If Only Time Would Slow Down

An unusual aroma reached Xiao Yan's nose, gradually rousing him from his sleep.

It was unusual because it carried both the fragrance of grilled fish and the acrid smell of something burned.

Xiao Yan opened his eyes and found Yun Zhi already sitting beside the fire, copying his method of grilling fish on skewers of fragrant fruitwood.

"You're awake! Perfect timing. Come try my grilled fish."

Smiling, Yun Zhi proudly waved the grilled fish in her hand.

Looking at the fish, which had been cooked well beyond well-done, Xiao Yan swallowed instinctively. "Where did you get that fish? Don't tell me you went outside?"

"Mm... I went out for a bath while you were asleep and caught some fish along the way."

A little embarrassed, Yun Zhi lowered her head and spoke softly.

"That was far too reckless. Don't you know how many magical beasts are searching for you out there? If they find you, you're done for. Remember to call me next time. We'll go together."

His first few words warmed Yun Zhi's heart, but that last sentence made her look at him with disdain instead.

"In your dreams!"

Xiao Yan chuckled and moved past the subject. "Anyway, you know how to grill fish?"

"What kind of question is that? After watching you do it for three days, surely I should have learned by now."

Yun Zhi rolled her eyes at him, picked up several of his little bottles, and began sprinkling seasonings over the fish.

"Eat up. Even if it tastes bad, you're not allowed to say so. This is my first time cooking. Don't crush my confidence."

Once she was finished, Yun Zhi handed him the grilled fish, and Xiao Yan could only steel himself and accept it.

Just as he was about to take a bite, he suddenly caught a familiar scent.

He immediately checked the little jade bottles Yun Zhi had used. Sure enough, a square jade bottle sat among them!

"What did you sprinkle on it?!"

Xiao Yan's eyes widened, and he snatched the grilled fish from Yun Zhi's hand.

She had actually mistaken the special concoction he had secretly prepared for seasoning and sprinkled it on the fish!

Luckily, his sharp eyes and quick hands had stopped her in time, averting certain situations that might have spiraled out of control.

"What? Aren't these the bottles you always use? Or are there other things mixed in among them?"

Yun Zhi looked at Xiao Yan in confusion. Now it was his turn to break out in a cold sweat.

"Um... one of these isn't seasoning. It's a poison I specially prepared to repel beasts. Good thing I acted quickly, or we might both have been poisoned."

Xiao Yan quickly cobbled together a reasonably plausible excuse and managed to fool Yun Zhi for the moment.

"Tch, I thought it was something serious. I'm a Dou Emperor. Even with my Dou Qi sealed, my body is too strong for a poison like that to bring me down."

Yun Zhi thought little of it, though if she learned what that special concoction actually was, she would probably be overwhelmed with embarrassment and fury on the spot.

"Forget it. We've had grilled fish for three days straight, and it's getting a little tiresome. I'll go hunting today so we can have something different. Remember, don't leave the cave on your own. It's dangerous!"

Xiao Yan planned to dispose of the grilled fish and made a point of warning Yun Zhi before leaving.

"I know, I know."

Yun Zhi waved him off. She looked a little impatient, but warmth filled her heart.

Few people cared about her so sincerely anymore. Or rather, when she still had her strength, it was difficult to receive this sort of concern.

Half an hour later, Xiao Yan walked in carrying a chicken in each hand.

"We're in luck today. I caught two Blackfoot Chickens. Now I can show you how to make Beggar’s Chicken."

Xiao Yan plucked and cleaned the two chickens, removed their innards, and stuffed them with some unusual medicinal herbs and spirit fruits. Then he wrapped them in lotus leaves, coated them with yellow clay, and finally placed them in the fire to roast.

Watching his preparations, Yun Zhi's curiosity overflowed. "What is this?"

"This dish is called Beggar’s Chicken. There's a story behind it, too.

"They say there was once an emperor who had grown so accustomed to delicacies from the mountains and seas that no food interested him anymore. He traveled all over his country, but never found a dish that pleased him.

"Finally, a beggar told the emperor that he knew of a dish so delicious that the emperor was certain to love it.

"The emperor was delighted and immediately ordered the beggar to lead him to it. But after searching for an entire day and night, the emperor was unbearably hungry, and they still hadn't found the dish.

"Seeing this, the beggar immediately prepared a Beggar’s Chicken and presented it to the emperor.

"By then, the emperor was starving. He wolfed down the entire chicken, praised it endlessly, and asked what the dish was called.

"The beggar told him the dish was called hunger. Because the emperor had never experienced hunger, nothing he ate interested him.

"But the poor suffered from hunger every day, so anything they ate tasted delicious.

"The emperor finally understood and immediately ordered taxes to be reduced. That was how this dish became famous."

This was a story from Earth, Xiao Yan's original world.

Yet hearing it now stirred something deep within Yun Zhi. As a Dou Emperor, she could also be called an emperor among Dou Zhe.

There were many things she could never understand from her lofty position, just as the emperor could never understand hunger.

Having returned to being an ordinary person these past few days, she had instead gained many unique experiences.

"I really like that story."

Yun Zhi smiled after hearing it. She had smiled more in these past few days than she had in several years at her sect.

An inexplicable feeling toward Xiao Yan had also begun to take root in her heart.

Another half hour passed, and the Beggar’s Chicken was ready. Each took one and feasted.

Though none of the ingredients were worth mentioning to her, the dish was delicious.

Looking at Xiao Yan nearby, Yun Zhi could not help wondering whether, if she truly were just an ordinary woman, she might have more choices available to her.

But she quickly suppressed the thought. She had always been accustomed to doing so, no matter whom it concerned.

"Hmm? That lion's seal seems to be starting to loosen."

After three days in a row, the seal on Yun Zhi had begun loosening little by little. She could already draw upon a tiny thread of Dou Qi.

Though it was only a small amount, it was enough to open her Storage Ring.

And if she could open her Storage Ring, the many medicinal pills she carried would become available, allowing her to recover even faster.

Yet now that she had reached this point, Yun Zhi instead began to feel anxious. An inexplicable feeling was taking hold in her heart-

Fear. Fear that these peaceful days would end too soon.

Once she recovered her strength, she would probably have little chance to cross paths with this young man again.

At that thought, Yun Zhi silently closed her Storage Ring without taking out any pills to help restore her Dou Qi.

Even though she knew perfectly well that doing this would only delay her recovery by another day or two at most.

She only wished time would slow down a little.