Sprinkling spices over the grilled fish, the rich aroma of roasting meat quickly filled the cave, carried by the flames.
"So fragrant!"
Yun Yun waved her delicate jade hand, fanning the delicious scent toward her nose. Unable to resist, she lightly licked her rosy lips with her small tongue.
Since her original dress had been torn to shreds, Yun Yun was now wearing Chen Mo's third-tier alchemist robe. Due to Chen Mo's tall frame, the robe fit loosely on her, but on Yun Yun's graceful and curvaceous body, it took on a mysterious allure.
As she moved with gentle steps, a glimpse of her snow-white, jade-like calf occasionally peeked through, charming and hard to ignore.
Perhaps noticing Chen Mo's gaze, Yun Yun blushed slightly and sat down with elegance.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, with Chen Mo constantly turning the fish over and using Dou Qi to slice through it delicately, the grilled fish was finally done.
The scent of cooked meat, infused with the spices, spread even more intensely.
After half an hour of effort, Master Chef Chen finally got to eat his creation.
Compared to Chen Mo's somewhat ravenous eating style, Yun Yun ate gracefully, exuding a refined elegance in every movement.
Tearing off a small piece of fish, she brought it to her lips and slowly chewed, savoring each bite.
By the time Chen Mo had finished his entire fish, Yun Yun had only eaten a quarter of hers.
Chen Mo stared at her blankly.
"Did you not eat enough? I'm not very hungry. I tore the fish apart with my hands, but if you don't mind, you can have the rest," Yun Yun said, handing him the remaining grilled fish.
Chen Mo shook his head. "You eat it."
Yun Yun paused for a moment but didn't insist. She resumed tearing at the fish with the same elegance, her gaze lowering to her toes as she asked softly:
"That day, when you appeared at the headquarters of the Mittel Auction House… the snake-woman in black beside you—was she Queen Medusa?"
She wanted to confirm her suspicion.
Chen Mo nodded.
"Then your relationship with Queen Medusa must be quite good, right?" Yun Yun recalled the words Medusa had said that day:
'Is he someone you can just insult?'
The intense protectiveness in that statement still lingered in her memory.
"Mm, we get along well." Chen Mo could only see her side profile due to her lowered gaze, but even so, her beauty was breathtaking. Her gentle temperament made her the very image of a virtuous wife.
"Then…" Yun Yun suddenly looked up. "Can you ask Queen Medusa to stop this war?"
Their eyes met in that moment.
Chen Mo didn't look away. Under his steady gaze, Yun Yun's heart raced, and she was the first to avert her eyes, her cheeks flushed red.
He had intended to say that he wasn't involved in the matter, but the words changed at the last second as he gave a slight smile. "I don't have that kind of power."
Hearing this, Yun Yun lowered her eyes again. Of course—no matter how close their relationship was, Queen Medusa wouldn't abandon her entire Snake-People Tribe for a single human.
Asking that question had been a bit too forward.
Their brief conversation came to an end, and with nothing more to say, silence fell between them. She pursed her slightly oily red lips and tossed the cleaned fish bones into the fire.
Crackle… pop…
Before bed, Chen Mo asked a question out of curiosity. "Yun Yun-jie, how old are you this year?"
Yun Yun, lying on her side atop a tiger pelt with her back facing him, flipped over at his words. Glaring playfully at him across the fire, she scolded, "Don't you know it's rude to ask a woman her age?"
"Uh…" Chen Mo scratched his head. So that rule exists even in this world? He quickly changed the topic. "Good night."
With that, he closed his eyes.
But Yun Yun softly said, "Sixteen."
Chen Mo: "???"
She giggled. "Dummy, women are always sixteen. But if you really want to know, then... when we meet again someday, I'll tell you."
"Someday… Alright."
When the warm morning sunlight shone on Chen Mo's sleeping form, he slowly opened his eyes—only to find a pair of snow-white legs swaying right before his face.
Yun Yun had changed out of his alchemist robe, folding it neatly and setting it aside. She was now dressed in a long purple gown.
Her once-disheveled purple hair had been neatly tied up. A gentle nobility emanated from her serene face. The frail vulnerability she had shown days ago was now completely gone.
His eyes swept over her figure as Chen Mo stood up and straightened his robe. "Yun Yun-jie, your seal is broken?"
Yun Yun nodded and walked over, handing him the neatly folded alchemist robe. Her face slightly flushed as she said, "Thank you… for the clothes."
Chen Mo smiled, pressing his lips together, and intentionally let his hand brush against hers when taking the robe.
Yun Yun flinched like she'd been shocked, quickly pulled her hand back, and turned away hurriedly toward the cave's exit. Her graceful steps carried a touch of panic.
That slight touch had reminded her of the moment she'd stood completely exposed before him.
Her heart skipped inexplicably.
Chen Mo looked up at her elegant silhouette, standing atop a massive boulder, bathed in sunlight. A faint golden aura seemed to shimmer around her.
"Shall I take you with me?"
As her voice fell, a pair of emerald wings unfurled from her back.
"No need." Chen Mo smiled faintly, and golden wings shot out from behind him.
He soared into the sky first, heading straight toward the Amethyst Winged Lion King's lair.
Yun Yun raised a delicate brow in surprise, but then recalled what Gu He had once said:
A human… with golden wings.
So it really was you…!
She flew up to catch up with him. As if sensing her gaze, Chen Mo turned to look at her, meeting her eyes calmly.
"What are you talking about?" he asked.
"You're that human… the one in the Snake-People royal city, who possesses a Heavenly Flame, aren't you?"
"Just figured that out? I thought you already knew when you asked about my relationship with Queen Medusa."
Yun Yun: "…"
Now that she was certain it was Chen Mo, her heart became inexplicably flustered. She confessed honestly:
"That day, I went as well. I owed Pill King Gu He a favor, but I only protected them. I never intended to become your enemy. When Gu He asked for my help again later, I refused."
"I see." Chen Mo smiled.
They didn't conceal their presence. When they arrived several hundred meters above the Amethyst Winged Lion King's lair—
A deafening roar echoed across the mountains.
"Human woman! You dare show your face again?! Today, I will take your life and avenge the wounds you inflicted upon my scales!"
From the depths of the massive cave, the furious roar of the Amethyst Winged Lion King boomed across the sky.
As the roar echoed, a violet blur shot out like lightning from the cave, wings flaring as it came to a stop before the two of them.
"Stick to the plan," Yun Yun said, glancing at Chen Mo.
But to her surprise, Chen Mo stepped forward and said calmly, "Yun Yun-jie, just stand back and watch."
"Sword, come!"
****
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