposite the caravan’s path—straight toward where Su Mu and Chen Qing now were.
Before long, the guard team was slaughtered entirely by the well-equipped horse bandits.
Glaring at the empty carriage, the horse bandit leader furiously hacked at it with his blade.
They had toiled so hard, only for the biggest fish to slip away.
