The two stopped looking around and quickened their pace to walk forward.

Before long, Rong Lianhu was drenched in sweat and wanted to drink water, but he was afraid that he didn't have enough water, so he could only endure it and keep swallowing his saliva.

Upon seeing this, Qing Xuanzi said, "Don't be stingy with the water. Drink as much as you want. I brought plenty."

Rong Lianhu understood that he was prepared, so he stopped holding back and gulped down the water.

After finishing their drinks, Rong Lianhu noticed that Qing Xuanzi and Rong Jiaojiao were completely dry, without a trace of sweat. He couldn't help but ask, "Brother, do you have some kind of method? How come even Jiaojiao isn't sweating?"

Rong Lianhu is genuinely envious...

Qing Xuanzi smiled but did not answer directly. Instead, he took out a thin yellow talisman from his pocket, and with a gentle wave, the talisman turned into a breeze and landed on Rong Lianhu.

Instantly, Rong Lianhu felt a cool sensation travel from the top of his head to the soles of his feet, and the sticky sweat instantly disappeared, making him feel much more refreshed.

"Wow, bro, this talisman is amazing!" Rong Lianhu patted his cheeks in surprise, feeling the wonderful coolness.

Rong Lianhu didn't realize that whenever he was with Qing Xuanzi, his words and actions would unconsciously become childish.

Qing Xuanzi explained smugly, "This is a summer-cooling talisman that can keep you cool in hot weather. However, this talisman only lasts for five hours, after which you will return to normal."

Five hours, ten hours—perfect, just in time for the day to pass.

Rong Lianhu was full of admiration and praised, "That's already very impressive."

He couldn't help but marvel at Qing Xuanzi's abilities. He had only known that Qing Xuanzi was highly skilled in martial arts, but he never expected that he also had such abilities.

He felt better. Seeing that his daughter's face was still flushed even though she wasn't sweating, he took off his hat and fanned her as he walked.

The little girl thought her father was playing with her, and she kept giggling, patting Rong Lianhu's arm with her little hands, her eyes curving into crescents.

Rong Lianhu felt a warm glow in his heart as he watched his daughter smile happily, and couldn't help but pinch her cheek.

Rong Jiaojiao's mouth immediately watered.

Rong Lianhu quickly let go. Qing Xuanzi watched the father and daughter playing, a slight smile on his lips and a look of doting affection in his eyes.

He gently adjusted Rong Jiaojiao's position to make her more comfortable, and then said, "Don't just focus on having fun. It won't be so easy once we get to the mountains."

Rong Lianhu nodded, his smile fading, and said seriously, "Brother, how long do you think it would take you to figure out this situation?"

Qing Xuanzi only said one sentence: "Prepare more!"

These few words conveyed a lot, making Rong Lianhu feel heavy-hearted.

This year, the drought in northern China is severe, with some areas even experiencing complete crop failure.

If the drought continues next year, I'm afraid the whole nation will have to tighten their belts.

He stopped talking and simply stood next to Qing Xuanzi, fanning Rong Jiaojiao gently.

As if knowing her father wasn't in a good mood, Rong Jiaojiao suddenly produced a cucumber and started calling out "Daddy!"

Rong Lianhu and Qing Xuanzi looked at her at the same time and saw that the cucumber in her hand looked fresh and green, as if it had just been picked from the ground, which was in stark contrast to the surrounding arid environment.

Rong Lianhu was stunned for a while before he reacted. He was shocked and looked up at Qing Xuanzi and then down at Rong Jiaojiao. After a while, he asked uncertainly, "Master, is this how Jiaojiao conjured up cucumbers yesterday?"

Qing Xuanzi nodded firmly: "Yes, I couldn't sense anything before she took it out. By the time I sensed it, it was too late. That's why I said yesterday that Jiaojiao is no longer suitable to return to the family compound."

Rong Jiaojiao didn't seem to care about their surprise. She just happily waved her little hand and handed the cucumber to Rong Lianhu, making "Aba aba" sounds, as if urging her father to eat it quickly.

Rong Lianhu took the cucumber, broke it in half, gave one half to Qing Xuanzi, and ate the other half himself.

He took a bite, and the cucumber's coolness invigorated him under the scorching sun. Looking at the cucumber in his hand, he felt both happy and worried.

I'm happy that my daughter has this ability, and she will definitely not go hungry in the future. I'm worried about whether my daughter will have to pay any price for these abilities.

Qing Xuanzi wanted to see Rong Jiaojiao's reaction, so he also put the cucumber in his mouth and ate it with relish.

Seeing that the two were eating without sharing with her, and that there was suddenly another one in her hand, Rong Jiaojiao stopped asking for it and just opened her mouth to bite it.

Qing Xuanzi reacted quickly and snatched the cucumber away.

This made Rong Jiaojiao furious, and she burst into loud sobs.

"How can you let her cry like this in this hot weather?" Rong Lianhu was so anxious. He quickly handed the cucumber in his hand to Qing Xuanzi and hurriedly coaxed Rong Jiaojiao, "Jiaojiao, be good, don't cry. Daddy will make you cucumber juice."

As she spoke, she took off her backpack, took out a lunchbox that she had prepared to use to boil water in the mountains, and took out a small knife to prepare to slice the cucumber into thin slices for Rong Jiaojiao to eat.

Seeing Rong Lianhu's flustered state, Qing Xuanzi stopped him, saying, "You don't need to bother, use mine."

Then he pulled out a small ceramic mortar from somewhere, broke the cucumber he had just snatched into small pieces and put them in, and then cast a spell.

Soon, the mortar and pestle were filled with cool cucumber juice, emitting a faint fragrance.

Rong Lianhu's eyes lit up as he watched Qing Xuanzi's actions: "Brother, you really have a way."

Qing Xuanzi laughed and said, "I thought of this last night. She can't just take out the cucumbers herself and not be able to eat them, can she?"

He took out a small spoon and handed it to Rong Lianhu along with a mortar and pestle. Rong Lianhu took it, carefully scooped up a little cucumber juice, and fed it to Rong Jiaojiao.

Rong Jiaojiao was still crying loudly, but when she heard her father's voice and saw the small spoon he handed her, her crying gradually stopped. She looked at the cucumber juice in the spoon with curiosity.

Rong Lianhu carefully brought the spoon to Rong Jiaojiao's lips and coaxed her softly, "Jiaojiao, be good. This is cucumber juice, it's very delicious."

Rong Jiaojiao licked her lips, then opened her small mouth and drank the cucumber juice in the spoon in one gulp.

The cool juice slid down her throat, and her eyes lit up instantly. After swallowing, she immediately opened her mouth and cried out, "Ahhh!"

Seeing his daughter happy, Rong Lianhu breathed a sigh of relief and a smile appeared on his face.

He quickly scooped up another spoonful of cucumber juice and fed it to Rong Jiaojiao.

She fed her as she walked, but before long, she was stopped by Qing Xuanzi after only feeding her half of it: "This is enough for her to drink for now. I'll put the rest away and feed her again at noon."

After a short delay, they quickened their pace and, half an hour later, they bypassed the village and arrived at the foot of the mountain.

The trees at the foot of the mountain are sparse, and the leaves on the trees have turned yellow due to the drought, but even so, the atmosphere of the mountain forest is still refreshing.