Starting from the world of martial arts in the Condor Heroes, practicing martial arts across the hea

In the valley, beside a deep pool.

A wooden house that blends seamlessly into its surroundings stands amidst a peach orchard.

Huang Rong was cooking in front of the earthen stove built outdoors.

She used local ingredients, including peaches from the valley, sheep from the grassland, and fish from the deep pool, to make a peach-scented mutton and fish soup.

Finely chop the mutton and simmer it in a clear broth. Cook the fish slices until tender and smooth. Use a special technique to mash the peaches into a puree and add it to the broth.

Huang Rong tasted it; it was salty, savory, and slightly sweet. No wonder she was so good at it!

Of course, Huang Rong also knew that the deliciousness of this soup was due to her skill in controlling the heat and seasoning, as well as the fresh ingredients from the valley.

I don't know if the grass and water the sheep eat here are more spiritual than those outside, because the mutton not only doesn't have a gamey smell, but also has a delicate fragrance.

That's outrageous!

Jiangnan originally thought that the difference between the world of Condor Heroes and the real world lay in the supernatural power of martial arts, but he never expected that even the ingredients would be so different.

Having lived in this world for over ten years, I have never found such an ingredient in Jiangnan. Perhaps only the wealthiest families at the top can afford it!

I wonder, in my past life, were the animals that advertised themselves as eating herbs and drinking spring water the same quality as their meat?

This pot of soup simmered over a low flame on the earthen stove all morning, occasionally releasing a fragrant aroma that made one's mouth water.

"Brother Nan, Long'er, dinner's ready!"

"Come and try my new dish, and give me your feedback!"

  

"Okay, I'll try it!"

The soup in the porcelain bowl was slightly reddish, crystal clear like red crystal. The most peculiar thing was that it didn't emit any heat or aroma when it was fresh out of the pot, as if the heat and fragrance were locked inside the crystal.

The red crystal was so beautiful that one couldn't bear to spoil its beauty.

Jiangnan picked up the spoon, scooped out a small spoonful of soup. The soup looked like solidified jelly, trembling slightly. After putting it in her mouth, she found that the jelly melted instantly, carrying a scalding temperature and the aroma of peaches.

Jiangnan discovered that without the spirit peach, he couldn't make this soup.

Even the most skilled cook cannot make a meal without ingredients; no matter how good the cooking skills are, they cannot improve the quality of the dish if the ingredients are not good.

"It's delicious! An amazingly delicious dish! Rong'er, your cooking skills have improved again."

"Sister Rong'er, this is the first time Long'er has ever tasted such a unique delicacy."

"Mmm! If it's delicious, eat more."

Huang Rong didn't show it on her face, but she was secretly pleased and took a bite of the food.

After lunch, Jiangnan rested for a while to digest his food before continuing his unfinished work.

Since they had decided to use the valley as their base, and who knows, they might even use it as their secluded retreat in the future, Jiangnan certainly didn't want to have to rappel down the cliffs every time he entered the valley.

It's dangerous and inconvenient.

Therefore, in the past few days, people in Jiangnan have been carving stone steps, carving a stone staircase leading out of the valley from the rock wall near the outer edge.

Although the stone steps are still very steep and not suitable for ordinary people to walk on, Jiangnan has always regarded the valley as a refuge and a paradise, so naturally the fewer people who know about it, the better.

Rong'er and Long'er's lightness skills are already among the best in the world, so there's no need to worry about them.

The stone steps will be completed today.

"Clang! Clang!! Clang!!!"

The sound of the hammer striking the iron shovel echoed through the valley.

When the sound first appeared, the monkeys in the valley squeaked and became restless, while the sheep scattered wildly throughout the valley...

Over time, the animals in the valley got used to the sound. Those who wanted to play continued to play, and those who wanted to graze continued to graze... except that they would occasionally look up.

With the final hammer blow in Jiangnan, the last stone step was completed.

Standing on the stone steps, gazing into the distance at the sea of ​​clouds and towering snow-capped peaks... with her eyes half-closed, feeling the biting mountain wind blowing from high above, Jiangnan couldn't help but smile.

"Finally finished!"

Although carving skills make chiseling stone steps not difficult, the repetitive nature of the work can be exhausting.

The sense of accomplishment after completion is naturally high.

"get off work!"

Working people, working spirit, even working people look forward to getting off work!

Jiangnan walked down the steps to the bottom of the valley and placed the tools in the warehouse.

The warehouse was filled with charcoal and grain that he had purchased in batches from towns outside the mountains.

Everything in this valley is good, there's food and drink, but fuel is scarce. We can't just cut down the fruit trees for firewood, that would be too destructive to the ecosystem!

Even with grains, you can't eat peaches every day. People need to eat a variety of grains to fill their stomachs and maintain a balanced diet.

Not advisable!

Therefore, Jiangnan had no choice but to work hard, carrying charcoal and grain back to the valley alone, trip after trip.

Fortunately, he was skilled in martial arts, had good stamina, excellent lightness skills, and was fast.

If this were in my previous life, I would definitely be a great food delivery person, saving the cost of an electric scooter.

After greeting Huang Rong and Xiaolongnu, Jiangnan went out of the valley to meet Qingniu and Dahuang.

The valley was surrounded by sheer cliffs. Although the Green Ox and Big Yellow had internal energy, they were not human and did not have hands, so they could not use ropes to enter the valley.

Jiangnan had no choice but to settle the blue ox at the foot of the mountain outside the valley and visit him every day.

As for Dahuang, Jiangnan could take Dahuang into the valley, but Dahuang still has his friend Qingniu outside, so how could he enjoy himself alone?

Therefore, Jiangnan placed both the yellow ox and the blue ox at the foot of the mountain.

Share the blessings and share the difficulties.

That's what a true brother is!

rhubarb:"……"

"Did you even ask me? You made the decision for me?" "Why didn't you ask me?"

"..."

What?! You can still talk after I asked you a question!

Jiangnan rejected Dahuang's request.

Leading the blue ox along the newly quarried stone steps into the valley, Big Yellow obediently followed behind the blue ox.

Fortunately, the green ox possessed internal strength and was stronger than ordinary cattle, so it steadily walked down the stone steps.

Seeing the tender green grass in the valley and the blue oxen that had eaten hay for several days, I felt that walking this steep mountain path on the stone steps was worthwhile.

The blue ox was allowed to roam freely in the valley, and the big yellow ox followed suit, running around happily.

Jiangnan went back and carried the RV back into the valley.

After all, it took a lot of effort to make it successfully. Although Jiangnan knew how to make it, some materials needed to be grown by himself. If they were lost, it would be quite troublesome to make it again.

Moreover, this RV holds many memories, and it would be a pity to lose it!

Of course, most importantly, moving into the valley is not a big deal.

What might be an insurmountable task for others is nothing more than a simple matter for Jiangnan.

After carefully maintaining the RV outside the peach orchard, Jiangnan built a thatched shed to shelter it from the wind and rain.

As the sun set and the light in the valley dimmed, Huang Rong had already prepared dinner.

Dinner was peach-flavored lamb rolls and steamed fish.

Slice the mutton into thin slices, roll it with small pieces of peach meat, and place it on the caught fish in the pond before steaming.

The delicate fragrance of peaches permeates the fish and mutton in the steamer, resulting in a light and refreshing flavor.

The point is to eat the original flavor.

When dinner was served, the three of them were very hungry, their stomachs rumbling. At the table, they were so engrossed in picking at the fish with their chopsticks that they ate all the soup at the bottom of the plate with their rice.

The soup at noon highlighted the flavor of peaches, while the steamed fish in the evening brought out the sweet taste of the crystal fish from the pool.

These fish, raised in a deep pool, have few bones; the bones melt in your mouth. The flesh is sweet and lacks the fishy smell of ordinary fish. Paired with the juice of the spirit peach, they are incomparably delicious.

The deliciousness of this dinner exceeded Jiangnan's expectations.

He thought his maxed-out cooking skills were unparalleled, but he never expected that the dishes he made with deep-pool fish and spirit peaches would surpass even his maxed-out cooking skills. They were truly comparable to the dishes in the manga "Food with Drugs".

Moreover, this dish is not only a delight to taste, but also a way to improve one's skills.

Even without actively circulating his internal energy to refine the warm current in his body, Jiang Nan felt his internal energy spontaneously become a little purer and stronger after just two meals.

Even someone with profound internal strength like Jiang Nan felt the progress, let alone someone with shallow internal strength like Huang Rong and Xiaolongnu.

Their internal energy flowed like a gentle stream, constantly increasing and becoming visibly pure. They could use it with ease, and operations that previously required careful control of their internal energy could now be considered routine.

For example, the Luo Wa Gong requires precise control of internal energy to penetrate through acupoints in the feet and wrap around the skin of the feet.

Although Huang Rong and Xiaolongnu were able to do it before, they would fail if they were distracted. Now, they don't need to be distracted to control it, and they naturally achieve the requirements of the Luo Wa Gong.

The three talked for a while, leaned against the back of the blue ox and silently gazed at the starry sky for a while, before returning to their rooms to rest.

The next morning, the three of them woke up early, feeling refreshed and more energetic than usual.

"Brother Nan, I feel so energetic this morning, not sleepy at all!"

"It seems the spirit fish in this valley are very effective!"

"It can not only purify and increase internal strength, but also nourish the physical body and even the soul."

"We need to focus on sustainable development! The spirit fish in this pool can be fed four times a month, and the spirit fruits, depending on the yield, can also be fed four times a month for now."

"This gives them time to grow, and also gives our bodies time to digest, so as to avoid indigestion and superficial skills."

"By the way, Long'er, move those jade bee boxes over here and let the jade bees multiply in this valley. The quality of the ordinary jade bee jelly made from the flowers here might just be comparable to that of the jade bee royal jelly from outside."

"This can be considered a way for us to cut costs and increase revenue!"

"Okay, brother! I will raise lots and lots of jade bees."

Speaking of which, this jade bee has traveled all over the country with Jiangnan and the others, and can be considered a veteran. It's just that insects have questionable intelligence and their size is too small, so they can't gain internal strength like the green ox and the big yellow bee through the process of cleansing their marrow and cultivating their internal energy.

However, no matter what, they are great contributors. Whenever Jiangnan stays in a place for a long time, they help the plants to spread and flourish.

Today, branches of the jade bee can be found in Huangshan, Taihu Lake, Niujia Village, and Peach Blossom Island, spreading and expanding its family. It serves both as a seed and as a reward.

Now, this nest of jade bees will settle in a secluded valley in the Kunlun Mountains, no longer wandering aimlessly with Jiangnan.

Hmm... taking care of jade bees is indeed troublesome. Jiangnan doesn't even know if any jade bees that fell behind during the journey have become new jade bee colonies.

There's no way around it; there are just too many jade bees, and the population is constantly growing. If a few dozen or even a hundred bees are missing and can't keep up with the pace, some will form their own colonies.

In particular, the jade bee is considered a different species. Its vitality is both tenacious and fragile. It is tenacious in that it can survive until a new queen bee is born, but fragile in that it can only degenerate if it cannot collect enough nectar.

Xiaolongnü grew up with Jiangnan, who, with his mischievous nature, taught her how to control bees. After she learned it, Jiangnan entrusted the management of the jade bee swarm to her.

Sometimes, when Jiangnan looks at the tiny dragon and jade bee, she can't help but marvel at the wonder of fate.

When Xiaolongnu moved the bee colony, Huang Rong also helped out, while learning bee-taming techniques from Xiaolongnu.

………………

Jiangnan wandered through the valley, using his maxed-out Feng Shui knowledge to assess the terrain and combine it with his knowledge of formations to select the locations of the formation flags.

Jiangnan wanted to set up an array, mainly to protect this place from being discovered by outsiders. However, this would be the last line of defense. Jiangnan would also set up a maze around the cliffs and precipices of the valley, making people unconsciously wander out of it.

In Jiangnan, one not only looks at the terrain, but also at the plants.

Ordinary formations are mostly based on stones and wooden stakes, which are rigid and inflexible, making them easy for people to detect as formations, and easy for experts to see through and break.

Jiangnan is not only proficient in the arrangement of battle formations, but also in the art of planting and has a deep understanding of plants.

In this formation, Jiangnan intends to emulate his father-in-law Huang Yaoshi's Peach Blossom Formation on Peach Blossom Island, using living wood as the array flags and cores, and leveraging the power of the mountains, rivers, and earth's energy to enhance its illusionary effects, making it mysterious and unpredictable, far surpassing ordinary array formations.

He wandered through the valley and discovered that, besides the peach trees he had paid special attention to, there were also bamboo groves, and higher up there were pine and tamarisk forests, as well as shrubs and sea buckthorn thickets. Besides peaches, there were also wild apricots, and besides peach blossoms, there were plum blossoms…

Jiangnan selected dozens of healthy, non-fruiting peach and plum trees and transplanted them to key locations in different directions. With his superb transplanting skills, he preserved the vitality of the root systems of all the peach and plum trees, and not a single one withered or decayed.

The tender pink peach branches are adorned with a few new leaves, and the pink plum blossoms complement the peach blossoms, taking root in the secluded valley, surrounding the old peach trees bearing spirit peaches, the pond, and the wooden house, subtly conforming to the numbers of Qimen Dunjia and the Eight Gates of Life and Death.

The peach blossoms and leaves, along with the fragrance of plum blossoms, combine to create an alluring atmosphere. The flowers bloom with an ethereal quality, the branches cast shadows, and the plum fragrance is captivating—making it an excellent tool for bewitching and deceiving enemies.

The green bamboo is tall and slender, hollow inside. When it sways gently in the wind, it produces a soft, clear sound. The sound is soothing, invisible, and can confuse people's hearing and disturb their sense of hearing.

The sparse bamboo shadows, behind the peach and plum trees, divide the field of vision, making it impossible for people to see the formation from high above. This also makes up for the shortcomings of the peach and plum trees, whose branches are too soft and lack sufficient blocking power. One is soft and the other is hard, one is bright and the other is green, perfectly matching the needs of the formation.

To solidify the position and complete the loop, several more cold-resistant pines and low-lying brambles were transplanted in Jiangnan.

The pine trees, strong and deep-rooted, guard the corners of the formation, locking in the spiritual energy so that it does not dissipate; the brambles, intertwined and winding, are hidden beneath the peach and bamboo, sealing off all hidden corners and leaving no flaws in the formation.

In half a day, a perfectly formed living wooden maze was completely completed.

Once an outsider steps into the secluded valley, they will instantly be trapped in an illusion. The shadows of peach blossoms, plum blossoms, and bamboo overlap and distort before their eyes. Though they are only inches apart, each step seems to create a sense of distance, and no matter how they walk, they are going around in circles.

The sound of bamboo rustling in the ears disturbs the mind, stirring up distracting thoughts and illusions, making it difficult to distinguish between east, west, south, north, and between reality and falsehood.