Having encountered countless women in his half-lifetime, the Prince of Wei could tell from Feng Miaojun’s posture and gait that Yun Ya had never been intimate with her.

Feng Miaojun’s face turned completely red, half from embarrassment and half from surging anger. The Prince of Wei’s blunt words right to her face clearly treated her as an object to be evaluated rather than as a person.

Her hand loosened, and the arm armor fell to the ground with a loud “clang.” The two guards glanced over, and the guards outside called out loudly: “Your Highness?”

“Nothing,” the Prince replied, then continued with interest, “Quite the temper. Are you like this with the State Preceptor as well?”

She was beautiful indeed, but regrettably kept her eyes lowered—the Prince had seen many such beauties. But when angered, she was different; her eyes immediately filled with spirit, as if a celestial maiden had stepped out of a scroll painting.

There was no fear in her eyes: “The State Preceptor doesn’t scrutinize me like this.” Only by comparison did she realize that although Yun Ya might tease or frighten her, he never used insulting words toward her.

Such extraordinary beauty inevitably came with certain privileges. Though her behavior was offensive, the Prince did not mind, patting the armor on his other arm: “Continue.”

He was the boss; Feng Miaojun secretly swallowed her anger and had no choice but to continue her task. She heard the Prince say to Xu Guangxiang: “Being able to resist such a beauty is not necessarily a good thing. Xiang’er, I think you should set your heart on someone else. You can choose from any of Wei’s fine young men. When you’re older, you’ll know that a man’s handsome appearance alone is useless.”

“Father, please stop!” Now it was Xu Guangxiang’s turn to blush fiercely. The Prince’s meaning was explicit—Yun Ya having such a beauty by his side for months without touching her suggested some hidden ailment. Considering the State Preceptor’s poor health, this speculation wasn’t groundless.

Feng Miaojun’s lips curved scornfully as she secretly grumbled. She had removed the State Preceptor’s clothes countless times; she had seen his body, touched it, and savored it—it had nothing to do with any hidden ailment.

By now, she had moved behind the Prince of Wei and was no longer in his line of sight. However, the chest and back armor were too close to vital areas, so the tent’s regular maids would take over the subsequent work—it wasn’t her place.

The Prince knew his adopted daughter had admired Yun Ya for a long time and wouldn’t change her mind based on just a few words of advice. Seeing her joyful expression, the Prince realized his words had only made her more elated, and he couldn’t help but shake his head.

By then, breakfast had been brought in by dedicated servants, and the Prince changed back into casual attire before sitting down to eat.

Feng Miaojun watched him grab a steamed bun with one hand and pick up fatty meat with the other, eating with relish without the slightest disdain. She couldn’t help but admire him inwardly. Accustomed to fine food and clothing, she had been cooking her meals in her small bottle under the State Preceptor’s banner these days, feeding the camp rations to the animals inside.

Not just her—most ministers and generals did the same. She knew Xiao Yan’s guards secretly bought good wine and meat for their master from towns they passed through. By comparison, no one truly shared food with the soldiers like this old ruler.

Wei’s army had exceptional combat prowess, which surely had its internal reasons.

However, she still didn’t know why the Prince had summoned her.

The sovereign now looked at her, narrowing his eyes: “You’re also a cultivator?”

“Yes.” There was no point hiding this.

“No wonder.”

Feng Miaojun didn’t understand the meaning of these two words—did they refer to the reason Yun Ya kept her, or to something unusual in her behavior?

“You look familiar.” He sighed softly. “You resemble an old acquaintance of mine so much.”

Feng Miaojun immediately felt a chill down her spine.

The Prince had said something similar days before. But now he said “an acquaintance,” which was specific.

Was he thinking of Queen An Xia?

Wei and An Xia were mortal enemies. Would the Prince suspect her of having connections to An Xia?

“Everyone associated with her met with misfortune.” The Prince chuckled. “But you’re even more beautiful than she was.”

Feng Miaojun was speechless.

She couldn’t read the light in the Prince’s eyes: “Do you know the scene of my first meeting with Yun Ya?” The Prince waved the steamed bun in his hand. “At that time, I was in a small place called Chengtian Village, eating something similar to this.”

Strange—this differed from what she knew.

Xu Guangxiang also spoke up: “Wasn’t the State Preceptor introduced to Father by Second Brother?”

“That happened many years later.” The Prince ate with oil dripping from his mouth, taking a white cloth to wipe it. “When I first met Yun Ya, I wasn’t even married yet—Xiao Yan wasn’t even born.”

Xu Guangxiang’s eyes widened, and Feng Miaojun was also secretly amazed. But her expression remained composed, only her gaze flickered slightly; the Prince couldn’t tell if this information had shocked her.

“Young lady, how old are you this year?”

“Almost sixteen.”

“When I first met Yun Ya, I was about your age.” He reminisced with a sigh. “Back then, I firmly believed a good man should aspire to travel the world, so I ventured out alone. I never expected to meet such an extraordinary figure in the countryside—it left a deep impression. Later, when Yan introduced him to me, I was already over forty, but he still looked the same as before, without aging at all, hehe. The phrase ‘things remain but people change’ simply doesn’t apply to him!”

So decades ago, Yun Ya already had his current appearance. Feng Miaojun let out a gentle breath, finding herself not as shocked as she had expected.

Xu Guangxiang also said: “Cultivators have techniques to maintain their youth. It’s not surprising to remain unchanged for decades, is it?”

The Prince smiled and asked her in return: “Then do you know how long he had lived before meeting your father?”

Xu Guangxiang couldn’t answer.

“Every State Preceptor has secrets that cannot be revealed. The Yun Ya you see may not necessarily be his true appearance.” He spoke earnestly, “Throughout history, how many State Preceptors have met with a good end? Obsessing over a perfect façade might ruin your entire life.”

The Prince turned to Feng Miaojun: “Do you know that when he first met me, he mentioned he could help my Xiao family claim the world, but the time wasn’t right?”

Feng Miaojun blurted out: “The time?”

“Yes, the timing.” The Prince gave a short laugh. “I was the second son, and my elder brother had long been established as crown prince. Yun Ya said only if I won the throne, proving I had the resources and ambition to compete for the world, would he enter society to assist me.”

“I had witnessed his abilities then but couldn’t get him to help. Later, I sent capable subordinates to search for him everywhere, but couldn’t find even the slightest trace, as if such a person had never existed in this world.” The Prince leaned back in his chair. “Only after I claimed this throne did he come with Yan. It’s amusing that Yan still believes he was the one who introduced Yun Ya to me.”

Xu Guangxiang couldn’t help asking: “What did the State Preceptor do during those decades?”

“I don’t know.” The Prince suddenly lowered his voice. “But I’ve always had a theory—this ability to appear and disappear mysteriously and calculate people’s hearts is very much like…”

Like what? Xu Guangxiang didn’t hear, and neither did Feng Miaojun because, at that moment, the guards outside suddenly announced loudly: “The State Preceptor has arrived!”