"These piranhas—can we eat them? They look pretty big," someone said, revealing their yellowed teeth.
In the eyes of humans, fish only come in two kinds: edible, or not.
Hearing that, Yi Tianxing was momentarily taken aback before recalling a report he'd once read.In the Amazon, piranhas are apex predators. Even crocodiles flee from them, fearing they might get surrounded and devoured alive. Absolutely ferocious, feared by countless creatures.But in China? They'd already ended up as dishes on the dinner table.
Indeed, in front of the descendants of Yan and Huang, ferocity wasn't the issue—edibility was. As long as it could be eaten, no matter how savage, it would end up cooked and served.
"I heard piranha meat is actually delicious," someone added.
Yi Tianxing's eyes lit up. Every inch of his body was crying out with hunger. He forcibly suppressed the urge and shook his head, smiling bitterly: Am I turning into a foodie now?
The piranha flopped on the ground, realizing its situation and thrashing violently, trying to bounce back into the water.
Smack!!
A soldier quickly rushed over, grabbed a wooden club, and smashed it down on the fish's head. The piranha instantly fainted—after all, for any fish, a blow to the head is a guaranteed knockout.
"Milord!!"
A soldier lifted the unconscious piranha and brought it before Yi Tianxing.
"Hmm, toss it onto the clearing. Without water, it'll die anyway. For breakfast—we're eating piranha," Yi Tianxing nodded and ordered, then continued, "Don't stop. Keep fishing. I want to see how many more of these things are in the river. Get more hands in on it too."
The piranhas' instinctive craving for blood and flesh was overwhelmingly strong.
Faced with bait dropped into the river, they had no resistance, lunging instantly—only to be flung onto the shore in quick succession. On land, soldiers waited with clubs to knock them out, then tossed them aside—ready to be roasted or stewed.
Most people looked at the grotesque fish with only one expression: hunger. Whether the fish were man-eaters or carnivores was irrelevant. Try preaching to a starving crowd about morality and you'll get nowhere.
In times of chaos, food is everything.
Sure, some might care. But most wouldn't.
Eating was survival.
They'd already killed a bunch of rats before, and had some meat. But with hundreds of mouths to feed, it wouldn't last.
Before long, the clearing had a small mountain of piranhas piled up.
Without water, the piranhas didn't last long and all soon died—a feast in the making.
"Excellent. Village Chief, your quick thinking is impressive—not only does this eliminate the piranha threat, it solves the food shortage. Two birds with one stone," Huang Chengyan nodded, impressed. "But I think… these piranhas, though fierce, are also a rare food source. No need to wipe them all out at once. Once we have enough for now, we should hold off and fish more tomorrow. Better to pace ourselves."
He stroked his beard and offered his advice.
These fish were too easy to catch—as long as there was blood in the water, they'd bite instantly. In the early days, they could easily become a staple food source. If food ran short, these things could save lives.
"Indeed, Elder Huang is right. There's a lot of them, but if we overhunt, they'll go extinct. Finding another fish so easy to catch won't be likely," Yi Tianxing agreed.
He looked at the growing pile. It was more than enough to feed everyone for the day. Any more would be wasted.
"Stop fishing. That's enough for now," he ordered.
"As for the green-skinned monsters' corpses, toss them all in the river. Leaving them to rot would breed disease," Yi Tianxing said with a wave. There were still many corpses left.
"Everyone, back to the village! Start cooking fires! Today, we feast on piranha. Use these iron buckets to draw water—don't touch the river directly, and the piranhas won't harm you."
He pulled several iron buckets from his spiritual pearl space, items he'd casually stored away in the past. Now they were finally useful.
Soon, many women began drawing water from the river with the buckets.
They used knives to gut the piranhas, throwing the innards back into the river, triggering a frenzy among the others still in the water. Piranhas didn't care if it was their kin's guts—if it bled, they ate.
No hesitation at all.
The burrow entrance of the tunneling bugs was also sealed off.
Within the village, fires were lit. People crowded around, skewering piranhas on wooden sticks, roasting them over open flames. Others boiled them into soup.
As for the piranha teeth, they were pulled out. Some crafty craftsmen used small tools to drill holes, stringing them together with thin cords, creating primitive-style jewelry with a wild, barbaric flair.
Yi Tianxing too skewered a fish and began roasting it over the fire, turning it carefully to cook evenly. Soon, a rich aroma filled the air. He sprinkled some salt on the fish, enhancing the fragrance even more.
His body screamed with hunger. He couldn't resist.
Once the fish was fully cooked, he used a dagger to slice off a piece and popped it into his mouth.
After chewing a few times, the grilled fish's tender meat and fresh flavor flowed across his tongue.
"Tender and delicious. Rich in protein. A faint exotic aroma… This is top-tier meat. Every fiber of my being is rejoicing."
Yi Tianxing had tasted his share of gourmet cuisine—from luxury restaurants to rare ingredients. Even so, this piranha meat was among the best. Perhaps it was because of the nourishment of the eternal world's spiritual energy—the meat had become more flavorful and nutrient-dense.
His eyes lit up. No longer holding back, he kept eating. One bite after another.
Though it didn't look fast, his hands and mouth never stopped. Before he knew it, he'd eaten the entire meter-long fish—leaving only bones behind.
"Village Chief, here's some freshly made fish soup. Please try it." A woman brought over a steaming bowl.
Yi Tianxing didn't stand on ceremony. He drank it down.
Delicious!!
The soup was even more flavorful than the meat. The lingering taste in his mouth was unforgettable.
He gulped it down in a few big sips—both the broth and the meat.
"Absolutely divine," he muttered to himself.
No wonder the fiercer the fish, the tastier the meat. Swimming constantly made the muscle firmer, richer in energy and protein.
And now, the power of the gourmet cell finally began to activate.
The fish meat and soup entered his body—and every cell responded with joy, beginning rapid digestion.
But even faster than the cells was the Life Aperture: Food Cauldron (食鼎).
It gave no other part of his body a chance. Inside him, the three-legged, twin-eared Taotie Cauldron lit up with radiant light. The Taotie's gaping maw opened, and the fish inside his stomach rapidly disintegrated—refined into the purest culinary essence, which flowed directly into the cauldron.
Within it, mystical patterns surfaced on their own.
The fish's essence was continuously refined. And unknowingly, on the illusory surface of the cauldron, a lifelike piranha design emerged—vicious and detailed, its sharp teeth clearly visible. Just looking at it induced a chill of fear.
Immediately afterward, a strange white mist sprayed from the Taotie's mouth, spreading through his body and merging into his muscles.
Ecstasy. Joy.
Yi Tianxing felt every single cell in his body rejoicing, rapidly absorbing the mist. In a blink, it had fully integrated into his muscles, bones, meridians.
In this blissful state, his entire body began to evolve and strengthen.
Even his skin emitted a faint, barely visible aura of radiance.
It was an incredible sensation.
The euphoria didn't last long, but when it ended, the hunger in his body had vanished—replaced by vitality.
Muscle, bone, meridians, skin, even his blood—all had grown and undergone a subtle transformation.
"Such powerful gourmet cells… such a wondrous Life Aperture! Just one fish strengthened my body—my strength increased by several jin. It's like an evolution of life itself! The Food Cauldron refines the very essence of food, removes all impurities, and turns it into the purest nourishment—perfectly tailored to the body. This… this is a divine combination."