Serbo au Serbo was true to his word.

  The rich scent of cookery filled the air, mingling with the smoke pouring off the roaring fire. Its flickering light sent long shadows dancing across the hard lines and raised ridges of the barbarian’s muscles as he worked, tossing various ingredients into the pot of boiling water hanging above the flames.

  All the while he muttered under his breath in a guttural language Yu Chen couldn’t understand. A handful of root vegetables went in first, followed by fresh herbs. The bright green leaves released a burst of fragrance as they hit the pot, making Yu Chen’s mouth water and his stomach rumble.

  Usually, as cultivators grew stronger, they didn’t need to eat as often. However, Yu Chen was a body cultivator, and still ate as much as he had as a mortal - more even. It was necessary, if he was to keep up with the energy his body constantly expended.

  Someone like Sun Yuan, who was in the same realm but hadn’t tempered his physique, could go all day without eating and it wouldn’t bother him too much. Yan Ziqi, on the other hand, might go days without feeling hungry, or even weeks, given a couple fasting pills. His body would eventually begin demanding nutrients, however, and he’d have to eat something.

  Yu Chen had also acquired a taste for food rich in spiritual energy. His eyes were drawn to the big haunches of meat rotating on a nearby spit. A tray had been placed beneath them, catching all the juices that bubbled to the surface. Every few minutes Serbo would pick up a little mop and dip it into the bowl of drippings, daubing at the meat with the care of an artist and ensuring that every inch was moist and glistening.

  The wind changed directions, and Yu Chen pressed closer to the fire as a wave of cool night air passed over him. He looked down at Sun Yuan as he shifted in his sleep, shivering. The other boy was practically comatose, as they’d laid him as close to the fire as they could. He’d collapsed on their way up the mountain, and Yan Ziqi had been forced to carry him the rest of the way.

  He was doing slightly better now, after they’d shoved some pills down his throat. His breathing had stabilized, and Yu Chen could see his nose twitch every time the smell of food rolled over him.

  Lan She was also nearby, her body coiled on a warm rock near the fire. She’d been radiating with contentment ever since the fight, and even now their bond was filled with a warm feeling of satisfaction. Surprisingly the soul attack seemed to have had little effect on her. Perhaps it was a side effect of the binding, or perhaps she was simply stronger in that aspect, Yu Chen really couldn’t say.

  He turned his head, looking towards the last member of their party. Yan Ziqi sat a bit away from the rest of them, his face half shadowed in darkness as he stared at the ground. He’d always been the quiet type, more inclined to spend time with his own thoughts than in the company of others, but he’d been more taciturn than usual since the fight. He hadn’t spoken to anyone during the last several hours.

  Yu Chen could practically see the wheels turning as he sat there deep in thought, his furrowed brows a sure sign that he was worrying at a problem.

  He knew what the issue was, and it had nothing to do with Serbo or Sun Yuan or even their current situation. No, it was something much deeper and more personal. He’d been forced to grapple with his own mortality in the face of that final attack, and he’d felt the specter of death approach him in the form of a wolf whose one bright eye glowed with a terrible silver light.

  Yan Ziqi was an artificer after all, and for most of his life he’d lived in relative safety, working on his craft. Under Elder Ming’s protection, how many times had he really had to fight for his own life? Even if he was alone, thanks to the elder, he’d always possessed some means of escape. He’d never truly had to look death in the eyes with no way out.

  Yu Chen had.

  He’d felt that same feeling himself, many times. Nowadays, he welcomed death like an old friend, and when he felt it calling he greeted it with recognition. There was a kinship there, a familiarity. One that he didn’t want to think too deeply about.

  Serbo au Serbo seemed immune to the atmosphere around him, and began to sing as he cooked, the words resonating oddly in that guttural language of his. He’d gotten a hold of a mortar and pestle at some point, and a peppery aroma floated across the wind as he ground away at something within.

  Yu Chen turned, warming the other side of his body against the fire as he watched Serbo grab a large pinch of whatever was inside. He set the mortar down, using two thick fingers to sprinkle the strange spice all over the meat as he turned it. Finished, he dusted his hands off, giving the pot a quick stir before hurrying over to flip the bread he was baking on the hot stones surrounding the fire.

  Yu Chen had to admit the man was a talented cook, going through his motions with an easy grace.

  The sun had long since sunk below the horizon, and he leaned back, letting Serbo’s strange song wash over him as he stared up at the stars scattered across the sky. The moon was large tonight, and Bì Lún, the green eye rotating around it, appeared particularly bright and unusually close to the earth.

  As strange as it was, Yu Chen felt some connection to that distant sphere, and he couldn’t help but feel safer beneath its watchful eye.

  He chuckled at his own silly thoughts. Leaning over, he picked up a rock, running it through his fingers before flinging it away. Of all the things within heaven and earth, what were the odds he was the one it was looking out for?

  Yu Chen stood up, walking away from the others as he went to relieve himself. It turned out Serbo’s base was nothing more than a little cave tucked away in a crevice halfway up the mountain they’d spent the day approaching, and he had to travel a fair bit to find some privacy.

  A small frown crossed his face as his thoughts turned towards the strange man.

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  Serbo might be slightly odd, but Yu Chen hadn’t sensed any ill will from him. He’d also saved their lives, and that went a long way in Yu Chen’s book. He’d tried talking to the man after arriving at his home, but Serbo simply grunted something about eating first.

  Yu Chen’s nose twitched as the rich scent of roasting meat reached him. Licking his lips he finished up, adjusting his robes before heading back towards the fire.

  He’d never eaten wolf before, but he couldn’t wait to try it.

  A dried flake of blood fell off as he idly scratched his nose, and he watched it fall with a grimace. No, he certainly wouldn’t mind eating a wolf.

  Thankfully the fight hadn’t injured him too much, outside of the attack that flayed his soul. Most of his collection of bruises and scrapes had already disappeared, healing completely. Some of the deeper gouges still remained, but even those would be gone by the morning.

  He made it back and collapsed by the fire, watching as the strange barbarian put the finishing touches on the meal. The smell coming off it was so nice that even Sun Yuan stirred, cracking an eye halfway open as he took a blurry look around the rocky outcropping.

  “Where are we?” He asked, sounding almost delirious.

  “We’re halfway up the mountain. It turns out Serbo’s been living up here.” Yu Chen said, nodding towards the muscle bound man pulling the pot off the fire. “You should sit up and eat something.”

  Sun Yuan sat up with a groan, raising a hand to rub at his aching forehead. The pill they’d given him had done wonders, and most of his wounds had healed over as well. Still, it couldn’t replace all of the blood he’d lost. He might be a bit dizzy for the next few days, but there would be no long term effects.

  “So we’re safe?” Sun Yuan asked, looking around, and though his gaze lingered on the savage by the fire it wasn’t as harsh as it once was.

  “Safe enough.” Yu Chen said with a shrug, as he picked up the piece of jade he’d sat by the fire, staring into its mirror-like surface. Not only did the soothing aura it emitted help heal them, it also went a long way towards balancing the tensions in the camp.

  They all felt better in its presence. Not that it showed on Yan Ziqi face.

  His thoughts were interrupted as Serbo brought over the food, carrying a massive metal platter he’d pulled from somewhere. It was overflowing with piles of piping hot flatbreads, haunches of roasted meat and bowls full of some indistinguishable soup that nevertheless smelled amazing.

  Serbo au Serbo didn’t say anything else as he set the food down, bowing his head low for half a heart beat before tearing into it, eating with his bare hands. He gripped a bowl of soup in one hand, and tore apart pieces of flatbread with the other, using them to scoop up the slow cooked meat.

  His eating was loud and unabashed, punctuated by noisy sips from his bowl between bites. Shock crossed Yu Chen’s face as Serbo dipped his whole hand into the bowl of broth, meat and bread alike. Shoving the sopping thing into his mouth, he sucked at his fingers with a childish glee.

  It was quite a savage way of eating. Yu Chen had come from a peasant family and even their manners had been more refined than that. Although he had to admit, as Serbo grabbed a now bare bone and broke it in two, greedily sucking out the marrow within, that it did look good.

  And it smelled so delicious. Yu Chen hesitantly reached forward, grabbing a piece of the flatbread for himself, before wrapping it around some of the meat. With a shrug of his shoulder he took a bite, his eyes widening in surprise the explosion of flavor spreading through his mouth.

  The meat was smoky, and heavily spiced, far beyond what he was used to. It was peppery and earthy, and every note complimented the rest, blending together in a symphony of flavors.

  He hurried to pull some to the side for Lan She.

  Sun Yuan joined in after watching the speed with which the snake devoured her portion. Yan Ziqi was the last to join, and while he still didn’t speak he ate without hesitation.

  Yu Chen thought the wolf was slightly gamy, but the spices covered it well. Although they made his nose burn and caused his sinuses to open up. Even so, he couldn’t stop eating. The taste was addictive and he even began to find the spicy heat enjoyable.

  The soup was more mellow, and he could see why the barbarian sipped it after every bite. It paired perfectly with the meal, cutting the heat of the spicy mixture.

  They ate in silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts. It didn’t take long until the platter was nothing more than cracked bones and empty bowls, without even a scrap of flatbread remaining.

  Yu Chen leaned back with a comfortable sigh, his belly tight and full. He rubbed his stomach, feeling the constant stream of energy nourishing him as the food digested.

  Serbo picked at his teeth, shadows moving across his face in the light of the flickering fire.

  “We talk now, yes?” The big man said, one muscled arm laying atop an unraised knee. “Why you come to island?”

  Sun Yuan didn’t say anything. He was snoring, having already fallen back asleep. Yu Chen looked towards Yan Ziqi, but the older boy just waved his hand, gesturing for Yu Chen to speak.

  Yu Chen turned back to Serbo, who was observing them with interest. More than a hint of intelligence lurked in the man’s eyes. The barbarian might be strong, but that didn’t mean he was a fool.

  “Cultivation.”

  Yu Chen said as he met the man’s eyes.

  “Two of us are close to a breakthrough and we’d prefer not to risk it on the river.”

  “Ah.” Serbo said, nodding his head in agreement. “Sensible, for wetlanders.”

  “Er, yes.” Yu Chen said.

  Wetlanders? Yu Chen hadn’t paid it any mind when he’d heard it before. What does he mean by that?

  “Why are you on this island?” Yu Chen asked in return. “Do you live here?”

  Serbo au Serbo let out a deep belly laugh, before suddenly growing serious.

  “No. Serbo is stranger here. Serbo was crossing river many days ago,” he opened and closed his palms rapidly as he spoke, spreading his fingers wide each time. “When storm hit,” he made a sudden motion, smacking his palms together with a sharp crack. “Everyone else gone, but Serbo somehow wake up here, still alive.”

  Yu Chen leaned back, and from the corner of his eye he saw Yan Ziqi listening with interest, clearly intrigued by the barbarian’s story.

  “Serbo help wetlanders.” The barbarian said, his shadow lengthening behind him as he leaned forward. “Wetlanders help Serbo, yes?”

  Yu Chen frowned at the words, stroking his chin as he glanced towards Yan Ziqi, who still hadn’t said anything.

  “Perhaps.” The artificer finally spoke, absently playing with a tool in his lap. “Where are you trying to go? We are heading towards Baixian city, but we could drop you off anywhere along the way.”

  “Baixian…” The barbarian said slowly, as though he were tasting the word. “Ah!” His eyes suddenly lit up.

  “There is tournament there, yes?” Serbo said, a wide smile crossing his face.

  “Yes…” Yan Ziqi said, slowly drawing out the words. “There is a tournament in Baixian city, the Immortal Fate Assembly, where the greatest cultivators on the river gather together.”

  Serbo au Serbo was nodding his head in enthusiasm as the artificer spoke.

  “Good! You take Serbo, yes?” The barbarian said, flashing them one of his extra wide smiles. ”Serbo win big tournament, bringing glory to Serbo’s everywhere!”

  This time it was Yan Ziqi who looked towards Yu Chen, gauging his thoughts.

  Yu Chen tilted his head, chewing on his lip as he thought about it. In the end he couldn’t see any reason to say no. Looking up, he gave the artificer a nod.

  “The river is dan-“ Yan Ziqi began warning the barbarian, but the words died in his throat as the man shifted position. The man was a mass of coiled muscles and covered with more scars than anyone else present.

  “Well,” Yan Ziqi said with a sigh. “Give us a few days. We still need to recover and perform our breakthroughs. But when we leave this island I promise there will be room for you onboard.”

  Yu Chen missed the satisfied gleam that passed through Serbo au Serbo’s eyes.