Ch 2: The Malevolent Monster Just Wants To Farm

After the White Bone Spirit took on a physical form, it had no memory, so it didn’t find anything unusual about its skeletal appearance.

But Jiang Lin was different.

After all, his soul was still human. Even though he had lived in the apocalypse for two years and had seen plenty of strange-looking zombies—so much so that he could even find a skeleton somewhat handsome—there was a difference when it came to himself. No matter how refined the skeleton might be, it was still difficult to accept.

Fortunately, for a great demon like the White Bone Spirit, transforming into a human form was a very ordinary thing.

Demons could take on countless forms, but the physical body they used for cultivation was only one, and its appearance was fixed during the first transformation.

Jiang Lin’s transformed appearance was very similar to his original self: tall and slender, with delicate and elegant features that looked gentle and harmless.

Additionally, his form inherited some characteristics from the White Bone Spirit’s body—pale skin and a slightly eerie, soft aura. Dressed in a black robe, he resembled a frail scholar.

Jiang Lin summoned a water mirror to take a look at himself and felt somewhat dissatisfied.

He had never been quite satisfied with his appearance, even in his previous life. It looked too delicate and fragile, which was especially disadvantageous in the apocalypse, where people often judged by appearances. Many had underestimated him because of his looks.

—Of course, those who underestimated him were eventually beaten to the point of kneeling and calling him “dad.”

Still, despite his dissatisfaction, it was his own face, and he never paid much attention to appearances anyway. After tidying himself up a bit, he stepped out of the cave.

As Jiang Lin reached the entrance of the cave, a small demon in yellow clothing was just arriving, carrying a still lively wild pheasant in each hand.

This was her tribute to the White Bone King.

Upon seeing Jiang Lin at the cave entrance, the civet cat demon froze.

She stared blankly at the handsome man in front of her. If it weren’t for the familiar, oppressive aura of a great demon, she would never have recognized that this gentle and beautiful man was actually the White Bone King.

“L-Lord?” She cautiously approached Jiang Lin, her heart filled with anxiety, yet she couldn’t stop her bright eyes from glancing at him repeatedly.

It wasn’t until Jiang Lin cast a faint glance at her that she quickly lowered her head and stammered, “Th-this is today’s tribute. As you requested, they’re all alive, and the blood is definitely fresh.”

Her words reminded Jiang Lin of something.

This was a rule set by the original White Bone Spirit: the demons he defeated had to take turns bringing him offerings every three days.

At the level of the White Bone Spirit, such ordinary food was unnecessary. He did this simply to assert his dominance and uniqueness.

But Jiang Lin was different!

As he looked at the two lively wild pheasants still twitching in the cat demon’s hands, he nearly started drooling.

Meat!

Fresh meat!

How long had it been since he last ate some?

Since the apocalypse began, fresh meat—let alone any food that could fill the stomach—had become a rare commodity.

In the beginning, he was just an ordinary person. It wasn’t until more than half a year after the apocalypse started that he inherited the jade ring and opened that mysterious space.

By that time, food was so scarce that the survivors had practically scraped off a layer of the earth’s surface.

There was nothing left.

Fortunately, Jiang Lin had learned a wood-based cultivation method, allowing him to grow plants. He had fruit to eat and wouldn’t starve.

But he craved meat!

The cat demon noticed that the gaze of the White Bone King before her had suddenly changed.

It was sharp, like hidden knives, fixed on… the wild pheasants in her hands?

Could it be that the king was dissatisfied?

The cat demon became a little frightened, taking a step back and stammering, “My lord, do you not like these pheasants?”

Without waiting for Jiang Lin to respond, she continued with a tearful expression, “I couldn’t find any larger prey today. The blood from these two pheasants should be plenty. Please make do for now, and tomorrow I’ll definitely catch a fresh deer for you!”

“No.” Jiang Lin looked at the two pheasants with a mysterious smile. “Two pheasants are fine; I’m very satisfied.”

The cat demon felt a chill down her spine. Even the fact that the king had turned into a handsome man no longer sparked her curiosity. All she wanted was to leave as soon as possible.

She immediately said, “I’ll go ahead and prepare these pheasants.”

Jiang Lin had already figured out the current living standards in White Tiger Ridge. When the cat demon said “prepare,” she meant using her claws to slit the pheasants’ throats for Jiang Lin to drink the blood, with not even a bowl to be found.

In other words, White Tiger Ridge was still in a very primitive stage.

Such waste!

Jiang Lin gazed longingly at the plump, shiny wild pheasants, pondering whether to stew them or braise them.

He said to the cat demon, “Go and prepare these two pheasants.”

The cat demon nodded, about to start, when Jiang Lin added, “Pluck all the feathers, remove the innards, clean them thoroughly, and then bring them back.”

Cat demon: “???”

She looked at Jiang Lin in confusion and hesitated, “But if I do that, the blood… will be gone.”

Jiang Lin told her, “Just do as I say. Today, I want something fresh.”

Although the cat demon didn’t understand what he was planning, Jiang Lin seemed to be in a good mood, and he didn’t seem like he was going to punish her. Relieved, she cheerfully took the pheasants away.

Once the cat demon left, Jiang Lin happily said to the system, “System! Thank you for bringing me here!”

System: “…I saved your soul and brought you back to life, but I’ve never seen you this happy.”

Puzzled, it asked, “Is eating meat really that enjoyable?”

Jiang Lin: “Of course!”

While chatting with the system, Jiang Lin swiftly took out several items from his jade ring space.

Pots, pans, dishes, and basic seasonings like salt and chili powder, all of which were easy to preserve.

System: “…”

The jade space was bound to the host’s soul, and although the system was also bound to the host’s soul, it couldn’t peek into the contents of the space.

Now, seeing Jiang Lin pull out all these cooking utensils, the system was dumbfounded and indignant:

“You! You filled this space with all these things?”

Jiang Lin asked, puzzled, “Is there a problem?”

There was a big problem!

The system angrily replied, “You’re wasting precious resources!”

The space within the jade ring was rich in spiritual energy, meant to nurture spiritual plants, a blessed land, and this guy just used it to store inanimate objects?

Jiang Lin retorted, “I don’t know what you mean by ‘wasting resources.’ I only know that these are the most basic survival necessities. During those two years of the apocalypse, these cooking tools kept me from starving.”

System: “…”

It glared angrily at Jiang Lin, who showed no remorse or guilt, almost ready to shut down in frustration.

But since they were already bound together, there was nothing the system could do. It could only start lecturing Jiang Lin about how incredible the jade space was.

While listening, Jiang Lin skillfully set up a simple cooking station.

Just then, the cat demon returned with the cleaned pheasants.