After a few grueling days, they finally crossed the mountain range and entered a mountain valley.

Although it was still damp and hard to traverse, it was at least slightly cooler here since it was on the shaded side of the mountain.

A small river trickled through the valley. The water wasn’t very deep but was crystal clear and not too rapid. The presence of fish in the river indicated that the water was safe to drink.

The talisman filled his water bag by the riverbank, and while washing his face, he swiftly caught a fairly large fish.

This catch greatly encouraged both him and the rune, so they immediately asked Lu Qing for permission to follow the river upstream to see if there were more fish they could catch for a treat.

Since leaving the borders of Jin Country, they hadn’t entered a single town or village in Lan Country, opting for the deserted routes. By now, they only had some easily stored dry food left.

Even their original stash of jerky was nearly gone, and it had been several days since any of them had tasted meat.

Their request was reasonable. Even if Lu Qing didn’t care for himself, seeing Zhu Yu beside him led him to agree that eating only dry food wasn’t ideal. He reminded the brothers to stay safe as they went fishing.

The talisman and rune ran joyfully upstream, and Zhu Yu finally loosened his collar and used the cool river water to wash his face, wiping the sticky sweat from his neck.

Although she longed for a bucket of warm water to let her sweat-soaked pores breathe freely, the current conditions only permitted partial washing, which was still welcome.

After washing, Zhu Yu still felt unrefreshed, so she took off her shoes, sat on a stone by the riverbank, and soaked her feet in the flowing water.

There’s a saying, "Cold comes from the feet," so to keep warm, one must keep their feet from freezing.

The reverse also holds true: if feeling too hot, cooling down one’s feet can gradually cool the whole body.

"Do you want to cool down too?" Zhu Yu sighed comfortably, patting the stone beside her. "It’s really strange; even though there’s a noticeable chill in the Capital of Jin Country, it’s so hot and humid here in Lan!"

We thought we were prepared when we came, with waterproof and warm clothing ready. But it’s so hot here that we dare not wear them in case we get overheated and inexplicably catch heatstroke in autumn, which would be a huge problem."

"Don’t be fooled by the unbearable heat we’re feeling now; soon, with a few rains, Lan will turn chilly unexpectedly.

Although it’s not as cold in winter here as it is in Jin, Shuo, and Jie Countries, it’s still damp and gloomy. Without those prepared clothes, we’ll struggle later." Lu Qing said, laughing as he sat down beside Zhu Yu. However, he didn’t take off his shoes and socks but did dip his feet in the water like Zhu Yu.

Everything was quiet and peaceful, and nobody knew what might happen next. In such remote wilderness, if someone suddenly appeared, being barefoot would be disadvantageous compared to wearing shoes.

After a while, footsteps approached from afar. Lu Qing looked in the direction of the sound and recognized the shape as rune, relaxing his previously tense arms.

Soon, the tall figure of the rune came closer, carrying a long branch over his shoulder with several freshly caught river fish strung on it.

"Master, Second Master, how’s my catch?" He laid the fish on the grass beside them, happily showing Zhu Yu and Lu Qing. "I’ll start a fire now, so we can soon enjoy grilled fish."

"These fish will be more than enough for all four of us to eat our fill!"

"Where’s the rune?" Zhu Yu looked behind him but didn’t see the rune returning.

Lu Qing had also intended to ask this, as Zhu Yu hadn’t seen the rune, and he had only heard one set of footsteps coming back.

The rune had evidently not returned with him, yet from his relaxed demeanor, it seemed there was no trouble.

"When we were heading upstream to catch fish, my brother felt he vaguely saw something in the distant forest. He told me to bring the fish back first while he went to investigate," the rune explained.

With this, Lu Qing and Zhu Yu did not say more, watching the rune happily busy himself with starting a fire for grilling the fish.

The rune was very cautious by nature, always being the most prudent. If he said he was just going to explore, he definitely wouldn’t act recklessly.

When the rune’s fire was finally strong enough and the fish were roasted on sticks over the fire, the talisman quietly returned.

"Master, Second Master."

Even the bold rune had consistently referred to Zhu Yu as "Second Master" for safety’s sake along the journey, and the more prudent talisman was no exception.

Standing by the fire, he didn’t sit down but respectfully cupped his hands towards Lu Qing and Zhu Yu, "I just made a discovery from about two miles away in the forest."

He continued, "There’s a wooden building in the forest.

I approached cautiously and watched from the surrounding trees for a long time without seeing anyone coming or going, but the building clearly wasn’t abandoned.

So, I quickly returned to report it to you two."

"A wooden building in the forest? Did it look peculiar or odd in any way?" Zhu Yu asked.

"I wouldn’t say it was particularly peculiar or strange; the main thing was what was on it..." the talisman glanced at Lu Qing, "All the windows on the building were sealed with paper or wood strips, except for one window where I saw a faint pattern on the paper."

"That pattern... I’ve seen it before from you, Master."

Hearing this, Lu Qing immediately understood and took out the brass pendant from his chest. "Like this?"

The talisman scrutinized the brass pendant closely before nodding with certainty, "Yes, Master, though the paper sealing the window was somewhat worn, and the pattern wasn’t very clear, I’m sure the image is this exact Qilin!"