The Emperor was slightly taken aback upon hearing this.
He hurriedly stood up to urge him to stay: "Young Master Lu is leaving already?"
"The Great Tang owes much of its current state to Young Master Lu's immense contributions. I have yet to host a proper banquet in your honor; why not stay for a few more days?"
"I thank Your Majesty for your kind intentions."
Lu Changfeng smiled warmly and shook his head, saying, "All good things must come to an end."
"Furthermore, my return this time is also to report the matters here to my clan."
"Although the Great Tang now possesses the power to protect itself, its Foundation is ultimately still shallow."
"The Lu Clan is willing to form an alliance with the Great Tang, to share resources and jointly resist external enemies."
"Many of the details involved require my personal attention back home."
Hearing this, the Emperor was overjoyed.
He had heard Jiang Yuechu mention it before.
Though the Lu Clan was not worth mentioning in the context of the Eastern Region,
for the Great Tang,
they were clearly a powerful external ally!
If he could establish a relationship with them while the Great Tang was just starting out... the benefits would be self-evident.
"Since that is the case, I will not insist on you staying."
The Emperor said solemnly, "The Great Tang will never forget Young Master Lu's great kindness!"
"In the future, if there is ever a place where the Great Tang can be of use, just speak the word, and I shall not hesitate!"
Lu Changfeng nodded slightly, then turned his gaze toward Jiang Yuechu.
A flash of complexity crossed his eyes.
There was awe and gratitude, but also a few hints of an indescribable regret.
If Her Highness had been born into the Lu Clan... he would have been willing to hand over the position of Clan Head with both hands.
It was a pity.
A True Dragon was destined to soar through the Nine Heavens after all.
This small Qifeng Ridge, or even this vast Eastern Region, likely could not restrain her footsteps.
"Your Highness."
Lu Changfeng cupped his hands and said, "May the mountains remain blue and the waters flow forever."
"I shall await Your Highness's good news at Qifeng Ridge."
"If one day Your Highness wishes to see the scenery beyond the mountains and passes by Qifeng Ridge, please be sure to grace us with your presence and allow me to fulfill my duties as a host."
Jiang Yuechu looked at the refined Young Master from a noble family before her.
Although this man had initially come with an agenda,
one should judge by actions, not intentions.
During this period, the Lu Clan had indeed contributed a great deal of effort.
She accepted this favor.
The young girl stood up and, in a rare gesture, returned the salute.
Though her expression remained cold, her tone held a bit more sincerity.
"Very well."
"If there is an opportunity, I will certainly come to visit."
"Take care."
"Take care!"
...After seeing off Lu Changfeng,
tranquility returned to the inner palace of the Imperial City.
Jiang Yuechu stood before the steps, watching the receding light of his flight for a long time.
Once the last wisp of dust had settled,
she withdrew her gaze and turned to walk toward a certain place.
Since the matter of the incense was finished and the Golden Body was in place, the Great Tang's side had completely stabilized its position.
It was time to attend to serious business.
She arrived at the small courtyard.
Zhou Xuan was sitting at a table, holding several Storage Pouches with a furrowed brow, seemingly sorting through them.
Hearing the sound of footsteps,
he looked up and, seeing it was Jiang Yuechu, hurriedly put down his work and stood up to salute.
"Your Highness."
Jiang Yuechu nodded slightly, found a chair to sit in, and did not beat around the bush.
"Pack up; we are leaving."
As soon as these words were spoken,
Zhou Xuan's whole body trembled, and he asked somewhat hesitantly, "To Spirit Mountain?"
"Yes."
A simple, single word.
Yet it left Zhou Xuan in a bit of a daze.
He had thought that after experiencing such earth-shattering events—establishing temples and molding a Golden Body—
this Grand Princess would at least need to rest for ten days or half a month.
Even... if she delayed for another year or so, he could wait.
After all, that was Spirit Mountain.
He had already waited so many years anyway... why be fixated on these few days.
Jiang Yuechu glanced at him, her expression indifferent.
"The business is done, so why stay? Let's go and return quickly, lest long delays invite trouble."
Zhou Xuan took a deep breath, suppressing the surging agitation in his heart.
"Thank you, Your Highness!"
Jiang Yuechu waved her hand, signaling that there was no need for formalities.
"Enough, don't bother with these empty gestures."
"How is the sorting of the items I asked you to organize?"
Zhou Xuan straightened his back and hurriedly presented seven or eight Storage Pouches respectfully.
"Reporting to Your Highness, everything has been organized properly."
These Storage Pouches were all obtained by Jiang Yuechu a few days ago above Chang'an, after slaying those dozen or so Ascending the Tower Immortal Masters.
Killing and looting brings great wealth.
These Dao Lineage Immortal Masters each possessed a substantial fortune.
Since Jiang Yuechu didn't understand what those things were, she had thrown them all to Zhou Xuan to help sort them out.
Zhou Xuan pointed at the Storage Pouches and explained them one by one.
"These three pouches contain Medicinal Pills; I have attached labels here. Red labels are for healing, blue labels are for recovering True Qi, and as for the white labels... they are mostly miscellaneous pills for advancing cultivation."
"These two pouches contain Heaven And Earth Treasures; some are Ores for Artifact Refining, and some are Materials for arrays. My eyes are clumsy and I couldn't identify all of them, but I have categorized them roughly."
"As for the rest..."
Zhou Xuan pointed at the last few pouches.
"They are all Magic Treasures, weapons, and some personal miscellaneous items; they are all inside."
He was quite efficient.
Jiang Yuechu nodded and, with a wave of her sleeve, collected all the Storage Pouches.
Just as she was about to stand up,
she saw Zhou Xuan carefully take out a brocade box from his robes.
The box wasn't large and looked to be quite old.
But it had been wiped clean without a speck of dust.
"Your Highness."
Zhou Xuan held the brocade box in both hands and presented it to Jiang Yuechu.
"This is what I promised you previously."
Jiang Yuechu raised an eyebrow.
She reached out and took the box.
With a soft "click,"
the lid popped open.
Inside the box lay a pair of gauntlets.
The texture was clear and translucent, simple and pure white.
The entire piece had a warm orange-yellow hue.
It looked like a ripe persimmon hanging on a branch in late autumn,
or like the gentlest glow of the horizon when the sun sets in the west.
"This item is named—Grasp of Clear Autumn."
Zhou Xuan explained softly from the side.
"I obtained it by chance. While it might not be a top-tier Magic Treasure, it is a rare High Grade Magic Treasure."
"Its texture is exceptionally tough, impervious to water and fire, and it can isolate most of the shock from impact."
"The most wonderful part is..."
Zhou Xuan paused, a flash of pride in his eyes.
"It contains a complete Yin Mountain Inner Scenery. Every time it is used, it can be imbued with fire poison, making it impossible to guard against."
Jiang Yuechu reached out and took them out.
They were warm to the touch and light as if they were weightless.
She tried putting them on her hands.
The size was actually perfect, fitting so closely that it felt as if these hands were meant to have this layer of skin.
"Not bad."
Jiang Yuechu nodded, a flash of satisfaction in her eyes.
She was someone who usually preferred to let her fists do the talking.
With this thing,
she could save herself quite a bit of trouble in the future.
In any case, she now had many things for tempering her Physical Body.
There was no rush to integrate them into her body.
"Only..."
Jiang Yuechu suddenly looked at Zhou Xuan: "The person hasn't been rescued yet, and you're giving the reward already?"
"Aren't you afraid I'll take the item and not do the job?"
Hearing this, Zhou Xuan shook his head and laughed: "Your Highness must be joking."
He looked up, his gaze burning as he looked at the Girl in Black Robes before him.
What surfaced in his mind was that figure above Chang'an that day, bathed in divine light and worshipped by ten thousand people.
It was the dominance of that punch shattering the celestial gods across the sky.
It was the heroic spirit of that hand covering the sky to protect a nation.
With the heaven-defying methods this Highness had displayed,
a mere Spirit Mountain... if they were sensible, then so be it.
If they were not sensible,
Zhou Xuan sneered inwardly.
then this Spirit Mountain would likely be leveled to the ground.
Giving this thing now versus waiting until the person was rescued to give it—
Zhou Xuan understood the nuance involved clearly.
Jiang Yuechu gave him a deep look.
She put away the gauntlets.
She turned and walked outside.
"Let's go."
"To Spirit Mountain."