Chapter 72: Dugu Yan, the Boastful Yan

The mountain stream gurgled, and in the quiet night, under the moonlight, the tree shadows were mottled.

The flames reflected the figures of the three.

Enjoying their journey, the three chose to stay overnight in the wild, having long since prepared tents and such.

Gurgle, gurgle—steam rose from the iron pot over the flames, and waves of meaty fragrance wafted out.

"So fragrant." Dugu Yan sniffed the meaty aroma, gave Shi Quan a thumbs-up, and said, "Xiao Quan, I didn't expect you to know how to cook. Impressive."

"I haven't done it in many years, I almost forgot how. If it doesn't taste good, you two will just have to eat some dry rations for now," Shi Quan sighed and said.

He wasn't lying; as for cooking, that was all from Shi Quan's past life. Since arriving on the Douluo Continent, this was his first time cooking a meal.

"Many years?" Dugu Yan looked at Shi Quan suspiciously and said, "By that logic, you already knew how to cook when you were six or seven years old?"

"Uh..." Shi Quan replied awkwardly, "Something like that, something like that."

Fortunately, he didn't let his mouth run and say he hadn't done it in over ten years; Shi Quan hadn't expected himself to make such a slip of the tongue.

"Alright, hurry and taste it." Shi Quan hurriedly changed the subject, took out bowls and chopsticks from the Snow Jade Bracelet, and served each of them a full bowl of meat soup.

"Delicious, and the flavor is very unique." Dugu Yan only tasted one bite before her eyes lit up; she immediately praised it and looked at Ye Lingling, saying, "Lingling, what do you think?"

"Delicious." Ye Lingling nodded as well.

"If it's delicious, then eat more. If you like it, I can make it for you whenever you want in the future," Shi Quan said with a smile. The food preparation methods on the Douluo Continent focused more on the original flavor, bringing out the inherent deliciousness of the ingredients to the extreme; if categorized by cuisine, it was somewhat similar to the Cantonese cuisine of his past life.

But in his past life, Shi Quan was from the southwest, and the cuisine he learned was Sichuan cuisine, which used more seasonings and had a fresh, spicy flavor, so it was natural that the two found it unique the first time they tried it.

"That's what you said." Dugu Yan nudged Ye Lingling on the side with her shoulder, "Lingling, if you want to eat it, just tell my Xiao Quan, no need to be polite with him."

"Mm." Ye Lingling kept her head buried, quietly drinking the meat soup in her bowl, a rare glimmer of light gathering in her hollow eyes.

Good food and beautiful scenery can always soothe the human heart.

The three sat around the campfire, everything looking beautiful and quiet.

The next few days were all like this, and everyone grew to love this feeling of stopping and going; they rested when tired and looked at the scenery—how leisurely.

"At our current speed, we should be almost at Shi Family Village, right?"

"Mm, just a bit further along the mountain range and we'll be there."

Unknowingly, the group had been out for five days, and they were only a short distance away from Shi Family Village; Shi Quan's longing for home had reached its peak.

"Just about, we'll be able to make it just in time for lunch." Shi Quan touched the Snow Jade Bracelet on his wrist, which was filled with gifts he had brought for Shi Jian and Li Meili.

Soon, the three could see from afar the village where cooking smoke was slowly rising; that was Shi Family Village.

With home in sight, Shi Quan's mood became excited involuntarily, and his pace quickened a little without him realizing it.

Dugu Yan and Ye Lingling looked at each other, circulated their soul power, and hurriedly followed.

Not until they reached the village entrance did Shi Quan slow down. Shi Family Village was still the same old Shi Family Village; having not returned for over a year, the village hadn't changed much.

As soon as the three entered the village, they attracted the attention of many people. It was near mealtime, and most people were sitting idly in their own courtyards, curiously sizing up the three—especially their attire compared to the villagers; the fabric of their clothes looked very expensive at a glance, appearing so out of place.

"Uncle Xiao Shi, haven't eaten yet?" Shi Quan greeted a man in a courtyard to the side as he walked.

Hearing Shi Quan's voice, the man was clearly stunned for a moment, then stood up in a panic, looked at Shi Quan, and asked uncertainly, "You are?"

"It's me, Xiao Quan, can't recognize me?"

"Xiao Quan?" The man was stunned for a moment before he reacted, his eyes widening into circles, "You are Shi Quan?"

"Mm."

The man exclaimed, "It's been over a year, how did you kid grow so big all of a sudden?"

"The food at the academy is quite good." Shi Quan waved his hand with a smile, "I'm heading back first, let's chat later."

"The villagers here are all quite simple and honest. That Uncle Xiao Shi usually has the best relationship with my dad; whenever my dad goes to Nuoding City, he usually goes along."

As he walked, Shi Quan introduced them to the two.

"That's my house ahead." Shi Quan pointed to the courtyard wrapped in flowering vines.

"Dad, Mom, I'm back from the academy." Just as he got close, Shi Quan shouted excitedly toward the courtyard.

Usually, the two had never seen Shi Quan this excited; even when facing the Sword Douluo, Shi Quan could maintain a steady and unchanging demeanor. This was the first time they had seen Shi Quan so emotionally stirred.

"Follow me." While calling out, Shi Quan led the two and walked quickly into the courtyard.

Hearing the shouts outside, two people immediately walked out of the house.

It was Shi Jian and Li Meili. Both were clearly stunned for a moment when they saw Shi Quan, but they quickly reacted. Li Meili stepped forward quickly, pulled Shi Quan into a tight embrace, and said with slightly reddened eyes, "Xiao Quan, you're finally back, I've missed you so much, Mom."

Shi Jian also stepped forward, patted Shi Quan on the shoulder, and said, "It's good that you're back."

"I missed you too." Shi Quan also pulled Li Meili into a hug.

Shi Jian patted Li Meili's shoulder and signaled, "Alright Meili, Xiao Quan brought guests back."

"Isn't it because Xiao Quan is back and I'm too happy?" Li Meili wiped her moist eyes, looked at the young people behind Shi Quan, and her eyes immediately lit up. She hurriedly asked, "Xiao Quan, who are they?"

"Mom, they are both my seniors. They had nothing to do during the break and thought staying at the academy was boring, so they came back with me to play."

"This is Dugu Yan, I usually call her Sister Yanzi."

"This is Ye Lingling, I call her Lingling."

"This is my mom, Li Meili, and this is my dad, Shi Jian."

"Hello Uncle and Aunt, you can just call me Yan Yan," Dugu Yan immediately put on a gentle and cute appearance and said.

"Hello Uncle and Aunt, just call me Lingling." Perhaps out of politeness, Ye Lingling specifically took off her veil.

"Good, good, good." Li Meili happily wiped her hands on her clothes, stepped forward to take the two girls' hands, and led them into the house, "You two sit down first. I didn't know you were coming, Auntie will go make you some more food."

"Mom, no need for that much trouble." As he spoke, Shi Quan took out some cold dishes from the Snow Jade Bracelet and placed them on the table.

He also took out all the gifts he had brought back for the two in one go.

"Xiao Quan, where did you take these things from?" The two looked at the pile of things on the ground in shock, unable to speak.

"They were all taken from the Snow Jade Bracelet." Shi Quan shook the Snow Jade Bracelet on his wrist and explained to them, "This Snow Jade Bracelet is a type of spatial Soul Guidance Device. Simply put, there is a large space inside this bracelet where you can store things and take them out when needed."

"This kind of thing must be very precious, right?" Li Meili said in surprise.

"It's fine, this bracelet was a gift from a senior."

Shi Jian frowned and asked, "Something so precious, just given away like that?"

"That senior asked me for help, and it was just something they gave me in passing. You don't need to worry, Dad."

Dugu Yan chimed in, "Uncle, Xiao Quan is right. He is very impressive at the academy; even my grandfather likes him very much."

Shi Jian smiled and said, "That's good then. Uncle was just worried this kid would go wild once he was out."

"Don't worry, Uncle. Xiao Quan is very diligent at the academy. He is not only diligent in his cultivation but also in his studies. He is especially super talented in Spirit Theory. He is not only a student at the academy now, but he also teaches us cultivation alongside our teachers."

"Xiao Quan can already teach others?" Li Meili said in surprise.

"That's right, Auntie. The academy teachers also have nothing but praise for Xiao Quan's theories. The Education Committee Member specifically asked him to lead our cultivation."

Dugu Yan directly transformed into a 'praising Yan', going on and on about how good and how impressive Shi Quan was, making both Li Meili and Shi Jian beam with joy.

In contrast, Shi Quan, the person involved, felt a bit embarrassed and hurriedly spoke up to stop her: "Mom, let's eat first, let's eat first."

Li Meili hurriedly patted her own head and said, "Yan Yan, Lingling, you two wait a moment, Auntie will go bring the dishes out first."

"Auntie, I'll help you." Dugu Yan stood up, preparing to help, but Li Meili stopped her directly: "No need, no need, you sit, you sit, and keep your uncle and Xiao Quan company."

"Then I'll trouble you, Auntie."

"It's no trouble, no trouble. I'm just too happy that you all came; how could it be a trouble?" Li Meili hurriedly waved her hands and walked toward the kitchen as she spoke.

"Sister Yanzi, come, come, drink some water first, drink some water first. You must be thirsty after saying so much." Shi Quan hurriedly stood up and poured her some water, wanting her to shut her mouth first.

"I'm not thirsty." Dugu Yan gave a sly smile and looked at Shi Jian happily, "Uncle, you don't know, that senior who gave Xiao Quan the bracelet even sent his daughter to Xiao Quan. She's a little beauty too."

Shi Jian looked at Dugu Yan and the other girl, then looked at Shi Quan. After secretly giving Shi Quan a thumbs-up in his heart, he asked seriously, "Xiao Quan, what kind of favor did you do for someone that they even sent their daughter to you?"

Shi Quan had black lines on his face and hurriedly explained, "Dad, don't listen to Sister Yanzi's nonsense. That Ning Rongrong is only following me to learn cultivation; it's the same principle as teaching them cultivation. Uncle Ning, who is the senior that gave me the Snow Jade Bracelet, only sent his daughter over because my research into Spirit Theory is relatively deep. There is no other meaning."