The water was clear, but Anji was not foolish enough to jump into it and collect the pebbles from the riverbed. With how quickly the water swept away fallen leaves and big branches, they would also easily sweep her away. Moreover, Anji was no swimmer. She had no rope to secure herself to a strong tree either. Collecting those pebbles was out of the question.
Trudging downstream, she eventually found a small channel where the water had split from the main creek. It was gentler and calmer, appearing friendlier to Anji. Excitedly, she hopped to the side where she could reach her hand into the water and touch the pebbles beneath them. There were all sorts of pebbles, but Yan Ping did not specify what sort of pebbles she wanted. Hence, Anji decided to collect a variety of pebbles ranging from different shapes and sizes to colours.
After gathering all twenty pebbles, Anji realised that she was starting to become hungry. The food she gathered wasn’t cooked, so she could only eat some berries she gathered after washing them in the water. It was a miserable snack, but Anji felt slightly better after eating the berries. She washed her hands and face in the water and decided to follow it back.
After what felt like a long walk, Anji finally saw the small pond that her teacher talked about. Knowing that the hut was nearby, she finally smiled with relief. The sun was very high up in the sky, and Anji was starting to feel tired. She had no idea how long she spent walking and finding food. However, she felt sad that her only lunch contained mostly sweet potato leaves and wild mushrooms.
By the time Anji found her way back, it was already noon. Besides the twenty pebbles her teacher requested, everything else she collected felt miserable. For the first time in her life, Anji felt like salted fish. Despite becoming lost, she managed to find her way back before the two-hour time limit was up. For that, she consoled herself and considered it a victory for her first errand.
Even though she did not leave her room, Yan Ping was aware of her student’s return. Anji did quite well on her first errand. She should reward her hardworking disciple for the effort. Children cannot grow up healthily with only vegetables. Even monks had to eat bread or rice in their vegetarian diet in order not to starve.
Getting up from the bed, Yan Ping grabbed her staff and went out to see Anji. The little girl was gone for about one and a half hours. With her father tailing her, Yan Ping did not have to leave the hut. The fact that Mingfeng did not appear before his daughter meant that Anji successfully overcame all obstacles during her errand for pebbles.
"You’re back," Yan Ping schooled her expression as she approached the girl. "If you were back any later, I would have gone out to find you. Did you find any difficulties while foraging for food?"
Hearing that her shifu was indeed keeping track of the time, Anji’s heart finally settled. If she truly became lost in this mountain, her shifu would definitely not let it be. The hardships she experienced earlier in the wilderness quickly became a thing of the past.
"I was lost for a while," Anji admitted. "But I found the creek and followed it to the pond. From there, it was easier to find my way back. Unfortunately, I did not bring with me any tools for harvesting sweet potatoes or plums. There are only some wild mushrooms and sweet potato leaves in this bamboo basket."
Nodding, Yan Ping patted Anji on the head. "It’s your first time foraging. That’s an impressive enough haul. However, children need proper nutrition when growing up. Check the kitchen storage crates. There should be some rice in there. Also, help me fill two buckets of water. You’ll need them for washing and drinking. I’ll teach you how to prepare lunch after you get the water. Ordinarily, you can use the seal spell to convert water from the air into a ready water supply. However, filling a bucket of water like that takes too much energy and concentration. It’s faster filling it by hand."
Surprised that her teacher would teach her how to prepare her food, Anji quickly left the bamboo basket in her teacher’s care. However, she remembered to remove the twenty pebbles and set them on the table indoors before she left.
Scurrying to the kitchen, Anji found the storage crate beneath the counter cabinet. She opened it and found all sorts of cooking necessities like oil, spices, rice and flour. Truthfully, with this supply, Anji might not need to forage anything at all. She wasn’t a particularly picky eater and could afford to eat seasoned cooked rice with a little vegetable on the side.
The buckets were huge, so Anji could only carry one at a time. Thankfully, she already knew where the pond was.
Yan Ping wondered what the child would do when Anji reappeared from the kitchen with one large bucket more than half her size. Even when the bucket was empty, she was already struggling to move it. Anji would most likely not be able to move it when it was filled with water. Moreover, she asked for two buckets of water.
People like Bai Dajin would train their disciples to fetch water to increase the body’s stamina and strength. However, that wasn’t Yan Ping’s intent. She wanted to see how Anji would come up with creative solutions. At the Mystical Qilin Sect, research was their pride and joy. Having brains alone wasn’t enough. Knowing how to use it to overcome the unknown was held in high regard.
"Are you going now?" she asked carefully, not wanting to give away any hints. Newest update provided by noᴠelfire.net
Anji placed the bucket down in the garden and thought about it. Truthfully, she would have problems carrying it back. Unlike the bamboo basket, this was made of carved solid wood.
"Not yet," Anji replied honestly. "I’m looking for a lid."
Hiding her smile, Yan Ping told Anji to look at the storage shed in the back. She kept most of the gardening items there, but none of those tools or items had any seals on them. With how brilliant her student was, she would definitely figure it out.
Thanking Yan Ping for the clue, Anji ran to the shed and wondered what she could use to make carrying a heavy bucket of water possible. Her twig-like arms weren’t going to carry them for sure.