Clumsy Beast, Keep Your Paws Off novel Chapter 423

Chapter 423: Chapter 423: Inviting the Merman Tribe to a Feast

The four days of Su Qinglan’s heat passed in a complete blur.

By the time the fourth morning arrived, the "fire" in her blood had finally cooled down, leaving her feeling exhausted but strangely powerful. Her Level 6 ability felt rock solid in her veins.

The morning sun was bright, and the salty breeze from the ocean was refreshing.

Hu Yan was already busy by the fire, grilling a fish so large it looked like a small log.

Rong Ye and Han Jue were helping him, while Xuan Long and Shi Feng watched the cubs.

Su Qinglan stretched her aching limbs and looked toward the sea. "Today, we’re going to have a feast," she announced, her voice finally returning to its normal tone.

"I want to try those giant prawns and the blue-shelled crabs. We should cook enough to share."

She had a very good reason for this. During their stay, the Merman tribe leader, Uncle Tang, had been incredibly kind.

He had given his word that no other males would bother her, and he had kept it. The Merman tribe members were gentle; they even played with her three cubs and brought them rare, sweet sea fruits.

Su Qinglan wasn’t the type to take kindness for granted. Since they were planning to leave soon, she wanted to show some courtesy. But she had a bigger mission in mind: Salt.

In the beast world, salt was as valuable as gold. It was the most expensive item for trade, and the Merman tribe was the biggest supplier. She knew they were likely very secretive about how they produced it.

If they don’t want to tell me, I won’t force it, she thought as she began cleaning the prawns. But if I teach them how to cook delicious food and maybe how to make salt, maybe we can strike a deal.

She started by showing the males how to de-vein the prawns and crack the crab shells without crushing the meat. The scent of ginger, wild herbs, and roasting seafood soon filled the air, drifting toward the Merman village.

"Lan Lan, why are you making so much?" Rong Ye asked, his mouth already watering. "We can eat all of this ourselves!"

"We’re inviting Uncle Tang and some of the tribe elders," Su Qinglan said, swatting his hand away from a hot prawn. "They’ve looked after us. Besides, I want to talk to them about the salt they trade."

Xuan Long’s eyes flickered. He knew exactly what she meant. "The salt? They guard that secret with their lives, Lan Lan. Many tribes have tried to steal the method."

Su Qinglan smiled confidently. "I’m not going to steal it. I’m going to offer them something better...a way to make it faster and cleaner. But first, let’s show our sincerity."

As the dishes were laid out on large, flat leaves...steamed crab with herbs, grilled prawns, and her special fish soup.

Lan Yue, sitting next to Su Qinglan, leaned in and grabbed her arm playfully.

"Sister! Look at me! My mates don’t cook like yours at all. I’ve gotten so thin because I can’t stand the smell of plain raw fish anymore. They keep forcing me to eat fish puree, and I just can’t stomach it!"

Everyone burst into laughter. Lan Yue looked healthy, glowing, and very well-fed, so her "complaint" was clearly a joke.

Her mates, Bo Jian and the leader’s son, looked embarrassed and scratched their heads.

However, Uncle Tang took it very seriously. He turned to his eldest son with a stern look. "Is this what I taught you? You are a high-level warrior, but you can’t even make a delicious meal for your female? What are you capable of if you can’t even fill her stomach with joy?"

The son bowed his head, looking sheepish.

Uncle Tang then turned back to Su Qinglan with a hopeful expression. "Child, would it be too much trouble if my son stayed with your mates for a while? If they could teach him some of these skills, perhaps he wouldn’t ’starve’ his female so much."

Su Qinglan smiled and nodded immediately. This was exactly the opening she needed.

"No problem at all, Uncle. In fact, you can send more people from the tribe. If they learn how to use the herbs and the heat properly, the taste of food for the whole Merman tribe will improve. Once they learn, they can go back and teach everyone else."