CHAPTER 31: PROBING

Wei Ji sat across from Lu Shaohua at the long wooden table.

The air between them felt heavy and quiet.

Lu Shaohua sat straight, her hands resting on her lap, her eyes darting toward Wei Ji then away again. She didn’t know what to say. Her heart beat fast, and her fingers trembled slightly even though she tried her best to appear calm.

Wei Ji, on the other hand, looked composed. His face was still and cold, but deep inside, his mind was far from calm.

In front of him sat the woman who would one day become the Celestial Demon Empress—the woman who, in the future, had chased him and others across realms, destroyed entire sects to hunt them down, and almost killed him countless times but eventually killed by her subordinate. And now she was sitting there quietly, looking unsure, almost fragile. It felt unreal.

How many times did she come after me? How many lives did she take? he thought. And now she sits before me, not yet corrupted... not yet the monster I knew. Not yet.

He drew a small breath, forcing his thoughts to settle. He needed answers. The assassins from last night—why had her emotions fluctuated when he almost killed one? Why did her heart ripple with unease if she wasn’t close to them?

He glanced at her again. How do I even start this? he thought quietly.

Before he could think further, a soft growl came from across the table.

"..."

Lu Shaohua froze, her cheeks instantly flushing red. Wei Ji blinked once, slightly startled. Then he let out a small sigh and said, "Let’s eat first."

His voice was calm, but in his mind, he decided it was a good chance to observe her more closely.

Lu Shaohua nodded quickly, embarrassed. "O-of course," she murmured.

The table was filled with dishes—steamed vegetables, fragrant soup, roasted duck, and freshly cooked rice. Wei Ji stared at them for a moment, expression unreadable.

He muttered to himself, "For millions of years as a cultivator, I forgot to eat mortal food again. Now... this is my first time."

He reached out, picked up the chopsticks, and held them awkwardly. His movements were stiff, as if his hands had forgotten how to eat. He poked one of the dishes, hesitated, then brought a piece of meat to his mouth. The moment it touched his tongue, his whole body trembled slightly.

Lu Shaohua noticed it and widened her eyes. "Are you... are you alright?"

Wei Ji didn’t answer immediately. He tried to swallow, keeping a straight face, but the taste felt strange, heavy, and full of mortal impurities. His body wasn’t used to it anymore.

But to Lu Shaohua, it looked completely different. She mistook his trembling for nervousness.

Her heart skipped a beat. He’s trembling because of me? she thought, her cheeks burning. He’s embarrassed?

She quickly turned her gaze away. No, that can’t be it. And then, he’d remember what her subordinates, young master Han Ji likes her. Lu Shaohua shook her head. She bit her lip to stop herself from smiling, her face growing warmer by the second.

Then, just as she was about to speak, Wei Ji’s chopsticks slipped from his fingers and clattered on the table.

Lu Shaohua gasped. "Ah—are you okay?"

Wei Ji felt his ears heat up. Damn it. He coughed lightly, picked up the chopsticks again, and tried to act natural. "It’s nothing."

He took another bite, this time forcing himself to eat. The food didn’t taste good to him at all—too salty, too raw with spiritual impurities—but he pretended to enjoy it so that she would feel at ease.

Lu Shaohua hesitated for a moment before starting to eat as well. Her movements were small and graceful, but her mind was in chaos. Every time she lifted her eyes, she found him looking at her.

Wei Ji, meanwhile, was pretending to eat while secretly observing her expression. Her eyes flickered with confusion, sometimes sadness, sometimes guilt. He wanted to understand her, to see if she was hiding something.

Minutes passed in awkward silence. The only sound was the quiet clinking of chopsticks and bowls.

After a while, Wei Ji set his chopsticks down and said softly, "I’m full."

Lu Shaohua blinked, surprised. She looked at his plate and realized most of the food was still untouched. He had barely taken three bites.

Her heart tightened. "You... don’t like the food?" she asked quietly.

Wei Ji looked up, slightly surprised by her question. "No," he said quickly. "I’m just not in the mood."

But she didn’t look convinced. She looked at him carefully and then shook her head. "That’s not true."

Wei Ji raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

She bit her lip, hesitating, but then she spoke softly. "When you sat down, you looked excited. You picked up your chopsticks fast, but then your hands shook after tasting the food. You lost your smile. You tried to pretend, but your eyes..." She stopped for a second. "...your eyes looked disappointed."

Wei Ji froze for a moment, not expecting her to read him that well. Why is she telling me this?

He leaned back slightly, studying her face. Maybe if I listen, I can learn more. Maybe this will help me understand what binds her to those assassins.

"Really?" he said after a pause, pretending to sound curious. "You can tell that just by watching?"

Lu Shaohua nodded shyly. "Yes."

There was silence for a few seconds before she continued in a low voice. "I used to cook for others before... when I was still in the Shen Flame Kingdom. For the soldiers. The guests. Even the maids."

Wei Ji listened quietly.

She smiled weakly, her eyes distant. "But they always blamed me. No matter what I cooked, someone always said it wasn’t good enough. The soup was too bitter, the rice too soft, and the meat too dry. Even if someone else cooked it, they’d still point at me."

Her voice cracked a little. "Sometimes, I’d stay up all night, trying to make it better. But they’d still find something to scold me for. It was always my fault."

Wei Ji said nothing. He just stared at her, his calm eyes softening slightly. So she was treated like that? Blamed by everyone?

He felt a faint trace of confusion again. Then why did she defend those assassins? Why did she stop me from killing them if she wasn’t close to them? Wei Ji didn’t give up. He felt like he’s closed.

Lu Shaohua looked down at her hands. "I guess that’s why I notice small things now. When people don’t like the food in front of them, when their eyes change when they eat, when they force a smile, trying to hide that they don’t like the food. I can tell."

For a long while, neither of them spoke.

Wei Ji looked at her, his mind filled with questions he didn’t know how to ask.

Then, Lu Shaohua lifted her head slowly, her voice trembling. "Young master..."

Wei Ji’s eyes met hers. "What is it?"

She hesitated, fingers tightening on her lap. But after a long breath, she found her courage.

"Would you like me to cook for you?" she asked softly.