Seeing Park Su's enthusiastic demeanor, Xu Nuo's protests eventually went unsaid. Instead, he provided two more talismans he had made. After all, with the recent boost in his spiritual energy from being around Park Su every evening, he was able to produce more talismans than before.
Since these talismans were only producible because of Park Su, giving them to him was not an issue.
However, what Park Su didn't know was that Xu Nuo would stand at the window waiting for him to return every day, insisting on seeing Park Su's figure appear in his line of sight before returning to his room.
He was also unaware that each time he went out, Xu Nuo would perform a divination for him upstairs, only feeling at ease to focus on drawing talismans and cultivating his Taoist skills once he saw a positive outcome.
For five consecutive days, although Park Su hadn't managed to fill all the spatial rings Xu Nuo had given him, a quick calculation revealed that with the supplies he had recently collected and his previous preparations, he could live comfortably for two or three years on the road without any issues.
Moreover, if they needed to gather more supplies, they would have to travel further. Instead of doing that, it would be better to set out early and see if there were any opportunities along the way.
During these five days, there had been another instance of a convoy coming to their village. This time, the convoy was smarter; rather than forcing villagers to hand over supplies like the previous group of strong men, they chose to ask if anyone wanted to leave with them, offering protection in exchange for supplies.
Of course, this protection required a payment of supplies, and Meng Shan had left with them.
Before leaving, Meng Shan specifically came to their courtyard to find Park Su and ask if he would like to join them. If Park Su had been alone, he might not have minded traveling with them, as the convoy didn't demand much from physically fit young men, and ability users weren't required to pay anything.
They would treat him well if he agreed to go with them. Park Su had actually seen the convoy's leader, a seemingly amicable middle-aged man, on the day they arrived. However, since it was a hastily assembled group, they might not protect them if faced with life-threatening danger, potentially using them as human shields. Park Su understood that in the apocalypse, such things were often unavoidable unless you were someone others sought to curry favor with.
For Park Su, who he traveled with didn't matter much. After all, while they might see him as a shield, he, having experienced the apocalypse, also saw them as one.
But now, with Xu Nuo by his side, his previous plans had changed completely. After witnessing Xu Nuo's capabilities, Park Su deeply understood that having Xu Nuo with him was more formidable than having a convoy of young men or even a dozen first-tier ability users.
Moreover, he had revealed enough secrets to Xu Nuo, which meant if they set out together, he wouldn't have to be overly cautious. Although Xu Nuo had strong opinions on many things, his advice was usually sound, yet he never forced Park Su into anything he didn't want to do.
So, he found being with Xu Nuo very comfortable. Of course, if Xu Nuo wanted to travel with the convoy, he wouldn't mind either. To him, those people were potential shields, but as expected, when Meng Shan made the offer, Xu Nuo immediately wore a cold expression.
He coldly remarked to Park Su, "If you really want to go with them, I can accept that. But the things I've given you would be better kept with me to ensure you don't accidentally lose them to someone else's schemes. I wouldn't want to end up having to search for you somewhere."
Park Su was sweating at Xu Nuo's words, his expression, and tone making it clear that he didn't want to go with them. Since Xu Nuo had expressed his reluctance so clearly, Park Su, who was indifferent to the idea, directly rejected Meng Shan's proposal.
In fact, Meng Shan had anticipated their refusal but wanted to ask just in case there might be a different answer. Upon receiving the expected response, he just sighed in relief.
However, as he was leaving, he took one last look at Park Su and left with a hopeful remark, "I hope we have a chance to meet again."
Park Su's impression of Meng Shan wasn't particularly good, but it wasn't bad either. He understood that if it weren't for Xu Nuo, he might have agreed to travel with Meng Shan, and they might have become more familiar. Meng Shan was someone with ideas, not inherently bad. Although their first meeting hadn't fostered a deep connection, Park Su would have maintained a polite distance. So, he responded courteously with a nod, "I hope we get to see each other again too."
In a world like this, who knew if one could even survive the day? Meeting again after parting was indeed a rare stroke of fate.
However, Park Su didn't tell Meng Shan, who was walking away, that they would be leaving this place in just two days, heading to the same destination.
He knew that if he opened his mouth, it would be an invitation for Meng Shan to travel with them. Logically, Meng Shan was an ability user with speed abilities awakened; although he wouldn't be of much help, he probably wouldn't cause trouble either.
Moreover, Park Su was almost certain that if he spoke up, Meng Shan would agree to travel with them. But in the end, he didn't say anything, and so when they prepared to leave, it was just Park Su and Xu Nuo.
Perhaps he wanted this chance to travel alone with just the two of them, or perhaps he was subconsciously aware that Xu Nuo didn't like being too close to others, so he didn't invite anyone else to join.
In fact, Xu Nuo was quite pleased with Park Su's choice. He didn't enjoy interacting with many people, and Park Su was an exception, the only exception.
He attributed this exception to the fact that Park Su had saved his life, which was why he was willing to protect him. If Park Su had chosen to travel with the convoy, Xu Nuo would have still escorted him to B base, but it would have been less convenient.
Now, with Park Su opting for them to travel alone, it was much more convenient for Xu Nuo, and there was a certain sense of unspoken joy in his heart.
On the day of departure, Xu Nuo took out a newly made spatial jade pendant and stored all three remaining military pick-ups in their yard into it. This grand gesture made Park Su's eyes widen in surprise, "Didn't you say the largest spatial ring you have is the one you're wearing? How could you store all three vehicles at once?"
Xu Nuo himself wasn't sure why, but in front of Park Su, he was more inclined to show off his abilities. Maybe it was the look of admiration and awe in Park Su's eyes that made him particularly forthcoming.
So, he held up the newly crafted spatial jade pendant and said, "Just made it. The area isn't huge, but it can hold about five vehicles. However, we need to keep one to drive, and we also need some space to collect supplies. So, storing three is about right."
Seeing Xu Nuo speak so nonchalantly, Park Su couldn't help but feel envious and gave Xu Nuo the look he had been hoping for. Although he didn't think there was much hope, he still shamelessly asked, "Why don't you teach me how to make spatial rings or jade pendants? I don't have high expectations. I won't ask for something as advanced as what you've made. Just teach me how to make those failed products like the ones you gave me before, with enough space to fit a single vehicle."
He had said this half in jest, not expecting much, but to his surprise, after he finished speaking, Xu Nuo looked him up and down with a meaningful gaze, which made Park Su's hair stand on end.
He was about to say he was just kidding when he heard Xu Nuo's response, "When I have time, I'll try teaching you. But with your intelligence, I'm afraid you might not learn."
"I'll teach you when I have time, but with your intelligence, I'm afraid you might not learn."
Park Su was about to continue, thinking Xu Nuo would say he wouldn't teach him, and he had prepared to act cute and then nonchalantly continue to pester him. But to his astonishment, he stopped mid-sentence when he heard Xu Nuo's response, which was completely different from what he had anticipated. He turned to Xu Nuo with surprise, "What did you just say? You're really willing to teach me?"
Seeing Park Su's surprised expression, Xu Nuo couldn't help but find it amusing. He patted Park Su's head and said, "Isn't that what you wanted? Why the sudden change in demeanor? I'll warn you ahead of time, I can't guarantee your spiritual energy will be compatible with my Taoist techniques. I can only try to teach you, but there's no guarantee you'll learn. And I'm quite strict when teaching, so be prepared. Also, think about what kind of price you're willing to pay for this tuition."
Park Su was already thrilled to get Xu Nuo's promise, so he didn't mind these minor details. Agreeing to teach was not an easy feat, and whether he could learn or not was up to fate. He believed that if he understood the principles, even if he couldn't make it work immediately, he could put in more effort.
Even if his abilities couldn't produce a spatial ring, he wouldn't mind trying to learn some Taoist techniques from scratch. His requirements weren't high; he didn't need to be as formidable as Xu Nuo; just being able to create a spatial ring would be enough.
But the mention of tuition made him hesitate. After all, he wasn't sure what he could offer Xu Nuo in exchange for such valuable knowledge. He knew that just one spatial ring had already turned him into Xu Nuo's long-term chef. If he wanted to learn this technique, wouldn't it be like selling himself?