Knock, knock...
A series of knocks echoed at the door.
"Come in!" Lan Fozi, who was cooking, said casually.
Originally, Mu Ye's red mecha, Xiao Hong, just like Mu Ye himself, was an excellent cook.
Previously, Xia Yi and the others' meals had all been prepared by it.
However, since Xiao Hong had been given to Leng Yulai by Xia Yi, the responsibility of cooking naturally fell to Lan Fozi.
Fortunately, before leaving, Leng Yulai had taught Lan Fozi some cooking skills while following Xiao Hong's instructions.
Although Lan Fozi's cooking still had room for improvement and wasn't even on par with the chefs of Xingluo Hotel—in fact, to be precise, it was just average—seeing her so busy in the kitchen every day, Xia Yi didn't have the heart to dampen her enthusiasm.
Alright, to be fair, Lan Fozi was only cooking for Gu Yue, while Xia Yi was just tagging along for free meals. He had no right to complain.
Every day, Lan Fozi would only ask Gu Yue how the food tasted and what she wanted to eat next, completely ignoring Xia Yi as if he didn't exist.
"Your Holiness Holy Spirit!"
Upon seeing Yali walk through the door, a hint of curiosity flashed across Lan Fozi's eyes.
Even though Yali had been following Xia Yi and Gu Yue for some time now, this was the first time she had entered their room.
"I'm looking for Xia Yi and Gu Yue," Yali said, glancing at Lan Fozi.
She was quite puzzled—why would Xia Yi trust someone who was competing with him for his girlfriend? Not only did he not reject her, but he even allowed her to stay by their side.
And she was a woman, no less.
"Gu Yue is designing battle armor in the training room, and Xia Yi is cultivating in his room. Do you need something?" Lan Fozi asked calmly.
Xia Yi and Gu Yue had long become full-fledged One-Word Battle Armor Masters and were now gradually replacing their armor pieces with Two-Word ones.
Although Lan Fozi was already a Soul Emperor, her Two-Word Battle Armor set was incomplete. Upon seeing the refined metal that Xia Yi had forged, she decided to replace all her existing armor.
After all, no other forger could compare to Xia Yi in metal refinement.
Because of this, the battle armor design originally created for her by someone in the Holy Spirit Cult had to be adjusted in order to maximize the potential of Xia Yi's forged metal.
So, in a way, Lan Fozi's daily cooking for Xia Yi and Gu Yue wasn't for nothing—if a few meals could earn her a set of top-tier Two-Word Battle Armor, it was definitely worth it.
"I see. Carry on, then," Yali nodded.
She glanced at Xia Yi's room, then turned to look at the door of Gu Yue's training room. Taking a deep breath, she raised her delicate hand, ready to knock.
However, before her hand could land, the door to the training room opened on its own, and Gu Yue stepped out.
"Your Holiness, do you need something?" Gu Yue asked.
Looking at the familiar silver hair, violet eyes, and that breathtakingly beautiful face, Yali momentarily lost herself.
Instinctively, she reached out to touch Gu Yue's silver hair.
"Na'er.."
"Stop right there. I'm Gu Yue, not Na'er," Gu Yue leaned back to dodge Yali's touch.
"My apologies, I lost myself for a moment," Yali quickly snapped back to reality.
Looking at Gu Yue's indifferent expression, a pang of pain struck her heart.
She had originally wanted to ask Gu Yue if she could call her "Shimu" (Master's wife) just once, even if only once, for Na'er's sake.
But seeing Gu Yue's cold gaze, she swallowed the words back down.
"Your Holiness, what do you need?" Gu Yue asked again.
"You and Xia Yi have read Tang Sect's apology letter, right? I came to remind you—Tang Sect isn't that kind-hearted. Though Lovesick Heartbroken Red is the king of immortal herbs, Xia Yi won't be able to pluck it. You should negotiate with Tang Sect and see if someone else can pick it. If not, just give up on it altogether—don't take the risk," Yali said solemnly.
The journey to the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well would be extremely dangerous, and since they couldn't pluck the herb anyway, there was no point in risking their lives.
"What if Tang Sect agrees?" Gu Yue asked with a smile.
"I'm telling you, Lovesick Heartbroken Red is the king of immortal herbs. The fact that Tang Sect is even offering it is already rare—they won't make any more concessions. If they do, it would only prove that they have ulterior motives, which means you shouldn't go even more," Yali's voice grew heavier, her expression serious.
If even Xia Yi's minor injuries had already caused so much trouble, she couldn't imagine what would happen if he got seriously hurt.
"You're really kind," Gu Yue chuckled. "So, no matter what, you're telling Xia Yi to give up on Lovesick Heartbroken Red?"
"If you insist on putting it that way, then yes. Because that's the reality," Yali said in a deep voice.
Gu Yue smiled again and asked, "Why do you say Xia Yi can't pick the Lovesick Heartbroken Red?"
"Tang Sect wasn't lying. Yes, both the Sea God and the God of Emotions' wife used Lovesick Heartbroken Red, but they didn't mention its backstory," Yali said.
"Backstory? What kind of story?" Gu Yue asked curiously.
"It's said..." Yali began, but then sighed. "Forget it, just go read the original text yourself."
She then recounted the story recorded in Shrek Academy's ancient texts, finishing with:
"Lovesick Heartbroken Red is no ordinary herb—it chooses its master. To pluck it, one must think only of their beloved, be utterly devoted, and spit a mouthful of blood onto the petals. If there is even a hint of divided affection, the person will die from blood loss without ever picking the flower. If forced, the flower will immediately lose all its medicinal properties. Now do you understand why Xia Yi can't pick it?"
"Oh, is that so?" Gu Yue touched her chin, a playful smile appearing on her lips. She muttered under her breath, "Then all the more reason for Xia Yi to go—to see just how much of a womanizer he really is!"
Yali was taken aback and quickly tried to explain, "I don't mean to say that Xia Yi isn't devoted to you both! Please don't misunderstand!"
"But you just said he can't pick the flower. Doesn't that mean you're saying he has divided affections?" Gu Yue asked with a teasing smile.
"I didn't mean it that way! I'm just warning you to be cautious of Tang Sect—they're up to no good!" Yali hurriedly clarified.
At that moment, an unmistakably shameless voice rang out from behind Yali:
"Or maybe... I am truly devoted to both Yue'er and Zhu'er?"
Yali's eyelids twitched violently.
In the past, she might have teased Xia Yi about whether he felt guilty saying such things.
But now, she had no idea how to respond to his nonsense.
"Could your skin be any thicker?" Gu Yue rolled her eyes and tossed a piece of rare metal at Xia Yi.
If she weren't weaker than Xia Yi, she would have definitely drained him dry—to teach him a lesson about his shameless mouth.
Unfortunately, even after absorbing Na'er's power and the Dragon God's soul, she was still no match for him.
At least, not in battle.
Back in the Dragon Valley pocket dimension, she had wanted to show off her newfound strength after absorbing the Dragon God's soul.
But in the end, she had only managed to escape by begging for mercy.
"A thick face is necessary to win a beauty's heart," Xia Yi laughed, catching the metal effortlessly.
Watching Xia Yi and Gu Yue flirt, Yali sighed and gave one last warning before wisely turning to leave.
(End of Chapter)