"Cuo Cuo, I must let you experience my culinary skills tonight!" Nan Gong Huan, having narrowly escaped death, excitedly grabbed Dong Yan Cuo's hand.

  She felt that saving her life was an immeasurable favor, and she decided to take full responsibility for his future meals!

  "Huan Huan is going to cook?" Dong Yan Cuo swallowed unconsciously, his expression adorably blank. He had never tasted her cooking before. Would it be as sweet as her fingers?

  "That's right, we’ll go right away!" Nan Gong Huan took the initiative to hold Dong Yan Cuo's hand, as if they were a couple.

  But Dong Yan Cuo stopped her, placing his hand on the wound on her shoulder. "You’re injured."

  Nan Gong Huan was momentarily stunned, then smiled gently. "It’s just a small wound. It’ll heal soon."

  However, Dong Yan Cuo used some unknown power. After holding the wound for a short while, when he removed his hand, the injury had already scabbed over.

  What?! Nan Gong Huan’s eyes widened in surprise. It healed so quickly?

  "This way, it won’t hurt," Dong Yan Cuo added, then stood obediently, waiting for her to lead him.

  Nan Gong Huan’s gaze softened, and she whispered, "Cuo Cuo, thank you. I’ll make sure you eat until you’re full!"

  "Okay!" Dong Yan Cuo smiled shyly, a sense of joy spreading through his heart. He didn’t understand why he felt this way, but... he quite liked it.

  Hand in hand, the two left the courtyard.

  Of course, she didn’t forget to take the head of the fifth-level soldier and toss it into her storage bag. Hmm... half the heads would be hung in Shen Ye Rong’s courtyard, and the other half in Nan Gong Qian’er’s courtyard.

  At dawn.

  Screams erupted from both courtyards.

  "Ah—"

  Nan Gong Qian’er’s face turned pale as she saw a row of heads neatly hung from the eaves, with a large pool of blood on the ground.

  She immediately ran to Shen Ye Rong’s courtyard. She vaguely recognized these people as her mother’s dead soldiers. Had something happened to her mother?

  When she arrived at Shen Ye Rong’s courtyard, she found Shen Ye Rong had fainted from anger, with her maids bustling around!

  Not only were there heads hung in this courtyard, but the ground was also marked with four bold characters written in blood: "Come and catch me."

  In front of these words was a moss-covered, dilapidated coffin, likely scavenged from somewhere. Inside the coffin, the words "Shen Ye Rong" were written in blood, along with over forty dead gu worms.

  To add insult to injury, two yellow chrysanthemums were placed beside the coffin.

  This incident naturally alarmed the higher-ups of the Nan Gong family. They wanted to investigate thoroughly, but no clues could be found. Soon after, the elders from Shen Ye Rong’s branch suppressed the matter.

  The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  If they were to dig deeper, Shen Ye Rong’s past misdeeds involving gu worms would likely be exposed.

  While Shen Ye Rong’s side was in chaos, the "culprit" had already taken someone out for a feast and returned to her courtyard.

  The foodie, having eaten his fill, promptly fell asleep on the soft couch.

  Nan Gong Huan, on the other hand, entered a state of cultivation. After a brief session, her mental energy was restored.

  Inside her body, two spirit platforms intertwined and rotated. The first spirit platform shone brightly, while the second was dim, still needing to absorb more spiritual energy.

  Nan Gong Huan glanced at the Di Ming Ring on her finger. Before building her spirit platforms, she could only enter the ring with her consciousness. But now, she felt a different connection with the ring, as if her physical body could also enter.

  With this thought, she decided to try.

  As she channeled her spiritual energy, her eyes closed and opened, and the world before her transformed!

  The world inside the Di Ming Ring was a grand palace castle. Twelve auspicious beast fountain statues surrounded the large square in front of the palace. The ground was paved with stone tiles engraved with ten thousand beast totems. The garden was exquisite and elegant, and the pathways were lined with blooming flowers. The most striking feature was the tall clock tower to the left of the castle.

  Above the clock tower, a massive golden sundial shadow floated. The palace was vast, but the clock tower remained inaccessible to Nan Gong Huan no matter what.

  Elder Ling had said that entering the clock tower required a medium, but she didn’t know what that medium was.

  "Yo, you’re in, disciple," Elder Ling’s relaxed voice sounded.

  Nan Gong Huan turned to see Elder Ling lounging in an outdoor pool, wearing floral swim trunks, leaning against the edge, sunglasses on, holding a glass of smoky gray liquid. Not far away, a small barbecue grill was set up, exuding a vacation vibe.

  Nan Gong Huan couldn’t help but twitch her lips. Ever since she mentioned the idea of a pool, Elder Ling had created a luxurious one inside the Di Ming Ring.

  Yan Ji and Xue Ji were also brought in by Nan Gong Huan. When they saw Elder Ling, they were stunned.

  As spirits, Elder Ling was completely different from them!

  "He’s my master, Elder Ling," Nan Gong Huan introduced them. "When your spiritual power grows stronger, you’ll be able to touch physical objects like Elder Ling."

  "Elder Ling!" Yan Ji and Xue Ji bowed respectfully, their hearts filled with excitement. Their master not only had a mysterious space but also a powerful master!

  They had chosen the right master!

  Elder Ling took off his sunglasses and waved his hand. Two brooms flew over and landed in Yan Ji and Xue Ji’s hands. He smiled and said, "Come on, I’ll give you a task. Sweep the fallen leaves in the front courtyard."

  Yan Ji and Xue Ji exchanged glances, then looked at Nan Gong Huan, who nodded in approval. They took the brooms and began sweeping the leaves.

  Soon, they were astonished to find that as they swept, strands of spiritual energy seeped into their bodies. This was much faster than cultivating inside the tassel!

  This discovery motivated Yan Ji and Xue Ji to sweep even more diligently.

  Nan Gong Huan also summoned Little Nine, who happily rolled around in the flower bed, seemingly loving the place.

  Hmm, it feels like something’s missing...

  Nan Gong Huan suddenly remembered that she had left the foodie outside. But since he was sleeping, it shouldn’t matter.

  Thinking this, she extended her consciousness outside the Di Ming Ring and was surprised to find Dong Yan Cuo awake!

  He sat upright, his brows furrowed, staring at the spot where she had disappeared, a look of concern on his face, completely different from his usual demeanor.

  After some thought, Nan Gong Huan decided to leave the Di Ming Ring and return to the room.

  "Where did Huan Huan go?" Seeing Nan Gong Huan reappear, Dong Yan Cuo’s worry dissipated, and he returned to his usual blank expression.

  If Huan Huan disappeared, there would be no one to give him food.

  "Let’s go to a nice place," Nan Gong Huan took his hands and tried to bring him into the ring. Her spirit platforms began to spin.

  Admittedly, bringing someone else in was quite taxing, consuming about thirty percent of her spiritual energy. But she succeeded in bringing him inside.

  For the first time entering the space of the Di Ming Ring, Dong Yan Cuo was momentarily dazed. He stood still, staring at the grand palace, a glint of light flashing in his eyes. Unconsciously, he murmured, "The Di Ming of Time."