Chapter 108 — Stealth
劍問蒼天 · Page 3 of 6
After another moment, Ming Li examined the hare carefully, drew the stick back, and holding it in one hand, reached to his waist with the other. After a moment he produced several small bottles and jars, from which he sprinkled what appeared to be powdered substances over the hare.
Jin Pingyue was startled. "What is that?"
Ming Li smiled. Seeing it, Jin Pingyue somehow felt there was a hint of bitterness in it. In a calm voice Ming Li said, "Some salt and seasonings. An old habit—I carry them wherever I go." With that he handed the stick to Jin Pingyue.
Jin Pingyue hesitated, but did not reach out to take it.
A light flickered in Ming Li's eyes; he smiled faintly, tore off a piece of hare meat, and put it in his mouth.
A flush rose to Jin Pingyue's cheeks. In the firelight a bewitching charm surfaced in her brows and eyes, striking to the heart. After a moment she reached out and took the stick, saying softly, "Thank you, young master."
Ming Li said nothing, turning his head away. He took a wild fruit from Little Grey's hand, put it to his lips, bit off a small piece, and began to eat.
"Ow!"
Suddenly another soft cry came from Jin Pingyue's direction, as though carrying a note of pain. Ming Li and the monkey Little Grey both looked up at her and saw Jin Pingyue pressing her pale hand to her lips, her fine brows slightly knit, a look of suffering on her face. But then, noticing that both Ming Li and Little Grey were staring at her, she blushed and after a moment said sheepishly, "I was careless—I burned myself a little…" Her voice trailed off toward the end.
Hearing this, Ming Li's lips twitched, though his expression did not otherwise change. But at his feet Little Grey suddenly made a sound—"squeak, squeak"—its mouth splitting into a grin. The half-eaten wild fruit in its right hand dropped to the ground, and it clenched its fist and began pounding the earth, evidently meaning to repeat that bizarre pose.
Jin Pingyue's eyes narrowed; she felt both ashamed and furious. But before she could react, and before the monkey's fist could strike the ground, Ming Li had already given a light kick and sent Little Grey tumbling away like a gourd.
After a moment Ming Li said mildly, "The beast doesn't know better. Pay it no mind."
Jin Pingyue glanced at him, steadied herself, nodded with a smile, then gently blew on the roasted hare beside her and used her slender, scallion-white fingers to tear off a small piece of meat, which she put to her lips and began to chew.
The moment it touched her tongue, Jin Pingyue's spirits leaped. In an instant she felt that fragrance, as though possessed of spirit, course through her whole body; her limbs seemed lighter, her mouth flooded with savor, and the taste was more delicious than anything she had ever known. The outer layer of skin was crisp without being charred, thin and fragrant; the meat within was smooth and tender, and with seasonings of some unknowable blending, the flavor seemed to seep into heart and spleen. One taste and she could not stop; she nearly lost herself to it. Never in her wildest imaginings would she have guessed that this man before her could produce such a taste.
For all Jin Pingyue's deep cultivation and firm resolve, her appetite was now thoroughly roused. She tore off piece after piece, and in but a short while had eaten a whole hare's leg. Only then did she feel somewhat full and stop. She smiled and looked at Ming Li, saying, "Young master has fine skill—an ordinary hare, and you can roast it into such a delicacy!"
By now the monkey Little Grey had run back and was crouched beside Ming Li, its extraordinarily nimble monkey eyes darting this way and that, now at Ming Li, now at Jin Pingyue.
Ming Li said indifferently, "A trifling trick. You flatter me, miss."
Jin Pingyue gave a lovely smile, her brows and eyes alluring and enchanting, her gaze soft as water. "In all my life," she said softly, "I've never eaten such a delicious hare!"