Yun Ya looked in the direction she pointed and indeed saw a small pot on a red clay stove with the lid being lifted by bubbling froth, releasing waves of milk fragrance—particularly heartwarming in the cold winter.

Looking back at her crescent moon-like smiling eyes and the eight small white teeth she revealed, the anger in his heart subsided slightly, and he coldly responded with an “Mmm.”

Feng Miaojun had rushed over carrying his cloak, and now she was especially attentive as she draped it over his shoulders: “It’s too cold outside. You didn’t freeze, did you, sir?”

“What do you think?” He grabbed her wrist, and sure enough, all that passed from his palm was coldness.

His body temperature had always been on the higher side, but this time he had truly caught a chill. It wasn’t surprising—outside it was more than ten degrees below zero, and he had deliberately used magic to freeze the river, so how cold must the bottom of the water have been! Other cultivators might not have been affected, but Yun Ya’s body was alternately well and unwell, unlike others. Feng Miaojun was startled: “I’ll add more coal!”

She turned to get coal from the corner of the tent, but Yun Ya wouldn’t let go. Instead, he pulled her into his arms: “No need, I’ll borrow your body heat.”

His clothes had been dried with spiritual power, but his body was thoroughly chilled. Feng Miaojun felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar and shivered twice in succession. Yun Ya exhaled comfortably: “So warm.” He beckoned with his finger toward the charcoal brazier several zhang away, and suddenly the coals began to burn vigorously.

Feng Miaojun angrily said: “Let go! I’ll bring the brazier over!” She would guarantee to roast and scorch him thoroughly.

Being pressed against Yun Ya’s chest, she felt the vibration of his low laughter: “I’ve just returned from an icy world, I can’t warm myself by the fire directly. Don’t you even know this basic knowledge?” The soft, warm bundle in his arms made him reluctant to let go.

She still carried the sweet fragrance of milk and almonds; he wanted to take a bite.

There seemed to be some truth to this. Feng Miaojun paused, feeling his bone-chillingly cold body, and inexplicably felt a softening of her heart. Then her intelligence returned, and she inwardly spat at herself: he possessed vast spiritual power and had a built-in heating system. Now he was just finding an excuse to take advantage of her, revealing his despicable character—yet she still felt a bit of sympathy for him.

No, it wasn’t sympathy. She was just yielding to necessity while under his roof.

“You’re my maid, shouldn’t you be concerned about my concerns?” What was wrong with contributing a bit of body heat? It wasn’t as if he was doing anything indescribable to her. Fortunately, Yun Ya didn’t intend to go too far. Seeing her shiver again, he released her. “Where’s the milk? Bring it over.”

Feng Miaojun felt relieved and quickly brought a bowl of steaming hot milk. Yun Ya slowly drank half the bowl, and only then did some color return to his face.

“Sir, what about your missing subordinate?”

He shook his head: “Dead. I saw him cut to pieces at the bottom of the river.”

“…” She asked cautiously, “Then, what about the River God?”

“No need to be so cautious.” Yun Ya found it amusing. Was this girl afraid he would get angry? “It escaped. But it was also seriously injured, so it likely won’t dare to come out again for some time.”

“To think the Yao Kingdom has a giant jiao guarding its river, no wonder Ji Yuan City worships it as a deity.” Dragons, being divine creatures, naturally carried an awe-inspiring effect that other creatures could hardly match.

“Jiao?” A trace of mockery appeared at the corner of his mouth. “That wasn’t a jiao. You’ve forgotten it excels at illusion arrays.”

She blinked her eyes: “Are you certain it wasn’t a jiao?”

“It wasn’t.”

How exactly had he confirmed this? Feng Miaojun wasn’t clear, but he had answered so definitely that she had to believe him. “Then what exactly was it?”

This time, Yun Ya didn’t answer, only showing a thoughtful expression.

After a long while, he finally said: “Perhaps it was a type of phantom beast.”

Because that creature was skilled at creating illusions? Speaking of which, being able to escape from Yun Ya’s grasp was quite an achievement, even though underwater wasn’t his domain.

“At Ji Yuan City…” Shouldn’t they be in the midst of a siege battle? As the Grand State Preceptor, didn’t he need to supervise the battle?

“I am the State Preceptor, not a military supervisor.” He was only responsible for major challenges; routine matters like this were handled by the Wei army’s commanders. Why would they need him?

The charcoal fire was burning vigorously, filling the tent with warmth, and Yun Ya’s complexion gradually returned to a ruddy hue. Feng Miaojun helped him change into loose clothing and retire for the night, then she went to the outer chamber.

Yun Ya was different from other cultivators, seemingly spending more time sleeping than sitting in meditation for cultivation. It was unclear how he had developed his skills.

The large tent directly faced the frozen river. She parted the tent curtain to create a small gap and gazed in that direction for the nth time. On the horizon, flames soared into the sky, and the sounds of artillery and shouting seemed to be carried by the wind.

For countless people, this would be a sleepless night.

Feng Miaojun once again experienced a sense of powerlessness. Although she was among the ranks of cultivators, when facing war and invasion, she was like her foster mother Madam Xu, and the millions of ordinary people in this world—only able to passively accept and go with the flow.

She didn’t know what else she could do, and most other cultivators were in the same situation.

She wouldn’t ask strong figures like Yun Ya and the Wei King why war was necessary. The question was too naive, and Yun Ya would likely portray himself as having no choice.

Feng Miaojun walked back and lay down fully clothed.

This side of the frozen river was quiet, with even owl hoots audible, yet she tossed and turned, unable to sleep with her mind full of worries.

Perhaps the sound of her turning disturbed Yun Ya. His deep voice came from inside the tent: “So noisy!” Today he had mobilized the power of heaven and earth and had also fought with the River God. He was truly somewhat sleepy, but this girl kept tossing and turning, and he could hear every rustling sound of her clothes and blankets. “It’s the middle of the night, why aren’t you sleeping?”

Wasn’t he also awake? Feng Miaojun heard no real rebuke in his tone and finally couldn’t help asking: “Sir, how long will this battle last?”

“Within two days.” Spies had already assessed Ji Yuan City beforehand. Its greatest reliance had been on natural barriers and the River God. Now that both were lost, the advantaged Wei army had no reason not to capture it.

“I mean the war,” she said softly, believing he would certainly understand.

This time Yun Ya was silent for a long while, his voice finally congealing like water: “Better a short pain than a long one.”

What did that mean? She was completely puzzled. And this wasn’t the first time she had heard these words from his mouth.

He didn’t explain further, only saying in a deep voice: “Sleep.”

The night passed without further conversation.

As the sun rose from the east, Feng Miaojun also finished her practice and slowly stood up.

She hadn’t slept all night and had simply gotten up to adjust her breathing and engage in cultivation, only then achieving a state of forgetting both self and surroundings. The front line was fighting for their lives, while back here someone was sound asleep—how thick-skinned could that person be? She was referring to the person still sleeping soundly in the inner tent.

She walked out of the tent for some fresh air and discovered that many of the surrounding tents were gone. The logistics unit was transporting supplies across the ice, seemingly headed toward Ji Yuan City.

“Good morning, Miss An’an.”

A voice greeted her, and Feng Miaojun turned to see it was Lu Ming.