"That guy really did co over to my place, but since he saw I wasn't there, he slipped out through a crack in the window again," Yuan Ming picked up the paper and handed it to Chen Wan, saying.
"So what do we do now? Do you know where it might go?" Chen Wan asked hastily after taking a glance.
"I've only spent a month and a half with it, so I can't say I fully understand its habits. I can only try to help you look for it," Yuan Ming sighed, saying.
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Junior Brother Yuan," Chen Wan said gratefully.
"How about this, you go look around in front of the Fire Refining Hall, and I'll head towards the back mountain. Once in the forest, just shout a few tis; maybe it will co back if it hears my voice," Yuan Ming pondered, then suggested.
"Okay," Chen Wan quickly agreed.
After Chen Wan left, Yuan Ming didn't rush towards the back mountain but headed outside to search around the windowsill.
Sure enough, it wasn't long before he found traces left by Huo Chan'er.
"After completing the first level of Moonlight Technique, my insight has grown much stronger than before. This feeling is really quite sothing," Yuan Ming inwardly praised.
With the enhancent of his soul power and drawing on his experience in tracking fierce beasts, he followed Huo Chan'er's tracks and began his search.
The little creature had climbed out of his house, clambered up the nearby ancient pine tree, then flipped over the courtyard wall and headed towards the back mountain.
Yuan Ming followed the trail all the way to the bamboo forest where one of the Three Cave Masters lived.
Just when he thought the creature had gone back ho, he discovered its tracks suddenly changed direction, skirting around the Three Cave Masters' courtyard and following a small path down the mountain.
Yuan Ming pursued the trail down to the foot of the mountain, but still didn't catch sight of the creature. He could only continue tracking.
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Unknowingly, Yuan Ming followed the footprints to a valley.
As soon as he entered the valley, Yuan Ming slled a strange fragrance and suddenly realized there was a sizeable field not far ahead.
From a distance, rows of neatly divided fields were filled with plants of various colors.
The complex and odd fragrance was coming from that field.
Yuan Ming focused his gaze and imdiately spotted in one of the fields, where red plants grew, a bush that was shaking violently, with a furry red tail sticking up from one side.
Yuan Ming hurried over with large strides, heading towards that direction.
Indeed, Huo Chan'er was raising its tail, busily digging in the ground, excavating sothing.
Yuan Ming paused, surveyed the landscape, and then realized that he was in the valley between the Fire Refining Hall's mountain and the Refining Furnace Hall's mountain, and the colorful field in front of him was most likely the dicinal field of so elder from the Refining Furnace Hall.
"You little glutton!"
Yuan Ming felt a headache coming on and imdiately grabbed Huo Chan'er's tail, lifting it up.
However, Huo Chan'er struggled violently, stubbornly clutching onto the spirit dicine on the ground, refusing to let go. By the ti Yuan Ming managed to pull it up, the whole plant of spiritual dicine was also yanked out, with soil and all.
Hanging upside down by its tail, Huo Chan'er was about to beco furious when it saw Yuan Ming and its anger subsided, proudly holding the spirit dicine up for him to see.
Yuan Ming, recognizing the fire-red colored root with fla-shaped roots, imdiately identified it as a fire attribute spirit grass called Fire Earth Whiskers.
He tried to wrestle it out of Huo Chan'er's grasp to replant it.
But in desperation, the little creature bit off a big chunk, crudely chewed it a couple of tis, and swallowed it down.
"You..." Yuan Ming felt speechless and nervously glanced around.
Only then did he notice that on the other side of the field, there was a not-so-large pond with a hut made of wood and thatch built next to it.
Beside the hut, right by the pond, sat a person wearing a bamboo hat, fishing with a rod.
"This is bad," Yuan Ming muttered to himself, thinking it was a bad situation, preparing to slip away with Huo Chan'er.
Little did he expect the creature had no awareness of being a thief as it chomped on the Fire Earth Whiskers, it let out a loud fart with a "pfft."
Yuan Ming wished he could cover its backside, but it was too late.
By the ti he turned towards the person by the pond, the person had already turned to look at him, their eyes eting, creating an awkward situation.
At that mont, Huo Chan'er seed to realize it had caused a disaster, wriggled free from Yuan Ming's hand, and took off like a shot.
Yuan Ming stood there, indecisive about whether to run away or stay.
"Young friend over there, co over for a chat?" the person with the bamboo hat called from afar.
Yuan Ming hesitated for a mont but still steeled himself and walked over.
Only when he got closer did he see that the person under the bamboo hat had white hair and a white beard, appearing quite elderly, but was still vigorous and did not show any signs of senility.
Yuan Ming was trying to figure out what to say when the old man spoke first, "Don't worry, that fire mink is not here for the first ti. My master won't bla you."
"Master?" Yuan Ming asked, surprised.
"This dicinal field belongs to an elder of the Refining Furnace Hall. I have a modest job here, tending to the field, fishing - I often run into that little one." The old man chuckled, stood up, took a small wooden stool from the house, and placed it beside himself.
Yuan Ming sat down next to the elderly man after pondering for a mont.
"Young friend, how may I address you?" the elder asked.
"I am Yuan Ming, a disciple of the Fire Refining Hall. May I know your distinguished na?" Yuan Ming asked in return.
"I enjoy fishing, and everyone calls Fisherman. You can call that too," the old man said with a kind smile.
"Senior Fisherman, I'm truly sorry for the trouble caused by Huo Chan'er," Yuan Ming felt that this elderly man was extraordinary, likely the owner of this herbal field rather than a re idler tending the field.
"It's fine. It's rather dull here alone, and when it cos by occasionally, it helps to relieve my boredom. Not to ntion, this little thing is quite clever. Sotis it discovers mature spiritual dicines even before I do," the Fisherman said cheerfully.
Yuan Ming didn't know how to continue the conversation, so he managed only an awkward smile.
"Senior Fisherman, you've had quite a harvest today," he comnted, glancing at the fish basket at the elder's feet, where seven or eight fish with colorful scales were piled up.
"These Silver Scale Colorful Fish are excellent nourishnt. I'll stew a pot in a while and let you try so," the Fisherman said with a self-satisfied grin, not acting like a stranger at all.
"Then I shall impose on your kindness," Yuan Ming said, feeling that he owed an apology, so he did not refuse.
The Fisherman appeared to be a straightforward person. As he spoke, he had already gotten up to fetch a red clay stove, placed a sooty iron pot on top, and filled it with water.
Without any special preparation, he simply rinsed the fish briefly and then threw two plump Silver Scale Colorful Fish into the pot.
The fire rose, and the "gurgling" sound soon followed, with the creamy white fish soup quickly bubbling away in the pot.
A rich aroma wafted into Yuan Ming's nostrils.
"That slls amazing..." he couldn't help but exclaim with admiration.
"The scales of this fish are quite special. They dissolve on their own after being boiled in water. The aroma cos not from the fish at but from the scales. Try it..." the Fisherman said as he handed over a wooden spoon.
Without being polite, Yuan Ming took the spoon and started to drink.
The velvety soup hit his tongue, and the fragrance shot straight up to the top of his skull, clearing his mind and making him feel as though his Spirit Platform had brightened.
Sothing was off. This fish was unusually peculiar.
Yuan Ming's eyebrows shot up, his eyes alight with curiosity.
"Yuan, you have a discerning taste, noticing the difference, huh?" the Fisherman said with a twinkle in his eyes.
"This fish soup is imbued with spiritual power that nourishes the mind and spirit," Yuan Ming nodded and replied imdiately.
"Heh-heh, the fish from other places don't have this flavor. It's all thanks to the excellent water and soil of this herbal field, and the occasional dropping of various Spirit Grass seeds into the pond, that fish with such a delightful taste can be raised," the Fisherman explained.
"I am ashad, Senior, for receiving such gracious hospitality," Yuan Ming said.
"Ah... eting is fate. As an old man, I don't have much to do here all day, so having soone to talk to and chat with is really nice," the Fisherman waved his hand dismissively and said with a smile.
"Looking at you, you don't appear to be from the Southern Border, but rather like soone from the Central Plains. How did you end up joining the Biluo Cave?" he inquired further as he asked.
Yuan Ming's mind spun, and after a brief contemplation, he recounted his experience as a Fur Beast Slave, sharing only what could be told.
The Fisherman listened with furrowed brows, expressing his admiration: "From what you say, your experiences have indeed been quite extraordinary. It reminds of when I once ventured into the Central Plains many years ago. But now, so many years have passed in the blink of an eye."
At this, Yuan Ming imdiately perked up.
"Senior has been to the Central Plains? What kind of place is it?" Yuan Ming asked eagerly.
"Prosperous, lively, a place quite unlike the Southern Border. Especially the won of the Central Plains—they differ from the Southern Border, their bodies so supple as if boneless, their skin so smooth as if satin... cough cough, ah, the mories are bitter-sweet..." the Fisherman coughed twice, stopping the flow of mories involving veiled canopies and boudoirs.
"Without indulging in life's pleasures, what's the point of youth? Senior must have lived stylishly in the secular world back then... The Central Plains and the Southern Border are a thousand miles apart, and the Ten Thousand Mountains also lie in between. It couldn't have been easy to reach there, right?" Yuan Ming ventured to ask.
Actually, what he wanted to know was how the Fisherman had managed to travel to the Central Plains.
"It was different back then. There was a lot of trade between the Central Plains and the Southern Border, and I went along with a rchant caravan. Although it was a journey full of setbacks, with the caravan leading the way and rcenaries for protection, it wasn't too hard," the Fisherman recounted.
"Is it not the sa now?" Yuan Ming inquired.
"Alas, the Southern Border has been in turmoil for many years, and the trade with the Central Plains is not what it used to be. Nowadays, many rcenary organizations take on jobs to raid rather than protect the caravans. Going to the Central Plains isn't so easy anymore," the Fisherman continued.
Disappointed by the response, Yuan Ming felt a asure of sadness.
Seeing the change in Yuan Ming's expression, the Fisherman chuckled: "There's no need for sorrow, Yuan. You are a cultivator with cultivation to protect you. Once you've achieved enough in your cultivation and can ensure your own safety, need you worry about not being able to return to the Central Plains?"
"Senior jests. I've had a good life in the Sect, and today I t you—why would I think of returning to the Central Plains? It's just that my mories are vague, and I'm a bit curious," Yuan Ming chuckled and responded.
"It's no bother. If you want to hear more about the Central Plains in the future, just co find . I'll always have fish to stew for you. But next ti, don't co empty-handed. Bring so beast at or wine, and that would be even better, hahaha..." the Fisherman laughed heartily.
Yuan Ming laughed and agreed, leaving contentedly after a delightful visit.
As evening approached, when Yuan Ming returned ho, he found Huo Chan'er squatting on his table.
Upon his entry, the little creature approached him, seeming sowhat guiltily, and rubbed against his trouser leg with its head, as though apologizing for abandoning him earlier that day.
Yuan Ming flicked his foot and caught it by the scruff of its neck, lifting it like a misbehaving child, and returned it to Chen Wan.
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