She was no master painter; she couldn’t even draw a proper circle.

Since arriving in this world, she had diligently practiced calligraphy with a brush for some time, but painting? That was a joke. She had only drawn pandas in kindergarten; this skill truly depended on talent, which she simply lacked.

Not to mention that the brush was a soft-tipped one. What she pictured clearly in her mind became completely distorted on paper.

The mark in her dantian became a circle with what looked like… a big-headed slug? With a forked branch on its head.

No, it also had an abstract fish body. Yun Ya pointed at it, his slender finger trembling: “This, this is supposed to be…”

“Yes.” She forced out a word through gritted teeth, heavy as a thousand pounds!

It was supposed to be an ao-fish, at least that’s what she intended to draw. Though she understood it clearly in her mind, her hands wouldn’t obey. “Can’t you just make do with this?”

“Let me contemplate it carefully.” Yun Ya’s face quickly reddened as he took the drawing and entered the room in two quick strides.

As soon as the door closed, Feng Miaojun heard his uncontrollable laughter.

“Hahaha—”

He had killed an ao-fish before; that creature, being of dragon lineage, was majestic whether alive or dead. If it knew it had been drawn like this by her, would it burst out of the netherworld to fight her to the death?

Damn it! Outside, Feng Miaojun’s face flushed red as she clenched her fists.

The situation in Yinzi City grew increasingly tense. Although the civilians didn’t have much fighting capability, officials organized young men for logistics and transport, and defensive fortifications were built layer upon layer.

Just from this alone, Feng Miaojun had an ominous feeling.

The decision made by the Xiao royal court seemed to be resistance to the end.

Near noon, Wei cultivators began shouting from several directions outside Yinzi City, essentially saying that surrender meant life, while stubborn resistance would result in the massacre of entire families.

These shouts were infused with spiritual power, the sound permeating every corner of Yinzi City.

The civilians had not previously known about Wei’s ultimatum. Now, suddenly hearing such threats, some cursed angrily, some were terrified, some spat in disgust, and others wept.

Who didn’t want to live?

This was how the Wei army exerted tremendous pressure on the Xiao royal court.

Outside the small courtyard where Feng Miaojun stayed, the clamor suddenly increased by three or four times.

Just then, the door opened, and Yun Ya walked out.

“Well?” She didn’t hide the urgency on her face. All these years, what she had constantly yearned for was the removal of the ao-fish curse.

This expression, in Yun Ya’s eyes, made him somewhat displeased. It was merely a sharing of spiritual power, yet this girl was so eager to sever her connection with him?

“It’s not a curse.” His handsome face darkened. “Although it’s extremely similar to one.”

Feng Miaojun nodded: “I drank Golden Branch Jade Dew; that holy water can break all curses, yet it couldn’t dissolve the ao-fish curse.”

Yun Ya gave her a surprised look: “The Yan King was willing to give it to you?” Jingshun had reported to him about the changes on Luofu Island in great detail, including the sale of Golden Branch Jade Dew. He certainly knew that the final owner, Lord Yangshan, was the Yan King, so this girl must have obtained the Golden Branch Jade Dew from the Yan King without question.

Feng Miaojun shrugged: “At that time, Fu Lingchuan and I hadn’t offended him yet.”

She put herself and Fu Lingchuan on the same level, darkening Yun Ya’s expression further: “If it’s a divine ability, the effect is too long-lasting.”

Cultivators’ divine abilities were diverse; no one could say exactly how many marvelous effects they could produce. But divine abilities had limited duration; to maintain them required continuous infusion of spiritual power, like formations and barriers. “Your drawing is somewhat…” he struggled to find words for a long time, “difficult to understand. Like a formation, when the lines aren’t in their proper places, I can’t calculate the cause and effect.”

Hearing this, Feng Miaojun could understand. In formations, the position of each line was crucial; even the slightest error would render the formation useless. The mark branded in her dantian had many irregular lines, unlike the straight horizontal and vertical lines of formations, but it emphasized holistic integrity, like a masterpiece painting—one crooked stroke would diminish its spirit.

If she couldn’t reproduce it with high precision on a one-to-one scale, Yun Ya indeed would find it difficult to discern its principles.

“However, I think it might be…”

Before finishing, he hesitated.

Could it be possible?

“It might be what?” Don’t keep her in suspense.

“Never mind, it’s impossible.” He turned and walked toward the kitchen.

“Hey!” Feng Miaojun poked his solid shoulder. “Speak clearly!”

“Light the fire first.” He pointed at the stove. “Then I’ll tell you.”

“What for?” This fellow wanted to order her around again.

“To cook.”

“I won’t do it.” Feng Miaojun looked at him disdainfully. “At a time like this, who has the heart to cook?” Outside, a storm was brewing; she was anxious about the curse, feeling pressured both internally and externally. Who had the leisure for this?

“I do.”

“What?” She thought she had misheard, but saw him calmly rolling up his sleeves. This man was going to cook, in the capital of Xiao surrounded by powerful enemies, with battle imminent?

Yet he continued with complete seriousness: “The food your subordinate brought was too inferior.”

“What exactly fills your brain all day?” To not forget about food pleasures at a time like this—he was truly a foodie.

Yun Ya smiled, showing his white teeth: “Food and sex, they’re human nature.”

She had no retort.

He took out a miniature bottle and handed it to her: “Go catch a big fish from the spring. There’s wind-dried cured meat under the eaves. For the rest, pick whatever you like.”

Feng Miaojun didn’t know why she accepted the bottle. After a moment, she found her voice: “Why go to such trouble? Chen Dachang will bring food shortly…” Besides, they were cultivators; going without food for a month wouldn’t be a problem.

He interrupted: “I told him not to bring any more.”

“What? When?” How did she not know this?

“When he left this morning.” He answered as if it were self-evident.

Feng Miaojun’s expression suddenly became profound. What divine ability had this man used to communicate with Chen Dachang without her noticing?

But that wasn’t the point.

Arguing with Yun Ya could make one vomit blood in frustration, and the key was that he would always get his way in the end—this was a lesson she had learned long ago. So Feng Miaojun didn’t quibble with him and obediently went into the miniature bottle to find ingredients.

Such a celestial treasure—who wouldn’t use it to grow precious herbs and materials? Only a foodie like him would dig a pond to raise fish.

She hadn’t entered the miniature bottle for a long time. Seeing the impressive and neatly arranged seasonings, she remembered that this man never compromised when it came to food.

Feng Miaojun emerged quickly, holding a black fish, a piece of cured meat, and two sections of fresh bamboo shoots.

She tossed these to him and went to light the fire herself.

The great State Preceptor Yun was going to cook personally—this scene was truly once in a century. Feng Miaojun didn’t want to miss it, so while working the bellows, she turned her head to watch.

Yun Ya chopped off the fish’s head with one stroke, ignoring that the fish’s body was still jumping. Then he turned the blade sideways to fillet the fish, his movements clean and deft, flowing like clouds and water.