Everyone stood in the sunlight, their shadows short beneath them. It was clearly noon.
Zhang Ci looked up at the sky and broke the silence. "All right, it's noon. Let's eat something to replenish our strength, then set off from here."
Just then, a breeze swept past, carrying the distinctive freshness of the distant mountain forests.
Chen Xiaojun drew a deep breath, savoring nature's gift, then turned to Zhang Ci with a smile. "Teacher Zhang, look how spacious and warm this cave is. It's perfect for a barbecue. Once we're done eating, we can have a good rest here, too."
Zhu Wuneng hurriedly chimed in, "Right, we've got a cave here. We can barbecue! A Fu, come over here and suck back the poison you released!"
Chen Shurui nodded as well. "These Blazing-Wing Spirit Luans are good stuff. We shouldn't waste them."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
After two or three days of dry rations, their mouths were so bland they could have hatched birds.
That was the trouble with these mountains, especially the Xieluo Mountains. There were plenty of birds and wolves, so people generally didn't dare light fires and produce smoke. Unlike a forest, there were no great trees to hide it.
Zhang Ci looked at the children watching him eagerly, then surveyed their surroundings. They were near an extinct volcano, where there was already plenty of smoke. A small fire should be fine, shouldn't it?
After some thought, Zhang Ci finally gave a cautious nod. "All right, but be careful. Don't let it smoke too much and attract unnecessary trouble."
Hearing that they could barbecue, Zhu Wuneng immediately jumped for joy. "Great! I'll go find firewood!"
Chen Mu slapped him, looking at him as though he were an idiot. "What firewood? There's flame grass down below. Just pick