In the car, Zhu Yanyi said to Yan Aohan, "I’ll sleep a bit. Using inner strength and special powers for fourteen hours is too much for me."
"Okay, drink some Spirit Spring liquid first, then sleep." Yan Aohan saw she wasn’t hiding her condition. He wasn’t angry, only concerned.
Zhu Yanyi nodded, drank the liquid, reclined her seat, and closed her eyes to rest.
Seeing her asleep, Yan Aohan slowed the car down.
Fog began to rise ahead. Yan Aohan raised an eyebrow. It was the thirteenth of the seventh lunar month. The Ghost Festival was coming soon.
Thinking of that day, she glanced at Zhu Yanyi. She would need a lot of energy and strength then.
Red spider lilies and Manjushage—only she could awaken their full power.
Everyone knew red spider lilies were flowers of the Yellow Springs. But no one knew they were guide lights for wandering souls. Manjushage was the judgment platform for souls’ sins and merits. These flowers could only be used by their true master.
Yan Aohan looked at Zhu Yanyi again. He would not disappoint her.
At the courtyard house, Yan Aohan didn’t wake Zhu Yanyi. He carefully carried her into the room, laid her on the bed, covered her with a blanket, and let her sleep peacefully before leaving.
The house was empty except for them. Zhu Yanli had taken Little Monkey and Taishu Yuanxiang home after the baby’s full moon. Zhu Shun Yao and Xie Xinlian were at the hospital with Zhu Xin Fu and Huang Meiying.
Yan Aohan walked into the yard and looked at the sky. The fog was too thick. He reached out, and the Earth Book appeared in his hand, spun in the air, and returned to his palm. The fog thinned significantly.
"Don’t think I can’t see you. The Ghost Festival lets you roam freely for seven days. It’s not that day yet. Disperse." Yan Aohan’s voice was quiet, but the fog vanished instantly.
Back inside, Yan Aohan didn’t check on Zhu Yanyi immediately. He went to the kitchen. He was tired, so he wanted to prepare food for when she woke up.
Zhu Yanyi woke up near one in the morning. She was truly woken by hunger.
She got up and walked out. Seeing the light on in Yan Aohan’s room, she knew he wasn’t asleep. She knocked and entered. "Why aren’t you sleeping? It’s almost one."
Yan Aohan was reading documents. He smiled when he saw her. "I lost track of time reading." He closed the files. "You’re up. Hungry?"
"Yeah. I wanted to sleep more, but hunger woke me." Zhu Yanyi rubbed her stomach. She was really hungry.
"I simmered silver ear fungus for you. Eat a little first. I’ll make noodles. I bought large marrow bones this afternoon and boiled them into soup. It’s perfect for noodles." Yan Aohan said gently.
"Okay." Zhu Yanyi agreed. "Make two bowls. One for you, one for me. Save the marrow bones for me. I want to eat the marrow inside." She said with a grin.
"Okay." Yan Aohan agreed. He stood up, led her to the dining room, and had her wait. He served her a bowl of silver ear fungus first, then went to the kitchen to cook the noodles. About ten minutes later, he brought out two bowls. Zhu Yanyi’s bowl had a large marrow bone on top.
Zhu Yanyi sniffed the bone and sighed, "So fragrant." She took a sip of the soup.
The white bone soup, simmered on low heat, was incredibly fragrant and fresh. Yan Aohan had only added a little salt, bringing out the natural flavor. His cooking skills had improved greatly.
After sipping the soup, Zhu Yanyi took a bite of the noodles. Her eyes lit up. "Handmade noodles. You rolled them."
Yan Aohan nodded with a smile. "I know you like the noodles I roll. So while you slept, I made some. I put the extras in bamboo trays. When the sun comes out tomorrow, I’ll dry them. You can cook them anytime you want."
Hearing this, Zhu Yanyi stopped eating. She looked at Yan Aohan. "Did something happen?"
Yan Aohan smiled helplessly. He hadn’t planned to hide it. "A dimensional issue. A dimension is having problems, and I need to handle it. This is different from usual. If that dimension fails, it will collapse and be destroyed immediately. So I don’t know how long I’ll be gone."
"When will you go?" Zhu Yanyi asked.
Yan Aohan said calmly, "At least after the Mid-Autumn Festival."
Zhu Yanyi glanced at Yan Aohan. "Fine. There’s still a month. Telling me now is just making me worry." She continued eating. As long as he wasn’t leaving now, it was fine. With a month left, she could make more medicine for Yan Aohan’s protection.
Yan Aohan continued, "I don’t know when I’ll return. If I go to Zhu City, I might not come back. But I’ll leave Zhou Feng and others behind. If you have issues, just find Zhou Feng."
Zhu Yanyi nodded. People from this dimension couldn’t interfere with dimensional matters. "Don’t worry. Besides, no one in this world can hurt me anymore."
Yan Aohan hummed. "Before I leave, I’ll settle some things. If you don’t want to deal with the Godfather, wait until I return."
Zhu Yanyi nodded with a smile. "Rest assured. If she doesn’t provoke me, I won’t target her. But if she does, don’t blame me for being harsh."
"Ani." Yan Aohan looked at her seriously. "When have I ever minded you being harsh? I’d prefer you to be even harsher to others. That’s better."
Zhu Yanyi laughed. "That’s not right. They say vicious women are snake-and-scorpion beauties. Even though snakes and scorpions are medicinal, I don’t want to be a reptile beauty."
"You’re just making excuses," Yan Aohan scolded playfully. He didn’t say more, only adding, "Fortunately, I’ll settle some things before I leave."
Zhu Yanyi nodded. She still didn’t know Yan Aohan’s true identity. But he never hid what he was doing. She knew he had other identities, not just as the head of a protective family. But since he wouldn’t say, she wouldn’t ask. He had promised to tell her when he achieved Void Transformation. So she wasn’t too curious now.
This couple only needed to look at each other. Many words were unnecessary. They understood each other perfectly.