011Lightning fast，Dayun Motorcycle

"Alchemizing gold from stone and keeping a maiden in a golden chamber are out of the question now." Disappointed as she was, Shen Tang dared not risk her life for it. 

As time ticked away, the ink-blue clouds were tinged with a faint halo of red-orange light, until the night gave way to dawn. When a mischievous sunbeam kissed his eyelids, Qishan woke from his slumber. 

Glancing at the sun, he rubbed his right eye sleepily and murmured, "How is it already dawn?" Shen Tang replied, "It's not early at this hour." 

Qishan looked over to see Shen Tang sitting by the campfire roasting something. "You didn't sleep all night?" The coarse linen prisoner's uniform clung damply to his skin, devoid of the creases of a restful sleep. 

Without lifting her head, Shen Tang replied, "No, too much happened yesterday; I couldn't sleep at all. Would you like to taste my cooking, Master Qishan?" With that, she offered the twig in her hand to Qishan.

Qishan finally saw what Shen Tang was roasting in her hand. Three flatbreads, each about the size of an adult's palm, were skewered on the twig. They were toasted to a golden brown on both sides, silently emanating an enticing aroma of food. In the wilderness, where could these breads have come from? No need to guess; he knew. Without much ado, he thanked Shen Tang. 

Qishan was a meticulous person; before having breakfast, he had a "preparation routine." He moistened a cloth with the clear water from his water pouch, wiping away the remnants of drowsiness from his face. Then, he took out a wooden toothpick from his bag, sprinkling it with a little mint-green powder, and used the remaining water from his water pouch to rinse his mouth. Only after completing his cleaning ritual did he pick up the freshly roasted bread. 

"Hmm? Why is it sweet?" Although the sweetness was not strong, it was still discernible beneath the crispy charred exterior. Shen Tang unveiled the mystery, "The sweetness of a treasured dish is as rare as gold, sought after but seldom found."

Qishan's expression immediately became indescribable upon hearing this, and even the bread in his mouth lost its flavor. He sighed helplessly, "The phrase 'the cauldron and the pot are as sweet as syrup' comes from the Zhengqi Song and belongs to the category of morale-boosting incantations, with extremely high demands on the cultivation of the Mind. Are you implying that you have no qualms with these incantations? Regardless of their effects, as long as they can be eaten in Shen Langjun's hands? How can I face 'the cauldron and the pot are as sweet as syrup' in the future?"

"Regardless of what incantation it is, in my opinion, only those that can fill my stomach are useful incantations." Shen Tang blew gently on the steaming hot bread and cautiously took a small bite. As the aroma of the food spread in her mouth, she felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction, as if her happiness had reached its peak. "The syrup on the bread isn't just from 'the cauldron and the pot are as sweet as syrup'. I found that this incantation consumes a lot of Mind, so I abandoned it..."

Qishan remained silent. So, she harmed other incantations just for a piece of syrup? "Which one did you choose then?" Shen Tang calmly extended her right hand and said, "周原膴膴, 堇荼如饴." A thumb-sized piece of syrup appeared.

Qishan suddenly frowned, "This incantation..."

Shen Tang tossed the syrup into her mouth and chewed, her eyes squinting with satisfaction, "What's wrong with this incantation?"

"No one has ever used it before," Qishan replied.

"...Huh?" Shen Tang was taken aback.

"All the incantations we use now are derived from those national seals, or rather, from that thief star. The incantations recorded on it are vast and numerous, beyond measure. Over the two hundred years since the appearance of the thief star, more and more incantations have been used by talented individuals, but compared to the incantations that cannot be used, they are still just the tip of the iceberg. This phrase, 'Zhouyuan is fragrant, and jinshu is sweet,' was just something I happened to transcribe..." He found it interesting and jotted it down.

Shen Tang remained silent. Qishan asked her, "How effective is this incantation?" Just to produce a piece of syrup? Shen Tang countered with a question, "Didn't you see it, Mr. Qishan?"

Her gaze was too candid and clear, like a spring so pure it could see to the bottom. Qishan couldn't determine if she was hiding something, but he was certain she wasn't as innocent as she appeared.

Without further conversation, the two quietly ate their breakfast, consuming all the roasted cakes until they were full and satisfied, then proceeded to extinguish the campfire. Packing up their belongings, they prepared to hit the road. Since Shen Tang's coarse linen prisoner's garment was too conspicuous, Qishan contributed a clean old garment.

While Shen Tang changed her clothes, he inadvertently stepped on a patch of relatively soft soil. "Huh?" Squatting down and pushing aside the wild grass, he examined it closely. His fingers picked up a handful of loose, moist soil, realizing that it was completely different from the barren sand that could be kicked up three steps away.

With a thought occurring to him, he swiftly drew his waist sword and thrust it into the ground. As the blade penetrated the soil, initially soft and yielding, he encountered some resistance as it reached about six inches deep, the blade being enveloped by something sticky. He then withdrew the long sword from the earth. The mud clinging to the blade accurately reflected the situation.

Qishan pondered as he flicked the mud off the sword blade, murmuring, "Zhouyuan's fertile land, where even bitter herbs taste as sweet as syrup..." The essence of this incantation lies in the "syrup" or in the lushness of "Zhouyuan"?

Lowering his eyelids to wipe the blade clean and sheathing his sword as if nothing had happened, Qishan rose to his feet. He casually rubbed the piece of soil with his clogs, concealing the sword marks. After a while, Shen Tang emerged from the dense forest. The clothing of an adult man was too large for the eleven or twelve-year-old boy; she had to use a long strap to gather the sleeves at her wrists, transforming the wide sleeves into narrow ones. Then she lifted the excessively long hem to ankle height, securing it with a waistband. With her handsome face, somewhat feminine yet exuding a hint of wildness, she carried a charm reminiscent of a dashing youth.

Qishan called out, "Shen Langjun, let's go, keep up." Shen Tang trotted a few steps, replying, "Sir, I'm coming."

As the sun rose higher in the sky, the scorching heat became more intense. Shen Tang wiped away her sweat with her sleeve and asked, "Sir, don't you have any incantations to conjure up a tall horse here? Last night, that 'third-rank pin and silk' could turn into all sorts of weapons and even a tall horse, which would make traveling much easier." Qishan asked her indifferently, "Does Shen Langjun have martial courage?" Shen Tang shook her head. "Um... no..."

"Because there's no martial courage, there's no horse," Qishan stated matter-of-factly, delivering what seemed like a death sentence to Shen Tang. She felt as if her literary talent was being looked down upon!

"Why not? Aren't literary talent and martial courage equal? Can't this kind of incantation be shared?" she almost felt as if her literary talent was being belittled. She looked down at her two thin legs, feeling speechless. Despite the simple treatment of the wounds on her feet and wearing the soft grass shoes borrowed from Qishan, the road was rugged, and relying on her two legs to reach the nearest village, she didn't know when she would get there.

Qishan glanced at Shen Tang, who seemed to be in a daze, and couldn't help but chuckle silently.

"Such incantations are unnecessary to share."

"Why would they be unnecessary?" In ancient times, what was a tall horse equivalent to? It was equivalent to a luxury sports car! "Generally speaking, literati with literary talent would travel with carriages and horses, so why bother with self-reliance like those uncouth fellows?" Shen Tang replied with silence.

As they walked further, Qishan faintly heard Shen Langjun murmuring weakly behind him. "风驰电掣—" He was about to be surprised by Shen Langjun's extraordinary insight, even mastering advanced incantations like this one, which enhanced the marching speed of the army. Little did he know that her next words were, "大运摩托!" (Dayun Motorcycle)

Qishan: "???"