Chapter 22 Picnic

After breakfast, Lin Xing and the others got into the carriage Lin Da had prepared and set off for the northern part of the city.

Their ride was a wind-type magical beast—the Lightning Marten, which is renowned for its speed. Because it is so fast and only a third-tier beast, it is often captured to pull carriages, similar to horse-drawn carriages in Lin Xing's previous world.

Although it is a third-tier magical beast, aside from its speed, its offensive capabilities are minimal. It can only cast a low-level wind magic spell—Wind Blade—which has little offensive power. Any third-tier Swordsman on the continent can easily defeat it.

Of course, defeating it is easy, but capturing it alive depends on whether you can match its speed. Typically, a third-tier Swordsman isn't fast enough to catch a Lightning Marten. After all, while the Lightning Marten may not excel in attack, it is adept at fleeing.

They rode out of the city gate, heading northward. Dawn was just breaking. The gentle sunlight broke free from the earth's constraints, struggling to emerge, and the world was instantly bathed in a serene glow.

Gazing at the beautiful glow of dawn in the eastern sky, Lin Xing couldn't help but sigh, "What a beautiful sight!" He was momentarily lost in the natural beauty of the world.

Just as Lin Xing was immersed in the scenery, a discordant voice interrupted him: "Brother Lin Xing, where are you taking us? Is there a fun place in the north of the city?"

Lin Xing pulled his mind back from the scenery and smiled at Shi Ya, saying, "There is a fun place, and there will also be interesting things waiting for you. Just be patient. Once we arrive, everything will become clear. For now, let's enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way!"

Suddenly, Lin Xing's brow furrowed slightly as he glanced at a spot not far behind, muttering to himself, "Trouble is coming. What a nuisance!"

Lin Xing's strange behavior did not escape the notice of Shi Ya and the others. Shi Ya asked, "Brother Lin Xing, what's wrong? Did something happen? Who would dare cause trouble for us?" she said proudly.

After all, their families were pillars of the Huaxia Empire's two great legions. Who would be so blind as to bring trouble to them?

Lin Xing smiled dismissively and said, "It's nothing. Let's continue toward our destination."

However, Lin Xing knew in his heart that ever since he caused such a grand heaven-and-earth phenomenon that day, he had become a person of interest to various factions. But Lin Xing was not afraid of any trouble. With the strength of his family, he had no fear of anyone trying to threaten him. Unless others could dispatch a supreme powerhouse to eliminate him and his group silently, without a trace.

But before they fully understood his situation, they would not take such action, because if any news leaked, they would face the Lin family's vicious retribution!

Even if someone dispatched a supreme expert, Lin Xing was confident he could escape! With his divine skills, even an early-stage Sword God would not be able to capture him!

Although he was no match for a Sword God, he was confident he could escape from an early-stage Sword God. After all, he still had his escape arts.

It was precisely because of this confidence that Lin Xing felt utter contempt for the sneaky followers behind him!

In fact, Lin Xing had already noticed these followers while still in the city. With their clumsy concealment methods, they could never escape Lin Xing's keen spiritual sense. At that time, although there were several people together, they were all from the same group, so Lin Xing didn't find it strange.

But just now, Lin Xing sensed that at least three different groups from distinct forces were following him. This made him somewhat annoyed.

No one wants to have a tail constantly following them, especially when those people have ulterior motives.

However, he couldn't confront them now, which is why Lin Xing felt a bit troubled.

"Anyway, they pose no immediate threat. I'll just go about my business," Lin Xing shook his head and ignored the followers.

The party pressed on northward and soon arrived at the famous mountain of the Huaxia Empire—Mount Yunmeng. They walked along the mountain and entered a valley called Chessboard Valley.

Chessboard Valley is surrounded by peaks. If viewed from above, the entire valley resembles a chessboard, with each peak forming a chess piece.

Hence, the valley got its name. Due to Mount Yunmeng's clear waters, lush mountains, and beautiful scenery, it often attracts nobles from the capital to visit, making the entire mountain lively. However, at this moment, aside from Lin Xing and his companions, there was no one else around.

Finding a slightly secluded spot at the foot of a peak, Lin Xing jumped down, took a deep breath, and said, "Alright, we'll stop here."

He then instructed Lin Da to unload some items that had been prepared in advance.

Shi Ya got out of the carriage and looked around. Although the scenery was nice, there didn't seem to be anything particularly fun.

Watching Lin Da and the others unload things, she couldn't help but ask curiously, "Brother Lin Xing, what are you doing with these pots and iron forks?"

Lin Xing smiled mysteriously and said, "I'm taking you all out for a picnic today—we're going to have a barbecue."

"Picnic? What's that?" Everyone was surprised by this new term.

"Hehe... A picnic means eating outdoors. I'll let you try my cooking skills later."

"Alright, you can play around for now. I need to prepare some things." Lin Xing instructed Lin Da and the others to split up—some to hunt, others to protect them—while he walked off to one side.

It turned out that after arriving in this world, Lin Xing found that although the food here was not bad, it was different from what he was used to, and some flavors were completely absent. This left him feeling somewhat regretful. This picnic outing had been planned by Lin Xing for a long time. He always felt that there were many things in this world that had yet to be discovered, such as in the realm of cuisine.

Lin Xing was now searching for herbs or other items that could be used as seasonings.

Sure enough, he was not disappointed. Not far away, Lin Xing was pleasantly surprised to find a large patch of mushrooms—or rather, fungi similar to mushrooms, though their appearance was slightly different. Based on Lin Xing's experience and keen insight, these mushrooms were non-toxic and completely edible, though he wasn't sure if they would be as delicious as the ones from his previous world.

In his excitement, Lin Xing didn't forget to gather them. He quickly used both hands to pick a large pile, enough for their meal today, and stored them in his spatial ring. Afterward, Lin Xing continued walking, and along the way, he found cilantro, coriander, perilla, and other herbs, all of which he collected and stored in his spatial ring for future use.

It should be noted that although spatial rings are rare, the Lin family still possessed them. The one Lin Xing was using had a space of ten square meters.

Finally, Lin Xing reluctantly returned to where the carriage was parked. Lin Da and the others had already returned. With their strength as Great Sword Masters, catching a few low-level edible magical beasts was easy for them.

Lin Xing instructed them to clean the wild boar, mountain chickens, and wild ducks. Meanwhile, Lin Xing took out the items from his ring and began organizing them.

Suddenly noticing a pile of plants, Shi Ya and the others looked puzzled and asked, "Brother Lin Xing, what are all these plants for?"

"These are seasonings. Hehe, you'll find out what they're for later," Lin Xing didn't explain further, as it would be troublesome. It was better to let the facts speak for themselves.

After organizing everything, Lin Xing began his first cooking session in this world.

There wasn't anything particularly innovative—it was just a matter of adding some plants as seasonings during the cooking process.

Lin Xing continuously rotated the skewers in his hands while also keeping an eye on the pot of soup, carefully monitoring the heat.

Before long, the skewers in Lin Xing's hands emitted a tantalizing aroma that filled the surroundings.

Smelling the fragrance, Lin Yun's throat moved involuntarily, and the others stared at the skewers in Lin Xing's hands like hungry wolves, eager to snatch them and eat.

Lin Xing added the final seasonings, and a rich aroma wafted out. Satisfied, he looked at the skewers and said, "Alright, it's finally ready. You can eat now."

Everyone pounced on the food like hungry wolves, tearing into their portions and eating without even sparing a thought for Lin Xing, their young master.

Lin Xing didn't mind and said, "Don't rush, there's still soup." As he spoke, he lifted the lid of the pot, and a refreshing fragrance spread all around.

Everyone greedily eyed the delicious soup in the pot—a classic case of wanting what they didn't have while already enjoying what they did.

...

Patting his stomach and letting out a satisfied burp, Lin Yun asked on the way back, "Burp, I'm so full and satisfied. Young Master, when can we do this again?"

The others also looked at Lin Xing with anticipation.

Lin Xing smiled and said, "We'll have the chance. We'll come out for another picnic when the opportunity arises."

Everyone fell into a reverie...

...