No-Food Goddess stared at Qi Yuan. Then, she lifted her pink jacket slightly, revealing snow-white, delicate skin. Her waist was slender, the curve elegant.

She shot him a cold look. "You do it."

Qi Yuan laughed awkwardly, "Hehe, just kidding."

He wasn't that perverted.

"Will you eat or not?" he asked again. Then, he thought of something and added. "There's a village a thousand li away. It is the Liu Village. Someone died today. Want to eat at the funeral banquet?"

He was spouting nonsense. Nevertheless, somewhere a thousand li away, someone likely had passed away. After all, people died all the time.

Upon hearing the invitation, the frost on No-Food Goddess's face melted. "Then cook for me."

Qi Yuan said helplessly, "You're making things hard for me! I only know how to cook two dishes. Stir-fried ice cubes with cold water, and boiled ice cubes."

Cook my ass!

He couldn't even perceive anything. How was he supposed to cook? Of course, that wasn't to say he couldn't act as a remote commander. In fact, he was an expert at that.

"But I can guide you while you cook." Since she was finally willing to eat, he naturally had to play along. "Braised fish or steamed fish?"

No-Food Goddess froze slightly, looking dazed. "I like spicy food."

Qi Yuan was thrilled. "Braised fish then!"

He had finally persuaded No-Food Goddess to eat!

Then, something occurred to him, and he asked quietly, "How much do you need to eat for the Heavenly Pillar to be fully repaired?"

"Probably... until before you leave," she replied vaguely.

Qi Yuan looked into her eyes, trying to gauge some useful information. "How do you know I'll leave?"

No-Food Goddess's eyes held a smile. "Well, are you going to stay here forever?"

"No."

At most, he could stay in the past for four days.

Looking at the joyful radiance in the red-robed woman's eyes, Qi Yuan couldn't help but ask, "Have we ever met before?"

The Lost Glow Stick still had one use left. The final time. Had he met No-Food Goddess then?

"No." She shook her head. "When will you teach me how to make braised fish?"

"Now. Immediately. Right this second!" Qi Yuan was a man of action. "But I’ll need to enter the Visualization Realm a day before I leave."

No-Food Goddess nodded. "Alright."

Qi Yuan glanced at the bamboo hut where she stayed. "Do you have pots and pans? What about seasonings?”

Unfortunately, the hut was completely empty.

No-Food Goddess shook her head. "No."

He suggested, "How about you conjure some?"

They were both Great Venerables, creating such things should be child's play. Heck, she could even conjure an entire plate of braised fish.

Ignoring Qi Yuan's words, No-Food Goddess casually took a few steps forward. "Let's buy them at the foot of the mountain."

What else could he do besides obey?

As they left, Qi Yuan stuck close to her. "Buy extra. I’m afraid you’ll use too much force and break the wok and spatula."

Looking out ahead, a clear lake stretched before them. Green aquatic plants swayed at the bottom. Fish flicked their tails, and ripples spread outward.

The two stood upon the lake's surface. "There are quite a lot of fish in this lake. We could make a hundred-fish feast."

***

Lingzhong returned outside the Heavenly Pillar once more. He seemed especially terrifying in the dark night.

Ahead stood the towering mountain, piercing the clouds.

Lingzhong said gravely, "The Heavenly Pillar is unstable. Has No-Food Goddess been injured?"

Elder Fanxin stood beside him, full of worry. "With the evil gods invading, the Heavenly Pillar is of utmost importance. There can be no mishap."

Behind them, several Venerables followed, staring curiously at the pillar. As the younger generation, they were especially interested about No-Food Goddess. Now that they had a chance to meet her, they were naturally nervous.

An ancient god asked doubtfully, "I've heard that No-Food Goddess is cold as frost and never smiles. Is that true?"

"With 'No-Food' as her name, her Dao is impossible to fathom."

Then, with eyes full of disbelief, a Venerable said, "Impossible to fathom? It's downright absurd. I heard that when No-Food Goddess was young, a Mythic being took a liking to her talent, and gifted her Divine Domain Immortal Serum. And yet, she refused it because she doesn't eat anything."

She had refused something so extraordinary just because of her principles.

A look of reminiscence appeared on Elder Fanxin's face. "The Mythic being you speak of was me."

To this day, he still could not understand why No-Food Goddess refused to eat. As a primordial treasure, Divine Domain Immortal Serum was pure to the extreme. Even consuming it would not have affected her Dao.

At this moment, Lingzhong chimed in. "I've known her for a thousand years. She does not partake in worldly affairs. In fact, she's even somewhat repulsed toward food. Do keep this in mind. Do not mention eating, drinking, or food before her, or suffer the consequences."

The Venerables grew fearful. No-Food Goddess's reputation preceded her. They hurriedly stuffed any pills, immortal liquids, wine, and the like into their storage bags. They couldn't imagine what would happen if they angered such a temperamental figure...

Just then, Elder Fanxin stared at the Heavenly Pillar in shock. "Where did No-Food Goddess go? How odd. Ever since she had fused with the Heavenly Pillar, she hasn't left in several thousand years."

The pillar had long been in a state of disrepair, on the verge of collapse at any moment. That was why the No-Food Goddess had always remained within it, refusing to leave.

Suddenly, an ancient god exclaimed, "Hey, someone's there!"

Everyone looked over. In the sky, a streak of light drifted slowly past. Within the light was a peerless, snow-white beauty clad in red. Her dark hair cascaded like a waterfall. As she smiled, her dimples were faintly visible.

She was fairy-like, as if she had stepped out of a painting—if not for the three woks in her hands. In fact, there was more. Several spatulas, pots, bowls, and utensils hung at her waist.

An ancient god blinked. "Is that No-Food Goddess?"

She seemed a bit different from what he had imagined.

Wasn't No-Food Goddess supposed to abstain from worldly matters? Wasn't she said to be unsmiling by nature? Why was she guffawing alone, carrying some cookware?

Even Elder Fanxin was stunned, almost not recognizing her. It was fortunate that Lingzhong had no head, or his expression would have been spectacular.

Lingzhong voiced his confusion. "No-Food, what is going on?"

A hint of a smile still lingered on No-Food Goddess' face. She glanced sideways, then gazed deeply at them. "Why have you come back again?"

Lingzhong sighed in relief. That look!

Indeed, this was the No-Food Goddess he knew. The faint smile they saw just now had to be an illusion! However, when he saw what was hanging from her waist, he struggled to maintain his composure.

Lingzhong said, "The Heavenly Pillar has been disturbed. Elder Fanxin and I came to check. Are you unharmed?"

No-Food Goddess replied indifferently, "I am fine."

Elder Fanxin then asked, "In half a year, will you take part in the Ascending Dragon Grounds battle?"

He feared she would be injured, which could jeopardize the battle against the evil gods.

No-Food Goddess replied succinctly, "Yes."