58: Daily interactions

Mo Yuhan swiftly built a small fire using dry branches. He controlled the Xuan Huang Flame with his Dou Qi, making it neither too strong nor too weak.

Then, he skillfully scaled and gutted two fish, skewered them on sharpened wooden sticks, and slowly roasted them over the fire.

The cleaned Swift Shadow Rabbit was wrapped in several large, fragrant, unknown leaves, then covered with a layer of wet mud, and finally buried whole in the hot ashes beneath the fire.

Soon, the aroma of roasted fish began to fill the cave. Mo Yuhan, while turning the fish, carefully sprinkled some powder from several small jade bottles nearby—it was salt and simple seasonings he had ground himself to remove fishy smells and enhance flavor.

The fish skin was roasted to a golden crisp, and oil dripped onto the embers, sizzling and making the aroma even more enticing.

At the same time, the mud ball buried in the ashes began to emit a meaty scent mixed with the fresh aroma of leaves.

Yun Yun, having just recovered from severe injuries, was already weak. Now, with the rich aroma stimulating her, a strong feeling of hunger immediately surged in her stomach.

She could no longer remember how long it had been since she felt such a pure desire for food.

At Yunlan Sect, her diet was handled by dedicated staff; though exquisite, it lacked the warmth of home cooking.

"The roasted fish is ready, Cloud Zhi, Elder Sister. You should try the roasted fish first."

Mo Yuhan carefully took down a skewer of golden, fragrant fish, blew on it, and presented it to Yun Yun on a clean leaf.

The fish was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, melting in her mouth, with the unique char of the charcoal and just the right amount of saltiness.

There was no complex seasoning, but it preserved the fish's deliciousness to the greatest extent.

Yun Yun ate in small bites, her cold body seemingly warming up because of the warm and delicious food.

A hint of amazement flashed in her eyes, and her gaze towards Mo Yuhan became softer and more curious: "Yu Han, Younger Brother… Is it alright if I call you that? Your cooking… is truly excellent. How old are you? How did you end up alone in such a dangerous place deep within the Monster Mountain Range?"

Mo Yuhan was busy digging out the scorching hot mud ball from the fire pit. Hearing her, he replied without lifting his head: "Of course, it's fine! I just turned nine. Actually, I'm not really alone. I came from Wutan City, planning to go to the Alchemist Guild in Black Rock City to obtain a Second-Rank Alchemist badge, and also to wait for the Canaan Academy's recruitment team."

"But on the way, I was ambushed by enemies and got injured. I had no choice but to flee deep into this mountain range to lay low, recover from my injuries, and then figure out a way out."

As he spoke, he carefully cracked open the mud shell with a stone. The leaves wrapped inside were already roasted to a golden brown, and a richer burst of steam, mixed with meaty and herbal aromas, suddenly gushed out.

He tore open the leaves, revealing the glistening, incredibly tender rabbit meat inside.

"Wutan City, Alchemist Guild to obtain a Second-Rank Alchemist? Canaan Academy?"

Yun Yun's chewing motion suddenly stopped, her beautiful eyes instantly widening, filled with unbelievable shock.

She abruptly looked at Mo Yuhan, her gaze sweeping over him.

Earlier, she was severely injured and her senses were dull, and she was also misled by Mo Yuhan's age. Now, concentrating her perception, she clearly felt the steady and condensed six-star Dou Zhe aura within this nine-year-old boy's body.

Plus, he personally said he was going to take the Second-Rank Alchemist exam…

A nine-year-old six-star Dou Zhe!

He might even be a Second-Rank Alchemist. Any one of these titles alone would be enough to shake the Gama Empire.

And these three titles, appearing simultaneously on one child?!

This was simply an unheard-of monstrous talent.

Even Nalan Yanran, the core disciple of her Yunlan Sect, whom they had nurtured with all their resources, was far from achieving such accomplishments at this age.

"Wait… you said you came from Wutan City?"

Yun Yun's voice carried a hint of curiosity that she herself didn't notice, "Xiao Yan from the Xiao Family in Wutan City… Do you know him?"

She naturally knew about Nalan Yanran's trip to the Xiao Family to annul the engagement.

Seeing a local from Wutan City here, she was naturally curious.

"Xiao Yan?"

Mo Yuhan tore off a fragrant rabbit leg and handed it to Yun Yun, "I've heard of him, yes, the Third Young Master of the Xiao Family. He had some health issues a few years ago, but recently I heard he resumed cultivation. I'm not very familiar with him, Cloud Zhi, Elder Sister, why are you suddenly asking about him? Do you know Xiao Yan?"

He blinked his large eyes, looking like a curious baby.

Yun Yun looked at Mo Yuhan's "innocent" eyes, and her doubts slightly lessened.

It seemed this child was just from Wutan City and might not have a deep connection with the Xiao Family.

Yun Yun vaguely said: "Just… heard a little about him. But you, Yu Han, Younger Brother, your talent… is truly astonishing. A nine-year-old Second-Rank Alchemist and a six-star Dou Zhe… it's simply incredible."

She took the rabbit leg. The meat was tender and juicy, melting in her mouth, even more delicious than the roasted fish, making herCan't help it eat a few more bites, temporarily suppressing the shock in her heart.

"Hehe, it's alright. I'm still only a First-Rank Alchemist, not a Second-Rank. As for my cultivation, it's just good luck."

Mo Yuhan gave an embarrassed smile, then tore off the other rabbit leg for himself and began to feast.

Over the next few days, in this simple but clean cave, Yun Yun was no longer the high and mighty Sect Master of Yunlan Sect. She was just a severely injured person named "Cloud Zhi" who needed to recuperate.

And Mo Yuhan became her most meticulous, and most unexpectedly, her "little housekeeper."

Every day, he would go out to find fresh food, sometimes fish, sometimes low-level herbivorous magical beasts, and once he even brought back a few unknown bird eggs.

He always managed to make delicious food in various ways; simple roasting seemed to have magic in his hands.

Yun Yun discovered that his control over the heat was simply perfect. He used the faint Xuan Huang Flame to control the fire for roasting meat, and the effect was surprisingly good.

He even used some herbs to brew light but sweet-tasting soups, saying they were good for her recovery.

Mo Yuhan would also regularly check her wounds and change her dressings.

In fact, Yun Yun no longer needed Mo Yuhan's help, but somehow, she didn't refuse his assistance.

Each time he faced the bandaged area, Mo Yuhan's small face would flush slightly, and his movements would be exceptionally gentle and careful, yet his technique became more skilled with each attempt.

Yun Yun also gradually got used to the little guy's care, moving past her initial slight discomfort.

Watching his focused and serious profile, seeing his happy smile when her wounds healed, the cold shell of her Dou Huang identity unconsciously melted away a corner.

She even proactively talked to him about trivial topics, such as which medicinal herbs were common in the Monster Mountain Range. Mo Yuhan always listened with great interest, and the insights he occasionally offered secretly surprised her.

Mo Yuhan would also continue his alchemy practice in the cave.

Yun Yun would lean against the beast skin, quietly watching him.

Watching the dark Xuan Huang Flame leap and dance at his small fingertips, watching various medicinal ingredients being refined and fused under his precise control, finally condensing into round pills.

Although Yun Yun was not an Alchemist, Gu He had once talked to her about alchemy, and only then did she believe that Mo Yuhan was truly a Second-Rank Alchemist.

The air was filled with the fragrance of medicine, and the firelight illuminated his focused yet slightly childish profile, forming a strange and harmonious picture.

Yun Yun's desire to recruit him grew stronger.