Barbecuing was a meticulous task. By the time all preparations were complete, and Lu Yang and Lan Ting had hauled the moon laurel tree back, it was already night.

Lu Yang weaved through the crowd with the moon laurel tree on his shoulder, like a triumphant great general returning from a campaign. He earned waves of exclamations and admiration.

“Why are they carrying a whole moon laurel tree back?”

“I heard it’s to be used as firewood.”

“Ah? Moon laurel trees can be used like that?”

“Probably. Since they could cut it down, it means the Tree Ancestor consented.”

Lu Yang split the moon laurel tree in the middle, then chopped it into smaller segments. He roasted them over a fire to dry out the moisture.

Next, he tossed these moon laurel logs into a large pit dug in advance, placed a grill over the pit, and laid the marinated demon rabbit upon it.

With a flick of...