Chapter 156: Listen to Me, Thank You

Lin Xiao knew he had likely provoked the collective ire of the group, so he wisely chose to keep his mouth shut. Luo Yao watched the scene unfold from the side, a faint smile tugging at the corners of her lips. She realized that she was growing increasingly fond of this mercenary group.

Lin Xiao continued cooking. The aroma of the food became more and more tantalizing, and in the end, quite a few spirit beasts could not resist the temptation and were lured right to them. The members of the War Wolf Mercenary Group finally had their chance to strike, and one by one, they managed to vent the pent-up frustration they had been harboring. By the time all the spirit beasts had been cleared out, Lin Xiao’s meal was just about ready.

The group gathered around in a hurry. To be honest, because Lin Xiao had been handling all the spirit beasts earlier, they had essentially done nothing. If his cooking hadn't been so superb, they would have been too embarrassed to let him prepare their meals. Now that they had finally killed some spirit beasts themselves, they felt justified in taking a seat at the table. At the very least, it made them feel better mentally.

Dinner was much more lavish than lunch, with Lin Xiao preparing a wider variety of dishes. However, the highest-grade ingredient used was only a level-four Giant Silver Snake. This wasn't because Lin Xiao was stingy with higher-grade spirit beast meat, but rather for the sake of the War Wolf Mercenary Group. After spending these days together, Lin Xiao had gained a clear understanding of everyone's strength. Perhaps because they all hailed from military backgrounds, the members of the War Wolf Mercenary Group possessed excellent physical conditioning. Everyone was a level-five awakener capable of handling meat from level-five or even level-six spirit beasts. However, they had eaten quite a bit at lunch, which had led to an energy overload in their bodies. This was the primary reason they had felt so stifled and unable to fight in the afternoon. If dinner had consisted of more high-grade meat, some of them might not have been able to sleep tonight.

Luo Yao’s situation, however, was somewhat unexpected to Lin Xiao. She had eaten the most at lunch, yet Lin Xiao sensed no signs of agitation or excess energy from her. He couldn't tell if it was simply her nature or if she truly had an incredible digestive system.

Everyone dug in. Although the spirit beast meat was of a lower grade, the flavor was just as exquisite, and everyone ate until their mouths were glistening with oil. Perhaps because they had eaten so much at lunch, they weren't actually that hungry, and most of them were full after just a little bit. Luo Yao was the only exception. Even after everyone else had finished, she continued to polish off the food in front of her at a rapid pace. If everyone didn't already know how much she had eaten at lunch, they might have assumed she hadn't touched food in days. It eventually devolved into the bizarre scene of everyone watching Luo Yao eat.

The men in the group didn't think much of it, aside from being surprised by her astonishing appetite. However, the four women in the team weren't as composed.

"Wuwuwu~ Why? Why is the world so unfair? Little Brother Hai Zhu’s cooking is so delicious that I’ve already gained five pounds recently!"

"I’ve gained four pounds. Even though I want to control myself, Little Brother Hai Zhu’s food is just too good; I simply can’t help myself!"

"Everyone has gained weight, and I’ve resigned myself to it, but why can Sister Luo Yao eat so much without gaining a single ounce? Look at her stomach—she’s eaten so much, and it hasn't even bulged!"

"I’m drooling with envy! Ahhh! I refuse to accept this!"

Hearing the women's conversation, Lin Xiao and the others wisely chose to remain silent. Speaking up at a time like this would undoubtedly be unwise.

Ten minutes later, Luo Yao once again completed a "clean plate" mission. Lin Xiao had grown accustomed to her appetite. Seeing that the food he had painstakingly prepared brought joy to others satisfied his vanity. Having such a little foodie in the team actually seemed quite nice.

After eating their fill, the group didn't choose to rest immediately but instead gathered to chat. At first, Luo Yao felt a bit shy about joining in. Zi Shu and the others, knowing her personality, subconsciously steered the conversation toward her, forcing her to speak up. Slowly, Luo Yao began to open up; she spoke more, and her stuttering vanished. Luo Yao felt very happy about this change; it was something she had hoped to see herself.

After chatting for a while, it was time to assign night watch duties. The rotation remained the same, except Luo Yao was assigned to Lin Xiao’s group. Zi Shu felt that since Luo Yao and Lin Xiao were about the same age, they should have more in common than the others. Besides, he liked both of these youngsters, and if something else were to blossom between them, he thought that would be quite nice. If Lin Xiao had known what Zi Shu was thinking, he would have definitely performed a song for him: "Listen to me, thank you!" Lin Xiao had wanted to object, but in the end, he compromised, unable to find a valid reason. *Forget it, let nature take its course,* he thought.

Back in the tent, seeing that everyone was preparing to sleep, Lin Xiao silently pulled a Simmons mattress out of his spatial ring. He was staying with Chou Niu, Chen Long, and Xu Gou. They were on the same night watch shift, so staying together was more convenient. Lin Xiao’s actions shocked the men in the tent. *We know you have a spatial ring, but you can’t use it like this, right? Are you trying to provoke us?*

Lin Xiao gave them a sheepish grin. "Sorry, I only have one mattress, and the space here is too small to fit any more. I'm going to sleep now. Goodnight, everyone!"

Chou Niu and the others exchanged glances but didn't say anything. Lin Xiao was the treasure of their mercenary group now; what was wrong with sleeping on a mattress? Wasn't it only right?

Lin Xiao soon drifted off to sleep, though his rest wasn't very peaceful. There were several sneak attacks by spirit beasts during the night. Fortunately, the other two groups on watch dealt with the battles quickly. They didn't choose to call for backup, meaning they could handle it themselves, but the commotion of the fighting inevitably impacted the quality of everyone's sleep.

At two in the morning, it was time for Lin Xiao’s group to take the watch. When Lin Xiao and the others emerged from the tent, they found that Luo Yao was already up. Seeing them, she gave a nod. It was certainly not a bad thing to have a girl suddenly appear in the watch group, especially one so beautiful; at the very least, looking at a beauty was a good way to pass the time when bored.

No one spoke, silently observing their surroundings. Of course, the main focus was on Lin Xiao. After determining that there were no spirit beasts nearby, Lin Xiao didn't want to just sit around and decided to wander the area. Last time he was on watch, he had found a century-old Guiyuan Ginseng, which was worth fifty thousand points. Perhaps he could have another windfall this time.

The other three were already used to Lin Xiao’s habits. Chou Niu immediately followed him to ensure his safety. After learning the situation, Luo Yao decided to join them. Being the only woman, she felt much more at ease with Lin Xiao than with the others, as hanging out with them felt too awkward.