evening.

After the selection process ended today, a torrential downpour came down, temporarily dispelling some of the annoying heat.

Lin Zhenzhen sat in the courtyard in front of the door.

She rested her chin on her hand, staring at the peach tree in front of her, motionless, as if she were in a daze.

But in reality, she was taking stock of her inventory in the system store within her sea of ​​consciousness.

"Holy crap!" Lin Zhenzhen screamed.

[You dog system, let's get this straight: why have my contribution points been depleted so much lately? Have you been embezzling my money?]

[Injustice! Injustice, host!] The system slumped to the ground, extending its hand like Er Kang.

Every penny you spend is based on your own wishes; I'm just a machine responsible for buying things!

The system urgently retrieved the bills, helping Lin Zhenzhen recall each item one by one.

Upon hearing the final result, Lin Zhenzhen was surprised to find that these were indeed the items she was supposed to replace.

"That's your fault!" Lin Zhenzhen roared in fury. "You heartless system, selling things at such high prices, you're just here to rip me off with my hard-earned money!"

Starting today, I will not exchange a single item from this lousy shop.

Lin Zhenzhen cupped her face in her hands, muttering angrily, "Damn system, what a rip-off!"

"Master." A soft voice suddenly called out from beside him.

Lin Zhenzhen was jolted awake and turned to see Yan Feichen beside her.

He changed into a gray-blue cloth shirt and was holding a porcelain bowl in his hand. It was unclear how long he had been standing there.

Lin Zhenzhen suppressed her anger and put on her usual calm expression.

"Feichen, what brings you here?"

Yan Feichen lowered his eyes, and a suspicious blush appeared around his ears.

"Didn't Master say he wanted to eat glutinous rice balls? I happen to have some glutinous rice flour in my room, so I just made some and brought them over."

"But this peach blossom honey is best made from fresh peach blossoms picked in the early morning. The previous batch of peach blossoms has faded, and the new ones haven't bloomed yet. So I'm using honey instead of peach blossom honey for now."

What he didn't say was that he had hiked for more than two hours to climb up the cliff edge of Tianfeng Peak and collect the honey.

All this was so that she could eat the glutinous rice balls I made as soon as possible.

"You're amazing!" Lin Zhenzhen stood up and took the bowl from his hand.

Was it done casually? This doesn't look casual at all.

Inside were eight small glutinous rice balls, four red and four green, plump and round, with a sweet honey aroma that whetted Lin Zhenzhen's appetite.

"This looks delicious."

Hearing her say that, Yan Feichen's eyes also lifted, and his eyes shone with pleasure.

“I was worried that eating too much glutinous rice at night would cause indigestion, so I didn’t make much. Here, have a taste of these first, if Master likes them.”

Yan Feichen paused for a moment, then said, "Disciple can cook for you often."

Lin Zhenzhen looked up, her almond-shaped eyes sparkling with a mischievous smile: "Why don't you make it for me every day?"

The hidden thoughts that were kept in the dark were so directly exposed to the face.

Yan Feichen was stunned for a moment, then looked away as if he felt guilty, staring at the ground with his head down.

It had just rained, and a shallow layer of water had accumulated in the puddles at my feet.

The reflection showed Lin Zhenzhen's arm holding the bowl, and the lower half of Yan Feichen's face.

The interplay of light and shadow, the shimmering water—from his perspective, the reflections in the water created a beautiful scene.

It was as if her master was raising his hand to her, and he was kissing the back of her hand.

The idea was like a hot flint that suddenly fell onto Yan Feichen's eyelids.

He hurriedly looked up, only to meet Lin Zhenzhen's gaze.

A smile still lingered on her lips, as if she were patiently waiting for his answer.

Yan Feichen took a deep breath, and the knuckles hidden in his sleeves turned slightly white from the effort.

"If Master wants to eat it, then I will make it for you every day."

"Pfft." Seeing how serious he was, Lin Zhenzhen couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Forget it, your daily cultivation is the most important thing. As your master, I cannot delay my disciple's important matters to satisfy my own appetite."

Yan Feichen lowered his head and silently replied in his heart: It won't take much time.

"Alright, I'm going to start eating." Lin Zhenzhen picked up the spoon next to her and was about to put it in her mouth when Yan Feichen suddenly stopped her.

"Wait a moment."

Lin Zhenzhen looked up at him, her eyes filled with confusion.

"Master, where did you put your tableware? Let me go get it for you."

Lin Zhenzhen realized what he meant and widened her eyes in disbelief.

"What, you're disgusted with me?"

Yan Feichen quickly shook his head: "That's not what I meant. It's just... men and women shouldn't touch each other."

"What's the big deal?" Lin Zhenzhen curled her lips into a smile. "It's not like you didn't wash it."

As she spoke, she took a bite of the small glutinous rice ball from the spoon and smiled with satisfaction.

Her every move seemed to be slowed down in front of Yan Feichen.

He watched as her rosy lips gently touched the porcelain spoon, and her nimble little tongue rolled up, completely enveloping the glistening glutinous rice balls.

It's so soft, every part of it looks so soft.

Yan Feichen's eyes darkened, and his breathing became uncontrollably hot.

He didn't know what was wrong with him; it had been like this since this morning, no, it seemed like it had been like this for the past two days.

I can never calm my mind; inappropriate thoughts always pop into my head.

Could it be that the lingering poison hasn't been cleared out? Or perhaps my cultivation these past two days has been too aggressive, causing some kind of problem with my body?

Yan Feichen watched as Lin Zhenzhen ate the bowl of glutinous rice balls clean, leaving not a drop of soup behind.

"It's so delicious." Lin Zhenzhen licked her lips with lingering satisfaction. "I even want another bowl."

Yan Feichen immediately said, "I will make another bowl for Master tomorrow morning and send it over."

“No.” Lin Zhenzhen put the bowl aside. “You have more important things to do during this time.”

Yan Feichen knew she was referring to the bet about the duel, and his expression instantly became somewhat serious.

His rapid change of expression amused Lin Zhenzhen: "Why do you make such a face every time I bring this up?"

Yan Feichen's voice was hoarse: "Master shouldn't have said that today."

"Um?"

He raised his eyes, his gaze deep and intense: "Tell Master Shi that if I lose, you can grant her any one of her requests."

Lin Zhenzhen was somewhat surprised that he was struggling with this.

She raised an eyebrow: "What? Do you think I'm too arrogant?"

"Do you still think you're bound to lose and are afraid I'll embarrass myself?"