Chapter 132: “Tomorrow, Can I Learn to Cook?”

At this moment, the assassins attacked once more.

Mo Jinnan didn’t have time to think. Holding his sword in his right hand, he wrapped his left arm around Xiang Xinyao’s slender waist and used his lightness skill to leap into the air.

As soon as the two of them soared into the air, Xiang Xinyao threw a handful of potent sleeping powder.

Mo Jinnan instantly understood, holding Xiang Xinyao as he flew over the other assassins engaged in battle.

After a circle, everyone had fallen to the ground, including Xiang Xinyao’s brothers and Mo Jinnan’s guards.

It could be said that they were all wiped out!

Even Xiang Xinyao’s parents and sister had fainted inside the carriage.

Mo Jinnan landed with Xiang Xinyao in his arms.

Xiang Xinyao immediately ran to the carriage where her parents were, took out a small bottle similar to one used for essential oils, and opened the cap to bring it near her parents’ and Xiang Xinyu’s noses.

After a moment, her parents and sister woke up.

“Yao’er, are you alright? Did you get hurt?”

“Little sister, are you hurt? Let me take a look.”

The first thing her parents and Xiang Xinyu did after waking was to check her from head to toe, fearing she might be injured.

Xiang Xinyao smiled and shook her head. “Father, Mother, I’m fine. Don’t worry. I’ll go wake the others.”

After speaking, Xiang Xinyao jumped down from the carriage.

She ran into the crowd of unconscious people, starting with waking her three older brothers.

Next, she administered the antidote to Rufeng and the other guards.

When all the guards had woken up from the haze, Mo Jinnan gave a deep command: “Kill them all!”

Mo Jinnan was truly enraged. Time and time again, assassins had tried to kill him, and yet they were still using his mother as leverage, forcing him to fight for that bastard who dared to claim the throne.

He couldn’t be controlled just because he was an emperor! Did they think he could let them do whatever they wanted?

Mo Jinnan’s face was as dark as ink, and he swore to himself that he would grow stronger and rescue his mother.

Xiang Xinyao, seeing his grim expression, walked up to him and said, “Young Master Mo, don’t worry. Things will work out when the time comes. Right now, we need to focus on getting to our destination.”

She didn’t promise to help him rescue his mother just yet. After all, she didn’t understand the situation in the palace, and she didn’t want to do anything without confidence.

Once they reached Bianjing and learned more, perhaps she could use the space to rescue Mo Jinnan’s mother.

Now, any living being in her space could move freely. All she would need to do was let his mother rest there for a while.

Mo Jinnan nodded slightly and turned to Xiang Xinyao. “Do you think I’m too ruthless for ordering the killing of the assassins?”

Xiang Xinyao shook her head. “I don’t think so. Mercy toward your enemies is cruelty toward yourself. Everyone has a life. If someone wants to kill you, do they expect you to just stand there and let them do it?”

Mo Jinnan’s lips curled up in a smile.

He had thought that Xiang Xinyao, who had never experienced such violence, would think he was too bloodthirsty.

But the outcome was completely unexpected.

His mood lightened instantly.

Yes! If someone wanted to take his life, he couldn’t just hand it over.

He had to fight back!

Whether the person was an assassin or that arrogant individual who thought himself above everyone.

With the assassins dealt with, the group continued on their journey.

By evening, they hadn’t reached a place to stay, so they found a flat area near a water source to camp for the night.

Xiang Xinyao took all the pots, bowls, and utensils off the cart, placed the vegetables she had bought into her space, and took out some prepared vegetables to cook dinner.

Everyone else wasn’t idle. Those who needed to gather firewood did so, and those who needed to wash dishes or vegetables did their part.

Xiang Xinyao washed some rice, added some spiritual spring water to the pot, and placed it over a simple stove made of stone to cook.

“Mother, watch the rice. After the water boils, lower the heat a little, or it might burn the rice,” Xiang Xinyao instructed.

Bai Jing nodded, “Okay, I’ll watch it.”

Xiang Xinyao cut a piece of cured meat and went to the creek to wash it.

Actually, the meat wasn’t cured in the traditional way; it was just salted and preserved.

While no one was paying attention, she focused and filled the washing basin with spiritual spring water.

She removed the skin from the meat and cut it into small pieces, then sliced the fatty and lean parts into thin slices.

Once the rice was ready, Xiang Xinyao placed a frying pan on the simple stove and added more firewood.

She threw some of the fattier meat into the pan to render out the fat, then removed the crispy bits and placed them in a small bowl.

Next, she fried the meat skin until it turned golden, took it out, and soaked it in a bowl of spiritual spring water.

She then added the meat back into the pan, cooked it, and poured in the spiritual spring water. She also added the soaked meat skin.

When the water boiled, she added salt and matsutake mushrooms, then put in the washed vegetables. The simple hot pot was ready.

“Dinner’s ready!” Xiang Xinyao called as she grabbed the bowls to serve the rice.

The fragrant rice was clear and shiny, each grain plump and perfect.

She served everyone, then sat down with her bowl of rice to join the others around the stove.

Though the hot pot was simple, the aroma that wafted from it was irresistible.

The spiritual spring water brought out the full flavor of the vegetables and meat, making the dish even more enticing.

One bite of rice, one bite of vegetables or meat, and the taste lingered, filling their mouths with fragrance.

Xiang Taifu praised, savoring the meal: “I never expected something so simple, just boiled vegetables, to taste better than what we get at inns or restaurants.”

Bai Jing nodded, “It really is better than what we get at inns and restaurants. How does it taste like the food we had back in Dawai Village?”

Xiang Xinyao paused for a moment, then gave a slight, awkward laugh. “Mother, I cooked it myself, so of course it tastes similar to the food from Dawai Village.”

“That makes sense,” Bai Jing responded.

Xiang Xinyu said, “This is my first time eating like this, cooking and eating at the same time. It feels so warm and cozy, it’s just perfect.”

Her three older brothers nodded enthusiastically.

Mo Jinnan swallowed the vegetables in his mouth and commented, “It really does make you feel warmer the more you eat. The flavor is special too. It doesn’t taste like the vegetables we bought this morning.”

Xiang Xinyao: …

Did he notice something unusual?

“Not from this morning? Then where did it come from?” Xiang Xinyao asked, a bit nervous.

Mo Jinnan picked up another bite of vegetables. “It just doesn’t feel as fresh as what we bought this morning. Honestly, I’ve never tasted vegetables this good, even in Bianjing. Freshly bought and cooked, they still don’t compare.”

Xiang Xinyao raised an eyebrow. “Maybe it’s because you’re too hungry today. Plus, there are so many people eating together. The atmosphere makes everything taste better. If you were eating alone, even the finest delicacies wouldn’t taste as good.”

“Maybe,” Mo Jinnan agreed. “Tomorrow, when we pass through a village or town, I’ll buy more vegetables. It’s so simple but delicious.”

Xiang Yanzhuo rolled his eyes. “Young Master Mo, if you didn’t cook, you wouldn’t understand how hard it is. She’s your fiancée, don’t you feel bad for her? I still feel sorry for her.”

Xiang Yanlin added, “Exactly. Just because she’s not your sister doesn’t mean you can treat her like that.”

Mo Jinnan raised an eyebrow. “What if I learn how to cook tomorrow?”

Xiang Xinyao’s three older brothers: “Now that’s more like it.”