14. A Plea for Comfort on Bended Knee

Ning Xuan watched Chen Nan lower his gaze and act meekly before her, an inexplicable feeling stirring within her that this demeanor was merely a façade. His every movement seemed respectful and docile, precise and courteous, yet beneath it lay a rigid restraint—as if this reverence was not sincere.

Ning Xuan walked ahead while Chen Nan deliberately kept half a step behind. Soon, they arrived at a restaurant Ning Xuan had painstakingly found the previous night, reputed to have a good reputation.

However, when the signature dishes arrived, Ning Xuan’s expression darkened bit by bit. Judging by appearance alone, the food looked either burnt or tough and dry—far less appetizing than the pictures she had seen online.

Chen Nan keenly sensed the change in her mood. He had originally intended to stand and serve, but Ning Xuan insisted he sit. Why had she suddenly turned displeased?

Chen Nan stood, laid out the utensils, and noticed Ning Xuan frowning at the plate of roasted meat on the table. Hastily, he cut it into small pieces and placed them before her. “Master, although the meat of the Thunderstorm Beast carries no poison, it is very tough. This restaurant’s preparation is decent. Please have a taste.”

Ning Xuan eyed the charred meat silently, then pushed the plate aside and opened the ordering screen on the table. She ordered a glass of crystal fruit juice and a three-colored baked egg. Though neither was a signature dish, she reasoned that juice was simply squeezed fruit, and a baked egg was just cooked egg—surely they could not mess those up.

When the three-colored baked egg arrived, it was about the size of a palm, its shell browned from the heat. As she reached for it, Chen Nan rose and placed the egg in front of himself. “Master, the three-colored egg contains a mild neurotoxin that causes paralysis. Fire cannot remove it, and consuming it is harmful to your health. Since you have just awakened your spirit energy and will awaken your companion spirit within a year, you must avoid any poisonous foods during this time to ensure the companion spirit awakens properly.”

A faint blush crossed Chen Nan’s face. As an S-rank Spirit Controller, if he allowed his master to consume toxic food and thus failed to awaken the companion spirit, he would be committing a grave offense. The Contract Management Center would have no excuse for such negligence.

“Poisonous?” Ning Xuan asked curiously. “They allow poisonous food to be sold?”

“Yes, Master,” Chen Nan replied, puzzled. The three-colored egg was laid by the Longtail Jinni bird, a resilient species with vast numbers and high fertility. Therefore, these eggs were inexpensive and commonly consumed by ordinary citizens and low-level Spirit Controllers. However, children, underage Spirit Controllers, and those within one year of spirit awakening were advised against consuming such toxic foods.

Ning Xuan was majoring in culinary arts—how could she not know this?

“What about the juice?” she asked, pointing to the thick green drink the robot waiter had just brought.

“The juice squeezed from crystal fruit contains no poison,” Chen Nan said, though he thought the taste was unpleasant. He wisely withheld this opinion, knowing tastes varied and he should not influence his master’s choice with personal bias.

Ning Xuan lifted the glass, detected no strange odor—only a faint sweet fragrance tickling her nose. Feeling thirsty, she took a sip, only to be immediately overwhelmed by a bitter, astringent flavor that hit her head like a punch. Swallowing hard to suppress the urge to spit it out, she grimaced. “Ugh,” it was worse than the most bitter medicine she’d ever drunk in her past life. What kind of juice tasted like this?

She pushed the glass toward Chen Nan and commanded, “You drink it.”

Reluctantly, Chen Nan glanced at her before picking up the cup and forcing it down. Afterward, he gulped a large glass of water to wash away the intolerable aftertaste.

That meal ended with Ning Xuan barely eating a few dry, tough cuts of short-tailed rabbit beast meat. Fortunately, this body was accustomed to eating very little, so a few bites sufficed to quell her hunger.

After dinner, Chen Nan accompanied Ning Xuan back to her residence. The once empty living room was now cluttered with all manner of items: red lantern fruits, purple bamboo wood, thorn berries, chestnuts—things she had browsed last night—as well as clothes she found pleasing. Most prominently, there were numerous exotic plants, each priced above 1,000 Star Coins. A particular blue flame grass was marked at about 30,000 Star Coins.

In a corner against the wall, she spotted a black box adorned with a fierce bird emblem—surely Chen Nan’s personal belongings.

Ning Xuan gazed at the exotic plants, initially intending to find a way to earn money to buy them or to locate their natural habitats for collection. She had never expected them to be handed to her so readily. Truthfully, she was tempted.

“Let’s talk. I’m sure you’ve already investigated my situation. You’re suddenly changing your mind—what exactly do you want from me? Speak plainly,” Ning Xuan said bluntly.

“Master, your spirit energy is rising rapidly. I believe you have the potential to become a high-level Spirit Controller. Therefore, I hope to do more for you while you still need assistance, so that in the future, you may show me greater favor,” Chen Nan replied with respectful meekness.

“I’ll give you a chance. Speak honestly,” Ning Xuan said coldly.

Chen Nan fell silent briefly, then touched two fingers to his forehead. A sharp call sounded, and a two-meter-tall raptor with gleaming golden feathers and emerald eyes emerged from within him, gradually taking form. This was Chen Nan’s spiritual entity—the emerald-eyed golden eagle.

“Today, you were attacked and released some spirit energy. Little Gold craves your spirit energy—it is poisoned and suffering. Its pain is my pain. I have tried every means to purge the toxin but to no avail. Feeling your spirit energy today has somewhat eased the pain within my spiritual sea. As long as I stay by your side, the pain lessens. I believe if I receive your spirit energy’s soothing, the effect will be even better. If your level rises further, you might even be able to control and eliminate the toxin through spirit energy.”

Chen Nan had intended to wait until they were better acquainted and the master accepted him before requesting this favor. But since she asked, concealing it would only add another layer of distrust.

“Our levels differ too greatly. I’m not sure if my soothing will work for you. But one thing is certain: this is detrimental to my spirit energy’s growth,” Ning Xuan said, sensing no free lunch existed.

Immediately, Chen Nan knelt. “Please rest assured, Master. We can wait until you turn eighteen. In the meantime, may I remain by your side to care for you?”