Heading north from Suzhou, crossing the Yangtze River, and entering Huainan Dao.
Passing through the prosperity of Yangzhou, traversing the plains of Henan Dao, and heading west, straight toward Guan Nei.
This was the route Jiang Yuechu and You Wujiang were taking back to Chang'an.
This journey to Chang'an.
The journey was a long three thousand li.
For ordinary folk, it would be an arduous journey taking nearly half a year.
But for Jiang Yuechu and You Wujiang, it would only take a few months.
Huainan Dao.
An outdoor teahouse, far from any village or inn.
A thatched shed supported by several bamboo poles, with steam rising from the stove.
"Customer, here is your Plain Noodle Soup, with two fried eggs and plenty of chopped scallions!"
The owner was a hunched old man, who deftly placed a bowl of hot noodles on the table.
Jiang Yuechu did not mind the greasy tabletop; she pulled out a pair of bamboo chopsticks from the holder and tapped them lightly on the table.
She picked up a mouthful of noodles, blew away the steam, and put them into her mouth.
The hot soup warmed her stomach, dispelling the chill of late autumn.
She ate gracefully, yet not slowly.
Across from her.
You Wujiang sat bolt upright, his hands resting on his knees, his gaze fixed straight ahead.
The space in front of him was empty.
Jiang Yuechu ate half of her meal, put down her chopsticks, and raised her eyes.
"Not eating?"
You Wujiang reluctantly pulled his gaze away from the bowl of noodles and looked at the distant wilderness.
"I'm not hungry."
Gurgle—
...
Although those who reached the Four Great Realms had transcended the mortal body, this did not mean they wouldn't get hungry.
Especially the higher the Realm, the more Vital Essence required—dozens of times that of an ordinary person—just to maintain the operation of the powerful Physical Body, even when sitting still.
Even a mighty cultivator in the Zhonglian Realm, if they truly went ten days or half a month without eating meat, even if their True Qi didn't run dry, their physical frame would wither first.
Feeding on the wind and drinking the dew?
That was the method of a legendary Immortal.
Jiang Yuechu put down her chopsticks and picked up the napkin beside her to wipe her mouth.
"Ten Copper Coins a bowl, two more for eggs."
She paused, her tone flat.
"I'll treat you?"
You Wujiang's body trembled slightly, clearly tempted.
But he quickly suppressed the urge.
"I cannot accept a reward without merit."
He turned his head, his face full of righteousness.
"Granny said that when traveling, you shouldn't casually owe people favors."
Hearing this, Jiang Yuechu raised an eyebrow.
This silly boy.
His mouth was quite stubborn... "Since Lord You doesn't want to owe a favor, how about we strike a deal?"
"What deal?"
You Wujiang was stunned and looked at her warily.
Although he was inexperienced in the world, he knew there was no such thing as a free lunch.
Moreover, he felt that the girl in front of him didn't seem to have good intentions... "The sword cannot be sold... The golden robe I'm wearing is public property of The Department, and cannot be pawned."
"Who wants your sword and robe."
"Then what do you want..."
Jiang Yuechu looked toward his waist.
"The corpse of the River-Flipping Demon King is with you, right?"
You Wujiang froze, instinctively guarding the Jade Pendant at his waist.
"Yes..."
Jiang Yuechu nodded, a smile curving her lips. "Since it's with you, that makes things easy."
"I don't need much."
She held out her pinky finger, gesturing a piece about the size of a fingernail.
"Cut off a piece of meat this size for me, and this meal is on me."
"???"
You Wujiang's eyes widened, his face filled with shock.
"You... you want Demon Flesh and Blood? No! Absolutely not!!"
"This is public property. Granny said it must be handed over to General Bureau for storage."
Jiang Yuechu was not in a hurry; she quietly picked up the fried egg, which was golden and oozing oil.
The yolk flowed out, and the aroma filled the air.
"It smells wonderful."
Jiang Yuechu chewed slowly and deliberately, her voice indistinct.
"This owner's cooking is good. They even use lard; that's authentic."
Gurgle—
This sound was even louder than before.
You Wujiang's face flushed red, and he swallowed his saliva frantically.
Seeing that the time was right.
Jiang Yuechu swallowed the food in her mouth and spoke again, "That Demon King's body is dozens of zhang long, weighing at least tens of thousands of jin."
"After all this travel, isn't it normal for it to shrink just a little bit?"
"Besides."
Jiang Yuechu leaned forward slightly, her cool eyes looking directly at You Wujiang.
"Did you kill that beast?"
You Wujiang paused, then honestly shook his head: "No."
"Who killed it then?"
"It was... you."
"Since I killed it."
Jiang Yuechu spread her hands, utterly justified, "Is it excessive for me to take a small piece?"
"This..."
You Wujiang's mind was a little confused.
This logic sounded... flawless?
She killed the demon.
If General Bureau didn't have rules, the corpse should indeed belong to the person who contributed the most effort.
Now she only wanted a piece of meat the size of a fingernail... and she was treating him to a meal... no matter how he calculated it, he was coming out ahead.
Finally.
He took a deep breath, as if making a decision that defied his ancestors.
"Only... that big?"
Jiang Yuechu nodded, "Just that big."
You Wujiang gritted his teeth and flipped his palm.
A piece of deep red meat, about the size of a copper coin, appeared out of thin air on the table.
Even though it was just a tiny amount.
The fierce, malevolent Qi of the Seed Lotus Great Demon still caused the surrounding air temperature to drop sharply.
Even the old man cooking the noodles shivered, looking up at the sky in confusion.
Why did it suddenly get cold?
Jiang Yuechu was quick; her sleeve rolled out.
The flesh and blood vanished, having been stored by her in her Spatial Dimension.
The movement was smooth and flowing, clearly premeditated.
"Boss!"
"Another bowl of noodles! With three eggs!"
"Coming right up—!"
A moment later.
A large bowl of steaming noodles was placed on the table.
You Wujiang no longer cared about the dignity of his golden robe; he grabbed his chopsticks and devoured the meal like a whirlwind.
Slurp, slurp—
Jiang Yuechu sat beside him, watching the peerless Prodigy wolf down his food.
She calculated in her mind.
A thirty zhang long demon corpse.
Tens of thousands of jin of meat.
If she could trick this silly boy out of all his stored goods over this three thousand li journey... her gaze toward him grew increasingly gentle.
"Eat slowly. There's more if that's not enough."
You Wujiang raised his head, his eyes full of gratitude.
"Miss Jiang... is a good person."
"Mhm."
Jiang Yuechu nodded without changing her expression.
"I think so too."
...North of Huainan Dao, after crossing the Yangtze River, the wind gradually became harsher.
Several more days passed on the road.
They had now entered the boundary of Henan Dao.
The official road was wide, with carriages and horses stretching like a Dragon.
The outline of a majestic city faintly appeared in the twilight glow.
Bianzhou.
As a strategic town guarding the canal, its prosperity, while not matching Chang'an or Luoyang, was far beyond that of ordinary prefectures and counties.
The two figures slowly entered the city with the flow of people.
Jiang Yuechu led her horse, her gaze sweeping over the shop signs on both sides of the street. Her expression was calm, but deep within her eyes, a hint of expectation flickered.
Beside her.
You Wujiang was still wearing his conspicuous golden robe, carrying a pale, long sword on his back.
"Lord You."
Jiang Yuechu stopped in front of a restaurant.
You Wujiang's body trembled, and he instinctively covered the Jade Pendant at his waist.
"Wha... what is it again?"
"After continuous travel, eating in the wind and sleeping in the dew, how can Lord You, a golden robe Inspector, keep eating dry rations when your body is so precious? Now that we've entered Bianzhou today, we must treat ourselves well."
You Wujiang swallowed.
He had practiced martial arts since childhood, and usually ate tasteless medicinal cuisine.
Although he constantly felt he was losing out while traveling with Jiang Yuechu, this was the first time he had tasted specialty foods from various regions.
"The usual arrangement?"
You Wujiang's body stiffened.
This conversation had been repeated no fewer than ten times in the past few days.
From initial resistance, to later hesitation, to now... he had actually developed a sense of familiarity.
"This time... how much do you want?"
Jiang Yuechu stretched out her hand and gestured.
You Wujiang looked completely incredulous.
"You... why are you raising the price again?! Last time in Yangzhou, you only asked for fifty jin, so why do you need so much here?!"
"That was Yangzhou."
Jiang Yuechu stated confidently, "Henan is currently suffering a severe drought, and resources are scarce, so prices are naturally higher."
You Wujiang frowned in thought.
It seemed... that was indeed the case.
"Fine... fine then."
...Inside the private room.
After the food had been served.
You Wujiang was gnawing on a roasted chicken, his mouth glistening with oil.
Jiang Yuechu, meanwhile, was slowly sipping her soup, occasionally sensing the contents of her Spatial Dimension.
Along the way.
Using all kinds of excuses.
Starting from one bowl of noodles exchanged for a piece of meat the size of a fingernail.
To later on.
The reasons were bizarre and endless.
But this silly boy, You Wujiang, aside from his extraordinary talent in the Martial Dao.
When it came to social etiquette, arithmetic, and trade, he was as naive as a blank sheet of paper.
As long as Jiang Yuechu spoke earnestly and added a few small favors.
He would hand the goods over in a daze.
Now, the Demon Flesh and Blood in her spatial dimension was piled up into a small mountain.
Jiang Yuechu made a quick calculation.
Hmm... the quantity is sufficient.
Tonight, perhaps she could achieve a Breakthrough to Eight Patterns!
At this moment.
You Wujiang finished gnawing the roasted chicken and contentedly wiped his mouth.
Having nothing else to do.
He extended his Divine Sense into the Storage Jade Pendant at his waist.
He wanted to check the condition of the River-Flipping Demon King's corpse.
After all, it was public property that Granny had repeatedly warned him about. Although he had cut a tiny bit off along the way to exchange for food, he figured it should be harmless.
However.
In the next instant.
You Wujiang suddenly stood up, his eyes wide.
"Th-this... this..."
His Divine Sense swept across the space.
Inside the jade pendant's space.
The Demon King's corpse, which was originally as massive as a mountain.
Now... a huge chunk was inexplicably missing!
You Wujiang, his hands trembling, pointed at the calm girl across from him.
"You... you..."
Jiang Yuechu put down her soup bowl, raised her eyelids, and looked utterly innocent.
"Me what? Didn't you agree to the trade yourself?"