“We’ll continue tomorrow.”
“Yeah!”
The two excitedly went to handle their spoils. With the smell of fish on his hands, Wen Zixing didn’t let Lu Yaoyao handle the fish, awkwardly gutting and descaling them himself. Lu Yaoyao squatted nearby, quickly storing each cleaned fish in her small pouch to maintain their freshness. “Xingxing, I keep feeling like we’ve forgotten something.”
“What?” Wen Zixing was completely absorbed in his task. His eyes were filled with nothing but fish, leaving no space in his mind to think about other stuff.
Lu Yaoyao looked at the sky. The current place they occupied was a gorge enclosed by elevated terrain on either side. Atop the summit, the sunlight was already fading, leaving only the glow of twilight.
Lu Yaoyao suddenly jumped up: “Muxue and Qianshan!”
Wen Zixing looked up in confusion but quickly realized, “Oh right, there are four of us, not just two.”
“We were so absorbed when play—… no, too invested in preparing dinner!” Lu Yaoyao claimed, trying to save face. “Muxue and Qianshan must be thrilled to see the sumptuous feast we painstakingly prepared!”
Wen Zixing looked at the cleaned fish and the butchered meat, nodding seriously, “Yes! They will be very happy, haha!”
Lu Yaoyao said, “They should be back by now; I’ll go get them.”
Wen Zixing nodded, “Okay.”
Half running, half flying, Lu Yaoyao returned to the temporary shelter and found Chao Muxue and Du Qianshan already back. Chao Muxue smiled as soon as she saw Lu Yaoyao, “Yaoyao, Qianshan and I were just wondering if we should go get you two!” She glanced behind Lu Yaoyao, “Where’s Xingxing?”
“We thought we’d improve our meals a bit while we’re out here. Xingxing caught a mutant beast, and we also found a spot with water. We’re going to have grilled fish and meat tonight!” Lu Yaoyao coughed a couple of times, trying to sound serious. She felt guilty and couldn’t let them know she and Xingxing had gone fishing and playing in the water.
Du Qianshan and Chao Muxue were pleased and didn’t suspect a thing. Du Qianshan said, “Perfect timing. Muxue and I found some wild fruits on the way. They may not be as tasty as the sect’s spiritual fruits, but they have a unique flavor.”
“That’s great!” Lu Yaoyao was thrilled. Fish and meat were sumptuous enough, but having fruits to wash their palates would make it perfect! “Let’s go, I’ll take you there!” She waved her hand.
The three quickly arrived at the gorge, where they saw Wen Zixing still working. They hurried to help. Chao Muxue, noticing everything was almost ready, remarked, “Why didn’t you wait for us? You two have done everything…”
Lu Yaoyao and Wen Zixing just coughed awkwardly.
With Chao Muxue and Du Qianshan joining, the speed of preparation increased. In no time, Du Qianshan set up a fire and skewered the meat to roast over it, with a few fish skewered nearby to roast slowly. Lu Yaoyao even contributed a small pot to make fish soup.
Lu Yaoyao initially wanted to help with the cooking, but her ‘wonderful’ cooking skills, which hadn’t improved over the years, were quickly revealed to her friends, so the three unanimously insisted she stay away from the food, only contributing spices and waiting to eat.
Lu Yaoyao watched the milky white fish soup simmered by Chao Muxue, feeling a bit regretful that she couldn’t add the Ten Thousand Devil Herb to it. The soup looked too bland and unappetizing; she preferred the beautiful black and purple bubbles her soup would produce. Unfortunately, only she could eat it, her friends couldn’t.
“Yaoyao, hungry? This is ready; have a bite,” Chao Muxue said, slicing a piece of charred and sizzling mutant beast meat seasoned with sesame oil and handing it to Lu Yaoyao.
Even though Yaoyao was the same age as them, her cute and tiny appearance made everyone in the group instinctively take care of her like a little sister. Lu Yaoyao didn’t hold back; she accepted the piece of meat, but instead of eating it all herself, she offered half to Chao Muxue, “Muxue, try it.”
Chao Muxue was fed by Lu Yaoyao, “It’s delicious!”
Lu Yaoyao smiled brightly, nodding in agreement, “Yeah, it is very delicious!”
Wen Zixing watched as the girls shared pieces of food. Feeling a bit jealous, he moved over to Du Qianshan. “Qianshan, try this fish and see if it’s done,” Wen Zixing said in a playful voice, holding the grilled fish in front of Du Qianshan, the slightly charred aroma floating through the air.
Du Qianshan leaned back and gave Wen Zixing a disdainful look, as if he were a fool. “This is the last fish you put on the grill. How long has it been cooking? Don’t you know if it’s done?”
Uhm? Wen Zixing blinked, uncertain. He hadn’t really paid attention.
Lu Yaoyao and Chao Muxue laughed at their exchange. The dinner was lively and noisy, but they ate quickly, knowing that lingering in the wild could attract danger.
After enjoying a hearty meal, they cleaned up all traces and washed themselves by the river before returning to their temporary shelter. By now, the moon was already high in the sky, and the sparse woods in this area allowed them to see the silhouettes of the trees clearly. Knowing that some wild animals fear fire, they kept a fire burning under the large tree where they took shelter.
The light from the bonfire didn’t reach far, so Lu Yaoyao took out a luminous pearl from her pouch and set it for lighting. Together, they didn’t feel afraid—except for Wen Zixing. The other three, being native cultivators, seemed naturally unafraid of darkness, while Wen Zixing felt a primal fear and couldn’t stop imagining the variety of creatures that might be lurking within those scary, dark shadows.
Ignoring Du Qianshan’s eye rolls and disdain, Wen Zixing clung to him. He tried not to focus on their surroundings, but despite his efforts, he couldn’t help but be aware of the surrounding darkness.
Du Qianshan was hugged with such force that it became difficult for him to catch his breath. He had to pry Wen Zixing’s hands off, but as soon as he let go, they latched back on. Rolling his eyes, Du Qianshan said, “What are you scared of? We’ve got defensive and attack talismans all around the area and Yaoyao’s defensive artifacts. Even if something comes, it won’t harm us.”
The girls sat on the upper branch, huddling together and chatting. Hearing the commotion, they looked at the boys. “Xingxing, are you scared? You won’t be scared if you fall asleep,” Lu Yaoyao said.
Wen Zixing stubbornly replied, “Nonsense, I’m not scared. What’s there to be scared of? I’m not scared at all.” It was still early, and he couldn’t sleep yet.
Chao Muxue chuckled. “Of course, Xingxing isn’t scared. Then how about we chat together?”
Lu Yaoyao eagerly agreed, “Yes, let’s!”
Chao Muxue suggested, “Why don’t we talk about what we each want to do in the future?”
Everyone agreed enthusiastically.
Du Qianshan spoke up first, “I want to become an outstanding sword cultivator. Even if I can never reach the heights of His Venerable, I will spend my life striving to get closer to him.” Dao Venerable Hengwu was the ultimate goal that all sword cultivators aimed for, viewing his level of achievement as something to aspire to throughout their lives.
Lu Yaoyao noticed the intense light in Du Qianshan’s eyes as he spoke. She knew many people admired her Father, but hadn’t realized Qianshan had such aspirations. “You can definitely do it!” she encouraged, “A great mountain stands before us; we shouldn’t just aim to chase, but to climb and surpass it! I want to be even more powerful than my Father and Daddy!”
“With your talent, you will definitely achieve it.” Chao Muxue smiled.
Lu Yaoyao said again, “I have so many things I want to do. I want to travel the Three Realms with you all, and I also want to explore the Three Realms with my Father and Daddy. I also want to help more people become better… Luckily, cultivators live long lives; otherwise, there wouldn’t be enough time.”
Wen Zixing’s attention was attracted by the conversation, and he immediately forgot about his fear. “I want to change the future, save everyone, thwart all plots and schemes, and bring peace to the world!” He passionately declared.
“I want world peace too!” Lu Yaoyao enthusiastically agreed. “I hope the Three Realms can coexist harmoniously and no longer be hostile toward each other.”
Du Qianshan looked at his two friends with great dreams and thought to himself, “…”
“How about you, Muxue? What do you want to do?”
“Me?” Chao Muxue smiled, her beautiful face briefly lit up with radiant. “I want to do one good act for every person, even if it means sacrificing my own life.”
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