Bai Youjin picked up his chopsticks and tasted all five dishes.

The fish is crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, sour with a hint of sweet. The braised spareribs are rich and fragrant, and every bite is soft and delicious. The mushrooms are topped with a layer of pork belly. The crispy fried meat and the smooth texture of the mushrooms make it taste delicious. When you put it in your mouth with the rapeseed underneath, it doesn't feel greasy at all.

What surprised her most was the Wensi tofu. The shreds of tofu, bamboo shoots, mushrooms, chicken breast and pork were as thin as a hair. She had never seen such knife skills even in the best restaurant in the world.

Bai Youyou couldn't believe it, "Yue girl, you did all this?"

Yu Wenran said: "It's all made by our Ah Yue. I was lucky enough to see her chopping this tofu before. She kept chopping and chopping until the tofu she chopped was as thin as hair."

Bai Youjin said nothing and tasted all five dishes again. Yuwen Ran's eyes flashed and he asked eagerly, "Senior, what do you think of our Ah Yue's cooking skills?"

Bai Youjin swallowed his breath. Although he was very fond of her, he pretended to be nonchalant on his face. "That's all."

That being said, he picked up his chopsticks just as fast as Yuwen Ran. After the meal, half of the dishes went into Yuwen Ran's stomach, and the other half went into Bai Youjin's stomach. On the other hand, Gu Yanyue worked hard to prepare a meal, but was only half full.

After the meal, Bai Youjin's attitude towards Gu Yanyue was not as angry as this morning, but he still couldn't bring himself to let Gu Yanyue and Yu Wenran leave.

Seeing that Gu Yanyue's cooking method was effective, Yu Wenran thought that Bai Youjin was also a foodie like him, so he wanted to strike while the iron was hot and cook a delicious meal for Bai Youjin. This way, she might agree to take him and Gu Yanyue out.

But it turns out that a kitchen killer doesn't become a kitchen god overnight. After Yu Wenran failed to make scrambled eggs with tomatoes for the fifth time, Gu Yanyue gave up on teaching him. Cooking is a skill that requires talent, and it turns out that Yu Wenran is not suited to the kitchen.

While cleaning the kitchen, Gu Yanyue said to Yu Wenran, "Why don't we just tell Master who we are? With national affairs at stake, Master won't be a fool. If we keep dragging it out like this, it might be detrimental to the war situation."

Yu Wenran nodded and agreed with Gu Yanyue's idea.

Gu Yanyue cleaned up the kitchen, made some simple fried rice and tomato soup, and took them to Bai Youjin's room with Yu Wenran.

After Bai Youjin finished eating, Gu Yanyue put the dishes aside and went over the manuscript in her mind before speaking: "Master, Ah Ran and I have always concealed our identities from you. Ah Ran is the current emperor, and I am his queen. The reason we are here is that we were on our way to the Western Regions and were accidentally kidnapped by bandits. We escaped with great difficulty, but because there were too many pursuers, we had no choice but to enter this forest."

Seeing Gu Yanyue stop, Yuwen Ran immediately continued, "I'm afraid the army has already set out again. If I, as the commander-in-chief of the army, disappeared before the Western Region Army attacked, it would probably shake the morale of many soldiers. I hope you can understand."

"Even if there's no war, Ah Ran and I can't stay here with Master. Our daughter is still waiting for us in the capital. Master is also a woman, so she knows how hard it is to separate a mother and daughter."

Bai Youjin first looked at Yuwen Ran and then at Gu Yanyue, then sighed and said, "I've known for a long time that you two are definitely not ordinary people. Yuwen is the national surname. Aside from the current royal family, I don't think there are many people with the surname Yuwen. Well, although I like Yue girl as my disciple, I won't be confused when it comes to national affairs. Go back and pack your things, and I'll take you out later."

Gu Yanyue and Yu Wenran were both stunned for a moment. They didn't expect Bai Youjin to give in so quickly.

Yu Wenran met Bai Youjin's eyes and found that her eyes were full of loneliness and solitude. She thought that she had lived alone in the forest for so many years and didn't even have anyone to talk to. She finally accepted Gu Yanyue as her disciple, but she couldn't accompany her for a few days and had to leave her again.

Yu Wenran felt a little reluctant and asked, "I wonder if you would be willing to live with me and A Yue in the palace. You are getting old, and since A Yue has already recognized you as her master, my husband and I will definitely not ignore you. If you are afraid of the noise in the palace, I can also find a secret courtyard for you in the capital, so that A Yue and I can come out of the palace to visit you at any time."

Yuwen Ran's words touched Bai Youjin's heart. She had lived alone for most of her life and was already half buried in the earth. If she died of old age in this mountain, no one would know.

But if she came out of seclusion and people in the martial arts world knew about it, she would be afraid that her rare peaceful life would be gone forever.

Gu Yanyue noticed the hesitation in Bai Youjin's eyes and didn't force him to make a choice. Instead, she pulled Yuwen Ran up and said, "Master, please think about it carefully first. Ah Ran and I will go back and pack our things and leave tomorrow."

Just as Gu Yanyue and Yu Wenran stepped out of the room, they suddenly heard the sound of flapping wings.

A mechanical bird landed on the window frame. Bai Youjin paused for a moment, then stretched out her right hand. The mechanical bird obediently flew over and landed in her palm. Gu Yanyue looked back curiously and discovered that it was actually a wooden bird, made to look very lifelike.

Even in modern times, Gu Yanyue had never seen such a finely crafted mechanical bird. Out of curiosity, she followed Yu Wenran into the room again.

Bai Youjin gently and rhythmically tapped the mechanical bird's belly a few times, and the mechanical bird's abdomen popped out, revealing a roll of paper inside.

Bai Youjin opened it and took a look, and his expression, which had remained calm just now, changed slightly.

Gu Yanyue asked, "Master, what's wrong with you?"

The moment Bai Youjin opened the note, Yu Wenran's eyelids suddenly twitched twice, and he had a vague feeling that something had happened outside.

Bai Youjin frowned and handed the note to Yuwen Ran.

"This is the news my good friend outside passed on to me. He said the army arrived in the Western Regions a few days ago. Because they were without a commander, the soldiers were in a panic, and they lost the first battle they fought with the Western Regions the day before yesterday. He asked me if he had seen you two in the forest here. If so, he wanted to send you two to the Western Regions immediately to stabilize the army's morale."

Gu Yanyue was stunned: "What?"