Chapter 489: The Delicacy That Gave Temple Master Ning a Headache? Giant Meat Worms!

Evening fell as Ning Fei returned to the Mentawai tribe.

The tribespeople welcomed him with incredible warmth.

The tribesman who had witnessed him tame the rhinoceros spotted him and immediately began shouting.

"That's him! He's the one who rode the rhinoceros!"

At his cries, the rest of the tribe looked at Ning Fei with even deeper reverence.

The drone hovered overhead, broadcasting the scene live.

Ning Fei smiled.

"Looks like I'll be crashing their dinner tonight," he told the stream.

"It's a good chance to experience the local culture."

The sun was just beginning to set.

Bonfires flared to life around them, illuminating the entire village.

Shadows danced across the ground in the flickering firelight.

The atmosphere was lively and welcoming.

Just then, two men stepped forward wielding long machetes.

The sight startled the viewers in the livestream.

'What are the Mentawai people doing?'

The men marched to the edge of the village and stopped before a large, slightly decayed tree, looking like they were about to chop it down.

"That's a very unique species known as the sago tree," Ning Fei explained. "To the Mentawai people, it's the 'Tree of Life.'"

"When you split it open and wash the inner pith, it yields starch that they use as a staple food."

"Once dried, the leaves are rolled into tobacco, which is a major luxury for the locals."

"But its most important use is providing the villagers' absolute favorite snack."

Thanks to his Encyclopedia skill, Ning Fei could unlock all the information about the sago tree.

However, reading through its details gave him a bit of a headache.

'A snack? What kind of snack?'

'Trees have snacks inside them?'

'Temple Master Ning's expression looks a bit off!'

The viewers couldn't help but wonder.

By now, the two Mentawai men had hacked away the tree's thick bark.

Instantly, a massive swarm of white, thumb-sized fleshy grubs began tumbling out of the trunk.

Several nearby children erupted into excited cheers at the sight of the grubs.

Ning Fei's mouth twitched.

The rest of the tribe, however, was ecstatic.

To them, these sago tree worms were an absolute delicacy.

They were the very snacks meant to be eaten raw.

Ning Fei had never been fond of bugs. It wasn't that he was overly squeamish; it was just a personal aversion.

Watching the village celebrate, all he could do was offer a helpless smile.

Thankfully, dinner also included roast warthog.

Otherwise, he would have been forced to figure out his own meal.

The Grand Shaman personally brought him a bowl full of the grubs.

The fat, white worms writhed endlessly inside the wooden bowl.

Ning Fei had never felt quite this defeated.

"Thank you, but I'll pass," he declined with a polite smile.

"They are delicious. I picked out the largest ones specially for you. The bigger the sago tree worm, the better the flavor," the Grand Shaman urged.

"Give them to those two boys," Ning Fei deflected. "I saw how fiercely they hunted that warthog today. They deserve a reward."

At that, the Grand Shaman didn't press the issue.

The viewers watched the exchange with great amusement.

'Hahaha, even Temple Master Ning has his moments of defeat!'

'It's true! In some parts of Huaxia, certain maggots used to be high-end delicacies reserved for nobles. I'm talking about the ones cleanly raised on pork, obviously, not the ones in outhouses.'

'I'm eating right now! Please shut up!'

'These giant worms are a true local specialty. Come on, Temple Master Ning, won't you try just one?'

'Good lord, just looking at them makes my skin crawl.'

The sago tree worm incident aside, the rest of the Mentawai tribe's bonfire party was incredibly peaceful and serene.

People chatted idly as they ate, completely unburdened by worldly worries.

Within their self-contained system, everyone had their own role. A modern person might view this lifestyle as terribly dull, but the Mentawai people enjoyed a remarkably high level of happiness.

Happiness meant something different to everyone.

Ning Fei dined on the roast warthog, finding the meat quite decent.

His little companions rested comfortably around him.

The tribespeople treated him with profound respect.

They had hosted foreign tourists before, and since those visitors had been friendly, the tribe had welcomed them warmly in return.

But Ning Fei was different.

Every single one of his pets was extraordinary.

A white falcon, a white fox, a phoenix...

To the Mentawai people, he was nothing short of a god descending to earth.

The viewers watching the stream were deeply moved. The foreign viewers in particular felt as though they had been transported into a high-fantasy world.

Bonfires, primitive tribes, tribal tattoos, and a literal god.

Ning Fei had originally planned to simply resupply at the port, admire some of Sumatra Island's unique flowers, and catch a brief glimpse of this rare primitive tribe.

He never expected the tribe to treat him with such overwhelming reverence.

Ning Fei spent the night in the village. The next morning, just as the sky began to lighten, he packed his bags, swept his room clean, and quietly left with his little companions.

If he didn't leave now, he might never get the chance.

The tribe's hospitality was simply too intense.

What Ning Fei didn't know was that when the Mentawai people discovered his absence later that morning, they concluded he truly was a divine messenger.

The Grand Shaman certainly helped matters by adding his own colorful embellishments to the tale. Since the tribe already deeply believed in spirits and deities, the story spread rapidly by word of mouth, growing more mystical with every retelling.

"The divine messenger graced our tribe. We thank the heavens for their protection!"

The Grand Shaman dropped to his knees before the hut where Ning Fei had slept, and a massive crowd of villagers immediately knelt behind him in a sweeping wave.

But Ning Fei was already long gone, completely oblivious to the grand spectacle.

It wasn't until around 9:00 a.m. that Ning Fei finally turned on his stream.

The drone launched high into the air.

On the screen, Ning Fei strode forward wearing a hiking bag. Three little black kittens were sprawled lazily across the very top of his pack.

They were textbook domestic cats with pure bloodlines, which meant they were incredibly lazy.

But they were so adorable that their laziness only made them look cuter.

Little Fox, Little Dog, and Little Fei jogged along the ground beside him.

Even though Little Fei could fly, flying took a lot of energy. Running was simply more comfortable.

Xiao Feng perched securely on Ning Fei's shoulder, occasionally taking off for brief flights. As the bird flew, its three colorful tail feathers trailed gracefully behind it, giving Ning Fei a somewhat ethereal, immortal air.

High above, the Little falcon patrolled the sky, entirely hidden from view.

'The whole family is together! Where are you guys heading?'

'Did Temple Master Ning already leave the primitive tribe?'

Viewers flooded the chat with curious questions the moment the stream went live.

Ning Fei addressed the camera.

"I left the Mentawai tribe early this morning," he said.

"According to my calculations, the village isn't actually that far from the port."

"If I keep up this pace, I should reach it by evening."

"So for today, I'm planning to trek straight across Sumatra Island's Tropical Rainforest to reach the docks."

"It's a good excuse to take in the scenery along the way."

The explanation satisfied the viewers.

'Primitive tribes, primeval forests... wherever Temple Master Ning goes, it always feels like he's time-traveled.'

'Maybe he actually did.'

'The world Temple Master Ning sees is just completely different from ours.'

'Honestly, just getting to see a world like this through his stream is a blessing.'

Ning Fei continued his trek along the riverbank.

Not far ahead, a group of otters was busily constructing a dam.

Watching the adorable little creatures scramble over each other put him in a great mood.

When Little Dog spotted the otters, he trotted over curiously, seemingly hoping to say hello.

He gave two cheerful barks to announce his friendly intentions.

In the next second, every single otter frantically dove underwater. The bustling "otter construction crew" vanished without a trace in the blink of an eye.

All that remained was their half-finished river structure and a very lonely Little Dog standing on the bank.

"They're easily frightened. Don't scare them," Ning Fei laughed, highly amused.

Hearing that, Little Dog trotted back in utter dejection.

The viewers erupted into laughter at the display.

The atmosphere in the livestream was wonderfully light and joyful.