Xiangling, her head spinning from shyness, nodded in a daze.
Once she realized what she'd done, her adorable cheeks flushed red.
"I-I'm going to go cook!"
Noah watched her run off like she was fleeing, picked up the teapot, and poured himself another cup. "So cute… a girl blossoming with spring feelings—or rather, a goddess."
Marchosius hurriedly brought over a tray of desserts and placed it on the stone table. "Is there anything else you need, Lord Heavenly Principle?"
Though he was now hundreds of times stronger than before, his courage had shrunk in the presence of Lord Heavenly Principle.
He knew how much Lord Heavenly Principle liked Xiangling. So he had always taken great care of her, helping her with both cooking and cultivation. Even her father, Chef Mao, had been guided into reaching the level of an Adeptus and now stood at the threshold of godhood.
Noah waved his hand. "It's nothing important, Marchosius. Go on and handle your own business. You've been managing the majority of this large community anyway."
"Who knows? Maybe Wanmin Hall will become the top culinary community in the entire universe someday. I'm looking forward to it."
With divine society finally developing, non-combatant gods could finally thrive.
Even the once weakest god, Havria the Salt God, was now a Second-tier Primary God and close to grasping a Truth.
Marchosius immediately bowed. "Marchosius will not disappoint Lord Heavenly Principle's expectations."
After excusing himself, he helped Xiangling bring over a full spread of food for Noah.
The stone table was instantly filled with divine delicacies, their aromas so rich even an Upper God would start drooling. Faint divine light shimmered over the dishes—just the scent alone filled the heart with a deep sense of joy.
This was genuine divine cuisine that even a Primary God would consider blissful.
Though the food didn't have some exaggerated effect like instantly promoting an Upper God, it did slightly enhance the quality of one's divine power.
After all, it was personally prepared by the God of Food.
Xiangling was no longer shy. Once she entered her area of expertise, she lit up, passionately introducing the dishes.
"Brother Noah, this dish is called…"
From the first dish to the last, she gave vivid, excited explanations.
Under Xiangling's hopeful gaze, Noah picked up his chopsticks and tasted the food.
This time, he deactivated his "Heavenly Principle" filters and allowed the meal's true power to affect him.
A wave of happiness surged through him.
"Delicious… filling one's belly with good food is one of life's greatest joys. And every one of these dishes embodies a different form of happiness."
Seeing her eyes light up with anticipation, Noah continued, "If I were to score it, without a doubt—ten out of ten. This is the most delicious food I've ever eaten."
Marchosius stood dumbfounded. Xiangling's cooking had earned a perfect score from Lord Heavenly Principle? That was… incredible.
With such praise, Xiangling was practically guaranteed to become a Primary God in the future. Even reaching First-tier Primary God was no longer out of the question.
Xiangling jumped up in excitement. "Yay!"
She was used to others praising and admiring her—but coming from the Brother Noah she adored, it was special.
Noah smiled as he watched her leap with joy.
"Eating alone is a bit lonely. Xiangling, come sit and eat with me."
Xiangling nodded cheerfully. "Okay, Brother Noah." She sat beside him on the stone bench and, blushing, picked up some food.
"Brother Noah, i-if I serve you food, you don't mind, do you?"
Noah responded by picking up a bite of food and feeding it to her—his answer shown in action.
As the embodiment of Heavenly Principle, the Teyvat Universe belonged to him. In this world, his will was the truth.
He didn't think such behavior was beneath him. Putting on a pretentious act all day—that would be the real foolishness.
True strength lies in following one's own will—doing as one pleases.
Just like Shiroyasha in the Little Garden world, or the Grand Zeno of the Dragon Ball world—they acted however they liked. Even if they were playing in the mud, others would revere that mud as sacred. Who would dare to call them fools?
Xiangling watched as Noah held food to her lips. Though she was embarrassed, she still opened her mouth and took a bite.
Despite her shyness, she remembered the promise she made: she was now Brother Noah's little chef—for life, cooking and staying by his side forever.
"Thank you, Brother Noah."
After being fed once, she became less bashful and immediately picked up food and brought it to Noah's lips. "Brother Noah, say ah~"
Marchosius was just about to slip away when a familiar voice echoed, sending a chill through his fluffy bear form.
"Xiangling, I smelled your delicious cooking! I'm here for my daily free meal!"
"Guizhong, are we really going to keep mooching off Xiangling like this? We've never even paid once."
"Ah, that's all Morax's fault! He went and spread all the Mora again."
"You can't blame the Sovereign. Liyue's gotten too big. The original Mora supply wasn't enough, so of course he had to ensure the economy was stable."
"Xianyun's right. Luckily, the Seven Nations have started minting their own currencies. Otherwise, who knows how much Mora Rex Lapis would've had to produce."
Marchosius was just about to run out and warn his friends that Lord Heavenly Principle was here—definitely not a time to barge in unannounced.
But at that moment, a lively young woman in a blue-and-white chest-high dress burst through the door without hesitation.
"Wow! Xiangling! It smells amazing in here—way better than before! You've improved so much! Eating alone without calling me? I'll eat every bite just to make you regret it!"
Marchosius clutched his fuzzy bear head, completely collapsing under the pressure.
"Guizhong! Don't—"
Guizhong looked confused at his panicked expression. "Huh? Marchosius, what's wrong? Don't what? Why do you look like Azhdaha accidentally stepped on you in her dragon form?"
"Guizhong, we are in the Wanmin Hall's backyard—let's try to be a little polite."
"Exactly. If the younger generation sees us Primary Gods of the Liyue Pantheon behaving so rashly, it'll leave a bad impression."
Xianyun and Madame Ping followed Guizhong in, chatting as they walked. But when they looked past Marchosius—they froze instantly.
"Wait—you two as well..."
Guizhong, seeing her two friends suddenly go stiff, quickly turned to look as well.
Her once-lively expression turned to stone in an instant.
A figure so familiar it was etched into her soul appeared before her eyes. Though the aura seemed like that of an ordinary god, the face and bearing were unmistakable.
Anyone who had seen the true form of this being—especially any god of Teyvat—could never forget.
Her pupils trembled. For a moment, her thoughts froze.
Lord Heavenly Principle… Lord Heavenly Principle was here. And just now, she had been shouting and charging in…
Had she already committed blasphemy? Her face went ghostly pale at the thought.
While she knew Lord Heavenly Principle wasn't as harsh as Phanes, that tolerance only applied if one didn't cross the line.
Xianyun and Madame Ping were slightly better off—unlike Guizhong, they didn't carry that instinctual soul-deep fear born from being an original god.
Noah looked playfully at the three gods, all of whom were frozen in place. His glance alone seemed to bring them back to reality.
"No need to stand there stunned. Even a CEO doesn't sit in their office every day—it's normal to run into me now and then."
"Besides, if you haven't done anything wrong, what's there to be afraid of?"
Xiangling saw them and lit up. "Guizhong! Master! Lady Xianyun!" Then she quickly apologized. "Sorry, Guizhong, Master, I didn't have time to prepare for your visit."
The three gods quickly responded:
"No, no, it's fine, Xiangling. I was just wandering around."
"Right, right."
Though they knew how fond Lord Heavenly Principle was of Xiangling and how often he visited her for meals, they'd never personally encountered him before.
And now—today of all days—they'd walked right into him.
Was that good luck, or bad?
"Master, Lady Xianyun—you all know Brother Noah? You looked totally shocked just now," Xiangling asked curiously.
She knew Noah was a high-ranking god, but not how high. And it wasn't unusual for her master and the others to know powerful gods.
She'd never taken an interest in godly hierarchies. She spent her days absorbed in cooking.
Guizhong quickly replied, "Yes, yes, of course we know him." Cold sweat covered her. Brother Noah—only Lord Heavenly Principle could permit someone to call him that.
Xiangling was simply too beloved. Likely because her cooking was just too divine.
Even Guizhong, after tasting it once, was utterly hooked. No other food could compare.
She hurried to bow before Noah. "Lord Noah, I…"
Noah waved a hand. "I'm off-duty today. No need for stiff formality. If you respect me in your heart, that's enough. Since you're already here, sit down—I permit it."
Guizhong felt the calming, gentle aura from Lord Heavenly Principle and finally relaxed. She nervously sat down on the stone stool like a student caught misbehaving.
Xianyun and Madame Ping stood quietly behind her. Though they were now Upper Gods, they knew better than to speak in front of Lord Heavenly Principle without his permission.
Xiangling quickly brought Guizhong a set of utensils.
Though she was cheerful by nature, she knew dining etiquette well. She understood that this was Noah's table, and without his permission, her master and Lady Xianyun shouldn't sit.
Guizhong, though deeply craving the food, dared not move. She timidly asked, "Lord Heavenly Principle, are you here… for fun?"
In her mind, the concept of "Heavenly Principle" equaled absolute authority, divine dignity, and supreme unshakable order—a being who gazed down upon all.
It was hard to imagine Lord Heavenly Principle… casually enjoying himself.
Noah smirked and replied, "I'm not the absolute order that is the Cosmic Nexus. Why wouldn't I be allowed to have fun?"
Guizhong panicked. "N-no! That's not what I meant, Lord Noah! I didn't think that at all—"
Before she could finish, she was cut off.
Noah's golden eyes met hers. "I know what you were thinking. You've done nothing wrong. There's no need to explain."
"In my universe, as long as one fulfills their duties, all gods are free—free to be themselves. Of course, this freedom exists within the bounds of order."
Noah smirked and added, "Even if someone walked up to me on the street and patted me on the shoulder, I'd just laugh it off. I might even find it amusing."
Guizhong gave a dry laugh. Patting the Heavenly Principle on the shoulder? She didn't even dare to think about it.
Noah said, "Go ahead and eat. You two, sit."
Guizhong quickly nodded. "Oh, okay." She cautiously picked up her chopsticks.
Xianyun and Madame Ping also quietly took their seats, backs ramrod straight. Xiangling hurried over with two more sets of utensils.
Noah turned to Marchosius. "Marchosius, go prepare a few more dishes."
Marchosius nodded quickly. "Right away." He rushed off to the kitchen.
Xiangling noticed Noah's teacup was empty and quickly broke the somewhat tense mood. "Brother Noah, let me refill your tea."
"Master, Lord Guizhong, Lady Xianyun, I'll pour for you all as well."
Thanks to Xiangling's efforts—and Noah's calming presence—Guizhong, Xianyun, and Madame Ping gradually relaxed. Their tension faded, though their reverence only deepened.
Gods weren't fools. The fact that Lord Heavenly Principle behaved so casually, like an ordinary person, was in itself an expression of divinity.
Didn't many immortals speak of returning to simplicity?
How best to please Lord Heavenly Principle? Simple—follow his will. If he was happy, then so were they.
Guizhong soon returned to her usual playful self and asked, "Hehe, Lord Noah, do you drink? Wanmin Hall has a limited supply of divine wine imported from Mondstadt~"
Xianyun added, "They say this divine wine was so prized that even Mondstadt's largest business community, Dawn Winery, begged the God of Wine endlessly to release it."
Noah raised a curious brow. "Oh~ the God of Wine—Diona? Mondstadt really is full of amusing stories. Go on, tell me more."
He didn't keep his omniscience active all the time. Knowing everything in the universe constantly would be far too boring. After all, the greatest joy in life was discovery.
Guizhong giggled, "It's hilarious. All the gods in Mondstadt nearly dropped to their knees just for a sip of the wine. Only after all that begging did the God of Wine reluctantly agree to brew it."
Xiangling gasped. "Huh? That sounds so exaggerated!"
Xianyun chuckled. "That's nothing. Once the other gods heard about it, all the wine lovers from every pantheon started flocking to Mondstadt. The line just to take a sip now stretches out by a year."
Madame Ping added, "And that's not even the most extreme part. Business communities from other pantheons are offering billions of divine coins just to win distribution rights."
Xianyun shook her head. "I thought only mortals would act this crazy—but apparently not."
Noah raised a brow, intrigued. This script sounded awfully familiar.
Wasn't this just modern-day marketing tactics?
Good grief. They really were taking what they learned and applying it on the fly.
If this continued, who knows? They might even start holding Gift Games—epic contests of wits and might—across the pantheons before long.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
40 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon:
Patreon.com/DaoOfHeaven