Cheng Baidong explained, "The essence of the sun and moon refers to a special arrangement of the sun, earth, and moon during certain periods of time, which causes the energy of the sun and moon to be transmitted to the earth, namely, sunrise and yin. The sun is yang and the moon is yin, and the essence of the sun and moon complements each other, which can be absorbed through cultivation methods. By gathering the spiritual energy of heaven and earth and collecting the essence of the sun and moon, one can cleanse impurities and improve one's cultivation."

"As you can see, although the spiritual energy revival has arrived, it is progressing slowly and the amount is extremely small. So even standing on the summit of Mount Tai, which is known as the number one mountain under heaven, one can only feel the presence of spiritual energy between heaven and earth for a moment at sunrise."

At this point, Cheng Baidong shrugged helplessly: "It's better than nothing, I suppose."

It's certainly better than nothing.

After all, what can this little bit of spiritual energy do? Absorbing it into the meridians is like a drop of water falling into the ocean! You can't even find it!

Not even enough to fill a gap between your teeth!

Little Zhuque looked utterly desperate.

Help!

This means it'll be ages before it can transform into human form, sob sob...

Xiao Jing tugged at Fang Qiao's sleeve and whispered, "Sister-in-law, what my brother is saying doesn't sound very scientific to me."

What yin and yang, the essence of the sun and moon? She's been exposed to the sun and moon for so many years and hasn't felt anything.

Fang Qiao laughed and pointed at the little Vermilion Bird: "Then do you think Niao Niao's existence is scientific?"

Xiao Jing looked at the little Vermilion Bird. The enlarged Vermilion Bird was more than a meter wide. Chuan Chuan and Yue Yue sat on its back as if they were sitting on a small sheet. It was an absurd existence that anyone who saw it would find ridiculous.

Xiao Jing pursed her lips and smiled shyly, "That's not scientific."

Fang Qiao patted Xiao Jing on the shoulder and said, "There will be many more unscientific things in the future. If they exist, they are reasonable. There's no need to make a fuss."

Xiao Jing nodded and hummed in agreement.

After watching the sunrise, the group had a simple meal on the mountaintop, put the three little ones on Xiao Zhuque's back, and started walking down the mountain.

As the saying goes, going up a mountain is easy, but going down is hard. This is because when going up a mountain, the center of gravity is downward, while the force exerted by oneself is upward. The two forces are in opposite directions and form a balance. Apart from taking a bit of effort and getting tired, the danger is relatively small.

When going downhill, the center of gravity is downward, and the force exerted by oneself is also downward. As a result, it is difficult to maintain balance, and the legs and feet are prone to soreness and trembling. If you walk even slightly faster, the forward momentum is too great, and you may easily lose control and fall forward.

The child lacked focus and darted ahead and disappeared in the blink of an eye. Fang Qiao had to constantly remind her from behind, "Sweetie, it's dangerous. Don't run, walk slowly."

Cheng Baidong also took care of him from time to time.

After finally getting down the mountain, Fang Qiao was panting heavily. Fortunately, she had some cultivation, so she was in much better condition than Xiao Jing.

When Xiao Jing finished the last step, her knees buckled and she collapsed to the ground, waving to Fang Qiao and Cheng Baidong, "Brother, sister-in-law, rest, rest for a while before you go on. I really can't walk anymore."

"Okay, take a break." Cheng Baidong took out Xiaojing's water bottle from his spatial storage and handed it to her: "Drink some water and calm down."

Xiao Jing took the kettle, tilted her head back, and gulped down several large mouthfuls before reluctantly putting the kettle down.

The little Vermilion Bird had been carrying several children for several hours and was getting a little tired.

Fang Qiao and Cheng Baidong took the children off its back, and the little Vermilion Bird immediately returned to its normal size and landed on Fang Qiao's shoulder: "I'm so tired and hungry. I need to eat three big bowls of rice for lunch."

"Okay." Fang Qiao nodded, then gently stroked its head and said softly, "Take a rest."

Cheng Baidong found a shady spot, settled Fang Qiao and the children down, and said, "Wait here for a while, I'll drive the car over, so you don't have to walk back to the parking lot later."

"Go."

Cheng Baidong drove over, picked them up, and took them to a state-run restaurant in the city for lunch. Afterward, they returned to the guesthouse and rested for half an afternoon and an evening before recovering from the fatigue of climbing the mountain.

They then continued north, arriving in Jinan.

Jinan is an ancient capital with a long history, and its three major scenic spots are well-known.

Fang Qiao and his group spent two days visiting Baotu Spring and swimming in Daming Lake. However, when they reached Thousand Buddha Mountain, which was equally famous, Xiao Jing refused to go up the mountain.

She developed a psychological trauma from climbing Mount Tai!

I'm so tired!

After coming down from the mountain, my legs felt like they weren't my own; I could barely walk.

Children who grew up on the plains have never seen anything like this!

She doesn't want to climb any mountains again for at least a year!

Xiao Jing didn't want to climb the mountain anymore, so Fang Qiao and the others respected her opinion and only walked around the foot of the mountain before returning to the city.

After a day of sightseeing, Cheng Baidong had only two days left of his vacation, so he simply bought a train ticket for that day and returned to Beijing early.

The green train swayed and rattled along the road for eight hours, finally arriving at its destination in the evening.

It was the same Shuimen Station where she came to Beijing last time. Compared to the anxiety she felt last time, Xiaojing was overjoyed this time.

They're finally back!

Xiaojing loves her hometown; after all, it's where she was born and raised.

However, she still prefers Beijing to her hometown because there are ways to make a living here.

As the colorful sunset glowed, Fang Qiao and her group returned to their residential compound.

The residential compound was much quieter because the first batch of people to move to the new factory was announced after the National Day holiday, and many people moved away with their families.

On her way home, Fang Qiao saw that several houses along the roadside had been moved and locked up.

I haven't been home for half a month. There's a layer of dust on the table at home, and a layer of fallen leaves on the ground in the yard.

Cheng Baidong asked Fang Qiao to watch the children while he and Xiao Jing worked together to clean the house.

Sweeping kicked up a lot of dust, making the air a bit dirty, so Fang Qiao led the children outside the yard.

Not long after they came out, Chen Guizhi, leading her son, walked over from the alley entrance. When she saw Fang Qiao, her eyes lit up, and she quickly walked over to her, asking, "Xiao Qiao, when did you come back from your hometown?"