Outside Nanxun City are towering mountains and steep ridges.

The mountain road was rugged and difficult to travel by carriage or horse. Along the way, you could encounter porters carrying goods on their shoulders. They had dark skin, carried heavy loads, and had simple, honest smiles on their faces.

Qin Luo walked ahead at a leisurely pace, while Shi Tou followed behind. Shi Tou was struggling, as he was barefoot and his feet were often pricked by sharp pebbles on the ground.

Ye Nanxing followed at the back. She was a little confused. At first, she felt that Qin Luo was kind-hearted, but now she felt that he was very indifferent. They had walked for so long, but he did not ask if Shi Tou was tired or thirsty, nor did he ask about his background. It seemed that he did not care about him at all.

The little dumpling sat on Qin Luo's shoulder, holding a small golden scissor in her hand. She recited the Thousand Character Classic while cutting out the parts she had memorized.

A piece of paper flew through the air. Stone reached out his little hand and grabbed it. He didn't recognize the words on it, but he treasured it and hid it in his bosom.

"Don't litter."

"Okay."

The little dumpling shook its head.

Shi Tou reached out and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Ye Nanxing stepped forward and said with a smile, "Senior, if you are going to the capital of the Great Xia Kingdom, it will be closer to Pingyuan County, and it will be farther and farther to the south."

"I know."

Qin Luo nodded slightly.

Ye Nanxing looked at the panting Shi Tou and said, "Senior, let's rest for a while."

Qin Luo saw a large tree not far away and said with a smile, "Let's rest up ahead."

My feet hurt a lot.

Stone could only grit his teeth and persevere.

He didn't want to hold Qin Luo back.

Qin Luo came to the tree and sat on the black stone. Ye Nanxing stood beside him, while the stone squatted on the ground, panting.

"Stone, are you hungry?"

Qin Luo looked at the exhausted stone.

Shi Tou raised his head, hesitated for a moment, and then nodded. Although he had eaten a lot today, he was tired and hungry after walking such a long distance.

Qin Luo pointed to the fruit on the tree.

Shi Tou paused for a moment, but quickly understood Qin Luo's meaning. Without thinking too much, he hugged the tree and started climbing.

Qin Luo looked at the stone, who was clenching his teeth. He was even thinner and shorter than his junior sister, who could climb trees.

The stone climbed for a long time but failed to reach the tree, and even fell several times in the process.

Ye Nanxing couldn't stand it anymore, so he stepped forward and pushed him, sending the stone up to the tree.

Stone stood shakily on the branch, reaching out to pick three walnut-sized fruits. To pick more fruits, he had to climb higher.

Seeing how high it was, Shi Tou was a little scared. He took three fruits and jumped down from the tree. When he fell, his clothes were even more tattered and he had several scrapes on his body.

"Big brother, here you go."

"Thanks."

Qin Luo took a fruit.

Stone's face beamed with joy.

"Big sister, here you go."

"Need not."

Ye Nanxing smiled and waved his hand.

This was the first time she had ever been so happy to see a stone, even happier than when Qin Luo had given it to him.

Stone reached out and offered a fruit to the little girl. "Miss, would you like some fruit?"

The little dumpling shook her head, then raised an eyebrow. "Even seasoned veterans know that there's no easy way out."

Stone ate the freshly picked fruit, grinning foolishly, "It's really delicious, you should try some."

"Don't try to fool me!"

The little dumpling proudly raised its head.

Qin Luo ate the fruit that Shi Tou had picked. It was a little bitter and not very tasty, but it was very juicy.

"Big brother, I have one more here."

"I'm full, you eat."

"Uh-huh."

The stone gnawed the fruit clean.

After resting for a while, Qin Luo got up and continued walking into the mountains, with Shi Tou and Ye Nanxing following behind him.

They traversed mountains and valleys, walking deep into the mountains, and only rested in the forest at dusk.

Qin Luo asked Shi Tou to gather firewood in the woods.

Stone searched for firewood in the woods. He searched for a long time before finding a few pieces of firewood. He couldn't break off the branches that were high up, so he had to pull out the thorny branches.

Ye Nanxing quickly stopped him and helped Shi Tou find a pile of firewood. Qin Luo saw this and transmitted his thoughts to him, saying, "If you really want to help him, let him do it himself."

"oh."

Ye Nanxing didn't dare to talk back; she now understood that Qin Luo was training the stone.

Qin Luo found a stick and a clump of grass. "Stone, I'll teach you how to make fire by rubbing sticks together. Watch carefully."

"Uh-huh."

Stone looked at it intently.

Qin Luo rubbed the wooden stick, and the straw quickly started to smoke, followed by sparks. With a gentle blow, flames appeared.

Not long after.

A campfire was lit in the woods.

Qin Luo handed the wooden stick to Shi Tou.

Stone took the stick, found a clump of grass, and rubbed it against the stick for a long time. His palms were blistered, but he didn't see any sparks or even smoke.

"I'm back!"

The little dumpling came back with a string of still-wriggling worms. These were the bamboo skewers she had left over from eating candied hawthorns, which she hadn't thrown away and was now using to string the plump worms.

A string of insects roasted over a fire will soon release a fragrant aroma.

The little dumpling ate the sizzling, oily worms and said crisply, "Brother Pig is still the smartest."

As Shi Tou rubbed the wooden stick, he swallowed hard. Little Tuanzi watched him swallow hard too. "Call me Sister Tuanzi, and I'll give you a bug to eat."

"Sister Tuanzi".

The sound of the stone was very soft.

The little dumpling tossed him a roasted worm. The stone missed it, and the roasted worm fell to the ground. He quickly picked it up and put it in his mouth.

"Thank you, Sister Tuanzi."

The little dumpling chewed on an insect, a happy expression on its face. "The city is no good at all. You have to pay to eat. It's much better in the mountains. You can eat for free."

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