The next moment.
His palm fell onto the Pill Furnace.
The Yangyan True Fire erupted again, and the furnace fire was rekindled.
The Pill Furnace was originally for alchemy, but now he used it directly to roast these two Demon Beast legs.
In the Pill Furnace, he wasnāt worried about uneven roasting, as even heating was a trait of the Pill Furnace.
Not to mention he had already made cuts in advance.
In just a moment, the furnace emitted a "sizzling" sound, and the enticing aroma of roasted meat quickly filled the entire pill room.
Ji Mingyue was awakened by the fragrance, rubbed her sleepy eyes, and looked at Jiang Ning: "It smells so good..."
Gurgleāā
At this time, a growling hunger echoed from her stomach as well.
Looking at Ji Mingyue, Jiang Ning couldnāt help but smile.
"You woke up just in time, the meat should be almost done!"
At this moment, the Immortal Crane also raised its head, stretched its neck, and curiously looked at the Pill Furnace.
Then it let out a series of low chirps.
In just a moment, feeling the rich aroma of the meat, Jiang Ning swept his mind over it and immediately opened the Pill Furnace.
With a lift of his hand, two Demon Beast legs rose from the furnace and landed in front of him.
The two Demon Beast legs were golden brown, crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, with full oil, occasionally sizzling, and with oil dripping down.
"Can we eat now?" Ji Mingyue immediately swallowed her saliva, staring intently at the two Demon Beast legs in front of her.
"Wait!"
Jiang Ning spoke.
Then he raised his hand, and the seasonings he had prepared earlier appeared.
After buying Jiezhi Leaf earlier, he stocked up on things he might need due to the ample space.
This included seasonings and salt.
Yet, for the entire year, he never got to use them.
"Good thing I prepared!" He nodded in satisfaction as he looked at the seasonings and salt in his hand.
Then he evenly sprinkled the seasonings and salt onto the Demon Beast legs.
"Can we eat now?" Ji Mingyue asked again, holding her stomach, completely awake yet only filled with longing.
All of yesterday until now, she hadnāt eaten a thing.
Her stomach was already so empty it felt like her chest was sticking to her back.
Now, facing this tempting aroma, she could no longer resist.
"Just a little longer!" he said with a smile, looking at Ji Mingyueās expression.
Then he raised his hand, and with a thought, the Yangyan True Fire erupted once more.
Using his Heart Spirit, he controlled the two Demon Beast legs to quickly rotate over the Yangyan True Fire, ensuring they were evenly heated.
The sizzling of oil quickly allowed the seasonings and salt to infuse into the meat.
Subsequently, the aroma of the Demon Beast legs grew even richer.
Jiang Ning used True Yuan as a blade to slice off a palm-sized piece of meat and handed it to Ji Mingyue.
"Try it, be careful itās hot!"
Ji Mingyue had already been unable to contain herself.
She took the Demon Beast meat handed over by Jiang Ning, blew on it, and took a small bite. Her eyes lit up immediately: "Delicious! Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, with a unique fragrant aroma! It also has the warmth of sunlight on your skin."
Watching Ji Mingyue close her eyes in delight, Jiang Ning also tore off a piece of meat.
The exterior crunches with a crisp sound, while the inside is incredibly tender, oil mixing with lean meat and exploding on the palate.
Juices flow into the belly like streams of warmth, making the whole body feel warm.
His eyes immediately lit up: "Truly deserving of Demon Beast meat, even simple roasting turns out such flavorful delight, and more importantly, it contains Blood Qi, which is extremely nourishing for a Martial Artist!"
Ji Mingyue nodded repeatedly, expressing her agreement.
Her mouth, however, was too busy to speak, enjoying the delicacy with abandon.
Jiang Ning swallowed the piece he had just torn off in just a few bites.
He then placed the Demon Beast leg in his hand properly. Next, he took the other Demon Beast leg, walked to the door of the pill room, and opened the door.
Outside, the sky was already light, the cold wind still fierce, and the four guards stood tall and straight, but at the scent of roasted meat, they couldnāt help but swallow involuntarily.
"Greetings, Marquis!"
"Greetings, Marquis!"
"..."
The four, upon seeing Jiang Ningās appearance, once again paid respects to him.
This time, though, their gazes involuntarily fell on the Demon Beast leg Jiang Ning held, unlike before.
Noticing this scene, Jiang Ning couldnāt help but chuckle.
"Youāve worked hard last night. Share this leg among yourselves to warm up." He handed the demon beast leg he was holding over.
The four guards were stunned, then gratefully received it, repeatedly saying, "Thank you, Marquis! Thank you, Marquis!"
They suddenly realized that one of those legs earlier was actually prepared for them.
One of them, quick-witted, drew his knife and divided the demon beast leg into four parts.
Jiang Ning watched this scene, nodded quietly, and then turned back to the pill room.
At the door.
The four of them started devouring the demon beast leg ravenously.
Martial artists naturally have a big appetite.
They hadnāt eaten anything last night and had been on duty all night; they were already famished and now had strong appetites.
Back in the pill room, Ji Mingyue, with oil staining the corners of her mouth, had already started eating. The Immortal Crane also awoke at this time, pecking nearby.
Ji Mingyue tore a few pieces of meat from her hand and fed them to the crane, which chewed slowly and occasionally let out a satisfied hum.
Jiang Ning joined in, and the two of them with the Immortal Crane quietly enjoyed the feast in front of them, savoring the rare peace.
...
After a long time.
A demon beast leg weighing several dozen pounds was devoured entirely by the two and one crane.
More than half of it ended up in Jiang Ningās stomach.
"Itās strange, you ate so much, but your stomach didnāt make a sound!" Ji Mingyue reached out to pinch Jiang Ningās belly, then rubbed her own: "I ate just a little, and my stomach is round like Iām pregnant!"
Hearing this, Jiang Ning couldnāt help but smile.
He also reached to rub Ji Mingyueās belly.
"It does look a bit pregnant."
"You rascal..."
The pill room filled with the girlās laughter.
...
A moment later.
The two sat on the floor, enjoying the residual warmth of the stove.
The morning light outside grew brighter, filtering through the window paper onto the ground.
At Jiang Ningās gesture, Ji Mingyue licked the oil from the corners of her mouth.
"Are we going back to the city now?"
Jiang Ning nodded: "The Cross Immortal Gate is settled; itās time to return."
With those words, he stood up.
Seeing this, Ji Mingyue also stood up.
They pushed open the door, and the four guards outside had already switched shifts.
The new guards respectfully saluted: "Marquis, Marquis Shen just sent a message, heās now waiting for you in the main hall."
Jiang Ning nodded. Then the two of them and the Immortal Crane headed in the direction of the main hall.
...
In the main hall.
Shen Wenyan was calmly sipping tea, next to him were Zhuge Qingsong, Ye Zhengqi, and Master Yun Yin.
Seeing Jiang Ning enter, Shen Wenyan quickly stood to greet him.
Zhuge Qingsong and Ye Zhengqi followed closely.
"Did you rest well last night, Brother Jiang?" Shen Wenyan asked.
"Well enough." Jiang Ning nodded: "How are things with the Cross Immortal Gate?"
Shen Wenyan handed over a roster: "The core disciples and elders are all registered. Some have been escorted to Guangning City and will be dealt with according to the law. Those imprisoned in the dungeon have also been released and given silver coins. The outer industries of the Cross Immortal Gate are being inventoried, and a preliminary clearance should be done in three days."
Jiang Ning took the roster and glanced at it, then asked, "Did the Flying Immortal Sect make any moves last night?"
Master Yun Yin bowed and said, "Reporting to the Marquis, as per Marquis Shenās instructions, Iāve obtained the Heaven-Reaching Incense. But from last night until now, thereās been no response from the Flying Immortal Sect."
"As expected." Jiang Ning returned the roster: "With the Martial Saintās power displayed, they wouldnāt dare act rashly in the short term."
Shen Wenyan nodded: "Exactly. But Brother Jiang, although the Cross Immortal Gate is pacified, the Flying Immortal Sect wonāt give up easily. They retreat today because of the Martial Saintās might. Once the Martial Saint..."
He didnāt finish, but Jiang Ning understood his implication.
"I understand!" he nodded calmly.
Then he looked at Master Yun Yin: "Cross Immortal Gate disciples, those of Seventh Grade and above, willing to submit can temporarily join under me, led by Jing Wuming, to make amends through contributions. Those who resist stubbornly will be dealt with according to the law."
"I understand." Master Yun Yin nodded repeatedly: "I will fully cooperate."
"If thatās the case, Iāll leave the rest to Mr. Shen." Jiang Ning cupped his hands: "I intend to return to Linyuan City first."
Shen Wenyan said solemnly: "Rest assured, Brother Jiang. I will account for the warehouseās silver and resources in detail and report everything to you. Not a single thing that belongs to you will be embezzled!"
"I trust Mr. Shenās integrity! Jiang Ning smiled and then said, "Thereās one more thing I need to clarify with Mr. Shen: the pills in the pill room were all consumed by me last night without detailed inventory!"
"They were your spoils of war, no need to explain to me!" Shen Wenyan shook his head.