South of Tongxian City, on the mountain path outside Shangtai City, a carriage moved along leisurely.

Thirteen-year-old Mo Hua sat in this carriage.

Besides Mo Hua, there were Mr. Zhuang, Kui Lao, and his junior brother Bai Zisheng and junior sister Bai Zixi.

Xue Yi did not receive Mr. Zhuang’s permission, so he did not follow.

This carriage belonged to the Bai family. Its outward appearance was ordinary, but it was exceptionally sturdy. The inside was not luxurious, but it was comfortable to sit in and quite spacious, enough to accommodate five or six people.

Mo Hua and the two young Bai siblings were still small and did not take up much space, so the interior of the carriage seemed even more spacious. However, they could only sit cross-legged and not lie down.

Kui Lao was driving the carriage in front, while Mr. Zhuang was drinking tea inside. Mo Hua and the two Bai siblings were lying on a small desk, doing the homework assigned by Mr. Zhuang. These homework assignments were mainly about array methods, but also included some cultivation secrets.

Occasionally, after traveling for a long time, they would stop to rest. Mo Hua would then get out of the carriage and go to the nearby mountaintops to pull some grass to feed the horse. This horse also belonged to the Bai family and was a spirit beast with a gentle temperament; it would not be startled even when encountering demon beasts.

According to Bai Zisheng, although this horse looked ordinary and its fur wasn’t particularly white, its bloodline was special, and it had a very flashy name, something like “cloud,” “dragon,” or “Ji.” Mo Hua found it too tongue-twisting, so he renamed the horse “Big White.” Bai Zisheng was not satisfied with this name, feeling it weakened the momentum and was not imposing at all. However, the horse seemed to like it very much; every time Mo Hua called out “Big White,” it would affectionately rub its head against him.

Mo Hua liked this Big White horse more and more, so whenever they stopped to rest, he would find ways to find food for Big White, releasing his divine sense to pull grass everywhere and feed it to Big White. Big White was not picky; it would eat whatever Mo Hua fed it.

At this time, it was near noon, and Kui Lao stopped the carriage to rest. Mo Hua was feeding Big White, turning his head to look at the overlapping mountains. The sky was vast and the road long; they had already left Tongxian City very far behind. He couldn’t help but sigh softly. More than half a month had passed since he left.

Mo Hua was also gradually adapting to the life of wandering. Unlike what he had imagined, wandering was not about having an immortal aura and traveling the four directions, but about eating in the wind and sleeping outdoors, a bustling and laborious existence. Fortunately, they had the Big White horse pulling the carriage; otherwise, the journey would have been even harder.

Cultivators in the Qi Refining period were unable to fly and escape. Wandering ten thousand miles, they could only rely on their two legs to walk. Mo Hua had also not yet seen flying cultivators. This was probably because the state boundaries he was located in were all second-grade state boundaries, where the highest cultivation level was only up to Foundation Establishment. And flying and escaping should be the ability of cultivators in the Golden Core realm, or even above the Golden Core realm. If they were to come to a second-grade state boundary to fly, they would likely be wiped out by tribulation thunder as soon as they used their cultivation and ascended to the sky, truly “ascending to heaven”…

Flying in the sky, ah… Mo Hua silently repeated, a yearning involuntarily arising in his heart. Would he one day be able to cultivate to the Golden Core realm and fly in the sky and escape on the ground? It was a pity that the Golden Core realm was still far away for him; he hadn’t even reached Foundation Establishment yet.

Mo Hua felt a little emotional. Thinking about it, his stomach was hungry. But thinking about what they ate at midday, Mo Hua again lost interest. On this journey, what they ate were mostly Bigu Pills. Bigu Pills were simple and convenient, and could fill the hunger of cultivators, but eating them for a long time inevitably became tasteless, and the blood energy would not flow smoothly. However, since they were wandering, they couldn’t pay attention to so much. Mo Hua could still endure this bit of hardship.

Besides Bigu Pills, Mo Hua actually had other things to eat. Before departing, Liu Ruhua had also made a lot of dried meat, placed it in his storage bag, and told him to bring it. But Mo Hua was not willing to eat these. He would only take them out to eat when he was truly nauseated by Bigu Pills, or when he thought of home, he would eat one piece. This was made by his mother personally; he was drifting outside and could not go home. Eating one piece meant one piece less; once eaten, it was gone… Mo Hua sighed.

There was no village ahead and no shop behind. So this midday meal, everyone again ate Bigu Pills. Bai Zisheng looked miserable. It is difficult to transition from luxury to frugality. After being accustomed to eating spicy beef, eating Bigu Pills every day was indeed somewhat unbearable. Bai Zixi’s face showed no expression, but she also didn’t look very happy.

Mr. Zhuang wrinkled his eyebrows and suddenly said, “Aren’t you thinking of making something to eat yourselves?”

Mo Hua and the two Bai siblings were all startled, and then all looked towards Kui Lao. Mr. Zhuang was also gazing at him. Normally speaking, it seemed it should be Kui Lao who cooked. Kui Lao said indifferently, “I don’t mind, as long as you don’t mind.” Mo Hua and the two Bai siblings looked at each other, not understanding what they were supposed to mind.

The next day at midday, Kui Lao served a pot of meat, and they understood. Just the appearance alone was enough to make people mind… Out of politeness, they tasted one mouthful, and then could not eat any more. Mr. Zhuang also sighed and said, “What I ate before was actually this kind of thing…” Kui Lao rolled his eyes at him, “You’re just picky now, what does it have to do with me? Anyway, it tastes like this, eat it or not as you please.”

Mr. Zhuang naturally couldn’t eat it. He thought for a moment and involuntarily looked towards Mo Hua. Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi’s eyes brightened, and they all looked towards Mo Hua. Even Kui Lao was looking at him.

Mo Hua was taken aback, “I’m not very good at it either…”

Mr. Zhuang touched his chin, “According to reason, something like cooking is also inherited, right? Your mother’s cooking is so good, you shouldn’t be bad either.” Mr. Zhuang encouraged him with a sentence.

Mo Hua looked at everyone’s expectant eyes and had no choice but to nod bravely.

After that, Mo Hua recalled his mother’s cooking methods and tried to make a dish of meat soup. Mr. Zhuang tasted a mouthful and nodded slightly. Bai Zixi also tasted it and nodded gently. Bai Zisheng finished it in big gulps, shook his head, and said, “It’s still not as good as Aunt Liu’s.”

“Then why did you eat it all?”

Bai Zisheng said honestly, “I was hungry…”

Although it was not particularly delicious, among the limited options, Mo Hua’s cooking was indeed the best, so the task of cooking naturally fell to this junior brother, Mo Hua. Perhaps he truly inherited Liu Ruhua’s cooking skills, as Mo Hua learned to cook very quickly. After a few days, he was able to make dishes with shape and form.

However, it was difficult to satisfy everyone’s tastes, and there were still many problems. Mr. Zhuang’s blood energy was weak and he wanted to eat lighter food; Kui Lao wanted to eat crispy things that made a sound when chewed; Bai Zisheng wanted to eat spicy food, preferably meat; Bai Zixi wanted to eat sweet things, preferably pastries…

Mo Hua scratched his head as he listened. Finally, he thought of a method: just set up separate stoves. He drew four array methods, dividing them into four stove mouths. One for steaming, one for stir-frying, one for boiling, and another for steaming pastries.

Mo Hua drew the blueprint, designed the array methods, and when they passed through a small immortal city, they stayed for a few days. He spent more spirit stones and found a weapon refiner to forge the stove. After forging it, the weapon refiner said doubtfully, “Little brother, I can make this stove for you, but no one can help you draw this array method.” Mo Hua said indifferently, “It doesn’t matter, I’ll draw it myself.”

So Mo Hua truly drew the array method in front of him. The weapon refiner was greatly shocked. Even after Mo Hua paid the spirit stones, took the stove, and left the weapon refiner’s shop, he still had not recovered…

The array method on the stove was drawn by Mo Hua, but the spirit stones for forging were advanced by Mo Hua, and finally paid by Bai Zisheng. After the stove was forged, Mo Hua then tried to use one furnace for four purposes.

He made a dish of steamed fish. The fish used was a spirit beast; otherwise, it would not be able to be steamed, or it would not be steamed thoroughly. He stir-fried a pot of pine nuts. The pine nuts were prepared for Kui Lao; Kui Lao liked to crack pine nuts and listen to the sound. He could not eat the meal, but he could not not crack the pine nuts. He boiled a pot of beef. This beef was demon meat, which was very cheap, but it took more time to stew and boil, and used many spices, resulting in a heavy spicy flavor. He also steamed a pot of pastries. Soft, sticky, and sweet…

Not only Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi, but even Mr. Zhuang and Kui Lao were greatly shocked. Mr. Zhuang couldn’t help but suspect whether the array methods he taught Mo Hua were hindering the development of his cooking skills…

Bai Zisheng still ate it all, and then said regretfully, “It’s still not as good as Aunt Liu’s.” Mo Hua didn’t indulge him and snorted coldly, “Then why don’t you make it yourself?” Bai Zisheng said boldly, “I’ll do it!” He only felt that he hadn’t eaten pork, but had always seen the pigs run. Moreover, he had eaten a lot of meat and had also seen Mo Hua’s cooking process. This small matter, with his comprehension, should not be a problem.

So Bai Zisheng tried to boil a pot of meat himself. The result was meat that was dry and woody, didn’t absorb the flavor, was difficult to chew, and had a fishy smell. Bai Zisheng tasted a mouthful, and his little face wrinkled completely. Bai Zixi was curious and also tried to pinch a piece of dough, but it wasn’t steamed properly and flopped like a lump of white mud…

Both of them could only look eagerly at Mo Hua again. Mo Hua sighed and had to re-do it for them. After a while of effort, Bai Zisheng ate the dishes made by Mo Hua again, so moved that he almost cried, especially compared to what he had made himself. Bai Zixi ate the pastries in small bites, and her eyes were also bright.

Like this, the carriage swayed along. Unknowingly, another half a month passed. During the daytime, they hurried on their journey, learning array methods in the carriage with Mr. Zhuang. At mealtime, Mo Hua cooked. In the evening, if they did not encounter an immortal city, a small town, or some mountain dwellings, wild temples, and small sects, they would camp in the mountains. The carriage was naturally given to Mr. Zhuang to live in. Mr. Zhuang was the master of the three, and respecting the teacher and valuing the dao was natural. Moreover, after Mr. Zhuang left Tongxian City, although his complexion was better, his breath was still somewhat weak. Mo Hua also hoped that Mr. Zhuang could rest well.

Mo Hua and the two Bai siblings camped outside. Before camping, Mo Hua first inserted stone arrays in the surroundings and set up warning array methods to prevent encountering demon beasts or bandits. After that, he and Bai Zisheng and Bai Zixi together, each covered with a blanket, sat on the ground and lay down. This blanket also belonged to the Bai family, but Mo Hua had re-drawn array methods on it. It could keep them warm and also ventilate; it was warm and fluffy, not stuffy, and very comfortable to cover with.

The night curtain hung low, and the mountain moon was clear and cold. The three of them were each wrapped in a blanket, like three small caterpillars, wearing the moonlight, sleeping quietly.

Thanks to book friend Yi Gao Wu Yanzu, 20230731192917097 for the reward.

There is still one chapter before twelve o’clock.