The Demon King is back, leading adorable kids on an adventure around the world!

The next morning, before the sun had fully risen, there were already sounds coming from the yard.

Luo Nannan got up early and sat on the stone steps to tie her shoelaces. She tied them twice but they were too loose, so she tied them again.

When Xiaoxiao pushed the door open, she had just finished tying her shoes for the third time and was looking down at the tips of her shoes.

Xiao Xiao asked her what she was looking at, and she said she was checking if the shoes would fall off. Xiao Xiao squatted down and reinforced them with another layer.

When Qiqi came out, she was carrying a cloth bag, which she said was the dry food that Qianqian had packed for her last night.

Xiao Jin walked at the back, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth as he went.

As you walk along the street out of the city, the houses on both sides of the road become shorter and there are more and more trees.

After walking for about 15 minutes, the road surface changed from cement to gravel and mud. The river was just ahead, the water was silent, but it was there, flowing slowly and steadily.

The riverbank was indeed very wide. On the opposite bank was a field of reeds, while the bank on this side was covered with green grass. The stones on the riverbank were polished smooth and shiny by the water, and they were a bit slippery to walk on.

Qiqi was the first to take off her shoes and step into the shallow water. The water was up to her ankles. She stood still in the water, and after a while, she looked down and said, "The water is cold."

Niannian also took off her shoes and went down into the water. Luo Nannan stood on the shore and watched for a while. She then took off her shoes, followed their example, and pulled her feet back slightly when she first stepped into the water before she could stand up.

Xiao Xiao didn't go into the water. Instead, she sat on a flat rock on the bank, opened the bag of dry food she had brought, and slowly distributed it to a few birds that came by.

Luo Nannan stood in the water for a while, looking down at the pebbles and ripples on the bottom, then looking up at the reeds on the opposite bank.

She bent down and scooped up a handful of water, which leaked through her fingers. She scooped it up again and this time brought it to her lips and took a sip.

Niannian turned around and saw it: "Is that water drinkable?"

"...Yes." Luo Nannan lowered her hand. "It's not dirty."

Niannian didn't ask any more questions. She bent down, picked up a flat stone, and threw it at an angle into the water. The stone bounced three times on the surface of the water before sinking.

Qiqi also picked up a stone and threw it, but the stone sank to the bottom.

Xiao Jin was laughing on the side when Qi Qi splashed water all over him.

Qianqian sat on a rock on the shore, a book beside her legs, unopened. Sunlight shone on her profile, and occasionally a bird landed not far away.

I stayed by the river for almost an hour. During that time, a small boat slowly rowed by. An old man wearing a straw hat sat at the bow of the boat, glancing at the shore a few times without stopping.

Luo Nannan watched the boat slowly sail away until it curved around the bend in the river and disappeared from sight before she turned her gaze away.

"Have you ever seen a boat before?" Niannian asked.

"I've seen it." Luo Nannan thought for a moment, "But those ships are much bigger, and they have formations on them."

Niannian knew she was referring to the spirit boat in the celestial realm, so she didn't press the matter further.

After getting ashore, they ate something under a big tree by the river. The dry rations were spread out on the grass, and what they took out of the cloth bag were flatbread, braised eggs, and cucumbers cut into small pieces, which Qianqian had prepared early that morning.

Qiqi ate one piece of bread and then went to get a second one. Nianmian said, "Are you still eating?" With a piece of bread in her mouth, Qiqi mumbled, "I'm hungry after walking all morning."

After finishing our meal, we walked a short distance away, through a small grove of trees. The sunlight filtered through the leaves, creating dappled patterns. The wind was light but cool.

Luo Nannan walked at the very back, holding a half-yellow leaf in her hand and twirling it around. After spinning it a few times, the stem broke, so she picked up another leaf.

At the end of the woods was the foot of a mountain, and the road began to climb uphill.

The slope wasn't steep, but it got a bit tiring after walking for a while.

When we reached the halfway point of the mountain, a small old temple appeared in the valley.

The temple gate was half-closed, the bluestone slabs at the entrance were worn smooth by footsteps, and the paint on the lintel had faded so much that its original color was no longer visible.

Niannian paused at the door, pushed it open, and peeked inside.

The courtyard was small, and in the main hall was a clay statue, but it was impossible to tell which deity it represented. There was no incense ash in the incense burner, as if no one had been here for many years.

Several old paintings hung on the wall, their edges curled up and covered with a layer of pale yellow.

She glanced around but didn't sense any spiritual energy fluctuations; it was just an ordinary old temple.

"Let's take a break." Niannian sat down on a stone stool in the yard.

The others also found places to sit.

Luo Nannan stood at the entrance of the main hall, looking up at the clay statue for a long time.

Xiao Xiao walked over and stood next to her, asking what she was looking at.

"I don't know," Luo Nannan said. "I've never seen this statue before."

"It might be some local earth god."

Luo Nannan looked at it for a while longer, then looked away: "It seems like no one has come to see it for a long time."

Xiao Xiao didn't reply, but stood beside her and looked at the clay statue together. The wind blew a few of the withered leaves that had fallen to the ground in the yard.

After resting for about an incense stick's time, the group continued walking up the slope for a while.

When I reached the top of the slope and looked back, the river had narrowed, like a thin line embedded in the distant green.

Luo Nannan stood on the top of the slope for a long time, and only turned around and followed when Niannian called her to leave.

The way down the mountain was faster than the way up. When I got back to my lodging in the evening, the small lamp in the courtyard was still off, but the clouds on the horizon were already tinged with an orange-red light.

Niannian sat on the swing in the yard, the bag of dry food in her hand was empty, with only a few crumbs left.

Luo Nannan drew water from the well to wash her hands, looked up at the sky, and stopped staring at it without moving.

"Is it like this every day?" she asked.

"You mean the sunset?" Niannian looked at the sky. "It's like this almost every day, but the colors are a little different every day."

Luo Nannan nodded, shook the water off her hands, walked over and sat on the stone steps next to the swing. She sat there quietly for a while without saying a word.

Luo Tian's message arrived that evening, and it was longer than the last one.

He said he also went out for a walk and went to see several places where the spiritual energy fluctuations were abnormal.

Nothing serious, the earth's veins are slowly recovering, and it will probably take some time before it truly begins.

Tell them not to rush, let them continue playing.

After reading the message, Niannian briefly summarized its contents.

After hearing this, Xiaoxiao said, "That means we can stay outside a little longer."

Niannian nodded, folded the message slip, and put it in her pocket.

Luo Nannan sat in the corner, holding a leaf she had picked up during the day.

The leaf was curled at the edges, and she placed it on the table next to her, unsure whether she left it or forgot to deal with it.

……