Chapter 61

Xu Mo left Huai City and headed southwest.

He had killed someone and was afraid of being caught by the police, as well as worried about the 'Madam's' subordinates searching for him. Therefore, he dared not take a vehicle, avoided pedestrians, and stayed away from cities, not even daring to go to villages.

He traveled during the day and rested at night, choosing the most remote and desolate paths in the countryside. When hungry, he would find food in the wild; when thirsty, he would drink river water, stream water, rainwater, or the morning dew on leaves.

He had mastered the technique of quiet breathing, which significantly reduced his body's energy consumption compared to ordinary people. A small meal could sustain him for a long time, so he didn't have to worry about food.

The only thing that troubled him was the water problem. Often, he would walk for several days without finding a river, and the dew collected from leaves was not enough to drink. Fortunately, he found a gourd in the wild, hollowed it out, and used it to carry water, solving this problem.

It was only early April in the lunar calendar, with heavy morning dew and a large temperature difference between day and night. However, with his quiet breathing technique, he could stay in the wild without worrying about getting sick.

Feeling both desolate and proud, he thought: I do not interfere with the natural world, and the natural world cannot affect me.

Alone in the wilderness, his mind grew calmer each day. With the control of his quiet breathing, his five senses gradually became more sensitive. Compared to ordinary people, he could hear more clearly, see more clearly, and judge changes in the weather and temperature more accurately. In the clear air, he could even smell the faint, earthy scent of dust in the air.

The only regret was that as his sense of taste grew stronger, it became increasingly difficult to eat. He gathered wild fruits to fill his stomach, which were either sour or astringent. In the past, when his sense of taste was similar to that of ordinary people, he could barely tolerate them. Now, with the changes in his mindset and the effects of quiet breathing, his sense of taste was more than ten times stronger than that of ordinary people.

As a result, the sourness or astringency of the wild fruits felt more than ten times stronger to him.

He found it hard to bear and one day had a sudden idea: If only I could control my sense of taste like my circulation and energy consumption. When eating, I could retain the flavors I want and discard the ones I don't. In a single wild fruit, I could taste the flavor of beef. No, not just beef, I could make it taste like anything I want.

This was just an idea, and he didn't know how to achieve it yet.

The further south he went, the hotter the weather became, the humidity in the air increased, and the rain became more frequent. The plants in the wilderness also gradually changed.

One day, he entered a mountainous area. The sky suddenly turned overcast, and it started to rain. The rain grew heavier, and Xu Mo picked several large banana leaves from the roadside, placing them on his head to continue walking in the rain.

The rainwater flowed down the banana leaves and into his neck. He looked up at the gray sky, filled with dark clouds. A cool wind blew, scattering the rain on his face. Feeling the coolness of the rain and the wind, he felt not a trace of sorrow but rather a sense of comfort, and he couldn't help but laugh out loud.

In a moment, he saw a cave and, without hesitation, ran over to take shelter. The cave was not really a cave but a large indentation in the mountain wall that looked like one.

After taking shelter from the rain, he came out, gathered a pile of dry branches, and made a fire in the cave. He took off his wet clothes and hung them on a rack over the fire. Then he ran out of the cave and took a cold shower in the rain.

The sound of the wind and rain mixed with the calls of birds and insects in the mountains. Xu Mo released his hearing, calmed his mind, and listened carefully. In the chaotic sounds, he detected an unusual noise, as if something was approaching.

Xu Mo's heart raced. He held his breath, and his circulation and heartbeat instantly stopped. Without the interference of his own body, the sounds became even clearer.

The sound came from the front-left, very light, and the distance between it and Xu Mo grew closer. He looked through the layers of mist and saw a wild rabbit in the grass.

Seeing the rabbit, he felt a surge of joy: Now I have something to eat.

But the rabbit also noticed him and stopped, hesitant to come closer. Xu Mo closed his eyes and held his breath and heartbeat.

The rabbit's nest was near the cave, so it didn't leave. After a while, it mustered the courage to come closer, thinking Xu Mo was dead because it couldn't sense any breath or heartbeat.

Xu Mo listened to the sound of the rabbit approaching. When it passed by him, he suddenly reached out and grabbed it. The rabbit, sensing the danger too late, couldn't escape.

Xu Mo took out a dagger, killed the rabbit in the rain, cleaned and skinned it, and returned to the cave to roast it over the fire.

As the rabbit meat roasted, the aroma of the cooked meat gradually spread in the air. Xu Mo stretched his nose and sniffed, then walked out of the cave and found several plants with strong odors at the entrance, pulling a few of each.

These plants had pungent odors, each one extremely unpleasant on its own, but when mixed together, they created a different smell. When combined with the aroma of the rabbit meat, it produced an extraordinary fragrance.

However, when these odors mixed in the air, they became very faint, much less intense than their individual scents. If not for Xu Mo's powerful sense of smell, he wouldn't have been able to distinguish this faint fragrance from the more intense ones.

He placed the pungent plants in the fire, and the smell became even stronger. With his sensitive sense of smell, Xu Mo felt the pungent odor ten times more intensely than ordinary people. He couldn't help but wave his hand in front of his nose and sneeze several times.

Eventually, he couldn't bear it and had to go out of the cave in the rain again. He sniffed the air and found a few leaves with a strange smell. He returned to the cave, balled the leaves together, and stuffed them in his nostrils.

The pungent smell from the plants in the fire mixed with the strange smell of the leaves, creating a unique and pleasant fragrance. When he inhaled, he felt an indescribable comfort and satisfaction.

He didn't know the names of these plants, but with his ability to distinguish odors, he easily achieved this.

What he didn't realize was that his method already aligned with the principles of traditional Chinese medicine and culinary ingredient pairing.

In traditional Chinese medicine, the effect of a single herb is usually not significant, and some have no effect at all when used alone. However, when combined with other herbs, they can cure stubborn diseases.

The same applies to cooking. Using a single seasoning is usually not very tasty, but combining several seasonings can turn ordinary dishes into delicious meals.

Xu Mo, of course, didn't understand traditional Chinese medicine or cooking, but with his powerful sense of smell, he could identify the most fundamental elements of different odors. In this regard, he was far superior to ordinary doctors or chefs.

After all, whether in traditional Chinese medicine or cooking, the effectiveness relies on the understanding of the herbs or ingredients themselves. No one had as detailed and nuanced an experience with them as Xu Mo did.

When the rabbit meat was cooked, Xu Mo took it off the rack and sniffed it. The extraordinary aroma stimulated his nose and instantly entered his body, making him feel completely comfortable, as if his whole body was about to moan in pleasure.

He had been traveling in the wilderness for over a month, subsisting on wild fruits, so his appreciation for good food was even stronger. Just the smell made his mouth water, and his stomach rumbled.

Without waiting for the meat to cool, he opened his mouth and took a big bite. The meat was slightly undercooked and a bit tough, but the unique aroma from the mixed flavors completely masked this shortcoming.

Xu Mo held the meat in his mouth, and before he could chew, the soul-penetrating flavor stimulated his taste buds, making him moan in pleasure. He couldn't even bother to chew and swallowed it whole.

This caused him some trouble. With his heightened sense of touch, the hot and scalding meat burned his stomach, making him frown and moan in pain.

But then, he was stimulated by the feeling of this primitive and simple life in the wilderness, and he laughed out loud.

He took out his gourd, drank some water, and then continued eating the rabbit meat, but this time, he didn't dare to eat so quickly.

After finishing the rabbit meat, the rain stopped, and it was getting dark. Xu Mo spent the night in the cave.

The next morning, he woke up and continued his journey. The area ahead was still mountainous, and he walked for several days without leaving. It seemed he had entered a vast mountain range.

He didn't know where he was or how large the mountain range was, but he knew that within a radius of a hundred or two hundred miles, there were no people.

One day, he entered a valley. The valley was low-lying, surrounded by high mountains with steep peaks. The scenery in the valley was beautiful, with birds singing and flowers blooming. There were wild fruit trees everywhere, and a clear stream flowed down from the mountain, forming a small lake in the valley.

He decided to stay in the valley and no longer continued his journey.

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PS: The first few chapters (or possibly a dozen) of this second volume mainly focus on the cultivation of mental and spiritual realms and life in the mountains. It will be challenging to write and may not be as engaging as the second chapter. Apologies.

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