Humming a happy tune, Feng Yao walked back down the winding corridors in search of Li Yue.

Hm? He should be around here somewhere...

She turned another corner, walking past the lit lanterns swaying lightly from the edges of the overhead. A soft golden light was cast upon her figure as she strolled past each one creating an illusion of dusk despite the moon already being high in the sky. 

Feng Yao continued walking, keeping an eye out for any sight for Ru Qiang's guard, but so far, there was no sign of him. In fact, there were no signs of anyone else around. 

Sigh...has everyone already gone to sleep? 

The corners of her lips were pointed down in a frown, but she continued walking. As she turned the corner, her entire body suddenly felt like it had run face-first into a wall.

"Ah?" She almost tumbled backwards at the abrupt force against her body when she felt a warm hand grab her by the arm and pull her back upright.

"Huh? Young Miss? What are you doing here?"

Hearing the familiar voice, Feng Yao finally looked up and realized that the person she had bumped into was exactly the man she was looking for.

"Li Yue! Great! I was just looking for you!"

She beamed at him, and he immediately got suspicious. He had been around her long enough to know that her cheerful smiles often had plans hidden behind them that were strong enough to demolish entire cities. 

Along with his Young Master's sanity.

Secretly, he thought that this young woman in front of him was incredible. Both for being able to single-handedly bring chaos to the Wei Kingdom and for being able to force his Young Master to show so many new expressions with her absurd antics.

Of course, he enjoyed the second one a lot more than the first, but if his Young Master ever heard him say that, Li Yue was sure that he'd probably be immediately decapitated by his Young Master's death glare. Then, he'd really become the same as a dead chicken!

He shivered at his wandering thoughts. They were too scary. It was definitely better to stay silent and enjoy his master's sufferings from a distance.

Feng Yao was oblivious to his strange thoughts and continued excitedly speaking.

"Do you have time to show me to the kitchen? I just remembered a recipe that I once read in a book, and my fingers have been itching to try it out!"

She wiggled her fingers in front of his confused face to emphasize her words.

"See?" She added with a grave expression. "They're very impatient. And when that happens, scary things begin to occur. Oooo, scary~"

She even added in her own spooky sound effects to prove her point.

Li Yue, on the other hand, seemed completely dumbfounded. How was he supposed to respond? Join in and make spooky sound effects with her?

With a slight cough, he finally said, "Of course I wouldn't mind showing you to the kitchen. But will you require any assistance? I can go and wake the cook if you need some help?"

"Nope, I just need you to help me stir the pot while I chop up some things." She blinked innocently at him, putting away her wiggling fingers. 

Feng Yao already knew the way to the kitchen, but she still needed him to come so that he'd deliver the soup to Ru Qiang when she was done. She had a few more things that she needed to do tonight before returning to the Winter Garden. 

She watched as Li Yue took her bait as he nodded with a smile. 

"Sure, that's no problem! I may not be capable of cooking by myself, but I can definitely help you with this small task."

With light steps, she followed Li Yue down the corridors until they reached a separate building. 

As she stopped behind him, she raised an eyebrow as she studied his sturdy back.

As expected from Li Yue...his footsteps this entire time were completely soundless. No wonder I didn't hear him earlier before I ran into him.

"Young Miss, what exactly are you trying to make? Perhaps I might even recognize the name," Li Yue said as they both walked inside.

Around them were counters and shelves stocked full of herbs and dried ingredients. At the end of the wide area was a large clay stove with a pile of fresh wood stocked up near its side.

As she studied the area, she replied, "I'm pretty sure that you've never heard of it. But it's called..." She paused before grinning. "Heaven's Touch of Life!"

Li Yue was taken aback by the unusual title. It was clear that whoever named this dish was quite...prideful.

"Heaven's Touch of Life? Indeed, I've never heard of it..."

"Of course! I just made it up right now." Feng Yao casually answered before she turned towards the shelves and began grabbing ingredients. 

Meanwhile, Li Yue had become a frozen statue at her words. 

The Young Miss was the one who made this dish and named it such a ridiculous name? 

Heavens save me! I can't believe I accidentally insulted such a formidable person!

He wanted to cry. What would happen to him in the future if he ended up both as a decapitated chicken by the hands of his Young Master and a unfortunate victim from the Young Miss' schemes?

Ahhh, life was indeed quite hard for a poor guard like him...

"Li Yue, can you start a fire for me?"

Li Yue dejectedly went over and began wordlessly putting wood underneath the clay stove. Using a bit of forceful strength from his martial arts, he even created a spark large enough to flare into a fire on his first try. 

He turned around and was about to tell Feng Yao that he had the fire ready when he suddenly noticed the pile of ingredients she was carrying in her arms as she walked over.

"Young Miss...These couldn't be, by chance, the ingredients that you're planning on using...right?" A dry and hesitant laugh escaped his mouth, hoping that she'd laugh and shake her head at him, but to his shock, she actually nodded back with a serious expression.

"Yes. Is that a problem?"

She gave him a look as if he was crazy before placing her items at the table on her side. As soon as she was finished sorting through them, she brought over a clean pot that she had already previously filled with water.

Li Yue couldn't help but stare at her in shock as he watched her place the pot on top of the stove. Before he could protest, she had already begun dropping her ingredients one by one into the water.

"Let's see, maybe two of these things? And about three stalks of this one? Oh, and of course, I can't forget about this thing either..." Feng Yao muttered to herself as she began adding more and more items into the pot.

Li Yue could only helplessly watch as the bubbling water began turning an ominous shade of black. 

Um...Young Miss? Didn't you say that this was the recipe for Heaven's Touch of Life? Are you sure you didn't mix this recipe up with a Lethal Touch of Hell's Evil Souls recipe?

Feng Yao didn't seem to notice his darkening face as she continued happily humming and tossing more ingredients in the pot. 

At this point, Li Yue didn't dare say anything else in case she asked him to taste her soup. As he stared down at it, he could feel his stomach drop.

Little chopped up pieces of her ingredients were floating lifelessly in the dark liquid. How had a pot of water turned into this strange concoction?  

Perhaps this isn't for the Young Miss to eat? Maybe this is actually for some poor unfortunate soul that angered her to consume?

Li Yue nodded to himself. Yes, of course. That must be the reason why it looks so scary. As expected of the Young Miss! Even her poisoning skills are great!

At that moment, Feng Yao began to scoop some of the soup into a bowl using a wooden ladle. As the scent entered her nose, her eyes lit up in satisfaction. 

"Mhm! You must be a genius, Feng Yao! To have created such a successful dish for the first time ever cooking is no doubt only a feat that geniuses can claim to have done!"

Feng Yao praised herself with shining eyes as she gazed down fondly at her bubbling creation. Every once in a while, the thick and chunky liquid paste would form another bubble before popping violently again.

Li Yue smiled, now much calmer after realizing that she wasn't going to eat this herself. He was just about to praise her great poisoning skills when she spoke.

"Here, Li Yue! Take this to your Young Master."

"Sure! I don't mind serving this to the poor soul who angered you--I, wait, whaaat?" Li Yue's eyes bulged out. He almost fainted as her words finally registered in his brain.

"M-my Young Master?" 

His voice shook as he stared at her in fear. What had the Young Master done to incite her wrath this time? Even if the Young Master had angered her, did he really have to meet his demise through the means of such a cruel soup?

Feng Yao stared at him blankly. "You only have one Young Master right? Here," she shoved the bowl of soup into his hands before smiling brightly. "Take this to Ru Qiang to eat."

Li Yue vehemently shook his head as he immediately shoved the soup back into her hands.

"N-no matter how angry you are, Young Miss, I still think it's improper to feed such a cruel poison to the Young Master like this! His poor soul wouldn't be able to handle such roughness!"

His words made Feng Yao tilt her head at him, a confused look flitting across her features. 

"What poison are you talking about? This is an herbal soup that I came up with! It's perfect for nourishing the body. Now here," she forced him to take it again. "I'll be trusting you to give this to him."

Li Yue almost cried as he stared down at the deadly bowl of soup in his hand. Each time the dark paste bubbled up and popped, it felt as if it was whispering evil words into his mind.

You'll be fired if you give this to the Young Master, Li Yue...

No, forget fired! You'll be killed!

No, forget being killed! You'll be chopped up into little pieces before getting fed to the wolves by the Young Master personally!

With his imagination running wild, he quickly shook his head to shoo away the scary thoughts.

"Still, Young Miss! I think it's better if you personally deliver this to him instead of me!"

Feng Yao blinked at him. "Why?"

Her simple response made Li Yue really burst into tears this time.

Why do you need to ask why? Since you're insisting that he needs it, it's better if you give it to him! If you handed it to him, he'd simply look at it and sigh. 

But me on the other hand? It's obvious that if I give such a scary looking soup to the Young Master while boldly claiming that it's to help nourish his body, he'll definitely bury me alive for my nonsense!

He quickly handed over the warm bowl back into her hands. As soon as the item left his hands, he pretended to double over and cough violently.

"Cough, cough, cough! Ah, Young Miss! I seem to be catching a cold! I don't dare to be in your presence any longer in case I make you catch my sickness! I will have to trouble you to deliver this precious soup to the Young Master yourself. Please pardon me! Cough, cough, cough!"

Li Yue disappeared from the room so fast that Feng Yao could only stare blankly at the empty doorway.

If he's that sick, then he should at least take some of this herbal soup with him to nourish his body. That fool...

Shaking her head, Feng Yao blew out the fire underneath the stove before making her way back to Ru Qiang's study. 

She was feeling pretty excited about her creation. This was the first time she had attempted to cook, and it actually turned out quite nice! If she knew that she had this much talent in cooking, she would have given up her identity as a beggar years ago in exchange for the title of a chef!

Humming, she opened the door of Ru Qiang's study and noticed that he was currently closing one of the drawers on the side of the room. 

Upon noticing her return, he scrunched up his face in confusion.

"You're back? I thought you had gone to look for Li Yue?"

Feng Yao sighed. "I found him...but since he wasn't willing to deliver you this soup, I decided to do it myself. And so," she motioned towards her body with her free hand, "I'm back."

"But look at this!" Her eyes lit up in excitement as she scurried over towards him, setting the bowl on the table between them. "My very first cooking creation, and it turned out quite well!"

Ru Qiang looked down at the soup, but when he did, he couldn't help but feel a cold sweat run down his back.

"This is...?" He cautiously asked, although he had a sinking feeling that he already knew what this was.

"This? Fu fu fu!" She proudly grinned. "It's an herbal soup I created! Now drink it up!"

He blinked blankly at the black liquid with unidentifiable floating chunks. Each time it bubbled and popped, a hot breath of air would forcible brush against his cheeks like a monster breathing in his face.

Was she secretly holding a grudge against him? Or perhaps...did he do something to made her hate him? But that was impossible...he had literally just seen her half an hour ago...

Ru Qiang raised his head and was just about to say something when he noticed her shining eyes full of childlike enthusiasm. He could almost see the excitement radiating off of her. Almost like she was a young child waiting patiently for a present.

A moment passed before he finally let out a heavy sigh in defeat. Underneath the heat of her sparkling gaze, he slowly reached down and grasped the spoon that had almost fully submerged into the black goo.

Feng Yao, immediately noticing that he intended to eat it, broke out into a happy smile. She watched in anticipation as he quietly raised the spoon up to his lips. Discreetly, he let out one last sigh from behind the spoon so that she couldn't see.

And then...

He took a sip.

Feng Yao hesitated, showing a trace of doubt for the first time. "How is it? Is it good?"

"...En."

Ru Qiang's answer made her doubts finally melt away. She grinned as she patted herself on the back, abandoning any sense of humility she may have had. 

"Not to mention the fact that its aroma smells exquisitely delightful, it probably even surpasses the medicines created by Doctor Yi! It makes even me, one of the pickiest foodies on this planet, bow down to it and worship its greatness! Of course, I was the one that made it, but still--" 

She continued excitedly rambling on with her chin proudly tilted upward and chest puffed out.

"I knew that it would turn out great! Fu fu fu, although this was my first time cooking, I just knew that my foodie instincts wouldn't lead me wrong!"

Ru Qiang didn't say anything as he continued to silently eat.

"I put rice in it--"

He slowly chewed on the chunky goo.

"--and potatoes, oh forgive me my poor potato people,--"

He chewed some more.

"--plus a few mint leaves and onions--"

He finally managed to break down the chunks in his mouth and swallowed them.

"--along with some orange slices, pickled eggs, and minced garlic--"

Another bite entered his mouth.

"--not to mention dried chicken and peaches--"

And another bite.

"--and some fermented fish and, ah? Are you already done eating?"

Ru Qiang calmly set down his spoon next to his empty bowl and nodded. "En."

Feng Yao beamed from where she was sitting cross-legged in front of him. "See! I just knew that it'd be delicious!"

Ru Qiang looked like he was about to say something. But noticing the cheerful look on her face, he ended up closing his mouth and nodded instead.

"Make sure not to neglect food anymore okay?" 

Feng Yao began to lecture him, mimicking the action of a wise teacher by holding up her finger in the air. 

"To see a fellow foodie suffer from hunger makes my poor heart hurt. Even if you're going to be stuck in a dangerous situation, at least keep yourself prepared for it on a full stomach! That's the one important lesson I've learned and stubbornly stuck to."

Ru Qiang paused before he hesitantly asked, "Did you learn that as a child?"

His question made her blink before she slowly lowered her hand back into her lap. With a small chuckle, although it sounded a bit forced, she nonchalantly replied, "Sadly no. I was too stupid as a child to recognize the difference between hunger pain and body pain."

After she finished speaking, an awkward silence overtook the room. Feng Yao was just about to say something to get rid of the silence when she heard his quiet voice.

"I was the same."

Her eyes flickered up and met his in surprise. This was the first time that he was telling her something about his past.

Ru Qiang held her gaze for a moment before sighing. "I also couldn't tell the difference between internal pain and external pain. All I knew was that..."

"That it hurt. Everything did." Feng Yao finished for him, knowing exactly what he meant. There was something that had shifted in her tone, making Ru Qiang subconsciously search her eyes.

They were still the same as usual. Bright and clear. Large and full of hidden thoughts. But when he looked past his reflection in her unwavering eyes, he could see things silently simmering underneath her calmness that she had never allowed him to see before.

Pain. Regret. Sadness. Self-hatred.

And in that instant, he knew.

She was just like him.

"...It did hurt. A lot." He replied softly, letting his voice trail off, but Feng Yao could still immediately hear the hidden message behind it.

It hurt. And it still does.

Perhaps it was because she felt the same that she could tell so quickly what he was feeling. His unspoken words filled the room like a heavy silence, but surprisingly, she didn't mind.

Previously, she had always hated even having to think about her past. It made her remember and feel things that she didn't want to. But somehow, being with him made it a bit easier to breath when reliving the scenes of her childhood in her head.

Her expression softened as she let out a small smile. Reaching out, she grasped one of his hands on the table with both of hers.

"You're strong. Really strong."

Ru Qiang looked up at her, stunned with surprise. Her eyes was filled with warmth, giving him a sense of encouragement that he'd never felt before. 

"But I'm sure you already knew that, right?"

He couldn't seem to take his eyes away from her teasing smile. How was it that she could still be so full of warmth despite the pain that had obviously been in her eyes seconds ago?

"You are too." Ru Qiang replied after a moment, holding her gaze. "You're really strong too."

His words made her smile slightly widen before she released his gaze and let out a laugh.

"Haha, why thank you! That's the first time I've gotten such a nice compliment."

He seemed like he wanted to smile too, but he held it back. Instead, his eyes softened as he replied.

"En."

Feng Yao grinned at him, immediately brightening up the atmosphere. But suddenly, as if she noticed something, she frowned.

Ru Qiang was confused at how fast her emotions were changing on her face, but before he could ask why, she had already reached up and poked his cheek.

"Hey. When's the last time you properly slept?"

He blinked before he sheepishly turned away. Seeing that he