Let's put it this way, if you want to find a guide in Pandaria, then that person must be Lorewalker Cho!
Perhaps in the ancient ruins, you would worry that this guy's strong curiosity would lead him to touch mechanisms that shouldn't be touched, but outside, his rich knowledge is still trustworthy.
Galen inquired about the whereabouts of Lorewalker Cho from Elder Ebonhorn. Galen remembered that he was also in the Jade Forest.
"Cho? He is a knowledgeable pandaren. I heard that his training place is in the Thousand Needles Cave in the west of the Jade Forest, but if you are going to find him, be careful, it is the territory of the Hozen. They are naughty and brutal, and they are not very friendly to people who break into their territory." The old pandaren looked disgusted, apparently having suffered a lot from the Hozen.
"I know the Hozen. There are those annoying guys on the Wandering Isle too. They always steal things from the village, hmph!" Li Li finally came back to her senses from the huge stove, the stove on the Wandering Isle is not so huge.
Ebonhorn looked at the pandaren girl with a smile, then patted Li Li's head and continued: "The Hozen are a member of Pandaria." The old pandaren fell into memories, "When the last king of the Mogu Empire fell, our ancestors rose up. In that uprising to overthrow the brutal rule of the Mogu, the Jinyu, the Hozen, and even the Sprites fought alongside our ancestors. And although the Lorewalkers have not mentioned it, it is very likely that humans and trolls also participated."
Alleria frowned and questioned: "That's unlikely, Elder. The Pandaren Empire was founded more than twelve thousand years ago. Humans were not yet a force to be reckoned with at that time, and the Zandalari and the Mogu were still allies. How could these two races have participated in the Pandaren uprising?"
Galen was also very curious. At that time, humans had only recently devolved from the stone vrykul flesh and should have been staying near the Arathi Highlands. How could they have traveled thousands of miles to the south?
"I am not sure about this, but the saying within the Lorewalkers is: Every race will have some people who take a different path."
"Oh…"
Galen felt enlightened, but he couldn't witness the history of more than ten thousand years ago. Perhaps only the Bronze Dragonflight knew the details.
"Although the Hozen, like us Jinyu, also have a tragic birth, their mischievousness and cunning are difficult to erase."
Ebonhorn's apprentice, Wanyu, had been cooking today's dinner since the conversation just now. He happened to bring up the first dish and couldn't help but interject when he heard Galen and the others talking.
This smiling Wanyu is a Jinyu. He has blue skin, big eyes, and two tentacles hanging from the corners of his mouth. From the outside, he looks like a real carp, but except for the scales and fins on his fingers, he is no different from humans.
Seeing Legolas and Arathor looking at him curiously, Wanyu nodded to the two cute children.
Arathor stretched out his small hand to stroke the Jinyu's tentacles, but Galen stopped him one step ahead: "Arathor, don't do that, it's impolite."
Facing his father's stern gaze, Arathor immediately apologized sensibly: "I'm sorry, Mr. Wanyu."
Wanyu smiled again: "It doesn't matter, child. Mr. Galen, there is no need to be too harsh on the child."
After speaking, the Jinyu went to bring the dishes again.
Galen looked at it, waved to Legolas and Arathor, and the two children understood and ran to help the Jinyu chef bring the dishes.
Flame Salmon!
Peanut Pork Chops!
Steamed Mantis Shrimp!
Roasted Pheasant!
Valley Stir-fry!
Fluffy Silkfeather Scrambled Eggs!
Crispy Carrots!
Pumpkin Pancakes!
Spring Rolls!
Rich Floral Petal Soup!
As the children brought up each dish, Elder Ebonhorn introduced the name of the dish to Galen and the others, and also said that Wanyu had already obtained 80% of his true teachings!
A typical nine dishes and one soup…
Implying perfection.
There are also four hard dishes.
Finally, Wanyu brought up a wooden bucket: "This is Shaotian Rice, a staple food unique to Pandaria!"
Elder Ebonhorn then took out a jar of wine from the cabinet: "Chen, Galen, let's have a drink. This is Pandaren Plum Wine, with a strong aftertaste!"
At this time, Li Li clamored and said: "I want to drink too, I want to drink too!"
Seeing this, Old Chen smiled and took out another bowl, pouring half a bowl of plum wine for Li Li.
"Father…"
Legolas carefully tugged at Galen's clothes, the purpose of which was self-evident.
"I said, underage children are not allowed to drink alcohol. If I catch you, I will spank you."
Hearing this, Legolas and Arathor nervously covered their buttocks: "Why can Li Li?"
"Because her surname is Stormstout, the descendant of a brewing family. Even a child can have the alcohol capacity of a dwarf. You can't do it."
At this time, Wanyu said gently: "Children, it doesn't matter if you don't have wine to drink. I have prepared hot papaya milk for you in the pot, which is also very delicious!"
"Yay!"
With the temptation of dessert drinks, the children happily served rice to the adults. When everyone was sitting at the table, Legolas and Arathor frowned again.
Because only chopsticks were prepared on the table.
Although they had learned how to use chopsticks in the days on the Wandering Isle, they were still not proficient.
This is a kind of tableware that requires extremely high gripping skills, and their father's requirements are very strict, not allowing them to grip with their palms and use them as forks, and also claiming that it is a monkey's technique.
Seeing the old pandaren, Wanyu, Uncle Old Chen, father and mother have already started, the two brothers can only try to recall how to use chopsticks, pick up their favorite dishes, and eat them in one bite!
Woo!
The little half-elves have also experienced the gourmet food of Stromgarde's court and Quel'Thalas, but when the salmon entered their mouths, the deliciousness almost ran through their taste buds, allowing them to experience what their father said about the food exploding on the tip of their tongues.
"Hehe, Wanyu, the food you make is better than Cheng Bo's!"
"That's right, that's right, Wanyu, your cooking skills surpass my dad by several streets!"
"It's good that you like it!"
Faced with the children's praise, the smile on the head of the Jinyu Wanyu could not be concealed, and his eyes had been narrowed into a line.
Galen was also enjoying it. After so many years, he ate Chinese food again.
Although he would cook some food himself in his spare time over the years, it was difficult to collect some useful seasonings in the Eastern Kingdoms and Kalimdor. He could only make some simple oil and salt stir-fries. It had been a long time since he had seen such a rich dish like today.
Alleria and Sylvanas were equally delighted. Back on the Wandering Isle, Galen had told them that the Pandaren's culinary skills were the best in Azeroth. They didn't expect that even a novice student of an old Pandaren would refresh their understanding.
The meal was enjoyed by everyone, host and guests alike. However, the plum wine indeed had a high alcohol content. Elder Yinbo Cheng, being older, couldn't withstand the liquor and went upstairs to rest early.
The next morning, Galen and the others prepared to leave Shangri-La Village for their travels. Rexxar, accustomed to being alone, chose to travel solo. The Pandaren from the Wandering Isle temporarily stayed in Shangri-La Village to repair some damaged warships.
Before departing, the old Pandaren suggested that Wanyu be their guide.
Galen wholeheartedly agreed with this. After all, who could refuse a guide with extremely high culinary skills?
"Mr. Galen, Mr. Chen, may I ask where your destination is?"
Wanyu's personality was very gentle, leading Galen to once think he was a female Jinyu.
In fact, this was a unique characteristic of the Jinyu race. They dealt with water spirits every day, responsible for managing the water flow of Pandaria, which resulted in their gentle and soft personalities.
This also led to their generally low combat power. Although they were as tall as the Night Elves, their combat power might not even be as good as the Murlocs that once ravaged Southsea!
"There's a Mogu stronghold ruin in the north, not far from the Temple of Five Dawns, or perhaps we could visit the Jade Serpent Temple."
"However, the Temple of Five Dawns was once the royal temple of the Pandaren Empire, and the Jade Serpent Temple is home to guardians. It's difficult for ordinary people to enter these two places without permission. If you don't have a specific destination, we can take you to visit my hometown, Pearlfin Village in the south. It's also very beautiful!"
Galen pondered for a moment, deciding to first find Zhou Zhuo and then visit the strongest one in the Jade Forest.
Although Shao Hao disbanded the Pandaren Empire, decentralizing power to the local areas and allowing the Pandaren villages to be independent of each other, relying entirely on self-governance, there was still a form of government higher than the villages in this race: the faith represented by the temples.
The Jade Forest had the Jade Serpent Temple, Krasarang Wilds had the Temple of the Red Crane, Kun-Lai Summit had the Temple of the White Tiger, and the Dread Wastes had the Temple of the Black Ox, forming the pattern of the Eastern Azure Dragon, Western Black Ox, Northern White Tiger, and Southern Red Crane.
These four major temples had a very high influence on the Pandaren and even the Jinyu. Coincidentally, Galen had a way to get involved with them, and even make them obedient.
In this way, Galen could have a special identity in Pandaria: a favored one of the Four Celestials.
Basically, wherever he went, the Pandaren would compete to treat him, instead of saying, "I'll treat you next time!"
"Let's go to Thousand Needles Cave first, Wanyu."
"Hiss, Thousand Needles Cave!"
The Jinyu youth seemed a little hesitant.
"What's wrong, Wanyu?"
"It's close to the Hozen's Gruukin Monkey Mountain. We're likely to be attacked by those cunning villains!"
The Hozen had intelligence no less than humans, but the wildness in their blood made them full of aggression. Moreover, they were naturally mischievous. Once their numbers in the group increased, they would become bolder, evolving from petty theft to attacking Pandaren villages.
However, it was only the banditry kind of thing, and it couldn't stop Galen's footsteps.
"It's okay, Wanyu. We have the best Brewmaster and the best marksman. Even if we face thousands of Hozen, we can retreat safely."
The Hozen were just a rabble, only knowing how to bully the weak and fear the strong, good at taking advantage of favorable situations. Once they encountered someone stronger than them, they would scatter in a panic.
Wanyu hesitated for a long time before finally agreeing to lead the way to Thousand Needles Cave where Zhou Zhuo was located.
They headed west, bypassing large mountain ranges.
On the peaks of those mountains, Galen, with his powerful eyesight, saw green tiles and soaring eaves, carved beams and painted pillars.
That was the Temple of Five Dawns, where Shao Hao once studied.
But now was not the time to go there. After visiting the Jade Serpent Temple, Galen planned to arrange for the Pandaren of the Wandering Isle to enter cultivation for a period of time, and see if he could recruit some manpower to form a Monk Legion.
The population of the Wandering Isle was still too small, and the combat power that could be drawn out was limited. If he wanted a large number of monks, he still had to rely on Pandaria.
As they passed the Temple of Five Dawns, Wanyu began to become cautious.
"The Hozen don't easily approach areas where Pandaren live because they can't beat the monks guarding the villages. But once they discover someone intruding into their territory, they will appear in groups."
Just as Wanyu finished speaking, a stone fell from the sky, and Galen grabbed the stone with his hand!
Looking up, the green trees above were already full of monkey-like creatures.
"They're here! Run, they live in groups, run!"
Wanyu shouted in panic!
"Don't panic, my friend!"
Galen calmed the Jinyu's fearful emotions.
As soon as things quieted down, the Hozen in the trees began to move.
First, there was a rain of flying stones, but Galen used a magic shield to protect everyone.
"Jinyu! Jinyu!"
"Don't let go of the hairless monsters, kill them!"
"Hozen Law Article Two, all invaders must die!"
"Kill!"
Accompanied by chaotic shouts, those grinning, strange monkeys jumped down from the trees. Galen estimated that there were at least hundreds of them.
They rushed up with crude weapons.
"Hmph!"
Galen drew out the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, a long-handled weapon he had asked for from the guards of the village when he left Shangri-La Village.
Leaving Alleria and Sylvanas to protect the children, Galen and Old Chen rushed out.
Originally, Galen wouldn't bother to bully these Hozen, but he wanted to show off the newly acquired Green Dragon Crescent Blade.
Galen waved the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, and Old Chen wielded the Monk's staff. In less than a minute, hundreds of Hozen were all lying on the ground.
"Father is so great!"
"Uncle Chen fought well!"
Galen and Old Chen were relatively merciful, only beating the Hozen until they were rolling on the ground.
Galen grabbed the strongest Hozen with one hand and lifted him up.
The Hozen was still wailing:
"Ah! We were beaten to a pulp..."
"Shut up! Take us to find your leader, or I'll break your neck!"
"Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!"
After being thrown down by Galen, the Hozen, who seemed to be the leader, endured the pain and limped towards the depths of the forest, looking around to see if Galen and the others had followed.
After they had gone far, the Hozen who had been beaten down struggled to stand up, supporting each other and following far behind.