“Let’s just cook instant noodles,” Jiawu thought to himself. It’s simpler, and even if it goes wrong, it’s still edible.

However, Nan Muran shook her head and pushed Bai Mei to the dining table: “No, it needs to be more complicated. It should be something like a star-rated restaurant, the harder, the better.”

“Tomahawk steak, pork bagels, black truffle abalone rice,” Jiawu blurted out his favorites.

Upon hearing this, Bai Mei didn’t hesitate to glare at him, clearly unconcerned about Nan Muran potentially blowing up the kitchen.

To his surprise, Nan Muran immediately nodded in agreement.

Soon, three delicately plated dishes, still steaming, appeared on the table.

“Enjoy! Mei Jie, you can also order something,” Nan Muran said, looking at Bai Mei with expectation.

“Grilled cod, red pine mushroom old chicken soup, alley-style poached chicken, Libyan ham and ice plant salad,” Bai Mei ordered hesitantly, unsure as these were all top-tier dishes.

To her surprise, Nan Muran skillfully placed all four dishes on the table, and then added, “I want some scallion oil double-crispy, oil-braised fresh bamboo shoots, and foie gras. Also, I’d like some Japanese dishes.”

Looking at the lavish spread, Jiawu and Bai Mei were both speechless. They had initially thought Nan Muran only had some snacks, but how was it that she had full-fledged five-star restaurant dishes, and they looked freshly served?

“Muran, these?” Bai Mei was unsure how to ask.

“I had stored them in my space,” Nan Muran explained. “The space has preservation functions. Try them, they taste just like I remember.”

Jiawu and Bai Mei ate happily.

“Muran, you can’t let anyone know about this. And don’t take out these foods casually in the future, keep them for emergencies,” Bai Mei said with concern.

“I agree, let’s forget about today. It can’t happen again,” Jiawu said with a serious look.

Knowing they meant well, Nan Muran naturally wouldn’t refuse. “Okay, I understand.”

The three continued eating, when suddenly Jiawu asked, “Is there a sound outside?”

Nan Muran focused, sensing, “It’s Tank.”

Nan Shanyun Yuan and the hillside villa were nearly sixty miles apart—how did these two little ones make it back?

They rushed to open the door, and sure enough, Tank was outside, carrying Da Fu, barking fiercely at the villa. Upon seeing Jiawu open the door, both the cat and dog went even crazier.

“Stop barking, come inside,” Nan Muran said coldly, sensing their anger and knowing they were swearing.

Once Tank entered, it ran straight to the dining room and, upon seeing the food, its temper flared even more.

Not only did it start barking wildly, but it also began jumping around the house. Even Da Fu, usually the calm one, glared at Nan Muran and started whining.

“Tank, sit.” Unable to endure the dog barking and the cat howling, Nan Muran gave a command in a cold tone.

Upon hearing the command, Tank instinctively sat down, but its eyes were filled with grievance.

Da Fu, who sat obediently beside it, also had an unhappy look on its face.

“I’m sorry, I know I was wrong. Can you forgive me, sister?” Nan Muran gently stroked the little ones’ heads.

“As an apology, how about you have chicken legs? Two?” When the little ones didn’t respond, Nan Muran added, “Three, max five.”

“Woof.”

“Meow.”

Nan Muran quickly retrieved their bowls and placed the chicken legs in them.

Behind her, Bai Mei and Jiawu looked at the scene, laughing helplessly.

After dinner, Nan Muran took out all the crystal nuclei she had collected outside today. There were 47 white primary nuclei and 5 red secondary nuclei.

There were also 9 fruit from the vines, given by Xiao Bai, a name Nan Muran had given the vine because its flowers were white.

“What are these for?” Bai Mei asked, curious about the items on the table.

“Brother Jiawu, I have an idea about awakening abilities. Would you like to try it? It might be painful.”

“Of course, I’m willing,” Jiawu said, eager. If he hadn’t seen Nan Muran use her abilities before, he might not have been so eager. But since learning how she handled the entire scorpion problem on her own, he was now fully expecting something amazing.

Nan Muran took out three white crystal nuclei and handed them to him. “Cut your palm, then grip these tightly.”

Jiawu took out a dagger, cut his palm, and then gripped the three crystal nuclei.

Nan Muran immediately placed her hand over his.

White threads of light, with a faint greenish glow, began flowing continuously into Jiawu’s body.

Jiawu felt every part of his body filled with an overwhelming sense of comfort, and his energy surged.

As time passed, Nan Muran sensed that her own ability was beginning to deplete.

She thought for a moment, then reached into a bag of crystal nuclei by her side.

Using herself as a medium, she continuously absorbed energy and transferred life force into Jiawu’s body. This way, she could both enhance her own abilities and continue feeding life force to Jiawu.

She didn’t stop until all the crystal nuclei were absorbed.

Nan Muran felt her level two abilities significantly increased and sighed in relief. Then, she looked at Jiawu with some expectation. “Brother Jiawu, do you feel any changes in your body?”

“Other than the fatigue from running around during the day being completely gone, I don’t feel any different,” Jiawu replied, a little disappointed.

Nan Muran sighed helplessly. Well, she could just give up on this idea.

“Don’t be discouraged, maybe there’s another method,” Bai Mei comforted them gently.

At this moment, a small vine indicated to Nan Muran that it was okay to try eating its fruit.

“Its fruit?” Nan Muran picked up the fruit from the table.

“Alright, let’s not think about it. We’ll try again tomorrow.”

“Tonight, both of you should go to your rooms, wash up, and go to bed.” Bai Mei took the fruit from Nan Muran’s hand and placed it back on the table, urging the two exhausted individuals to sleep.

Nan Muran obediently nodded and put the vine’s fruit back into her space, then went upstairs to sleep.

However, after washing up and lying down on the bed, Nan Muran couldn’t fall asleep. She turned on her bedside lamp and picked up a sketchbook.

As she flipped through the pages, looking at the various images of Siye, her heart felt a little sour.

She had clearly seen me, so why did he run away? Suddenly, a thought froze her mind. Could it be that he was scared off after seeing how I dealt with the venomous scorpion squad?

This was the only reasonable explanation.

It was over—he definitely thought I was a monster.

Feeling her mood sinking, Tank and Da Fu, who had been resting at the foot of the bed, came over to comfort her.

“Do you know? I’m really sad today.

I always thought that in this life, I had the power to control everything, but it feels like the heavens are just messing with me, always playing jokes on me,” Nan Muran whispered, holding Tank’s head.

What troubled her most was that she knew Dr. Jin’s underground laboratory was supposed to be in Cui Mountain, but no matter how hard she searched, she couldn’t find it. Not even the plants and trees on Cui Mountain could detect their presence. How had they done it?

As she pondered, feeling a bit drowsy, she naturally fell asleep, with only one thought lingering in her mind: she had to become stronger, no matter the cost.