No-Food Goddess paused, as if thinking about something. "No-Food Physique."

Qi Yuan blinked. "...That's it? Just two words?"

Not only did the term feel somewhat lacking in grandeur, it was also his first time hearing it.

"I've seen others with names like Innate Sacred Dao Physique, Heaven-Fated Primordial Chaos Godfiend Physique, Innate JK Sacred Physique or at least something with four words like Desolate Ancient Physique.”

Her eyes flickered with mischief. "I came up with the name myself."

Qi Yuan stopped before inhaling deeply. "Looks like we're kindred spirits. The cultivation method I created is called the Qi Yuan Scripture."

The Qi Yuan Scripture and the No-Food Physique sounded amusingly fitting.

"What are the characteristics of your physique?" he asked.

In truth, he wanted to understand her condition.

However, she didn’t give him a straightforward answer. "Haven’t you seen for yourself?"

It made Qi Yuan recall that unsettling glance she shot him before. "I feel like it's not that simple. The way you looked at me earlier was strange."

The red-dressed woman stopped eating. Pressing her pearly teeth tightly against her lower lip, she shot him a sidelong look. "Are you afraid I'll eat you?"

She deliberately chomped down on the fish hard as if it were him.

He answered immediately, "No, I am not afraid."

After all, they were separated by time and space. Even if she were possessed by Taotie, [1] she couldn't eat him. She said nothing more and continued eating.

Qi Yuan sat nearby, watching her complexion steadily improve. His mood brightened. That meant the Heavenly Pillar was stabilizing. He could soon return to the Visualization Mountain.

Just then, a thought occurred to him. "If you ate impure fish, would you be able to chew it like this?"

He remembered how No-Food Goddess had eaten the fish during their first meeting. Even though it had never been purified, she ate with gusto. Of course, she also didn’t show any violent reactions afterward.

"No," she replied directly.

Another thread of doubt surfaced in Qi Yuan's mind. Was that her parallel version then?

In the end, he decided to say, "Hey. If we meet again in the future, remind me that we've met before."

"Alright."

Suspicious at the way she agreed so casually, he muttered, "Liars are puppies."

"What would I gain from lying to you?"

"I'll trust you once." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Out of the blue, she asked, "Are the evil gods very powerful?"

He replied confidently, "Mhm, they are fairly strong, but it's fine. Final bosses are destined to fall by my hand."

"You sound very certain."

When it came to his plan, Qi Yuan couldn't hide his excitement. "I've already made a detailed three-step plan. We're halfway through step one. Soon, it'll all be complete!"

It was his masterpiece, after all. Of course he'd brag.

A hint of melancholy slipped into her voice. "Too bad... I was born a little too early."

Qi Yuan froze. The last time he'd seen her, she'd said something similar. Was it merely a coincidence? Or were they truly the same person? If so, why hadn't she recognized him? Or had she recognized him and chosen to stay silent? Was there some scheme at play?

Just as Qi Yuan was about to press further, the temperature seemed to plummet. The softness in No-Food Goddess eyes vanished, replaced by biting cold. The chill spread across time and space, seeping into his very being.

As she finished the last of the fish, her tone was frigid. "I'm going to sleep."

Her attitude toward him had done a complete one-eighty.

"Ah, deploying the Goddess Three Treasures, are we?" Qi Yuan blinked. He was curious, but he wasn't about to press his face against her cold shoulder. "Remember to eat fish tomorrow."

She remained icy. "Alright."

With an arm folded behind his head, he watched as she retreated deeper into the bamboo hut and lay down. "Her face changes faster than the weather. Do Mythics even need sleep?"

He wandered outside. Night draped the world in endless darkness. The lake shimmered with a faint red, while the bamboo swayed gently.

After some time, he spotted familiar figures. Lingzhong and Elder Fanxin had remained at the foot of the Heavenly Pillar. Their voices were low, and Qi Yuan could make out only bits and pieces.

"I suspect someone has appeared by her side..."

"Impossible. I sensed no one."

"That person... truly exists... delusion..."

Even after some time, hearing nothing useful, he went back to the bamboo hut. Eavesdropping wasn't exactly a noble thing to do, after all.

***

Time passed swiftly.

Over the next two days, No-Food Goddess cooked more fish. She would eat slowly after Qi Yuan purified them. Her complexion improved further, mirrored by the increasing stability of the Heavenly Pillar.

What was strange was that, since that night, she had remained cold and distant. Their earlier chemistry had vanished, leaving almost no back-and-forth.

Qi Yuan didn't mind. If she was going to treat him coldly, then so be it. His purpose was not to woo her, but to reinforce the pillar. They barely even knew each other.

At noon, while pretending to sunbathe, he said lazily, "Tomorrow at dawn, I'll leave. Cook more fish tonight."

She remained as cold as ever. "Alright."

"I'm heading to the Visualization Mountain. If you feel unwell, tell me. I'll stop visualizing."

When Qi Yuan visualized the Thunder Ancestor, the Visualization Mountain cracked and damaged the Heavenly Pillar. No-Food Goddess has also been injured because of it. Naturally, he felt a little guilty.

She responded icily, "Unless the Visualization Mountain cracks, it's fine."

"Good."

He vanished soon after.

1. Taotie refers to a mythical, voracious beast representing gluttony, often translated as a gluttonous monster, all-devouring creature, or simply Taotie. ☜