Don't farm, cultivate immortality!

"They are a group of people who live in the icy and snowy world." Zhuang Xing patted the mud off his hands and looked up at the distant mountains. "Their houses are like the little round mounds we make, short and small, but they don't use mud, they use ice and snow."

"But a house made of ice and snow...won't it be cold sleeping inside?"

"I heard it's not cold, it's actually quite warm, but I've never slept in it, so maybe that's just bragging."

"There are houses like this..." Yunling looked towards the other side of the mountain.

As Yunling sighed, Zhuang Xing lowered his head and buried the two remaining fruit pits under the dry brown leaves.

"If we bury the pit of this snake fruit in the ground, maybe it will bear fruit again next year."

"Let's go back and roast this snake." Zhuang Xing picked up the grass snake.

Yunling nodded and silently followed behind him.

The two returned to the White Rat Hole and started a fire again.

Yunling used a small knife to skin the snake, washed it in the river, and they cooked the snake meat and ate it in the evening.

The snake meat was very chewy, tasting like chicken leg meat. It was delicious, but there were quite a few bones.

After they had eaten their fill, the two practiced warm-up exercises together.

Today they were well-fed and watered, eating fish and snake, and each of them received a spiritual fruit.

After performing a set of warm-up exercises, Zhuang Xing felt refreshed, sweat evaporating from his pores. He felt he had inexhaustible strength, enough to kill a bull with a single punch.

He couldn't stop running along the riverbank, chasing the ceaseless flow, stretching out his arms to feel the wind.

Seeing him running so happily, and watching his shadow grow farther and farther away, Yunling couldn't help but chase after his retreating figure.

She hadn't run like this in a long time; her loose hair danced freely in the wind.

As darkness fell and the sun began to set, everything in the world gradually lost its color.

Looking at the shadow in front of her, she suddenly felt as if she were having a very long dream, so long that she would never wake up.

Chapter 39 New Sprouts

The spring sunshine is bright and the spring breeze is gentle; it's another peaceful and harmonious day.

As dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves, a child's shout suddenly echoed from the grove.

"I am the giant wave sweeping across the world!"

"rua!"

Zhuang Xing brandished his wooden sword, and with a sizzling sound, a snake head leaped up like a jumping frog, spinning and weaving through beams of light before landing behind him.

Yunling smiled faintly and clapped her hands.

"This move is the long-lost Noxian Guillotine," Zhuang Xing said smugly, his hands on his hips.

"Where is Noxus?" Yunling asked.

"It is a country that reveres the strong. There are many powerful warriors there who speak only by strength. The strong enjoy wealth, power and honor, while the weak have nothing."

Yunling rested her chin on her hand, looked at Zhuang Xing's face, and listened quietly.

Zhuang Xing tore off the decapitated snake and looked at the snake fruit plant in the small mound.

It looked like it was about to wilt; the leaves were wrinkled and had lost their moisture.

“This is the eighth snake. Let’s pick this snake fruit today,” Zhuang Xing said.

"Okay." Yunling nodded and picked the snake fruit.

They dismantled the small mound, restored the place to its original state, and went back to the White Mouse Hole to start a fire.

Now their small base has an extra bluestone pot. Zhuang Xing uses a wooden ladle to scoop clear spring water into the bluestone pot, while Yun Ling has just finished processing the snake meat, cutting it into pieces, and throwing it into the pot along with the sliced ​​fish.

In addition, they also cooked some mushrooms and bamboo shoots they had dug up in the pot, and threw the snake fruit in as a side dish as well.

Yunling has become Zhuang Xing's personal cook. Her skills are becoming more and more dexterous, and she is very good at finding meat to eat. With her around, Zhuang Xing never has to worry about not being able to catch fish.

Wherever she points, Zhuang Xing thrusts his spear, always hitting the mark every time.

Zhuang Xing added firewood to the small stove, humming a cheerful tune.

The pot was steaming hot, emitting a delicious aroma.

Zhuang Xing's index finger twitched, and his saliva began to flow. Just then, a white rat's head emerged from the ground.

The white rats came attracted by the scent and immediately ran to the rock where Zhuang Xing was sitting.

The little guy has become familiar with the two of them, and this bluestone pot was commissioned by Zhuang Xing to be made by it.

The method is very simple: find a stone of similar shape, and then have a white mouse dig a hole in the stone little by little to hollow it out into a pot.

Although white rats have little fighting ability, they are very good at dealing with things like mud and rocks.

As payment for asking it to help, it would occasionally come out and share a bite of the meat when Zhuang Xing and Yun Ling had a special meal.

The white mouse was only the size of a palm; even if you stuffed its belly full, it wouldn't make much meat. Zhuang Xing was happy for it to come more often, so that it wouldn't forget its brother when good things happened in the future.

Zhuang Xing took out a wooden bowl, scooped out a bowl of meat soup, and placed it on the ground. The white mouse squeaked twice, buried its head, and then ran over to drink the soup with relish.

Zhuang Xing and Yun Ling slowly shared the remaining soup.

The taste was very good. Although only a little salt was added, the aroma of mushrooms and bamboo shoots enhanced the flavor of the hot soup, and the sweet snake fruit had a unique fragrance. Once stewed, that fragrance permeated the tender fish and snake meat.

Having practiced the warm-up technique for a month, the two of them had grown increasingly hungry. This pot of stew was so big that even two adults might not be able to finish it, but after they shared it, they were still somewhat unsatisfied.

Zhuang Xing patted his belly, took out the jade slip, and said, "It's about time to move on to the next stage."

"What should we do next?" Yunling asked.

“According to the layman, once our aura is revealed, we will know what we are good at,” Zhuang Xing said. “The jade slip doesn’t say exactly how to do it, but I can sense it to some extent. You should feel it too.”

"Yes." Yunling nodded. "I probably know some of it."

“So let’s try using water here.” Zhuang Xing scooped up a bowl of water from the river. “Water can contain everything. If we release our energy into the water, we might see some changes.”

Zhuang Xing casually plucked a blade of grass and placed it in the water. Although he hadn't followed the proper procedure of taking the hunter exam and obtaining a hunter's license, there shouldn't be any major problems.

"Let me go first!" Zhuang Xing said enthusiastically, holding the bowl.

A month later, he was able to control the circulation of his acquired Qi. He gathered his Qi in his palms and tried to let it dissipate, which felt like breathing with his palms.

Soon, the water in the bowl changed.

The water seemed to boil, constantly splashing up many droplets. They became restless and agitated. The most unusual thing was the blade of grass in the bowl. It broke apart, not by being washed away by the water, but as if it had been hit by an invisible rotating blade, and was finely cut into small pieces in the turbulent water.

This situation was within Zhuang Xing's expectations. He had this feeling when he swung his sword. His Qi was very aggressive, especially when cutting things.

Yunling's Qi lacked this characteristic. Zhuang Xing had tried to teach her to wield a sword, but she was completely unable to unleash any sword energy.

Since this is a test, let's see where the limits are.

Zhuang Xing focused intently on gathering his Qi. This was the first time he had ever mobilized even his innate Qi. Before he could even feel a surge of joy, suddenly, with a few cracking sounds, the wooden bowl in his hand shattered into pieces, and the water sphere inside, carrying leaf fragments, fell to the ground.

Looking at his wet shoes, he remarked, "Indeed, a wooden bowl is something that can be cut."

"Wow, that's amazing..." Yunling's eyes showed a hint of envy.

“Everyone has different strengths.” Zhuang Xing patted Yunling’s shoulder. “Although I can cut through many things, I can’t find fish in the water. Yunling, why don’t you give it a try? You’ve been working hard in your cultivation, and it’s time to see the results.”

"Mm." Encouraged by Zhuang Xing, Yunling nodded, picked up a bowl of water, and put some grass leaves in it.

She closed her eyes, and the sound of the wind reached her ears.

"Actually... I've had a feeling lately..."

"what?"

"I think I... can hear the sound of grass and trees..."

A gentle breeze blew by, ruffling a lock of hair that hung down Yunling's forehead.

Unlike when Zhuang Xing was tested, the water in her hand was extremely calm, without any ripples.

Yunling opened her eyes and looked down, her eyelids drooping, looking very disappointed.

"As expected... I'm still too stupid..."

However, Zhuang Xing picked up the leaf and showed it to Yunling.

"Look!"

"I told you, everyone has different strengths!"

Zhuang Xing chuckled and placed the leaf in Yunling's palm. Yunling was stunned. The leaf that had been torn off had sprouted tender new buds from its tail.

Chapter 40 Lottery Spells

Zhuang Xing confirmed once again that Yunling was more suited to learning the White Lotus Hermit's magic than he was.

“Yunling, starting tomorrow, I’ll teach you to read,” Zhuang Xing said. “From now on, we’ll probably be going down different paths. My physique is more suited to swordsmanship, so you will learn the life-giving techniques of the White Lotus Hermit.”

"Once you can read, you can look up the cultivation techniques on the jade slip yourself."

Upon hearing this, Yunling's heart tightened, and the joy on her face vanished.

"Then... if there's anything I don't understand in the future... can I still come to you for help?" Her eyebrows trembled slightly as she asked softly.

"If you always think about relying on others on the path of cultivation, you will never achieve great things!" Zhuang Xingyi said righteously.

“Okay…” Yunling lowered her head, looking somewhat disappointed.

"However, if there's anything you really don't understand, as a friend, I can still try to help you," Zhuang Xing said with a smile, "though I might not be able to be of any help."

“Friend…” Yunling repeated the word, then suddenly looked up, her smile as bright as a flower, “I understand, thank you, Zhuang Xing.”

"Then let's not delay. Today I'll tell you the key points of cultivating the Life Force Technique." Zhuang Xing shoveled soil to extinguish the fire. "I've already looked into the sword techniques in private. I'll teach you the part you want to learn first."

"Mmm." Yunling sat obediently, her small hands resting on her slender legs, like the well-behaved girl next door.

Zhuang Xing then took out the jade slip, pointed to the outline of the life-giving techniques, and explained it to Yunling with the illustrations.

He had already read this part and realized that this technique was not suitable for him.

Because the White Lotus Hermit's magic requires a strict condition: a certain affinity with plants.

The reason why the layman is called the White Lotus Layman is because he has a common killing move that will drain the blood of the victim and cause them to die. After death, strange white lotuses will bloom on the corpse.