Grand Preceptor Mo didn’t directly demolish the inn in his rage, which showed that his cultivation of inner restraint had reached the pinnacle of perfection.

Feng Miaojun remained completely unconcerned: “It’s just that he lost his beard, not his head. If his beard hadn’t been put to good use, he would have lost his head long ago.” What was so great about beards anyway? She never grew one herself.

The young miss wouldn’t understand—for the Beautiful Bearded One to suddenly lose his beard was like a noble lady suddenly losing her hair, or a dog having all its fur shaved off… wait, where was his mind wandering? Peng Bai collected himself: “That’s exactly what I told him. So Grand Preceptor Mo said he was rushing off to handle some urgent matters, and would return tonight.”

Rushing to handle urgent matters? Feng Miaojun snorted with laughter. Most likely he was rushing off to seek revenge.

But she soon couldn’t laugh anymore, because her foster mother Madam Xu hurried over in great anxiety. Upon seeing her, she immediately embraced her with tears streaming from her eyes: “Oh my precious little ancestor! How dare you do such things all by yourself! When I saw the chaos throughout the city, I rushed back immediately, but couldn’t find you anywhere! If something truly happened to you, what would become of me!”

These past few days, her foster daughter had become increasingly affectionate toward her, unlike before when there seemed to be an invisible barrier between them. Madam Xu had consciously or unconsciously noticed this change and had also become more casual with her, no longer constantly reminding herself of her foster daughter’s princess status.

Feng Miaojun could only comfort her: “Don’t cry, haven’t I returned safe and sound? All intact—nothing more, nothing less!”

Madam Xu couldn’t help but burst into laughter, while Peng Bai added from the side: “I had already told you, Young Miss would certainly return safely.” Earlier, when Madam Xu had impulsively wanted to rush to the Ganlu Inn, he had desperately stopped her. He never expected Madam Xu’s strength to be so great—the collision had left his ribs aching.

Recalling her earlier impulsiveness, Madam Xu blushed involuntarily and held back her tears: “Is everything settled?”

Both she and Peng Bai instinctively placed immense trust in this small girl. It seemed that if she said she could accomplish something, then it would be done well.

“It’s settled.” Feng Miaojun smiled sweetly. “After the guards search this inn, I’ll join Mother for a meal.” She left the main room and instructed the steward to buy some dishes to go with the wine.

With the crisis past, everyone was in good spirits. Madam Xu drank two cups and then, unable to handle more alcohol, retired to her room early. Before leaving, she repeatedly instructed her foster daughter not to drink.

Perhaps she knew that Feng Miaojun had an appointment with Mo Tizhun. Faced with this Grand Preceptor, everyone in the inn was defenseless, so she didn’t attempt to play the protective parent.

Her foster mother was an intelligent woman. Feng Miaojun sipped her fruit wine and sighed softly.

This wait lasted until the moon was high in the sky. Being young, she couldn’t stay up late and had yawned countless times before finally hearing two knocks on the window lattice, followed by someone climbing in through the window.

She looked at the window, then at the person, and wondered how such a large man had squeezed through such a small window. Did he have bone contracting skills?

She couldn’t help rubbing her eyes: “Staying up too late will stunt my growth!” Being a child was inconvenient in so many ways; she was eager to grow up.

The last traces of killing intent lingering on Mo Tizhun’s body instantly vanished, and he said in a deep voice: “I’ve traveled back and forth for one hundred and thirty li to return tonight.”

His body indeed carried the characteristic slight chill of long-distance travel. She gave him a thumbs up: “Grand Preceptor Mo is truly a man of his word.” Then, with keen perception, she cleared away the leftover dishes and set out a fresh meal.

Her lifestyle was refined, and she even kept a complete set of specially made-cooking utensils in her carriage. The small stove now being used in the room had been brought in from the carriage, and atop it was warming a special four-compartment food box.

The bottom of this food box could be opened to allow heat to circulate upward. As long as one paid attention to the heat, it had a warming effect. She only took out a plate of braised beef from the food box, and it immediately made Mo Tizhun’s mouth water.

This was a product from a nearby time-honored establishment, reportedly using a pot of marinade that had been nurtured for thirty years. She had the steward buy the most expensive kind, taken from the coin-shaped tendons of yellow cattle. After being slowly braised, it was sliced so thin that light could pass through. One could see marble-like tendon patterns in the middle of the meat slices, which were crisp and springy when chewed, with absolutely no residue.

Next came a dish of pineapple chicken balls, followed by winter melon steamed with ham, and finally a bowl of crucian carp soup simmered to a milky white. These items weren’t particularly expensive, but they were all quite appetizing. Of course, there were also two jars of what was claimed to be the strongest aged wine from Sweet Water City.

Mo Tizhun, having traveled all night, felt his stomach growl at the aroma. Without ceremony, he picked up the chopsticks and began eating. Inwardly, he admired how accurately Feng Miaojun had gauged his tastes—the table didn’t have many dishes, but each one made his appetite soar.

This little girl’s ability to calculate people’s hearts was so keen—perhaps in the future, she would bring calamity rather than fortune.

Feng Miaojun rested her chin on her hands, watching him devour the food like a whirlwind. Mo Tizhun appeared to be in full vitality, sitting close enough that she could feel his blood and qi surging throughout his body, showing no signs of fatigue from the long journey. His eyes had returned to their bright state from their first meeting. The Nirvana Technique had indeed taken effect, allowing him to recover completely. The divine techniques of this world were truly remarkable, capable of accomplishing such inconceivable feats.

After consuming about half of the beef, Mo Tizhun asked her: “Name your price.”

She had completed her task, protecting him for twenty hours. Now, it was his turn.

“Think carefully,” he said slowly. “If you seek wealth, I can give you more gold and silver than you could spend in ten lifetimes. If you seek office, Jin Kingdom also has female officials. I can find you a position in the imperial court—perhaps not important, but secure, enough to shelter the Feng family.”

Feng Miaojun sighed softly, feeling many emotions. The same wealth that would last ten lifetimes—in her previous life, she had to exhaust every scheme to obtain it, yet in this life, it came so easily.

Which factor was decisive here?

Money, or power? This choice was common, but both Mo Tizhun and she understood its profound implications. This represented the ultimate worldly power that an ordinary person could pursue. All other spiritual pursuits, whether base or noble, obscure or bright, derived from these.

But living a second life, especially in such a world, should she limit herself to her original pursuits?

Feng Miaojun now stood at a crossroads. If she followed Mo Tizhun’s suggestion and asked for these two things, she could fulfill her initial wish upon arriving in this world: to survive, and to live better and more comfortably than most people.

But was this still what she wanted now?

Mo Tizhun saw light flowing in the little girl’s eyes, at one moment becoming startlingly bright.

Then he had an ominous premonition.

Feng Miaojun smiled at him: “I’ve decided.”

“What do you want?”

“I’ve heard that all questions in the world can find answers in Smoke Sea Tower?”

He snorted with derision: “How superficial. Which fool told you that?”

“Wei Kingdom’s Second Prince, Xiao Yan.”

“…” Mo Tizhun said irritably, “If it could truly resolve all questions, the Jin Kingdom would have unified the world long ago and restored the Haoli Dynasty’s glory.”