Ziyuan caught sight of Ruan Hongling picking up the phone and couldn't help but hiss softly, "Hongling, don't touch other people's things!"

Ruan Hongling snorted, "He stole my magic treasure too, so what if I check his phone!" As she spoke, she pressed the answer key, a strange, triumphant smile playing on her lips, like a successful little prank.

The moment she tapped the phone to answer, a voice, both soft and lingering, purred sweetly, "Master, guess who this is?"

Ruan Hongling instantly recognized the voice of that little fox spirit and let out a cold laugh without speaking.

On the other end, Su Chan, hearing no sound from Li Yundong, assumed he was too breathless with excitement to speak. She giggled, "You can't even recognize me this quickly? It’s me, your little lass, your own!"

Su Chan had finally managed to get a moment alone after her master, Ao Wushuang, stepped away, and she immediately snatched her phone to secretly call Li Yundong, worrying the entire time if the call would even connect.

But as soon as the line connected and she got a couple of words out, before she could savor her relief, she heard a woman's icy snort cutting coldly through the receiver, followed immediately by the line going dead.

It was as if a clap of thunder had struck Su Chan’s mind, terrifying her into near oblivion: Yundong has a new flame, he... he doesn't want me anymore?

Thinking this, Su Chan desperately wished she could fly back to Li Yundong’s side immediately to see the truth, but the moment the thought solidified, she saw her Master returning. Su Chan hastily tucked the phone away.

Having hidden the phone, Su Chan could not conceal the turmoil in her heart. Her mind was consumed by that single cold snort from the call. She felt as if her very soul had been shaken apart by it; she felt lightheaded, barely able to stand steady, her thoughts a tangled, chaotic mess.

"Yundong wouldn't really abandon me, would he? No, he wouldn't! But... but what if he really doesn't want me anymore?" Su Chan thought, her heart a whirlwind of worry, and tears began to plop down her cheeks.

Ao Wushuang saw her state and couldn't help but sigh, "Missing him again? Alas, what a karmic entanglement!"

Su Chan looked up at Ao Wushuang through her tear-filled eyes, "Master, may I go back for a look?"

Ao Wushuang's face hardened. "Absolutely not! If you go back now, he definitely won't be able to focus on solidifying his foundation!"

Su Chan felt a growing dread, thinking privately: No, Yundong wouldn't leave me. I’ll call back in a moment; I must get him on the line and ask him clearly.

Ruan Hongling, hearing Su Chan's call come through, had intended to mock her a little, but she caught Ziyuan’s sharp glance just as she was about to speak. Ruan Hongling sullenly pursed her lips, let out a huff, hung up the phone, tossed it onto the sofa, and muttered, "I don't know what's so great about this guy that you defend him like that."

Ziyuan remained silent, simply standing quietly in the room, her eyelids lowered as she rested her spirit.

A moment later, the sound of keys jiggled at the door, and Li Yundong pushed it open, carrying two plastic grocery bags. Ruan Hongling peered over curiously, "Oh? You went out to buy food?"

Li Yundong nodded. "Yes. Although we’ve had some friction, you two have helped me out quite a bit these past few days, and I have nothing else to offer in return. Since you haven't eaten yet, I thought I'd cook a meal for you."

Ziyuan smiled faintly. "How kind of you to trouble yourself."

Li Yundong returned the smile. "I can’t very well let you two starve while I eat alone, can I? Since I've already bought the things, just wait in the living room; I’ll be quick."

Ruan Hongling said skeptically, "You actually know how to cook?"

Li Yundong glanced at her, surprisingly refraining from bickering, and said calmly, "You'll find out soon enough, won't you?"

With that, he carried the plastic bags into the kitchen. Ruan Hongling huffed and mumbled under her breath, "Didn't you say you were broke? Where did the money for groceries come from?"

Li Yundong’s voice drifted from the kitchen. "I got some of the deposit back from canceling the hotel room."

Ruan Hongling had spoken very quietly, and she hadn't expected Li Yundong to hear. She stuck her tongue out. Ziyuan merely shook her head at her, offering a faint, helpless smile.

After a while, the sounds of washing and chopping vegetables emerged from the kitchen. Ziyuan felt a little uneasy sitting there, so she stood up and walked toward the kitchen, smiling gently, "Let me give you a hand; it feels wrong to just sit back and enjoy the fruits of your labor."

Li Yundong laughed. "No need. You girls shouldn't really be in the kitchen." As he said this, Li Yundong couldn't help but recall the minor disaster Su Chan had caused in the kitchen previously. His gaze drifted momentarily, as if lost in memories of time spent with Su Chan, and his expression softened tenderly.

Ziyuan smiled, saying nothing, but delicately tucked up a section of her sleeve. Ruan Hongling, standing at the doorway, called out loudly, "Don't look down on Sister Ziyuan; her cooking is excellent, definitely better than yours!"

Li Yundong looked at Ziyuan with some surprise. "Oh? I wouldn't have guessed!"

Ziyuan smiled faintly. "Don't listen to her boasting. I only know a few simple home dishes. When I lived alone before, I had to cook for myself, or I'd be eating uncooked rice! How could one manage without knowing at least a little cooking?"

Li Yundong laughed. "How about this: you make a couple of your specialties, and I'll make a couple of mine?"

Ziyuan agreed with a graceful smile, "Your invitation is better than my obedience."

Ruan Hongling clapped her hands delightedly. "Wonderful! We get to eat Sister Ziyuan's home cooking again!"

Ziyuan looked at her, her eyes filled with the indulgent affection of an elder watching a mischievous junior. "Alright, alright, stop causing trouble here and go wait."

Ruan Hongling giggled, pretending to head to the living room to wait, but she soon slipped back, hiding at the doorway to secretly watch them.

Inside the kitchen, Li Yundong was tying on an apron, looking curiously at Ziyuan. "Aren't you going to wear an apron?"

Ziyuan shook her head with a smile. She extended her slender, delicate hands, picked up a white radish from the plastic bag, and gently washed it under the running water in the basin.

Li Yundong watched as this woman exuded an air of transcendent elegance even while washing vegetables. Her soft hands, seemingly untouched by dust, swept lightly over the radish, and the radish itself appeared instantly purified, radiating a subtle, ethereal purity.

Li Yundong silently clicked his tongue in admiration, then turned his head to focus on the vegetables before him, beginning to chop.

Ruan Hongling, watching from the doorway, saw both Li Yundong and Ziyuan diligently occupied with their tasks in the kitchen, occasionally glancing up to exchange a smile, or passing a utensil to the other.

Especially when Li Yundong began slicing and stir-frying, his skilled, precise knife work and his practiced ease in tossing the wok earned an involuntary nod from Ruan Hongling, who thought to herself: This fellow actually has some hidden talents. I wonder how the finished dishes will taste.

The two busied themselves in the kitchen for about twenty minutes. Li Yundong prepared Braised Crucian Carp, Sweet and Sour Pork Ribs, and a Tomato and Egg Soup. Ziyuan made Stir-fried Lotus Root Slices and Lightly Stir-fried Shredded Radish.

Ruan Hongling looked at the four dishes and one soup on the table and laughed, "What good fortune! It's been ages since I had hot food!"

Li Yundong couldn't help but ask, "You usually don't eat hot food?"

Ziyuan smiled faintly but said nothing. Ruan Hongling piped up from the side, "Sister Ziyuan has reached the Bigu (Grain Avoidance) realm; whether she eats or not makes little difference to her. As for me, I can't cook myself, so I end up eating nothing but junk food outside all day."

Li Yundong smiled. He used his chopsticks to pick up a piece of Ziyuan's stir-fried lotus root, chewed it, and instantly found it bland and tasteless. It seemed not only salt was missing, but even MSG.

Though the taste was initially insipid, making Li Yundong almost want to spit it out, he politely chewed a few more bites. Slowly, however, he began to discern the lotus root’s inherent, subtle fragrance. The more he chewed, the sweeter and more aromatic it became, leaving a lingering perfume on his palate.

Li Yundong couldn't help but praise her, "Impressive, truly impressive. I didn't expect that someone as beautiful as you, Ziyuan, would also possess such exquisite culinary skills. This dish appears to have almost no oil, salt, or seasoning, yet it carries such a clean, elegant fragrance. That level of technique belongs to a master chef; I certainly can't match it."

Li Yundong mused privately: As the saying goes, the writing reflects the writer, and the words reflect the person. It is the same with cooking. The dish made by Ziyuan is so delicately fragrant and refined; it shows that she must also possess a pure, noble heart—a person of simple elegance.

Ziyuan’s smile was exceedingly modest and serene. She replied gently, "You flatter me."

Ruan Hongling took her first bite from Li Yundong’s dishes. After just one taste, her eyes lit up, and she exclaimed loudly, "Delicious, so delicious!"

Ziyuan also picked up a piece of fish with her chopsticks. After tasting it, she smiled faintly. "It is indeed good." In her heart, however, she thought: The color, aroma, and taste are all present, but the flavor is slightly heavy, and the heat slightly rushed. This shows that a restless fire still burns in Li Yundong's heart; he hasn't fully let go yet.

Ruan Hongling praised continuously as she ate. Her cultivation of spirit and energy was far inferior to Ziyuan's, so she naturally preferred the slightly bolder flavors of Li Yundong's cooking. She ate with great relish and gusto, murmuring praise while thinking to herself: This guy does have some merits after all! I wonder if Sister Ziyuan might truly start liking him?

With this thought, Ruan Hongling couldn't help but study Li Yundong and Ziyuan. One was handsome and dashing, exuding robust masculine energy; the other was breathtakingly beautiful, possessing an otherworldly elegance, her every gesture imbued with a transcendent, ethereal quality.

The more Ruan Hongling looked, the more she felt the two were a rare, perfect match in this world. She mumbled to herself: Could the cryptic poem left by Master actually be true?

Li Yundong was oblivious to her thoughts. Seeing Ruan Hongling’s eyes constantly darting toward him, he couldn't help but say, "Why do you keep staring at me? I’m not a vegetable."

Ruan Hongling gave a slight laugh, glanced meaningfully at Ziyuan, and said, "You are certainly not my vegetable, but you are someone's vegetable."

Under the table, Ziyuan quietly stepped on Ruan Hongling's foot. Ruan Hongling immediately shouted with exaggerated drama, "Sister Ziyuan, why did you step on me!"

Ziyuan’s earlobes instantly flushed slightly, and she glared angrily at Ruan Hongling.

Li Yundong was completely baffled, unsure what these two beautiful women were playing at. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly heard his phone ringing on the sofa. He walked over, froze, and then, with slightly trembling hands, pressed the answer key, stammering, "Little lass?"

On the phone, the terrified and anxious Su Chan heard Li Yundong's voice and immediately burst into tears, "Master, your little lass misses you!"