Chapter 27: Qin Chuan, the Aspiring Gourmet

These clams were by no means monsters; despite being a meter or two in size, they were still timid. As soon as Qin Chuan approached, they acted like shy little girls, quickly "buttoning up" their shells.

Qin Chuan, acting like the Big Bad Wolf, arrived at their doors, knocking here and there, before attempting to store them directly into his spatial ring. However, he soon discovered that he couldn't put them inside. After some observation, he realized that the spatial ring could not store living creatures.

Qin Chuan had a solution. He rudely pried open the clams' outer shells, tore their "clothing" in two, and then showed them no mercy! One by one, the clams were successfully dispatched by Qin Chuan. His strength was beyond imagination; there truly weren't many children as sturdy as him left.

Qin Chuan moved on to the next, ruthlessly destroying clam after clam. Only after ten of them had perished at his hands did he feel satisfied, gathering their carcasses to take them all in one go. He left just as boldly as he had arrived, leaving behind nothing but a blood-stained patch of land.

The audience watching the livestream was stunned by Qin Chuan’s display. They left their own reactions in the chat:

"Holy crap, that's cold-blooded!"
"Clam: How could you do this to me?"
"Clam: How can such a young child be so heartless?"
"You didn't just mutilate my body, you're going to eat me, and you didn't even spare my coffin lid!"
"A true savage!"
"Clam: Hello? Is this the police? Someone is violating me."
"I always thought Qin Chuan was innocent, but it turns out the naive one was me all along."
"Child from the Northern Orphanage: Brother Qin Chuan, where are our gifts? Qin Chuan: Here, I picked these pearls up, they're for you."

This "cruel" display revealed another side of Qin Chuan to many. He could be truly adorable when he wanted to be, but his ruthlessness caught people off guard. This scene drew countless comments, showing more people the multifaceted nature of his character.

People are inherently complex, and what Qin Chuan showed them was his true self.

Qin Chuan returned to the shore and took out a clam shell. He called out to Shen Gongbao in the distance, "Big cat, go get some firewood."

Upon hearing this, Shen Gongbao leaped up and sprinted into the forest. Before long, it returned with a pile of branches in its mouth. It dropped the firewood nearby and wagged its leopard tail, sitting before Qin Chuan like a loyal hunting dog.

"Not enough, not enough. Go get some more." Qin Chuan patted the leopard's lowered head, clearly satisfied with its performance. Shen Gongbao resumed its role as the firewood-gathering leopard, feeling quite happy to be praised by Qin Chuan.

Qin Chuan moved some stones to build a hearth, placed the clam shell on top, and added some water from the lake. Seeing his efficient movements, the livestream chat erupted: "Is Qin Chuan making clam soup?"

"It’s hard to imagine a four-year-old knowing how to cook."
"When I was four, I was still playing with mud."
"When I was four... well, it’s been too long, I can't remember."
"Qin Chuan is so strong. Could that Blade Shark really have been thrown onto the shore by him?"

No one had seen how the Blade Shark ended up on the shore, so they couldn't be 100% sure it was Qin Chuan. But since he was the only one there, they just hadn't seen it with their own eyes—or rather, they were unwilling to believe that a four-year-old child could toss a monster weighing several tons out of the water. The strength required for that was beyond their comprehension. They found it hard to imagine that such a small body could unleash such terrifying power.

"Qin Chuan wants to cook, but he seems to have forgotten one thing: he didn't bring any tools like a lighter."
"How can he cook without fire? Hahaha, Qin Chuan, did you really forget that?"
"I wonder how Qin Chuan will handle the next step."
"I'm looking forward to seeing how he lights the fire. Surely he won't try to rub sticks together like the ancients?"
"He probably hasn't even heard of friction fire-making."

Once Qin Chuan had everything prepared, everyone waited to see how he would light the fire. Qin Chuan simply pointed a finger and shouted, "Heavenly Lightning Art!"

With a loud boom, a bolt of lightning shot from his finger, striking a piece of wood on the ground and setting it ablaze instantly. The viewers in the livestream were stunned.

They never expected Qin Chuan to use a skill he won from a lucky draw just to light a fire. It was his first time using such a powerful skill, and instead of attacking a monster, he used it to start a campfire. Throughout the Forbidden Land, Qin Chuan’s method of lighting a fire was the most unique. Using a special ability to start a fire—who could argue with that?

"I'm speechless; I never could have imagined this."
"I almost forgot the skill could even be used that way."
"I've realized Qin Chuan’s intelligence is no small matter; he actually thought of this."
"A blessing for the Yanhuang people!"
"This skill is amazing; he can actually command thunder! That thunderclap just now nearly scared me to death."
"Using the Heavenly Lightning Art to light a fire—that’s just too extravagant."
"I'm so envious of this kind of immortal art; it’s just like a legendary mage."
"In Yanhuang, we call that sorcery, kid. Remember that."

With the fire lit, everything else became easy. Steam soon began to rise from the shell. Watching Shen Gongbao’s nose twitch as it caught the scent in the air, the viewers couldn't help but feel a bit hungry themselves.

"Mmm, smells great!" Qin Chuan had found wood in the forest and used a hand-blade to fashion a wooden spoon, a basin, and chopsticks. He tasted the fresh soup and expressed his delight. This was truly natural, unpolluted gourmet food.

"Woo woo woo~~~" Shen Gongbao paced nearby, tail wagging, looking at Qin Chuan with a pitiful expression. Qin Chuan casually scooped some soup and meat scraps into a wooden basin: "Eat up, eat up. Stick with me, and you'll have meat to eat."

Shen Gongbao looked at the measly scraps in its basin and then at the contents of Qin Chuan’s pot, feeling a bit tragic. However, it didn't hesitate to lick the basin clean, instantly realizing what cooked food was—it was delicious.

Even without seasonings, the ingredients in the Forbidden Land tasted incredible. Qin Chuan took the unidentified fish he had caught earlier, cleaned it simply, and added it to the shell to boil. As everyone watched Qin Chuan enjoy his gourmet meal and fresh soup, they felt a pang of envy, and many lamented that Qin Chuan’s actions had made them ravenous, begging him to share a bite.