Exotic Beasts

The rumble of the carriage wheels gradually faded away. Liu Maolin watched the dust rise in the distance, then turned to Yang Jing. "Junior Brother, do you know where Miss Jin Lian comes from?"

Yang Jing shook his head. "I only just met her. How would I know her background?"

Liu Maolin gave a soft grunt, raised a hand to stroke his chin, and said slowly, "Miss Jin Lian comes from the Jin Family of Yuhe County. The Jin Family isn't some great clan. Before Miss Jin Lian rose to prominence, the family only had a single Bright Strength martial artist and could hardly be considered anything in Yuhe County."

Yang Jing had not been especially interested in Miss Jin Lian to begin with. Though she was beautiful, her looks no less striking than Senior Sister Ningxiang's, she was already married—a wife—and would have nothing to do with him. Naturally, there was nothing for him to be interested in.

But as he listened to Liu Maolin recount her story, Yang Jing truly did grow curious. This Miss Jin Lian seemed rather extraordinary.

Liu Maolin glanced at Yang Jing and beckoned. "Come on, let's go inside and sit while we talk."

With that, Liu Maolin led Yang Jing into a room in the medical hall's inner courtyard.

The two sat facing each other across an Eight Immortals table. Tea had been set out upon it, and Liu Maolin deftly poured two cups, placing one before himself and the other before Yang Jing.

"Where was I just now?" Liu Maolin took a sip of tea to wet his throat, only to forget where he had left off.

"You were saying that the Jin Family only had one Bright Strength martial artist," Yang Jing reminded him helplessly.

"Oh, right." Liu Maolin nodded. "The Jin Family is nothing much in Yuhe County, but the Lu Family Miss Jin Lian married into is truly remarkable."

"The Lu Family?" Yang Jing frowned. Though he did not know much about Yuhe County, he still knew some basic facts. "There doesn't seem to be a Lu Family among the six great families, does there?"

In Yang Jing's view, only Yuhe County's six great families deserved to be called remarkable. No matter how wealthy or influential other families might be, it was hard to imagine Liu Maolin, the young master of Liu Family Medical Hall, describing them as "truly remarkable."

Liu Maolin shook his head. "The Lu Family isn't in Yuhe County. They're a major clan of the Prefectural City, even stronger than Yuhe County's six great families."

"A major clan of the Prefectural City?" Yang Jing was taken aback.

Ever since he had transmigrated here, aside from the occasional trip to neighboring counties or the Prefectural City to transport medicinal herbs, he had spent all his time in Yuhe County. Though he had visited Jintai Prefectural City twice, he had returned directly without stopping, so he knew practically nothing about it.

Liu Maolin nodded. "Miss Jin Lian's experiences have been rather turbulent. Although the Lu Family is a major clan in the Prefectural City, their line was not prosperous. There was only one young master in the family—Miss Jin Lian's husband."

"I heard that this young master of the Lu Family had been frail and sickly since childhood. Not long after marrying Miss Jin Lian, he died in a serious illness. Poor Miss Jin Lian became a widow at such a young age."

As Liu Maolin spoke, he even let out a regretful sigh.

Yang Jing's expression could not help turning strange at the sight. His senior brother usually looked so proper and serious—could it be that he harbored other thoughts in private?

Liu Maolin continued, "Not long after the Lu Family's young master died, Lord and Madam Lu reportedly perished in an accident. The entire Lu Family was left with only Miss Jin Lian. Such a vast estate naturally fell into her hands as well."

"This..." Yang Jing clicked his tongue in shock after hearing that.

He had never imagined that the experiences of the Miss Jin Lian he had just met would be so bizarre, with twist after twist—enough to write a whole novel.

Liu Maolin glanced at Yang Jing. "With such a vast foundation, taking over the Lu Family could not have been easy for Miss Jin Lian. Many things must have happened along the way. I don't know the specifics, but her methods are truly extraordinary. The Lu Family's influence has naturally declined from its peak, but relying on the legacy left by their forebears, along with Miss Jin Lian's own skill, the Lu Family's businesses are still doing quite well."

After hearing this, Yang Jing could not help viewing Miss Jin Lian in a new light.

For a major Prefectural City clan like the Lu Family, even if their direct line was sparse, they surely had no shortage of collateral branches and relatives.

Yet after the Lu Family head, his wife, and the young master all died, Miss Jin Lian, a lone woman, had somehow withstood pressure from every side and taken control of the Lu Family's authority. Her methods were indeed anything but ordinary.

"Oh, right, Brother Jing. The Exotic Beast Pavilion is one of the Lu Family's businesses. The Spirit Fish our medical hall gets are supplied by the Exotic Beast Pavilion," Liu Maolin said.

Yang Jing froze. "Senior Brother, is that Exotic Beast Pavilion in the Inner City?"

When Miss Jin Lian had mentioned the Exotic Beast Pavilion earlier, Yang Jing had not thought much of it. But now that Liu Maolin brought it up again, he recalled something. While training at the martial hall, he had once accidentally overheard Zhao Wenzheng and Qi Yun mention the Exotic Beast Pavilion.

Liu Maolin nodded. "That's right, it's in the Inner City. The Exotic Beast Pavilion in Yuhe County is only a branch of the Lu Family's Exotic Beast Pavilion. Its headquarters is in Jintai Prefectural City."

"When you have time, or after the Parade Ground Trial, I'll take you to have a look around the Exotic Beast Pavilion in the Inner City. Miss Jin Lian is quite generous. Since she said you could go have tea at the Exotic Beast Pavilion in the future, perhaps you can even buy exotic beasts there at cost price."

Yang Jing asked, "Senior Brother, the Spirit Fish is so nourishing—is it also an exotic beast? Is Exotic Beast Meat even more nourishing than Fierce Beast Meat?"

Liu Maolin nodded. "Exotic beasts are favored by heaven and earth. Their flesh and blood contain immense energy, and their nourishing effects are far stronger than Fierce Beast Meat. The Spirit Fish you consumed before was merely the most ordinary kind of exotic beast. Any slightly more precious exotic beast costs thousands or even tens of thousands of taels of silver. You can't afford them."

Yang Jing's mouth twitched slightly.

His senior brother was right. Though it hurt his pride somewhat, he truly could not afford them.

With all the expenses after breaking through to Hidden Strength, he only had a little over two hundred taels of silver on him now. Adding the ten taels of gold and fifty-tael silver ingot hidden atop a beam in his old home, his entire fortune did not even amount to four hundred taels.

Even if he went to the Exotic Beast Pavilion now, he could probably only look at most exotic beasts. He could not afford to buy them at all.

As for ordinary Exotic Beast Meat like Spirit Fish, Yang Jing could simply buy it from Liu Family Medical Hall. It was cost price anyway; perhaps buying Spirit Fish at the Exotic Beast Pavilion would even cost considerably more than getting it from the medical hall.

At that thought, Yang Jing secretly sighed that he was still too poor.

If he had enough money, he could eat top-grade Exotic Beast Meat every meal. Wouldn't his cultivation speed soar?

Still, although Yang Jing could not yet eat Exotic Beast Meat at every meal, medicinal supplements combined with Fierce Beast Meat as dietary nourishment were not much less effective than exotic beast Spirit Fish meat.

For the current Yang Jing, that was already quite good.

At that moment, Yang Jing suddenly remembered something. Looking at Liu Maolin, he asked, "By the way, Senior Brother, why do you call Miss Jin Lian 'Miss'? Isn't she already married?"

Yang Jing found it strange that Miss Jin Lian had married into the Lu Family and now held its power, yet people called her "Miss Jin Lian" rather than Madam Lu.

Liu Maolin shook his head. "I don't know about that. Everyone else calls her that too, so I just started calling her that as well."

"I see." Yang Jing nodded slightly.

The two spoke a few more words before Yang Jing rose to take his leave, politely declining Liu Maolin's invitation to stay for a meal.

After leaving Liu Family Medical Hall, he moved swiftly. In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he had returned to the small courtyard in Tongyi Ward with the bundle of medicinal herbs in hand.

The moment Yang Jing stepped through the courtyard gate, he smelled the rich aroma of meat.

Yang Jing had to admit that in the past, when he stewed meat or cooked rice, he had only cared about efficiency and speed, paying almost no attention to flavor. His cousin Yang An, though honest and slow-witted, was instead meticulous and exacting when it came to doing things.

Steam still rose from the kitchen stove. Hearing the movement, Yang An came out of the kitchen. When he saw Yang Jing had returned, a smile appeared on his face. "You're back, Jing. Go wash your hands—I'll serve the food."

"Sure. Your cooking keeps getting better, An." Yang Jing praised him with a smile, then entered the main room, put the medicinal herbs into the medicine chest, washed his hands, and only then came to the dining table.

Yang An had already laid out the meal.

Three large bowls of dishes sat on the table. One held tiger meat stewed until tender and falling apart, its broth rich and fragrant, placed before the chair Yang Jing usually sat in. Another contained horse meat cut into large chunks, gleaming with a soy-braised color. There was also a basin of green vegetable and tofu soup, light and refreshing.

Beside the three large bowls of dishes sat a basin of brown rice, steamed so that every grain was distinct, hot steam rising from the earthenware bowl.

Yang Jing sat down and picked up a piece of tiger meat. The moment it entered his mouth, its rich meaty fragrance spread across his tongue, warmth flowing down his throat.

"An, have some tiger meat?" Seeing that Yang An had only put a few pieces of horse meat into his bowl, Yang Jing asked.

Yang An took a mouthful of rice and chuckled.

"Jing, this horse meat is already fragrant enough. It tastes even better than the pork we had for New Year back home. Tiger meat is too precious—save it for yourself. Training burns through a lot of your strength. Besides..." Yang An scratched his head, looking slightly embarrassed. "I had less than half a bowl the other day, and my whole body burned up that night. I'm afraid it's more than I can handle."

Yang Jing understood.

Tiger meat was Fierce Beast Meat. Yang An was still an ordinary person laying his foundations; eating a little tiger meat now and then was fine, but if he ate too much, even he would not be able to withstand it.

He did not say anything further, merely pushed the horse meat closer to Yang An. "Eat more. Martial training drains your stamina. You need to build up your body."

Yang An agreed and took several more pieces of horse meat, letting out a soft chuckle from time to time.

Before he came, his grandfather and mother had both reminded him to look after Jing's daily needs once he entered the city, so Jing could devote all his energy to martial training while Yang An handled the hard work.

But looking at things now, what hardship was there? This was practically the life of immortals—meat and rice at every meal. In the past, he would not even have dared dream of it.

The two ate in silence. Outside the courtyard, cicadas chirped, mingling with the clink of bowls and spoons, carrying a grounded sort of warmth.

Time slowly passed, and in the blink of an eye, another ten days went by.

Only three days remained until the Parade Ground Trial.

That day, Yang Lao San collected the letter Yang An had written home from Tongyi Ward. He chatted familiarly with Yang An for a while, then drove his ox cart out of the city with his goods.

It was not until evening that Yang Lao San returned to Yang Family Village.

He first delivered Yang An's letter to Old Master Yang Shouzhuo. After leaving, he habitually drove his ox cart to a stop beneath the old locust tree at the village entrance.

Yang Lao San had barely stopped when several villagers enjoying the cool air gathered around him before he could even jump down from the cart.

"Third, you're back from the county today. What fresh news did you bring?" an old man squatting on a rock and smoking a dry tobacco pipe was the first to ask.

Yang Lao San jumped down from the ox cart, dusted off his clothes, and raised his voice with a hint of pride. "You people have no idea—our village's Yang Jing is something else now. In a few days, he'll be taking the Martial Arts Examination. If he passes, he'll have official status for real! From then on, he'll be a big figure whose name carries weight even in the county seat!"

The moment those words came out, the area beneath the tree erupted.

Most of these ordinary villagers did not know what the Parade Ground Trial was, so they all referred to it as the Martial Arts Examination.

"What? The Martial Arts Examination? The opera tales say that's something you win through real skill!"

"Yang Jing was sturdy since he was little. Who would've thought he'd truly have such fortune?"

"If he really passes, our village will have produced a noble person!"

The villagers discussed it excitedly.

Listening to their talk, Yang Lao San straightened his back even further. "Naturally. I saw him practice his punches with my own eyes—one punch could blast straight through a sandbag. It's no empty boast! If that fist landed on someone, good heavens, the outcome..."

"Tch, Third, quit bragging. You think passing the Martial Arts Examination is that easy? That's the Martial Arts Examination! You'd have to be a star spirit descending from the heavens to pass it," said a lean, dark-skinned middle-aged man with a curl of his lip, though his expression was clearly somewhat stiff.

"Yang Ji, keep talking tough. Forget whether Yang Jing can pass the Martial Arts Examination—even right now, he could crush you to death with a single finger." Yang Lao San looked at the lean, dark-skinned man and snorted. "It's only because Yang Jing is broad-minded and can't be bothered to argue with a frog at the bottom of a well like you. Do you know how formidable Yang Jing is now? Do you know what sort of great figures come and go around him?"

This lean, dark-skinned middle-aged man was Yang Ji. In the past, he had gotten into disputes with Yang Jing's family over farmland. Watching Yang Jing's life improve day by day made him feel utterly miserable.

"Pah, you lackey!" Yang Ji glared and cursed. "No matter how formidable he is, I'm not afraid of him. Does he dare kill me? Does he have no respect for the law? Never mind that he hasn't become an official yet—even if he does become one, he still has to know that when the Son of Heaven breaks the law, he is punished the same as the common people. Even opera performers know that principle."

A woman nearby sneered. "Yang Ji, why don't you go take a look at the wasteland south of the village? It's practically become a mass grave. And it isn't filled with only the corpses of refugees. Have you ever seen the authorities do anything about it?"

The other villagers beneath the tree burst into laughter.

Yang Ji's face shifted between green and white, looking utterly unpleasant. He flung his tattered sleeve hard and prepared to leave.

"Yang Ji, how about we make a bet? We'll bet on whether Yang Jing can pass this Martial Arts Examination," Yang Lao San suddenly called out.

"Bet on what?" Yang Ji stopped in his tracks.

"Bet your wife—" Seeing Yang Ji fly into a rage and prepare to hit him, Yang Lao San hurriedly continued, "the hairpin your wife wears. My old woman has had her eye on it for a long time."

Yang Ji's expression darkened. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "What are you putting up?"

PS:

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