Soon, another fish was roasted and ready to eat. No-Food kept staring ahead in an attempt to discern the man's face, but to no avail. At last, she gave up, turning to the charred fish in her hands.

Ignoring the heat, she scarfed it down, savoring it as though it were the sweetest nectar. Due to her physique, even specially formulated nutrient solution was difficult for her to swallow. Yet the fish tasted like the finest delicacy in existence—a flavor she had never known.

She paused, holding out the half-eaten fish toward where the man stood. "Do you want some?"

Then she heard his inner thoughts, "Separated by time and space, I can't touch anything. How am I supposed to eat fish?"

She didn't quite understand what he meant. Still, she was convinced that he truly came from the future.

"I'm not hungry. You should eat more," he said.

Naturally, he hoped she would eat well and grow stronger so he could visualize at the pillar.

No-Food felt a little disappointed. This was the first time she had eaten something so delicious, yet she was eating it alone.

She lifted her head. "Just now, I said that I’ll grant you a wish in exchange for a fish. What do you want?"

Owing others wasn’t her style. Hence, even when her father and mother treated her like a commodity and sold her, she had never once felt resentment.

"A wish?" Qi Yuan stared at her in surprise. "Do you see that towering mountain piercing into the clouds?"

No-Food turned her head and caught a glimpse of a skypiercing pillar.

He said casually, "That's the Heavenly Pillar. Help me watch over it. Don't let it collapse."

For some reason, he felt odd after saying those words, as if he had set destiny itself in motion.

She vaguely nodded. "Alright."

Qi Yuan smiled. "Go gather more fish. Don't starve to death."

The girl blinked, then her eyes lit up. "All of them are for me?"

"If I leave and you starve to death right away, wouldn't that be ridiculous?"

Looking at her, he realized that if they hadn’t crossed paths, she would have surely starved to death. What would happen to the Heavenly Pillar then? Besides, he was naturally kind and law-abiding. Helping out a little cost him nothing. Moreover, they had already met before. Twice, in fact. This was the third and the final time.

No-Food seemed delighted by his words. She flew back and forth, collecting the fish scattered on the ground. Before long, she had piled up a mountain of them like a hoarding hamster.

The man looked at the heap of fish with a pained expression. "You really are not holding back."

Regardless, he always kept his promises. Once he gave his word, he would see it through, even if it meant swallowing tears. Drops of flawless, glass-like blood fell to the ground. He paled, appearing somewhat weakened, though it did not affect him much.

Oblivious to his condition, No-Food stared at the fish with pure bliss.

"I will help you guard the Heavenly Pillar," she said earnestly.

Then, he seemed to think of something. "Do you have a cultivation method?"

The little girl was still far too weak. She could perish at any moment.

"No." No-Food hesitated. "If I cultivate... I won't be worth anything."

"If you don't cultivate, how will you protect yourself?"

Keeping her safe was the same as protecting the Heavenly Pillar.

"I'll teach you." He pondered about something. "Cook the fish first. Give me one day. I'll create a scripture for you. The No-Food Scripture."

Since the visualization art was from the Heavenly Pillar's manifestation, he could not show it to her. As such, he would have to create a technique from scratch.

Looking at the little girl, he couldn't help but think, If No-Food Goddess practices the No-Food Scripture, she might grow powerful and destroy the evil gods. That way, when I come to this world, wouldn’t I only need to lie flat and cling to her thigh?

He gazed at her, full of anticipation. Turning away, he began seriously composing the technique. Creating the No-Food Scripture was naturally far less complex than the Qi Yuan Scripture.

Meanwhile, No-Food glanced at his spot with quiet delight and began roasting all the fish. "So hungry..."

***

Night fell, and the firelight reflected off her face. After washing briefly, she was no longer disheveled. Her snow-pale skin glowed softly, ethereal as a celestial being.

She stared blankly toward where the man stood, lost in thought. Why is it so delicious? How did he do it?

A seed of doubt was planted in the little girl's heart.

At dawn, the man opened his eyes and looked at the girl, who was not far away. He couldn't help but laugh.

The little girl was asleep while clutching a gigantic cooked fish. Suddenly, she opened her eyes. Though drowsy, she gazed eagerly at him. "Are you ready to teach me cultivation?"

His eyes widened slightly. "How did you know I finished the technique?"

A sly glint flashed in her gaze. "A woman's third sense."

Of course, she wouldn’t reveal that she had been listening to his inner voice the whole time. His thoughts had woken her up.

"Tsk, tsk. Women even have a third sense now?" Qi Yuan didn't pursue it further. "Try cultivating it."

He recited its contents to her. Since it was so long, explaining it once took him three to four hours. However, No-Food displayed a photographic memory, sparing him from repeating himself. With the scripture in hand, she cultivated right away. Her talent was extraordinary—absurd, even.

Qi Yuan reflected that, had she been in the Canglan World, her aptitude would have crushed everyone in the Prodigy Rankings. Even he felt inferior.

***

A day later, Qi Yuan stared at her thin frame, saying lazily, "Now that you can protect yourself a bit, it’s time for me to leave."

He had to visualize and empower his subordinates, then return for the final battle. Qi Yuan sighed as he stared at No-Food. He recalled meeting her later on, and seeing her blood spill upon the pillar. She was someone long dead. An old acquaintance lost to the sands of time.

No-Food's heart tightened. A trace of loss flickered in her eyes. After a moment of silence, she asked softly, "Will we be able to meet again?"

The man also fell silent. All three uses of the Lost Glowstick were exhausted. He could no longer return to the past. As for No-Food Goddess... He thought about how she didn’t recognize him in the future. Could the woman he met three times have been different people?

"If fate allows, we shall meet again."

With those words, he vanished. The girl stood beside the ruined pond, surrounded by a pile of charred fish.

A myriad of emotions flashed across her eyes. Her hands clenched tightly, nails digging into her flesh until blood seeped out. Intense longing blazed in her eyes. "I really want to eat him."

It was an instinctive desire. With the Devouring Origin Physique, she felt she could bite fiercely at the empty air and tear off a chunk of his flesh. Still, she did not dare. She was too timid. That man was far too mysterious. He could purify food enough that even she could eat it. How could that be?

She truly couldn’t comprehend him.