Nightfall did nothing to quiet the clamor in the Magical Beast Mountain Range.
As the Lion King's orders spread, the magical beasts throughout the mountains searched everywhere for Yun Zhi.
Xiao Fan took the opportunity to scout around again. Several groups of magical beasts nearly headed toward the valley along the way, but he lured them all away.
Carrying some food, Xiao Fan returned to the Mountain Cave where they were hiding and found that Yun Zhi had woken up.
She was still lying on the stone bed, watching him.
Seeing that she had no intention of taking him to task, Xiao Fan tacitly avoided mentioning the earlier treatment as well. He lightly waved the magical beast meat in his hand and said, "You're still too weak to eat this. I'll make you some millet porridge and add a little shredded meat."
Without waiting for Yun Zhi to respond, he got to work.
Because of the wound on her chest, Yun Zhi could only turn her head slightly as she lay on the stone bed. Earlier, she had been so embarrassed that she had forced herself to remove the Sea Heart Soft Armor, disrupting her blood circulation and causing her to faint.
The Lion King's seal had also slowed the flow of Dou Qi inside her to a snail's pace. All she could do was turn her large eyes and watch Xiao Fan make millet porridge for her.
The thought that she, a mighty Dou Emperor, was lying here watching a Dou Zhe make her millet porridge struck her as rather amusing.
Xiao Fan moved with practiced ease. After all, he had been adventuring alone for so long that he could at least manage his basic meals.
With a light wave of his right hand, bone spirit cold flame spread out and ignited the firewood he had prepared. Just as he was about to continue, Yun Zhi exclaimed from the stone bed, "Heavenly flames?"
Xiao Fan smiled and turned toward Yun Zhi. "Just a small stroke of good fortune."
Yun Zhi retorted, "A Dou Zhe this young, who's also an Alchemist and possesses the heavenly flames that everyone on the Dou Qi Continent dreams of obtaining-and you're telling me it was just a small stroke of good fortune?"
By the end, Yun Zhi could not help rolling her eyes at him.
Xiao Fan merely smiled without answering and quietly prepared dinner, while Yun Zhi lay on the stone bed, staring absently at the mysterious young man.
After a while, Xiao Fan took a bowl and utensils from his ring, poured the finished millet porridge into the bowl, and carried it over to Yun Zhi, interrupting her gaze.
"Time to eat!"
His voice was gentle. The instant the words left his mouth, even Xiao Fan paused, seemingly only then realizing that his tone might not have been entirely appropriate.
Heaven was his witness-with Yun Zhi's cheeks so pale, Xiao Fan had momentarily failed to connect her with the Dou Huang expert who had battled the Lion King in the sky. The words had simply slipped out.
Yun Zhi was also briefly taken aback by his words and did not know what to say. Xiao Fan broke the awkward silence first. Realizing that she still could not move, he said, "Just lie there. I'll feed you."
Awkward or not, she still had to eat.
"I'm not hungry. I don't want any."
Yun Zhi tried to reject him with her usual cool aloofness. Xiao Fan did not argue. He simply held the bowl of millet porridge and brought a spoonful to her lips, neither speaking nor withdrawing it.
Unable to outlast Xiao Fan, Yun Zhi had no choice but to open her mouth and eat the porridge.
The sweet porridge, mixed with a little shredded magical beast meat, tasted surprisingly enticing.
One fed while the other ate, creating a picture of exquisite beauty within the Mountain Cave.
Before long, the bowl of millet porridge was empty. Seeing that Yun Zhi still wanted more, Xiao Fan said softly, "That's enough. You shouldn't eat too much at night. It'll be hard to digest."
Yun Zhi shot him a fierce glare, then turned her head aside as though sulking and said nothing more.
Xiao Fan smiled and put away the bowl and utensils. The magical beast meat over the fire had roasted to a crisp golden brown. He took it down, bit off a large mouthful, and sat in the Mountain Cave, tearing into it.
At some point, Yun Zhi had turned back toward him. Watching him eat, she laughed and said, "Hey! Don't you care at all about your table manners?"
Xiao Fan looked at Yun Zhi as he ate. "When you're hungry, you eat. As long as your stomach's full, why worry about all that? Besides, I'm not that slovenly."
Xiao Fan soon finished the large piece of magical beast meat and told Yun Zhi, "Get some rest. I'll be right here, so call me if you need anything."
Their days alone together passed quickly, and three days went by in the blink of an eye. Yun Zhi could now move a little, and with Xiao Fan supporting her, she could leave the stone bed and get some light exercise.
After several days together, they were no longer such strangers. Yun Zhi still spent each day recovering, while Xiao Fan occasionally went out to check for magical beasts nearby. The rest of the time, he stayed in the Mountain Cave and cultivated. Since he could not practice his Dou Techniques, he took the opportunity to hone his Alchemy skills instead.
Over those three days, Xiao Fan used up an untold quantity of first- and second-tier medicinal herbs and independently refined a second-tier pill for the first time. This meant he had crossed the threshold of a second-tier Alchemist. Once he became proficient, he would qualify as one.
This raised Yun Zhi's opinion of Xiao Fan another notch.
"What would you like to eat today?"
Noticing that it was getting late, Xiao Fan softly asked Yun Zhi, who was sitting on the stone bed.
Ever since that first day's millet porridge, Xiao Fan's cooking had completely won Yun Zhi over.
Yun Zhi tilted her head and thought for a moment before saying, "Charcoal-grilled Golden Fish and Emerald Jade Radish Chicken."
Hearing her list the dishes, Xiao Fan teased her with a smile. "Hey, hey, hey. Sure, I can cook a little, but keep your requests reasonable. Why don't I just make you a Manchu-Han imperial feast?"
"What's a Manchu-Han imperial feast?"
"Uh... it's a famous dish from my hometown. I'll make it for you if I get the chance."
Yun Zhi had no idea what a Manchu-Han imperial feast was and assumed it was a single famous dish, just as Xiao Fan had said. She agreed with a bright smile.
Dinner gradually came to an end amid their teasing laughter.
Not long after dinner, Xiao Fan noticed that Yun Zhi seemed about to speak several times but kept stopping herself. He took the initiative and asked, "What's wrong?"
Yun Zhi hesitated bashfully for a while before saying in a barely audible voice, "Um... I'd like to bathe..."
Over the past few days, she had been confined to bed, unable to move. Now that she could finally walk around, Yun Zhi naturally wanted, as a woman, to take a bath first and relax.
Hearing her request, Xiao Fan hesitated, but in the end, he could not bear to refuse and could only agree helplessly.
"Then wait here a moment. I'll go out and get things ready for you."
With that, he went out to scout the surroundings. Finding no dangerous magical beasts nearby, he passed over the lake, which he had already checked a few days earlier. Aside from schools of fish, there had been no other creatures in it.
He returned to the Mountain Cave and brought Yun Zhi to the lakeside, then told her softly, "Call me if anything happens. I'll go check over there."
As soon as he finished speaking, he headed into the nearby woods, found a large tree, and settled with his back to the lake.
Looking at Xiao Fan on the tree trunk, Yun Zhi blushed faintly and gently slipped off her dress. Her pale, jade-like feet touched the clear water, sending out rings of ripples.
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