Precious Meat

"Ouch!"

A scrawny little Laborer was violently kicked out of the kitchen. Then Fatty Wang's corpulent body waddled out, his face twisted with savage ferocity.

"Get the hell out! If any one of you can't keep your eyes in their sockets, I'll carve them out with a knife!"

The little Laborer knelt on the ground and hurriedly begged for mercy, kowtowing and clasping his hands in supplication.

But Fatty Wang ignored him. The moment he saw Xu Yuan in green clothes, his face immediately changed into a smile. He hurried forward and said, "Oh, a martial master has graced us with his presence. This little one failed to welcome you from afar. What instructions do you have?"

The other Laborers at work also looked over, their eyes filled with curiosity and reverence. They had never seen this martial master before.

"I used to be a Laborer here too. I came back for a look," Xu Yuan said calmly, glancing at him.

"Ho! So a hidden dragon has emerged from the abyss and returned home in glory. Isn't this a flood washing into the Dragon King's temple?" Fatty Wang looked delighted, showering him with praise, though a trace of bewilderment flashed through his eyes.

This person had become a Second Pattern Household Guard at such a young age. His aptitude was clearly exceptional, and he had even come from this very place... But why did Fatty Wang have no impression of him at all?

If Wang Huan had come over now, Fatty Wang might have recognized him. But Xu Yuan had kept an extremely low profile back then, and there had been so many Laborers rotating through that it was truly difficult to distinguish them all.

"It's nearly noon now. Would you like to have a simple meal here?" he asked cautiously.

"No need. I'm waiting for Martial Master Feng here." As soon as Xu Yuan finished speaking, a loud voice suddenly came from the distant gate.

"Has Xu Yuan arrived?"

Feng Xiao had been preparing to come eat when he spotted the rather conspicuous Xu Yuan. Xu Yuan now wore a set of green clothes, his posture upright and straight, unable to conceal his lofty and imposing bearing.

With a sigh in his heart, Feng Xiao smiled and mildly complained, "You could've let me know earlier. Why wait until now?"

Seeing how familiar the two were with each other, Fatty Wang offered an apology and tactfully left.

"I just happened to have some free time, so I came by for a look," Xu Yuan said with a smile.

Once they met, Feng Xiao first asked about the assessment results. Then he noticed the food and wine Xu Yuan carried in his hands. Feeling both gratified and reproachful, he led Xu Yuan toward his residence as he spoke.

"You just broke through, and your monthly stipend probably hasn't been paid yet, right? We could've simply eaten over there. Why spend so much?"

He said this because he genuinely considered others. If it were someone else, they would surely have wanted the grander the display, the more face they would gain.

Feng Xiao's room was rather plain. The space inside was small; aside from a bed, there was only a small table and a chest cabinet. There were not many belongings, but everything was kept neat and tidy.

Xu Yuan set down the food and wine, laying them out one by one. When the last food box was opened, a strange fragrance rushed into their faces.

"This is... Precious Meat?" Feng Xiao asked in surprise.

"That's right. Master Feng has sharp eyes."

This was one of the changes in Xu Yuan's meals after advancing to the Second Meridian: aside from free meals, he could also use the internal price of two qian of silver to purchase a limited one jin of Precious Meat.

Ordinary pork and mutton currently fluctuated around only a dozen or twenty copper coins.

The price of one jin of Precious Meat could buy more than a dozen jin of other kinds of meat.

After registering, Xu Yuan went to the Pill Hall to buy the Precious Meat. He then took it to a restaurant outside and paid them to cook it. Together with the other food and wine, he finally brought it all over.

Hearing this, Feng Xiao gave Xu Yuan a complicated look, deeply gratified. Then he picked up his chopsticks, took a slice of Precious Meat, and placed it in Xu Yuan's bowl.

"This is good stuff. It can build up qi and blood, strengthen the bones, and reinforce the tendons. But it's somewhat wasteful for you to give it to me... I've been stuck at the bottleneck of the Second Meridian for years. No matter how much my qi and blood grow, it's useless."

"Whether it works or not, it's still good to satisfy one's appetite. I heard this Precious Meat is famously tender and delicious."

As Xu Yuan spoke, he also placed a slice in Feng Xiao's bowl. Then he put the meat from his own bowl into his mouth and chewed. The meat had no gamey taste at all and was exceptionally soft and glutinous. With a mere press of his tongue, it completely melted away.

The restaurant clearly often handled Precious Meat for customers. Their technique was highly practiced, and the flavor was excellent.

After swallowing it, Xu Yuan felt a warmth spread through his body. It was warm without being dry, incomparably comfortable, like drinking sweet dew after a drought.

"How is it? The taste isn't bad, right? The effects of this Precious Meat are even a little better than Blood Activating Pills. During the time you eat it, the speed at which you temper your qi and blood will increase quite a bit."

Seeing the strange look on Xu Yuan's face, Feng Xiao said with a chuckle.

"However, this thing is difficult to obtain and is rather scarce throughout the entire Shangyang Family, so Second Meridian martial artists can only buy a limited amount."

Xu Yuan secretly circulated his qi and blood and indeed found the effects remarkable. His eyes could not help lighting up. "It truly is good stuff!"

He immediately asked, "By the way, Master Feng, where does this Precious Meat come from?"

"What, you're tempted?"

Feng Xiao smiled and glanced at him before explaining, "But I really do know a little about this Precious Meat."

"The name Precious Meat sounds frightening, but it's actually nothing extraordinary. It's simply the meat of those Spirit Beasts."

"They are different from us martial artists. They grow through the natural endowment of their bones, feeding on precious mountain herbs and spiritual springs. Over time, they develop spiritual intelligence, which is why they are called Spirit Beasts."

"Based on the shade of their skin, they are divided in strength from First Transformation to Ninth Transformation, corresponding to the Nine Realms of Meridian Opening for martial artists."

He gave a brief introduction to Spirit Beasts, then sighed. "Speaking of these Spirit Beasts, every part of them is treasure. Their hides can be made into armor, providing defense and weakening force. As for the effects of their meat, you already know—it enhances qi and blood and strengthens the physique."

"I've heard there are even higher-level Spirit Beasts, but those are beyond what people like us can know."

Xu Yuan listened with great interest. This world truly was not simple; it actually possessed so many rare treasures and strange beasts.

"Back to business." Feng Xiao coughed twice and raised his cup for a sip of strong liquor.

"The day after tomorrow, you'll be choosing an assignment. Spirit Beasts aren't hard to encounter either. If you go guard medicinal fields, you'll run into them from time to time. They're quite a headache..."

"Besides that, there are other assignments."

Hearing this, Xu Yuan perked up. He picked up his wine cup and clinked it against Feng Xiao's. "Please continue, Master Feng."

Feng Xiao drained another cup, a faintly tipsy look appearing on his face. "Our Shangyang Family has developed rapidly over the past few years, basically taking in the businesses and land across more than half the prefectural city. What remains in the northwest belongs to the long-established Bai Family."

"Our current assignment range is roughly in the eastern part of the prefectural city. Based on how deeply an area borders the Bai Family, it is divided into Level One through Level Four regions."

"The deepest section is the Level One region, behind the Shangyang Family estate. It has been operated for a long time, with rich profits and a safe location, but don't even think about it without connections."

Xu Yuan found this perfectly normal.

After the Shangyang Family had operated for so many years, they would certainly place their elderly, children, women, and other dependents in this rear area. Those moving through it would all be people tied by kinship and old ties; ordinary people would definitely find it hard to enter.