Chapter 61: Chapter 61: Hot Potato or Hot Han Jue
The other beastmen froze. Many who had been ready to side with the witch doctor took two steps back, their faces pale. None of them wanted to get on Han Jue’s bad side.
Everyone in the tribe knew his temper; when he was angry, he really didn’t care whose bones he broke. His aura was heavy, suffocating, like a predator looming over helpless prey.
They looked at him and Su Qinglan standing side by side. Both cold, both sharp, both with tempers that could flatten anyone in their way. In their eyes, the pair really looked like a perfect match...like two demons standing together.
This couple is truly evil, someone thought, shivering.
Han Jue turned his mocking gaze back on Bai Lianhua, his smile sharp. "Still want to cry? Then cry louder. Maybe the river will carry your tears away. At least then, you’ll finally be useful... watering the fish."
Bai Lianhua’s lips trembled. She almost burst into tears on the spot. Her throat bobbed as she swallowed, trying to hold it in, but her watery eyes betrayed her weakness.
Xu Meiyan’s nails dug into her palms, her face twisted with rage. She wanted to tear Su Qinglan apart then and there, but with Han Jue standing like a wall in front of her, she could only choke on her own hatred.
Su Qinglan’s eyes shone like stars as she looked at Han Jue standing there. Her heart muttered secretly, So cool, so beautiful... damn it, his tongue is even sharper than Hu Yan’s. I’ve never seen anyone roast people like this. He actually shut those bitches up. Even that wrinkly old man can’t talk back!
She almost wanted to clap for him right there. She was totally fangirling inside.
The other females whispered among themselves, torn between fear and awe. None of them liked Su Qinglan, but seeing Han Jue openly defend her with such ferocity made their hearts stir. Some even felt envy. Why does she get his protection? Why does he never look at us that way?
But then—sniff sniff.
Her nose twitched. She blinked. Ah! Her potatoes! They were already cooked, bubbling softly in the pot, their earthy scent rising into the air. The fragrance curled between the beastmen, making more than a few stomachs grumble despite the tense atmosphere.
Su Qinglan straightened, her eyes sweeping over the crowd of beastmen and females who were still glaring at her with hatred. She smirked and raised her voice.
"If this is the toxin the witch doctor talks about, then I’ll be the first one to eat. If it kills me, fine... I’ll be the first one to meet the beast god. But if I’m fine, then you all can stop acting like this, being controlled by anyone with baseless accusations."
Gasps rippled through the crowd. The witch doctor’s face went pale. Xu Meiyan’s smug smile froze halfway. Bai Lianhua’s eyes blinked rapidly like she had swallowed a fly.
Some beastmen exchanged uncertain looks. Her words were reckless, even arrogant...but also brave. For a female to stake her life so boldly in front of the whole tribe was shocking.
Su Qinglan ignored all of them. Calmly, she reached into the pot with a stick, lifted out a steaming hot potato, and set it down on a stone. She peeled the skin with quick fingers, the steam curling around her hands. Then she sprinkled a little salt on top.
Without hesitation, she bit into it.
"Hot! Hot—" she puffed out air quickly, cheeks full. Then her eyes widened, glowing with joy. "Wow... so good!"
Her whole face lit up, looking like she had just eaten the most heavenly food in the world. Even simple beast world potatoes were a hundred times tastier than the over-fertilized junk back in her previous world.
Everyone stared at her. Some wide-eyed, some open-mouthed, some looking like they were waiting for her to fall over dead.
But Su Qinglan only took another big bite and waved her hand happily. "Mm! Soft! Fragrant! Filling! Not chewy like meat. See? I’m alive. In fact, I’m more alive than before."
A ripple of murmurs spread through the beastmen. Some were confused, some doubtful, but none could deny the way her face shone with delight.
Bai Ling, who was standing closest, couldn’t resist anymore. She grabbed one potato piece, blew on it quickly, and popped it into her mouth.
"Hot! Hot! Hot!" she yelped, fanning her mouth with both hands. Everyone panicked instantly.
"Poison!" someone gasped.
"She’s dying!" another cried.
But Bai Ling suddenly froze. Then her whole face lit up. "It’s so good! So soft! So different! I’ve never eaten anything like this... wahhh! It’s amazing!"
She actually looked like she was going to cry from happiness. Her little hands clutched the potato like it was the most precious treasure in the world.
Lin Muyu stepped forward too, her chin up. "If Qinglan eats it, I’ll eat it." She took a piece, bit into it, and let out a quiet gasp. "Ahh... delicious."
Her calm voice carried more weight than Bai Ling’s squealing, and the crowd shifted uneasily. Some females who had looked down on Su Qinglan before now stared with complicated eyes.
Then Han Jue, who had been standing like a wall, stretched out his hand and casually took a potato. He peeled it with big, rough fingers and popped it into his mouth. His sharp eyes swept across the tribe as he chewed slowly.
"Poison?" His voice was cold. "If this can poison me, then you can all dig my grave right now."
The air froze.
Su Qinglan choked on her bite, coughing. This man is really something... so dramatic! Even potatoes sound like a death threat from him!
But the crowd reacted differently. Seeing him eat without hesitation made everyone’s hearts pound. If even Han Jue dared to eat it, then... maybe it really wasn’t dangerous?
Some beastmen at the back whispered eagerly.
"It smells good..."
"It doesn’t smell poisonous at all."
"Should we... try?"
But no one dared move first. They all stared at Su Qinglan, at Bai Ling, at Lin Muyu, and especially at Han Jue. The sight of the four of them calmly eating, with happy faces, made their stomachs grumble.
Stomachs growled louder. A cub tugged at his mother’s skirt, whispering, "I want to eat too." The mother bit her lip, torn between fear and temptation.
Xu Meiyan’s face twisted in fury. Bai Lianhua looked like she wanted to cry. The witch doctor’s lips trembled as he searched desperately for words. His authority, which had always been absolute, was slipping away like sand between his fingers.
The sight was too much.
Someone finally stepped forward and shouted, "If Su Qinglan can eat it, then I’ll try too!"