The silence between them was soon broken.
Gululu~
A faint noise echoed in the room. Yao Ziyan's face flushed instantly, her embarrassment evident.
It was only now that she realized how long it had been since she last ate. After her desperate flight following the attack during her tribulation, several days had passed without a single meal.
Though cultivators could rely on the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to sustain themselves, it wasn't a permanent solution. And while her physical injuries had healed, her mental exhaustion remained severe.
---
"You're hungry?" Luo Chuan asked, his tone direct as he noticed the shy expression on her face.
Yao Ziyan could only nod, her cheeks reddening further. Denying it now would be pointless and unnecessarily hypocritical.
Luo Chuan sighed lightly, already deciding what to do.
"Wait here. I'll make something for you to eat," he said before heading toward the kitchen.
---
As the owner of Origin Mall, Luo Chuan had always relied on nearby restaurants to solve his meals. With customers like Bu Lige contributing to his shop's turnover, he had little reason to worry about such mundane matters.
Even so, he had thoughtfully set aside a portion of his earnings as savings, just in case.
Now, standing in the small, modern kitchen attached to the shop, Luo Chuan felt a wave of helplessness. He never cooked for himself, preferring to eat out.
He began to suspect the system had anticipated a day like this, intentionally equipping the shop with a fully functional kitchen.
---
"Forget it," he muttered to himself. "I'll just make some scrambled eggs with tomatoes and cook a bowl of noodles."
There was only one problem—tomatoes didn't exist on the Azure Continent.
"System," Luo Chuan called out mentally, "exchange two tomatoes and two eggs for me."
The system's indignant voice immediately echoed in his head.
"This is the strongest shopkeeper system, not a vegetable delivery service!"
"I get it," Luo Chuan replied, nodding solemnly. "Now hurry up and get me the tomatoes and eggs."
The system fell silent, evidently defeated by his persistence. Eventually, it supplied the requested items, along with a bundle of dried noodles.
---
Soon, the aroma of cooked food filled the kitchen.
When Luo Chuan emerged with the bowl of noodles and scrambled eggs, he placed them before Yao Ziyan.
"Here, eat."
The food Luo Chuan prepared was far from gourmet, but to Yao Ziyan, it was divine. Her days of hunger made the simplest dish feel like the most exquisite meal.
It was an eternal truth: when one is starving, even a plain steamed bun tastes heavenly.
---
"Thank you," Yao Ziyan murmured softly, her voice carrying genuine gratitude.
Her normally composed demeanor wavered, ripples spreading through her heart. She was at her most vulnerable, and someone had reached out to help her.
But Luo Chuan, oblivious to emotional nuances after being single for two lifetimes, failed to realize the significance of his actions.
At first, Yao Ziyan had hesitated, but her hunger overpowered her reservations. She quickly finished the tomatoes, eggs, and noodles, savoring every bite.
---
After she was done, Luo Chuan stood up and began cleaning the dishes without a word.
"The washroom is over there," he said, gesturing to the side. "You can rest here tonight. I'm heading out."
Without waiting for a response, he left the room.
Luo Chuan had rescued Yao Ziyan without any ulterior motives, simply acting on impulse.
---
Yao Ziyan watched his retreating figure, her lips parting as if to say something, but no words came out.
Her perception of humans, once filled with hatred, began to shift ever so slightly.
To her, Luo Chuan appeared as a peerless master hidden in the mundane world, someone who had effortlessly seen through her identity as a monster beast.
The distinct purple hair and eyes were unmistakable. It was the reason she had cloaked herself in a black robe when acting in her role as an assassin.
Yet Luo Chuan hadn't seemed to mind at all.
For the first time in a long while, Yao Ziyan felt a glimmer of warmth in her heart.
-----
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