10: Chasing the waves and clouds, the panel is very useful

After Jiang Lan finished speaking, he placed the large and small bags he was carrying onto the table, then immediately began to make a fire, preparing to cook.

Actually, he didn't know how to face Lin Zhaoye and Lin Qixing.

Mainly, he had no prior experience in this area.

They had indeed slept together, but besides sleeping, his interactions with the two women combined amounted to fewer than ten sentences.

If one ignored the fact that they were already husband and wife, Jiang Lan and the two women were not much closer than strangers.

As Jiang Lan busied himself, Lin Zhaoye, who was standing nearby, seemed unable to watch any longer and stepped forward, saying, "I'll help you..."

"No need, I can manage myself. The main hall is smoky, you two should go wait in the room. I'll call you when dinner is ready."

With that, Jiang Lan ushered the two women into the room and closed the door behind him.

It was already a bit awkward; if they cooked together, it would be even more so.

Inside the room, Lin Qixing and Lin Zhaoye exchanged glances.

Lin Qixing blinked and softly said, "Sister... he truly cares for us."

Lin Zhaoye's gaze was somewhat complex, and she lightly bit her lower lip... Two quarters of an hour later, Jiang Lan opened the door.

"Come out and eat."

On the table, there was steaming rice, a roasted chicken, braised beef, a dish of stir-fried cured meat with garlic sprouts, and a tomato and egg stir-fry.

Although the world was different, the produce was similar to Jiang Lan's previous life; everything that should be there was.

However, the current Great Jing did not yet have as many cuisines as Jiang Lan's time.

Seeing such a sumptuous dinner, Lin Zhaoye was fine, but Lin Qixing, the little girl, almost had her eyes pop out.

"It smells so good..."

Although they had lived reasonably well before, ever since their mother disappeared half a year ago, they had practically lived a semi-nomadic life, never having seen such food.

Lin Zhaoye glanced at Lin Qixing, then lightly patted her hand.

Jiang Lan smiled at the sight, saying,

"Hurry and eat."

Hearing this, Lin Qixing's eyes lit up, and she immediately sat down at the table.

A hint of helplessness appeared in Lin Zhaoye's eyes.

Jiang Lan then said, "You eat too, together."

At the dinner table, Lin Qixing's chopsticks danced rapidly, her eyes growing brighter with each bite.

"Mmm... this is delicious, this is delicious too..."

Although Lin Zhaoye's eating manners were much more refined, her speed was equally unhurried.

Clearly, despite her outwardly reserved demeanor, she had already been conquered by Jiang Lan's cooking skills.

In truth, Jiang Lan's cooking level in his previous life could only be considered average.

But the world was different; his half-baked culinary skills were a dimension-shattering blow in this place.

The stir-frying techniques in Great Jing were still very Elementary.

Jiang Lan quickly finished eating, then stayed at the table for a while longer, refilling two bowls of rice for each of the women.

Despite having eaten two bowls of rice, the speed at which their chopsticks wielded showed no signs of slowing down.

Jiang Lan watched with trepidation.

It wasn't that he feared he couldn't afford to feed them, but rather that they might harm themselves by overeating.

"Slow down... Eating too quickly makes it hard to digest and harms your body."

Zhao Ye's pretty face flushed slightly, and she put down her chopsticks somewhat embarrassed.

Qi Xing was clearly enjoying her meal; her mouth was still stuffed with rice, her cheeks puffed out, and she mumbled indistinctly,

"It's nothing... we just can eat..."

Jiang Lan: "..."

"Eat more, I'll make more if it's not enough."

He had indeed been worried about the two women harming themselves, but upon hearing Lin Qixing's words, he understood.

The two women were, after all, half-demonic; although they looked no different from normal people on the outside, they were certainly not the same.

Therefore, being able to eat more than normal people should also be normal.

However... if they continued to eat like this, his monthly stipend of one tael of silver would certainly not be enough to support them.

He needed to quickly enter the Realm and become a Martial Artist.

Thinking of this, Jiang Lan stood up and said,

"I have three days off starting tomorrow. It's getting late today, so I won't take you out yet. I'll read some books. Tomorrow, I'll take you to explore the nearby area."

"Mhm..."

Jiang Lan first walked to the door, took out a tinderbox, lit the red lantern at the entrance, then walked into the room.

He reached into his 懷中, pulling out the Iron Shirt Stance he had previously obtained from the Martial Repository.

Lighting the oil lamp, Jiang Lan slowly turned the pages, examining the text.

Although he had no foundation, he inexplicably understood it, and with just a glance, it was as if he could grasp its profound meaning.

Not long after, a translucent light screen appeared before Jiang Lan...

[Name: Jiang Lan]

[Realm: Unranked]

[Traits: Yin Yang Intercourse, Jiao Tendon Dragon Bone]

[Martial Arts, Dao of Arts: Treading Waves Chasing Clouds, Iron Shirt Stance (0/100)]

[Wives: Lin Zhaoye (Demon), Lin Qixing (Demon)]

[Offspring: None]

...Jiang Lan blinked.

Demon?

Was it because they were half-demons that the System displayed the 'Demon' suffix?

Or for some other reason?

Forget it, it wasn't important.

Whether demon or human, they were his people now.

Jiang Lan didn't believe that Lin Qixing and Lin Zhaoye could conspire to eat him, could they?

He focused his attention on the Martial Arts section.

Treading Waves Chasing Clouds was a movement technique, and an extremely powerful one at that.

In his memory, by actively using Treading Waves Chasing Clouds, he could burst forth with 30% more speed than usual.

The most crucial part was that this seemed to be a numerical bonus.

That is to say, if he could normally travel a hundred li a day, then using Treading Waves Chasing Clouds, he could travel one hundred and thirty li a day.

But if he could normally travel a thousand li a day, then after using Treading Waves Chasing Clouds, it would be thirteen hundred li.

If it was a momentary burst, it could even increase his speed by as much as 50%, though it couldn't be sustained for too long.

Of course, while speed increased, consumption would also increase.

However, this did not diminish the power of Treading Waves Chasing Clouds.

Normal Martial Arts were limited and required diligent practice.

But this one, rewarded by the System, aside from not being usable as an entry Cultivation Technique, was, purely in terms of its effect, something that even High Grade Third Realm Martial Artists would covet.

The System... was indeed extraordinary.

Jiang Lan slowly exhaled, then looked at the Iron Shirt Stance.

If he wasn't mistaken, this number was likely a proficiency indicator.

As long as it reached Perfection, he should be able to directly Breakthrough the Clay Body and formally step into the threshold of a Martial Artist.

Jiang Lan's heart was ablaze with excitement.

It seemed like just an added proficiency, but he clearly knew the importance of this feature.

Without the numbers, one could only rely on experience to grope their way forward.

But with an intuitive number, one could not only clearly track their progress in real-time but also know the distance to Perfection.

Even without the System, just this panel alone was Heaven-Defying enough.

Practice!

Practice now!

Jiang Lan turned his head and glanced out the window.

It wasn't dark outside yet; there was probably still half an hour.

Perfect, he could use this time to try it out.

Even if he didn't make much progress, familiarizing himself with the Martial Arts was still good.