Picnic

Far North Mountains, banks of the Cold Spring.

Jiang Lan gathered some dry firewood nearby and began to build a fire on the open ground by the bank to cook.

Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er were soaking in the Cold Spring, their playful splashes and giggles ringing out incessantly.

With his back to the spring, Jiang Lan calmly sliced rehydrated beef jerky into small pieces and dropped them into the pot of cold water to blanch.

Supreme Bone.exe is not responding.

Because they were protected by Jiang Lan's innate domain, the low temperature of the Cold Spring and the biting wind had absolutely no effect on them.

For Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er, the slightly chilly water was actually a rather comfortable temperature.

Of course, cold water was certainly not as comfortable as hot water.

However, conditions in the wild were primitive, and having a place to bathe was already quite good.

Jiang Lan skimmed the foam off the pot, scooped out the beef jerky that had been stewed until tender, dumped the dirty water, and calmly walked around the clothes Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er had discarded on the bank, heading to the edge of the Cold Spring to rinse the iron pot with the spring water.

"Little Junior Brother, take this!" Shui Yue'er was submerged in the spring with only her small head visible. When she saw Jiang Lan squatting at the edge of the spring rinsing the pot, a playful impulse took hold. She scooped up a handful of spring water and splashed it toward Jiang Lan with a grin.

"Trying to ambush me? Senior Sister, you're still far from it." Jiang Lan merely raised a hand, and the water Shui Yue'er splashed eerily stopped in mid-air before reversing its path and splashing back onto her face.

Water control was one of his innate abilities.

"Ah! So cold!" The chilly spring water hitting her face made Shui Yue'er let out a shriek.

"Yue'er, don't mess around. Aren't you afraid of being exposed?" Shui Bing'er couldn't help but reach out and rap Shui Yue'er on the head, scolding her.

Although the Cold Spring was dark and deep, making it impossible to see what was beneath the surface even on a moonlit night, let alone in the dimness of the current hour, one still had to be careful.

"Little Junior Brother isn't an outsider." Shui Yue'er was completely unconcerned.

"You girl..." Shui Bing'er sighed helplessly, resting her forehead in her hand.

Did this girl have no concept of modesty?

After rinsing the pot, Jiang Lan sat back down in front of the fire.

He heated the pot, added oil, sautéed the spices until fragrant, and then tossed in the blanched beef jerky to stir-fry.

Once the beef jerky turned fragrant and slightly charred, he poured in an appropriate amount of boiling water, submerged the meat, and covered the pot to simmer.

After bringing it to a boil over a high flame, Jiang Lan added various seasonings one by one, stirring the rolling broth from time to time to prevent it from scorching the bottom.

Before long, the sound of splashing water suddenly came from behind Jiang Lan.

Clearly, Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er had come ashore.

"Little Junior Brother, you aren't allowed to turn around, okay?" Shui Yue'er said with a giggle.

"Yue'er! Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Shui Bing'er's pretty face flushed a faint pink as she chided her.

Jiang Lan: "..."

They really didn't treat him like an outsider.

Pity, he only liked mature women.

Go back, you're too old.JPG

Jiang Lan's will was extremely firm; he was not tempted in the slightest.

Then came the rustling of clothes being put on.

Before long, the rustling stopped, and a fragrance like lily flowers wafted over.

"It smells so good! Little Junior Brother, when can we eat?" Shui Yue'er pounced on Jiang Lan's back, wrapping her lotus-root-like arms around his neck and asking with a smile.

"Almost there." Jiang Lan poured the sliced pickled vegetables into the pot to stew with the beef. The golden broth bubbled and rolled, the scent of meat mingling with steam to rise in wisps of white mist.

"I didn't expect Little Junior Brother's cooking to be so good. Neither Yue'er nor I know how to cook." Shui Bing'er walked to the opposite side of Jiang Lan and sat down slowly. Resting her chin in her hands, she watched his handsome face, which looked especially gentle under the orange firelight, with bright, lake-blue eyes and smiled.

She truly admired Jiang Lan for being able to make such delicious food out of pickled vegetables and jerky under such limited conditions.

"Because I lived alone before, that's probably how I practiced my cooking," Jiang Lan said with a casual smile.

"Little Junior Brother isn't alone anymore; Sister and I are both your family!" Shui Yue'er said with a grin.

"Yue'er is right." Shui Bing'er nodded slightly in agreement.

"Mm." Looking at the two girls who were eyeing him with such concern, a warmth spread through Jiang Lan's heart.

"Gurgle~"

Just then, the stomach of the girl on Jiang Lan's back suddenly gave a loud rumble, which was exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

Shui Yue'er's petite, pretty face turned bright red in an instant.

The warm atmosphere was broken. Jiang Lan pursed his lips and smiled without saying a word. He simply picked up his chopsticks to poke at the beef, which had been stewed until soft and tender, then picked up a ladle, scooped a bit of the broth, tasted it lightly, and smiled.

"Alright, it's about ready to eat."

With that, Jiang Lan took out three sets of bowls and chopsticks, scooped a full bowl of the stewed beef with pickled vegetables for Shui Bing'er and Shui Yue'er respectively, and handed them each a flatbread that had been heated over the fire until it was steaming and redolent with the scent of wheat.

"Mmm~ Hot food really is the best." Shui Yue'er took a small sip of the hot soup, the warmth sliding from her throat to her stomach. Feeling the exhaustion of body and mind dissipate and her whole body warming up, she narrowed her eyes in satisfaction.

The space inside the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow Cave was cramped and stifling, totaling less than ten square meters.

That was without counting the space occupied by those forty-plus pieces of Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow; if those were included, the actual living area was less than half of that. With the three of them living there, there wasn't even room to move around.

Although the environment of the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow Cave could accelerate cultivation, meditation was a very dull and tedious affair.

Furthermore, people weren't machines; they got tired and bored. It was impossible to meditate for twelve hours a day.

It was fine for a short time, but no one could stand it for long.

Therefore, every two or three days, the three of them would run to the bank to breathe fresh air, wash up, eat a hot meal, and get a good night's sleep.

Of course, even when they came out for air, they basically never ventured too far from the Cold Spring.

Because the Cold Spring was essentially a safe zone for them; if they encountered danger, they only needed to dive into it.

As the three were eating, a water-blue stream of light flew toward them from a distance.

Seeing this, the three of them instantly became alert, hurriedly putting down their bowls and chopsticks and subconsciously retreating to the edge of the Cold Spring.

"Lan'er, Bing'er, Yue'er, why have you come out of the Ten-Thousand-Year Ice Marrow Cave?" Shui Qinghan landed from the air with Xue Wu, looking in surprise at the burning bonfire and the three people who looked vigilant and ready to jump into the Cold Spring at any moment.