The others stepped back, panic clear on their faces. Fire was a sacred and dangerous thing in the tribe. Only the witch doctor had the right to control it.
No one else dared touch it, fire could easily destroy, burn, and kill them. To them, Su Qinglan sitting calmly beside it as if it were nothing was almost terrifying.
As they hesitated, another group came wandering closer. Among them was a thin female who had followed the mouthwatering smell. Her steps slowed when she realized the source was Su Qinglan.
She froze.
Fear flashed in her eyes. Memories of Su Qinglan's tyrannical ways paraded through her mind like a trauma festival. She could almost hear the ghost of her younger self crying in the background. She had learned long ago: never get within five feet of Su Qinglan unless you wanted to cry.
Still... the meat smelled really good.
Her stomach betrayed her, growling audibly. She lingered nearby, pitiful, eyes locked on the roasted meat. Su Qinglan was lazily turning over the flames like a queen bored of her own luxury.
Her lips parted slightly, as if she could already taste it. But her feet remained firmly planted. Survival instincts were strong.
Su Qinglan glanced at her and felt her heart squeeze.
"…Honestly."
She couldn't bear that pitiful look. With a small sigh, she speared another piece of roasted meat on a stick and waved it at her. "Here. Don't just stand there drooling."
The female's eyes went wide. She hesitated, then shuffled forward quickly and accepted it with trembling hands.
She bit into it immediately...too eagerly.
"Hot! Hot! Hot!!" she yelped, fanning her mouth, cheeks puffing as smoke practically came out of her ears.
Su Qinglan's lips twitched. "Idiot… I was just about to tell you to be careful."
But before she could say anything else, two burly figures stormed up the path, their heavy footsteps shaking the ground.
"Ling'er!"
The two males, clearly her mates, rushed to the female's side. When their eyes landed on Su Qinglan, their gazes instantly turned sharp, almost hostile.
It looked, to them, as if Su Qinglan had bullied their precious female and forced her to eat something dangerous.
The air between them grew tense, the roasted meat stick still smoking faintly in the female's hands.
The two burly males stepped forward with their sharp voices.
"Su Qinglan! What are you doing to her?"
One of them instinctively pulled the trembling female behind him, glaring at the fire like it was a demon. The other clenched his fists, his broad shoulders tense.
Su Qinglan looked at the two puffed-up males storming toward her like she'd just skinned their pet mammoth.
Seriously?
She was out here trying to roast meat, not start a tribal war.
One glance at their expressions, and Su Qinglan could already imagine the accusations forming in their heads: "Harming a cherished female! Forcing sacred flame upon the weak! Violating the fire rites without rank!"
She almost rolled her eyes. What did they think she was doing...summoning demons through grilled meat?
If anything, she deserved a thank-you for feeding their mate. Was that not obvious from the drool still shining on her lips?
Honestly, Su Qinglan thought as she turned the meat skewer calmly, the smoke curling like lazy thoughts in the air, if she wanted to kill someone, she'd at least do it with better seasoning.
The female hurriedly waved her hands, cheeks still red from the burn. "N-no! It's not like that! Qinglan-jie gave it to me. I was the one who ate too fast and burned myself."
Both males froze.
"What?"
"She… gave it to you?"
"Yes!" The female nodded quickly, clutching the half-eaten stick of roasted meat as proof. "She was kind to me. I just… I wasn't careful."
The two males exchanged looks, their expressions stiff. They had rushed in ready to throw punches, but now they looked almost foolish.
Su Qinglan leaned back on her stone seat, arms crossed, watching them with a faint smirk. Ha. If they'd opened their mouths any louder, half the tribe would've thought I'd skinned their mate alive.
One of the males coughed awkwardly, his earlier ferocity evaporating. "Ahem… then… that's good. We misunderstood."
The other shifted uncomfortably, ears red as he muttered, "En… thank you." For… sharing."
Su Qinglan waved them off casually. "It's just meat. Don't make such a fuss."
The female nibbled another bite, this time carefully blowing on it first. Her eyes lit up at the flavor, and she let out a tiny, delighted hum.
Seeing her so happy, the two males finally relaxed. They still cast wary looks at the fire, but their hostility toward Su Qinglan faded.
Instead, the three of them stood there, almost sheepish, as if they didn't know whether to stay or go.
Su Qinglan rolled her eyes inwardly. Honestly. Over one stick of meat and a little fire, they nearly made a scene. These beast men are too jumpy.
The young female finished chewing the roasted meat stick, her lips still glistening with grease. She licked her fingers shyly before tilting her head toward the racks of meat Su Qinglan had set up over the smoking fire.
"Qinglan-jie… What are you doing with the rest of that meat? Why is it all hanging over the smoke?"
Su Qinglan flipped the slice she was roasting, her tone casual. "Smoking it. That way the meat won't spoil so quickly. In this warm weather, raw meat rots fast, but if you smoke it, it'll last longer—even days."
The female's eyes widened, shining as though Su Qinglan had just handed her a secret treasure.
"Last longer…?" she echoed, stunned.
Behind her, her two beast husbands were equally shaken. They exchanged glances, mouths opening and closing. Even the warriors who had been lurking in the shadows, pretending they weren't spying, sucked in a collective breath. None of them had ever heard of such a thing.
The female took another look at her and realized the Su Qinglan of today was very friendly, and she dared to ask more, then swallowed quickly. "Qinglan-jie… can I… can I roast my meat here too? I feel so hungry now, but I can't shamelessly eat all of yours…"
Her voice was timid, almost pleading.
Su Qinglan waved her hand. "Go ahead. I don't mind. Honestly, it's boring roasting meat all alone."