Feng Miaojun, who had already come to understand his level of willfulness, marveled once more.

“Looking for excitement?” Yun Ya narrowed his eyes. “Don’t you know what day it is today?”

On the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, what else could it be? By custom, the Lantern Festival celebrations, garden tours, lantern shows, and riddle games should happen on the fifteenth, yet he insisted on starting everything a day early, forcing the entire city’s residents to join in his revelry.

However, after thinking for a moment, Xiao Yan displayed a look of sudden realization. “It’s already the fourteenth of the first month? No wonder, no wonder, I’ve been confused.” He sighed, “With so many matters to attend to during wartime, I completely forgot about this.”

Feng Miaojun looked at Yun Ya, then at him, not understanding what mystery lay between them. Xiao Yan cleared his throat lightly: “I know you’re upset that Father suddenly led troops to advance eastward. But such a rare opportunity is something he has been waiting for many years…”

Yun Ya replied indifferently: “If that’s the case, he can take the Kingdom of Yao by himself. Why does he need you to come find me?”

“Only with the State Preceptor’s assistance can our army truly become an invincible force.” Xiao Yan bowed deeply to Yun Ya, his expression solemn. “The lantern festival in Jin Jun City has been arranged, and Father has sent me to invite you. I hope the esteemed State Preceptor will honor us with your presence and journey to Ji Yuan?”

The atmosphere suddenly grew tense. Feng Miaojun stood to one side with her head slightly lowered, looking at no one, content to remain invisible.

After a good while, Yun Ya finally frowned and said: “Fine, let’s go.”

After all, he was still the Kingdom’s State Preceptor; he had played hard to get with the sovereign to a sufficient degree. The King had sent his second prince to invite him, so it was time for him to graciously yield.

Xiao Yan’s face immediately brightened as he clapped his hands twice, and a large carriage drove over. The beasts pulling it weren’t ordinary horses but four creatures known as “Red Tails.” They resembled giant deer with entirely crimson bodies and were even larger than horses by a full measure. Feng Miaojun had seen their kind in Jin Capital, raised by a noble family, but their coat hadn’t been as pure in color.

These creatures naturally possessed wind-based lightness techniques, making them more than twice as fast as the finest horses, truly moving like the wind and lightning when they ran.

Xiao Yan gestured with his hand: “Please.”

But Yun Ya said: “Wait.” He walked into the temple alone.

Xiao Yan and Feng Miaojun exchanged glances, neither knowing what he was thinking.

Fortunately, he emerged quickly, holding a red paper envelope in his hand.

The State Preceptor also needed to make wishes? This didn’t make sense. He himself was knowledgeable in both astronomy and geography, why would he need to ask a great tree about his future?

Xiao Yan’s attendant stepped forward, intending to hang the red envelope for Yun Ya, but the latter raised his hand in refusal. Instead, he looked at Feng Miaojun: “You do it.”

She knew this man had a peculiar cleanliness obsession and wouldn’t allow others to touch his belongings. So she took the envelope, leaped onto the giant banyan tree, found a good spot to hang it, and came down, casually dusting off her sleeves: “Young Master, what’s special about this tree?” For him to care so much about it.

“Nothing special,” Yun Ya said indifferently. “It’s just been alive for a long time, over four hundred years.”

Four-hundred-year-old people were rare, but trees of such age weren’t uncommon. Indeed, there was nothing extraordinary about it.

The group boarded the carriage one after another. Before getting in, Feng Miaojun called over one of Xiao Yan’s attendants: “Take this to Magistrate Ke and tell him to keep it in the magistrate’s office.”

The man carefully accepted it and turned to carry out the task.

What she had passed to him was a freshly cut branch from the banyan tree. However, she wasn’t deceiving anyone—the branch emanated a faint red glow, presenting a somewhat desolate beauty in the night.

This branch had passed through Yun Ya’s hands and had been imbued with a trace of his elemental power. Although it was only a minute amount, it was enough to ensure favorable weather for Jin Jun City for an entire year.

This was the State Preceptor’s reward to Magistrate Ke for his warm hospitality. Of course, this was a personal gift and didn’t count against the kingdom’s allocated quotas.

Xiao Yan watched from the carriage with distress: “How extravagant!” The world’s most precious elemental power, given to a tiny place like Jin Jun City—what a waste!

Yun Ya completely ignored him, his face full of the entitled expression that seemed to say, “What business is it of yours?”

Feng Miaojun also climbed into the carriage, sitting beside Yun Ya. As the large carriage began moving, she set about boiling water for tea.

Having accomplished his mission, Xiao Yan felt relaxed and now admired the beauty’s graceful movements, finding them pleasing to the eye: “And who might this be?”

“An’an.” This wasn’t Feng Miaojun introducing herself, but Yun Ya languidly answering.

From this form of address, Feng Miaojun knew he had no intention of telling Xiao Yan her full name. Although she and Xiao Yan had met several times three years ago, the young girl changes drastically as she grows up, and she has transformed from a little girl into a graceful young woman, her appearance quite different. Xiao Yan hadn’t paid much attention to her back then, so how could he recognize her now?

Yun Ya also didn’t want them to recognize each other, to prevent this fellow from having an excuse to act familiar and become annoyingly chatty.

Without even a surname, it was either a nickname or an assigned name. So Xiao Yan immediately understood that this breathtakingly beautiful woman was a maid attending to Yun Ya.

He widened his eyes: “Is she your new maid?”

Nonsense, if not newly acquired, would she be an old acquaintance? Yun Ya raised an eyebrow, too lazy to answer such a stupid question. Feng Miaojun, however, flashed a smile at Xiao Yan.

Her phoenix eyes curved slightly, and that smile was like the moon breaking through clouds, illuminating the entire carriage. Though Xiao Yan had seen countless beauties in his life, those with such vivacity were exceedingly rare. He couldn’t help but clap his hands in admiration: “Great State Preceptor Yun is formidable, quietly making his move.” Despite his many years exploring gardens of beauty, he hadn’t had such luck.

“Where did our great State Preceptor Yun find you?” Xiao Yan glanced toward Yun Ya, smiling like a gossiping matchmaker. “Was it through your fortune-telling abilities? That’s unfair—find me a beauty like this too, won’t you?”

“I brought her back from the mountains,” Yun Ya tilted his chin upward with indescribable arrogance. “And you’re mistaken—she found me first.”

Feng Miaojun looked up, glancing at him quickly. Yun Ya wasn’t wrong; she had established the spiritual connection between them first, so it was indeed Feng Miaojun who had “found” Yun Ya first. But his pride came across as childish—what did it matter who found whom first?

“The mountains?” Xiao Yan asked curiously, “White Elephant Mountain?”

Yun Ya made an “mm” sound, which served as a vague affirmation. He had indeed brought Feng Miaojun out from White Elephant Mountain. “I triggered the Cliff Mountain to erupt again and was slightly injured myself. Fortunately, she protected me, allowing me to leave the mountain safely.” His gaze softened. “Afterward, she just followed me.”

This statement directly omitted countless details and complications, making it sound as if Feng Miaojun had saved his life. Yun Ya’s words surprised her, and she couldn’t help blinking, only to see him giving her a meaningful look.

That gaze was as enigmatic and difficult to interpret as ever, still indecipherable to her.

Xiao Yan, however, immediately held her in high regard: “My apologies, so An’an even extended help to the State Preceptor.” He raised the tea she had just poured. “Let me toast you with tea instead of wine!”

Feng Miaojun calmly poured herself a cup as well, then raised it in return and drank it all in one gulp.

Xiao Yan tried to imitate her, downing it in one go, but was nearly scalded to the point of spitting it out.

But he couldn’t spit it out! How could he lose composure in front of a beauty?

He covered his mouth with his sleeve, eyes welling with tears.

Feng Miaojun had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing. She could see at a glance that although Xiao Yan had some cultivation, his level was merely average, far inferior to hers. She could drink boiling water without changing expression, while Xiao Yan would inevitably burn his mouth and tongue.

Yun Ya cast an appreciative glance her way.