She continued doing what she needed to do—besides attending court sessions, she spent considerable time cultivating.

In the liquid metal spirit White Board’s view, this was perhaps her most leisurely period. After holding back for several days, it finally said indignantly: “That cowardly Fu Lingchuan wants to keep you in the dark. Should I visit Yun Ya to deliver a message to you?”

“No need,” Feng Miaojun said softly. “I don’t want to see him.”

White Board inwardly exclaimed that things were going badly. Did Mistress not even want to see Master now? “Why not?”

“If he truly wishes to see me, he’ll find a way,” Feng Miaojun smiled slightly. “Otherwise, how could it be called ‘sincerity’?”

He had been dismissive of her, and toyed with her; now she wanted him to taste the flavor of being ignored.

From Fu Lingchuan’s perspective, if Feng Miaojun had feelings for Yun Ya, it would cause major problems for both him and New Xia. Therefore, his current strategy was delay, doing his utmost to prevent these two from meeting.

As long as Feng and Yun were kept apart, once Yun Ya returned to his country, Feng Miaojun would have to wait until he knew when to see him again. Girls at this age could easily fall for someone, but they could just as easily forget someone.

Time was the best medicine. Fu Lingchuan probably believed that as long as she didn’t see Yun Ya for an extended period, her feelings of longing would naturally fade, giving him an opportunity.

Fu Lingchuan should know that he couldn’t hide this from her, yet he still acted this way, showing that he was testing her attitude.

Feng Miaojun understood all this but still allowed it to happen. She believed that with Yun Ya’s abilities if he was determined to see her, how could he not find a way? She only hoped they wouldn’t make too big a scene, or everyone would lose face.

That evening, while walking in the garden, Chen Dachang came striding to report: “State Preceptor Yun has again requested an audience with the Queen today, and once again the message was intercepted.”

Feng Miaojun glanced at him: “You’re late today. Did something happen on the way?”

Chen Dachang shook his head: “No.”

“From now on, there’s no need to report this news to me anymore.” She strolled into a hexagonal pavilion, sat down, dismissed the servants, and set up a barrier before asking him, “By the way, still no news from the south?”

With many people and loose tongues in the palace, she used “the south” as a code for the Peach Blossom Realm. With these words, her confidant understood she was asking about the Feng household members who had settled in the Peach Blossom Realm of the Southern Continent.

Since their hasty parting at Spiral Floating Island several months ago, she and her adoptive mother had been worlds apart, separated by thousands of mountains and waters, making even communication by letter difficult. Moreover, she dared not expose her relationship with the Feng household. Currently, she handled Fu Lingchuan and others with ease precisely because they couldn’t grasp her weaknesses and vulnerabilities.

As they say, one who desires nothing stands firm.

And Madam Xu was her weakness, which she needed to hide deeply, preventing anyone from discovering it. Therefore, Feng Miaojun’s communications with the Feng household prioritized security and could not be too frequent.

Chen Dachang shook his head: “Nothing.”

She sighed lightly.

Chen Dachang lowered his voice: “Shall I press for news again?”

“No need,” she leaned against the beauty rest. “Safety first. Let’s wait.”

“Yes.”

Feng Miaojun half-closed her eyes, feeling the fragrance of flowers and herbs washing over her. Chen Dachang looked at her and suddenly said: “Has Your Majesty not been sleeping well for a long time?”

“Hmm?” Her eyelids fluttered. “Is it that obvious?” Far from not sleeping well, she hadn’t touched her pillow for days.

“Your complexion isn’t as good as it was a few days ago.”

Just as they were speaking, someone approached through the flowers and willows, wearing plain white clothes with azure blue armor, standing tall and cutting a handsome, heroic figure against the backdrop of clover in the garden.

Before he drew near, Feng Miaojun opened her eyes, casually dispelling the barrier while smiling lightly: “Cousin seems to be in a leisurely mood today.”

The newcomer was indeed Fu Lingchuan.

Feng Miaojun could enjoy her daily leisure precisely because he managed state affairs. Since the celebration banquet, state matters had been busy, and Fu Lingchuan rarely had time to dine with her.

Fu Lingchuan sat down beside her, less than one and a half chi apart. He exhaled: “I’ve neglected Long Le recently and have come specially to apologize.”

“Where’s the gift?” She tilted her head slightly to look at him. “How can mere words show sincerity?”

Half-reclining against the beauty rest, her loose robes couldn’t conceal her graceful figure. Her posture was languid, charm flowing through her brows and eyes. Her thick, soft black hair was loosely tied with a single white jade hairpin, yet the natural nobility that emanated from her core outshone the richness of the purple clover field.

Fu Lingchuan privately marveled at how Long Le’s bearing seemed nothing like someone raised in the common marketplace.

“It’s right here.” He took out a brocade box from his storage ring and handed it to her. “Long Le will surely like it.” Since the celebration, his relationship with Feng Miaojun had markedly improved, and Fu Lingchuan’s expression was like a spring breeze, revealing his joyful mood.

Feng Miaojun noticed that several young maids standing at a distance often stole glances at him, as such a figure was indeed rare.

Yet in Fu Lingchuan’s eyes, there was expectation, even excitement, truly like a young man presenting a treasure to his beloved, eager for a word of praise.

Feng Miaojun casually brushed her falling locks behind her ear before gently opening the box lid to see a dull-colored jade slip lying on a brocade cushion inside, quite plain in appearance.

But how could something Fu Lingchuan treasured enough to place in a brocade box be ordinary? She knew his discernment; he could even send the Sands of Time for sale.

She picked up the jade slip, her consciousness sinking into it, followed by a light exclamation of surprise, her beautiful eyes indeed brightening:

“This is…”

This was another volume of Celestial Demon Secret Techniques! Moreover, its contents were diverse, and divided into eleven major categories. If written as books, it would comprise at least several thousand volumes. Even she, who had been immersed in the Sea of Smoke Tower for several years, felt her horizons broadened after reading a fragment.

“This set of secret records is divided into upper and lower volumes. I obtained the lower volume long ago and gave it to you on Spiral Floating Island.” Seeing her delight like a child’s, Fu Lingchuan also smiled happily. “As for the upper volume, I sent people to search for it as soon as I arrived in Wusei City and only found it yesterday. Long Le can read it for a few days first. If there’s anything else you like, I can seek it out for you.”

Feng Miaojun caressed the jade slip, unwilling to part with it: “This is enough to keep me reading for quite some time. Thank you, State Preceptor!”

At Spiral Floating Island, when she had agreed to become the sovereign of New Xia, she had casually extracted a book of Celestial Demon Secret Techniques from Fu Lingchuan and often took it out to study these days. However, it seemed to be the lower volume, and although she benefited greatly from reading it, some leads were left dangling. Now that Fu Lingchuan had found the upper volume for her, the two volumes would complement each other, immediately enhancing her reading speed.

Fu Lingchuan could easily tell whether her smile was genuine or fake and felt somewhat satisfied. At this moment, Feng Miaojun asked him: “This set of secret records, I suppose you know it by heart?”

“I’ve studied many of the divine techniques in it,” After all, the lower volume had been in his possession for some years. “But times have changed, and most are no longer applicable, so it was kept as a rare collection in the end.”