Anthony turned around, pretending not to see Miao Miao who was crying profusely. She had been like that for the whole day. It was nearly midnight, yet she was still weeping.

"Damn it! She will attract wild animals and bandits to us. What's wrong with her?" Anthony muttered, poking the embers of the fire they made with a short stick.

They had camped thirty minutes ago, and Xinglan had gathered firewood, and set up the fire.

A blanket was wrapped around Anthony's shoulders, and he stared absentminded at the fire. He looked at Miao Miao again and sighed. Maybe, the reason he couldn't relate with her devastation was because he never had parental love to begin with. But Tong Tong's parents also died, both died at once. Why is Miao Miao the only one that kept bawling her eyes out?

"Young master, the river where Xinglan-jie filled the water bottles could have fishes. I will go ahead and see if I can find one for dinner." Tong Tong whispered, her voice low, her eyes weary and laden with pain.

Anthony grabbed her hand, stopping her from moving.

"I have some meat here, vegetables, and dried fish. We can make do with them."

"Really?"

Tong Tong's eyes brightened up, glad to be spared the stress of scavenging the dark forest for food. They were camped at the peripherals of a forest, near the lonely side of a waterfall. The waterfall was visible from where they sat, but the area with fishes was a bit far away.

"I even have a pan, salt and spices. There's also potatoes, mushrooms and bread. But I think we should leave bread for breakfast. The next big city is still some kilometers away. It's left for you to decide whether you want to cook it into a soup, or roast them."

"Since there's a pot, I will definitely cook them. You already did the hard part by bringing the items. I will do the cooking. Besides, we don't know how long we're going to stay before we find another decent meal. The enemies are still after us, searching for the miraculous elixir and treasure map. Who knows when we will find another chance to eat a filling meal? We need to eat well tonight, and conserve our energy to be prepared for whatever comes next."

Anthony smiled at her, seeing her in a new light. Unexpectedly, the Tong Tong that looked like a doll with her hourglass figure and delicate face was emotionally strong, and mentally coordinated. Even though she was also devastated by grief, it didn't stop her from thinking about survival.

He opened his storage ring and checked the section where he stored food items. The ones from Lan Xuanyu were carefully stored in an ice tub, perfectly preserving them. The ones from the old man's Tian Luo forest were all arranged accordingly. He had made careful plans for his long journey before challenging the old man to a duel. Food will never be a problem to him. He even had rice and flour.

He brought out a thick slab of mutton from an ice tub, alongside a pan and two bowls. With Tong Tong still watching, he brought out the containers of spices carefully labelled with their appropriate names, and gave her to select what she needed.

"Um, I can't see what's written on it."

Anthony had totally forgotten that he had labeled them in English.

"This is salt, black pepper, dried parsley, coriander, celery, fenugreek, fennel."

He brought out a bulb of onion, and garlic, adding it to the mix. Then potatoes, carrots and mushroom.

"There's fat in the mutton, so there will be no need for oil."

Tong Tong accepted it and tore off a broad leaf, arranging the items on top of it.

"I wonder how I will chop up the meat today." She muttered, her face pinched with worry.

Anthony offered her a sheathed knife, and she frowned, looking questioningly at him.

"No thanks." She finally said, breaking the stalemate.

"Why?"

Tong Tong looked at him as if he was mad or maybe stupid and kept silent, not wanting to share her thoughts. Anthony finally understood the reason for her refusal.

"What are you thinking about? If I use it to kill people, will I give it to you to cook? I'm not a cannibal you know, I won't knowingly eat something tainted with human blood. It's one of my spare daggers. Can't you see it's clean? Just take it." He muttered and shoved it into her hands.

"Even if it was used as a battle weapon, as long as it was washed clean and sterilized, won't it be fine?" He added, making Tong Tong's eyes narrow.

He smiled at her and hurled a little pebble at her feet.

"Why are you being so serious? Smile."

She looked at him for a while, as if thinking deeply about something.

"Can't you see it?" Seeing the confusion on Anthony's face, she continued.

"The smile has left our eyes. I don't think I will ever be able to smile again."

Her words stunned Anthony, and he immediately realized why. The betrayal came not from outside but from the people they trusted. He looked at the other two, Xinglan was still hugging Miao Miao, letting her cry against her.

Anthony took a heavy breath and sighed, looking up at her.

"You will smile again, I guarantee that. No, it's a promise. I will make sure you smile again." He whispered solemnly, letting her drown in his eyes. She nodded and smiled. "I believe you."

He watched silently as she carried the meat, alongside the bigger bowl, her slightly ragged boots creating friction with the stony ground. He turned to watch her as she sliced the meat against a huge rock and washed it, alongside the pan, and bowl. Once she was done, she filled the bowl upstream from the waterfall and carried it back. She adjusted the fire's height to make it suitable for cooking, and used slabs of rocks to create a tripod stand for the pan.

Her face looked desolate as she cooked and blew the fire like a dutiful housewife, and at that moment a single tear dropped from her eyes. But he was unable to determine if it was from the fire from the wood, or the fire from her broken heart.

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