The Preciousness of Demon Beast Flesh

She nodded, her tone calm. "Much obliged."

Li Fu repeatedly said he dared not, then trotted ahead, took out the key, and pushed open the courtyard gate.

"My lady, please."

The courtyard was not large, but it was clean and tidy.

There were three main rooms, one eastern and one western side room, a well in the yard, and several clumps of emerald bamboo. It was quite elegant.

"Is my lady satisfied?"

Jiang Yuechu swept her gaze over it. This place was countless times better than the barracks—how could she possibly be dissatisfied?

"Mm."

She nodded, indicating that it would do.

Seeing this, the smile on Li Fu's face grew even broader. He went on and on, introducing every facility in the courtyard, as well as where in the city it was convenient to buy things and where the food was delicious.

Jiang Yuechu grew somewhat impatient. She waved a hand and cut him off. "All right, you may leave first."

Li Fu knew his place. He immediately handed over the keys, bowed, and withdrew.

After he left, Jiang Yuechu walked into the courtyard and took a deep breath.

This would be her home.

For the first time in this foreign world, she had a place of her own to settle down.

Though this place had come to her through twists and turns, and with a fair amount of bloodshed.

But so what?

She looked around.

"With such a big house, shouldn't I hire a few maids or servants to help take care of it...?"

No, no, no.

She fiercely shook her little head.

Jiang Yuechu, Jiang Yuechu, how could you fall so low?

You were merely an insignificant Eighth-Rank Squad Commander, and you were already thinking of having people wait on you?

Besides, even if she wanted to, she could not afford it.

She only earned ten taels a month. In the Great Tang Dynasty, ten taels of silver might be enough to let an ordinary family of three live free from hunger and cold for half a year.

If they scrimped and saved, they could barely stretch it through a full year.

But for Jiang Yuechu, it was merely a drop in the bucket.

They said the poor pursued literature while the rich pursued martial arts.

But in truth, studying cost money, and practicing martial arts cost even more.

For children of poor families, having enough to eat and wear was already a luxury. Where would they find spare money to buy herbs that nourished qi and blood, or hire a martial instructor?

Even the most rudimentary fighting forms required ten years or more of bitter training before one could truly enter the hall.

Meanwhile, children of aristocratic families had fine teachers from childhood, rare delicacies to nourish them, medicinal baths to temper their bodies, and bones and sinews naturally far superior to those of ordinary people.

How could the cost of all that be merely a thousand gold?

The Hundred Demons Register was certainly heaven-defying, allowing her to cross decades of ordinary people's bitter cultivation in a short span of time.

Yet this golden finger was not omnipotent.

Just the daily consumption alone was already a problem. Now that she had entered the Bone-Chiming Realm, her body's demand for energy had reached an astonishing level.

That meant that merely feeding herself in the future would consume most of her wages.

What?

You asked how she had dealt with it before?

Naturally, she had shamelessly gone to freeload meals off Wei Qing.

But now that she had at least risen to Eighth-Rank Squad Commander, how could she still have the nerve to go?

At that thought, she instantly abandoned the idea of using her salary to enjoy herself.

Maids, servants, an elegant life—all were nothing but flowers in the mirror and moonlight in the water.

She took a deep breath and cast aside those messy thoughts.

She decided to go out and shop first.

After all, she would be living alone from now on.

She had to prepare everything she ate and used herself.

Outside Demon-Calming Ward in the eastern part of Liangzhou City lay the marketplace.

Jiang Yuechu first went to a cloth shop and had two sets of casual clothes tailored, then found a tailor to order two sets of fitted martial attire.

After buying all her daily necessities, she found a rice shop and purchased five shi of premium rice.

The Demon Suppression Office's promotion money did not include monthly rice and meat, so she would have to cover these days' expenses herself first.

With the rice bought, next came the meat.

A martial artist's diet was vastly different from that of an ordinary person.

Common pork and mutton were not only difficult to eat one's fill of, but were also a drop in the bucket when it came to advancing one's cultivation.

Wealthy martial artists usually bought the flesh and blood of demon beasts.

Demon beasts were not demons. They were rare and exotic creatures carrying a trace of demonic bloodline.

The Demon Suppression Office's Scarlet-eyed Steeds were one such kind.

To martial artists, demon beast flesh was a great tonic.

Jiang Yuechu reckoned that now that she was in the Bone-Chiming Realm, ordinary flesh and blood would likely no longer satisfy her needs.

Since she was shopping anyway, she might as well take a look at this so-called demon beast flesh.

After asking around, she headed toward the largest butcher shop in the city.

"What? You're selling this tiny bit of meat for fifty taels?! Why don't you just rob people!!!"

The butcher was a broad-shouldered, thick-waisted man, yet Jiang Yuechu's roar made him shrink his neck, his face full of grievance.

He glanced at Jiang Yuechu's Demon Suppression Office uniform. In the end, he did not dare say much, only explaining in a low voice, "My lady... demon beast meat has always cost this much these past years. Ordinary hunters simply don't dare touch it. Only some people of the martial world specifically hunt demon beasts..."

Jiang Yuechu took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the fury in her heart.

Damn it!

Fifty taels of silver for such a tiny piece of meat?

Even robbery was not this fast!

She now earned ten taels a month. Buying a single piece of meat would cost five months of wages—who could bear that?

She grumbled inwardly, but her expression remained unmoved.

Though demon beast meat was good, her pockets were empty at the moment, so she could only settle for the next best thing.

Depressed or not, what else could she do if she could not afford it?

It was not like she could really rob someone.

That was the conduct of bandits. She, Jiang Yuechu, was at least an officially appointed Eighth-Rank Squad Commander.

"Forget it. Cut me five jin of beef shank, and give me two fat chickens as well."

She pointed at the ordinary livestock meat on the chopping block, her tone carrying a trace of reluctance.

The butcher let out a breath of relief and swiftly cut and bundled the meat.

Jiang Yuechu pulled out her purse and was about to pay when a steady voice suddenly sounded beside her.

"Wrap up that meat. I'll pay for her."

Jiang Yuechu froze and turned toward the newcomer.

He wore black casual clothes, stood tall and straight, and had deep features, as steady as a mountain.

Who else could it be but Wei He?

Her heart skipped a beat.

There was nothing more awkward in the world than running into your superior while out shopping.

"Lord Wei... why are you here?"

"I merely happened to be passing by."

Jiang Yuechu hurriedly waved her hands. "No, no, how can I let you spend money on me...?"

Wei He shook his head, his gaze falling on the few jin of ordinary meat in her hands. "This bit of money is but one hair from nine oxen to me. You have now entered Bone-Chiming, precisely when you need to nourish your qi and blood. This ordinary meat is merely a drop in the bucket for you. Do not pinch pennies over such worldly possessions and delay your cultivation."

"..."

Jiang Yuechu was somewhat astonished.

She had never told anyone that she had entered Bone-Chiming.

Even Xu Changfeng had not said anything at the time.

Wait...

Perhaps he had already known, but simply could not be bothered to mention it.

"Thank you, my lord."

She clasped her fists in thanks, her tone becoming several degrees more sincere.

What else could she say?

She could hardly argue with her immediate superior in front of the butcher, could she?

Would that not make her seem petty while also embarrassing her leader?

She silently sighed, but warmth could not help rising in her heart.

Wei He merely gave a faint "Mm" and said nothing more. He casually took out silver from his robes and paid.

The butcher accepted the silver and repeatedly thanked him, quickly packing up the meat Jiang Yuechu wanted.

Only after seeing her accept it did a trace of satisfaction appear on Wei He's face.

He did not linger. After giving her a few instructions, he hurriedly left again.

As though he truly had only happened to pass by.

Watching Wei He's back vanish around the street corner, Jiang Yuechu held the meat in her hands, her heart filled with a hundred tangled feelings.

What exactly did he seek by looking after her so well...?

Forget it.

A drop of kindness should be repaid with a gushing spring.

No matter what his purpose was, she would remember this goodwill.