The spiritual energy between heaven and earth had diminished, rendering many supernatural abilities unusable. The records in the Heavenly Demon Secret Scroll also faced this problem. Despite containing mountain-moving and sea-shifting techniques, they simply couldn’t be manifested.

“Is Long Le so interested in the Heavenly Demon?”

“Indeed.” She blinked. “It only exists in legends, doesn’t it? I’ve never seen one.”

He couldn’t help but laugh. “What would happen if you saw one?” Looking down, he noticed a book beside her hand titled “Secret History of Ying Water.” This gave him an idea to please her. “Ying Water City isn’t far from here. Would Long Le like to visit?”

Sure enough, her beautiful eyes brightened. “Is that the ancient capital of the Haoli Empire, Ying Water City?”

“Correct.” Fu Ling Chuan smiled. “As it happens, it’s about three hundred li from Wusei City. A fast carriage would only take a few days for a round trip. Long Le can go for a change of scenery without delaying government affairs.”

“When do we depart?”

Fu Ling Chuan’s gaze swept briefly over Chen Da Chang’s face. Seeing he was her trusted aide, he paid no mind. “Within this month?”

She nodded repeatedly, her delight evident to anyone.

Fu Ling Chuan seized the opportunity: “Since I finally gave the right gift, would Your Majesty the Queen honor me with a meal?”

“Agreed.” She blinked, generously replying, “We’ll meet tomorrow at lunch.”

Her fingertips caressed the jade scroll as her gaze wandered. Fu Ling Chuan knew she was eager to read the book, so he stood up and bid farewell. Official duties kept him busy, and he needed to continue his work.

Throughout their conversation, Chen Da Chang had stood silently by the pavilion. Only after Fu Ling Chuan left did he return to the pavilion and stand before her.

Feng Miao Jun pulled her attention from the book and asked, “Anything else?”

Chen Da Chang kept his eyes fixed on her face and questioned, “Why don’t I need to report to you anymore?”

His tone was somewhat stiff, and Feng Miao Jun didn’t quite understand. “What?”

He repeated himself: “Why don’t the Wei emissary’s messages need to be reported to you anymore?”

He had used the informal “you.”

Feng Miao Jun’s expression subtly changed. She slowly raised her head to examine him, and after a moment said, “It’s you!”

Chen Da Chang narrowed his eyes, which contained a light familiar to her.

She looked around, then casually set up another barrier: “Where is Chen Da Chang? What have you done with my man?”

The face before her was still Chen Da Chang’s, but the gaze was different.

“Tossed him in the dimensional bottle.” Yun Ya said sternly. “You knew of Fu Ling Chuan’s manipulations yet did nothing to stop them. I wanted to see you, so I had to employ this small trick. Answer my question: why won’t you see me?” She hadn’t been sleeping properly for days, and even when he entered the dream realm, he couldn’t find her.

She shouldn’t need to worry about Chen Da Chang losing his hands or feet now, right? Feng Miao Jun smiled, not even knowing why her mood suddenly improved.

Perhaps it was because she had played a small trick on him, getting a little revenge?

“I am the Queen. I see whom I wish to see,” she caressed the jade scroll in her hand, arrogantly declaring, “And I don’t see whom I don’t wish to see.”

She was radiant, her small face full of smugness, practically inscribed with “I’m deliberately making things difficult for you.” Yun Ya felt both annoyed and amused, wanting nothing more than to catch her and lay her across his knee for a couple of good spanks. Remembering the softness of her skin, he thought he might do some other things as well.

Unfortunately, this wasn’t the dream realm, but merely a small pavilion exposed on all sides. Other servants were in the garden and, though distant, could see his actions.

He grumbled, “Couldn’t these people be sent farther away?” How annoying! It wasn’t convenient to do anything.

“They cannot. Any farther would arouse suspicion.” She wanted him to be inconvenienced, truly fearing his tendency to get physical at the slightest provocation. The current situation suited her perfectly.

She tapped the small round table before her, tilting her chin upward: “Make tea. I’m thirsty.”

The gesture was full of authority.

Yun Ya stared at her for several breaths before stepping forward to begin heating water and brewing tea.

He deliberately stood close, less than two feet from her, but unlike Fu Ling Chuan, he couldn’t boldly sit beside her—he could only stand while making tea. This left him somewhat displeased.

Who told him to disguise himself as Chen Da Chang?

Still, standing and talking for long would be inappropriate; making tea was a good cover.

He was a tea ceremony master. Feng Miao Jun leaned slightly forward, resting her chin on her hand to watch. His long fingers pressed against the celadon porcelain, movements flowing like clouds and water, pleasing to the eye.

How many people in the world could drink tea personally brewed by the great State Preceptor Yun? Could they be counted on one hand?

“Why are you avoiding me?” His expression was focused, but his words were unrelated. “Are you afraid of me?”

Feng Miao Jun raised an eyebrow: “You can impersonate my trusted aide and move freely within the palace. Who wouldn’t fear you?” Despite her words, she thought that the New Xia royal palace needed a thorough reorganization. Besides spies, the guards, formations, and mechanisms needed to be more secure. If he could enter, other powerful individuals might also infiltrate—who would guarantee her safety then?

Chen Da Chang was her confidant, known to most palace staff. But to master his habitual behaviors and the sequences of his entrances and exits from the royal court and palace required considerable effort to avoid arousing suspicion.

Even Yun Ya had to be extremely cautious when operating secretly in the New Xia inner palace.

In short, even with a face-changing parasite, impersonating someone was no simple matter. Yun Ya had likely been making these preparations during his recent inactivity?

Hmph, she understood perfectly that his greatest advantage in accomplishing this was having traitors in the palace who could spy on Chen Da Chang’s movements for him!

The presence of Wei Kingdom spies in the New Xia royal palace sounded frightening, but in reality, which country didn’t play the game of undercover agents? She believed Fu Ling Chuan had similarly dispatched secret agents to both the Wei court and Yan Kingdom.

Yun Ya took her words as a compliment and said softly, “I missed you desperately. No matter how dangerous, I had to see you.”

Feng Miao Jun’s finger trembled, and looking at him, she burst into laughter.

Yun Ya: “…” Was what he said so funny?

Seeing his face quickly darken, Feng Miao Jun covered her mouth: “With Chen Da Chang’s face…” Speaking so tenderly created an extreme sense of dissonance!

When he had previously disguised himself as the minor kingdom’s envoy Chi Zhe, that was different, but Chen Da Chang was someone she saw daily. Using the young man’s honest face to speak such romantic words did not move her much.

Indeed, she was partial to appearances.

Yun Ya let out a long breath, somewhat helpless. Seeing her laughing uncontrollably, he wanted nothing more than to pull her over and give her several fierce kisses to vent his frustration, but alas, he could only imagine it.

His hands continued their work, and finally, the clear tea was ready. He presented it with both hands: “Please!”

The cup contained a clear green-blue tea, with wisps of white steam carrying a pervasive fragrance. Feng Miao Jun lifted the cup and took a light sip, savoring it before honestly praising it with a single word: “Good.”

Yun Ya’s handiwork was indeed extraordinary.

In years past, when she had attended to Yun Ya, serving tea and pouring water had fallen entirely to her. This man hadn’t even needed to lift a finger, let alone brew tea for her.