Zhou Che returned to the living room and saw the table laden with sumptuous dishes one after another, and beside these delicacies, a pot of fine wine.

Seeing such a lavish meal, Zhou Che's disgust for Wang Er grew even stronger.

Even though she had come well-prepared and wouldn't run out of money in the short term, if she continued to squander like this without restraint, no matter how much money she had, it probably wouldn't be enough.

"Qingyue, calm down, quick try these dishes I bought, see if they suit your taste."

Just as Zhou Che was lost in thought, Wang Er had already entered the room.

Like nothing had happened, he sat down opposite Zhou Che.

On the third day after moving in, Wang Er had received Zhou Che's permission, and from then on, he had always eaten at the same table with her.

"Two people simply cannot eat this much. Even though I brought enough silver with me, I can't withstand spending like this. Starting tomorrow, please exercise some restraint."

After saying this, Zhou Che ate a little casually, then turned and went back to her bedroom.

She now didn't want to see him for even a moment.

Watching the woman's cold back, Wang Er's gaze grew increasingly icy.

A few days ago, she had been so gentle, but now her eyes when looking at him were full of disgust, as if she were looking at a disgusting maggot.

He didn't understand why, and of course, he likely never would.

Linking this before-and-after change, Wang Er's expression gradually twisted.

* * *

It was another midday, and Zhou Che slowly emerged from her meditative trance, yet a trace of worry lingered in her beautiful eyes.

Today, absorbing spirit energy felt much more difficult than before.

The spiritual power within her was nearly full, and at this stage, the speed at which she absorbed spiritual energy had become slower and slower.

She was very puzzled by this phenomenon. She had clearly followed the cultivation method of the Heart Desire Lure, and there had been no mistakes in the process. Yet now this phenomenon was like spiritual power obstruction, making it hard to progress any further.

After sitting on the edge of the bed and thinking for a long time, she finally decided to ask someone about it, so she went out and arrived outside the Registration Hall.

By now it was nearly afternoon, and the Registration Hall had already closed.

Zhou Che stood outside, hesitated for a moment, then sighed and prepared to leave.

But just as she turned around, an aged voice came from behind.

"Is something the matter?"

Zhou Che turned quickly and saw the old woman from before standing at the entrance.

Seeing her, Zhou Che was delighted and quickly ran over, standing before her and bowing.

"Elder Qin."

"Hmm. Speak. What did you come to see me about?"

The old woman nodded, not exchanging pleasantries, but going straight to the point.

Zhou Che naturally didn't beat around the bush and explained her situation in detail.

After hearing her out, the old woman's cloudy eyes glowed with spiritual light, and she looked down toward Zhou Che's lower abdomen.

Good, her Primordial Yin is still intact...

After secretly breathing a sigh of relief, the old woman raised her gaze back to Zhou Che.

Their eyes met. Zhou Che, eager to know what this condition meant, asked again, "Elder, is something wrong with my cultivation? Is it serious?"

The old woman waved her hand dismissively and replied calmly, "Rest assured, there is nothing wrong with your cultivation. It's just that most cultivation methods of the Hehuan Sect primarily focus on nourishing yin and supplementing yin, but you have developed symptoms of excessive yang qi, leading to an imbalance of yin and yang within your body, causing a rejection reaction to the spiritual energy you absorb. This kind of situation is very rare. I suspect it must be an issue with your diet."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Che remembered how these past days she had always eaten rich fish and meat with Wang Er, and immediately understood.

"Then, Elder, how do I resolve this condition?"

"Just watch your diet. As a woman, your body is naturally dominated by yin qi. After a while, when the yang qi subsides, everything will return to normal," the old woman replied.

"Thank you for your guidance, Elder."

Deeply grateful for her words, Zhou Che respectfully bowed again.

"No need to stand on ceremony. If there's nothing else, go back and recuperate properly. With your talent and spirit root, if you cultivate to the Great Attainment Realm while still remaining an intact body, achieving the legendary Yin Water Great Dao is not impossible." The old woman said, then turned and went back into the hall.

"Yin Water Great Dao..."

Zhou Che murmured. She didn't quite understand what that was, only that it sounded extremely powerful.

"I will remember your teachings, Senior!" Coming back to her senses, Zhou Che bowed again toward the Registration Hall before turning to head back to her abode.

Back inside the Registration Hall, the old woman's expression grew increasingly fierce.

‘Daring to lay hands on something I, an old woman, have set my sights on? Then let you taste what it means to wish you were dead!’

As she spoke, a strand of black qi slowly crawled down her arm, burrowed into the ground, and chased after the direction Zhou Che had left…

* * *

Returning to her residence, Zhou Che heeded the old woman's advice and did not cultivate, instead planning to recuperate for a few days.

She first fed the fish, then found a literary classic and sat by the pond to read.

Today, after lunch, Wang Er had disappeared. Zhou Che didn't know where he had gone, nor did she care to ask.

She had now come to accept it; there was something called "you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear."

Clearly, Wang Er was that kind of person. It wasn't without reason that he had been sold as a slave.

Time slipped away minute by minute, and in the blink of an eye it was dusk. Zhou Che, who had been reading all afternoon, stretched and prepared to go back inside.

And just at that moment, Wang Er walked in carrying their meal.

Seeing him return, Zhou Che merely glanced at him before turning away.

Seeing her haughty demeanor, Wang Er's face immediately twisted into a ferocious expression.

But upon entering the living room, he smiled again as he took the dishes out of the food box, and even considerately served rice for Zhou Che, presenting two completely different faces compared to his earlier appearance.

"Qingyue, today I specially brought you a pot of spirit tea. Quick, try it and see how it tastes."

Wang Er poured a cup for Zhou Che with an ingratiating smile.

Looking at the tea placed before her, Zhou Che's cold expression finally softened a little.

She didn't rush to taste it, but instead said gently, "Wang Er, I've encountered some problems in my cultivation recently. According to the elder, it's probably because the rich fish and meat have been too nourishing. Starting tomorrow, bring me some lighter dishes."

Hearing Zhou Che's words, Wang Er's expression turned uncertain, shifting between dark and light.

Zhou Che, noticing this, was puzzled and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Seeing Zhou Che suddenly show concern, Wang Er quickly squeezed out a smile and replied, "Uh, nothing. I was just thinking about what dishes to bring you tomorrow, so I was a little distracted."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Che felt an unexpected sense of relief. From her long association with Wang Er, she knew his selfishness was plain to see.

But now, just after she mentioned it once, he was already thoughtfully considering what dishes to bring her. This sudden change surprised her.

Thus, a rare smile appeared on Zhou Che's icy face. "No need to rush thinking about it, there's plenty of time. And I'm not a picky eater, just bring whatever is convenient."

Seeing Zhou Che's smile, Wang Er was also stunned.

He was a bit dazed. This woman, who had been so cold to him these days, and in whose eyes he could even faintly sense disgust, was now showing him that same gentleness from when they first met, catching him off guard.

After a moment of distraction, Wang Er pointed to the tea in front of her, indicating she should drink.

"Drink up, it'll taste much worse once it gets cold."

"Hmm." Zhou Che nodded, picked up the teacup, and drank it all in one gulp.

Seeing Zhou Che drink the tea, Wang Er could no longer contain his joy, and he couldn't help but grin widely.

"What are you so happy about?"

Zhou Che hadn't noticed anything amiss, and even teased him with some amusement.

Wang Er covered his face with his hand, trying to suppress his extreme delight.

"It's... nothing, I'm just very happy."

"Happy?" Zhou Che was puzzled, but the next second, she sensed something was wrong.

As time ticked by, she felt her head growing dizzy, and her body rapidly becoming weak and limp. Her entire being seemed to turn into a pool of mud, and she collapsed directly onto the table.

"Yes, I'm happy! Happy to have met such a stupid woman like you!"

Now Wang Er finally stopped hiding his joy. His face gradually revealed madness and ferocity.

"You... you actually drugged me?!"

Zhou Che was clearly in disbelief.

Because in this demonic den of the Hehuan Sect, Wang Er, as a useless wretch whom even harvesting and supplementation cultivators despised, would absolutely not survive without her. She had never imagined that he would do something so ungrateful and treacherous.

After all, what awaited Wang Er for doing this was undoubtedly just one outcome: death!