Exotic Beasts

The rumble of carriage wheels gradually faded. Liu Maolin watched the dust rising in its wake, then turned to Yang Jing. "Junior brother, do you know anything about this Miss Jin Lian's background?"

Yang Jing shook his head. "That was our first meeting. How would I know her background?"

Liu Maolin murmured an acknowledgment and stroked his chin. "Miss Jin Lian comes from the Jin Family here in Yuhe County. They aren't any great lineage. Before she rose to prominence, they had only one bright strength martial artist and didn't amount to much in Yuhe County."

Yang Jing hadn't been particularly interested in Miss Jin Lian. She was beautiful, certainly, and her looks were no less striking than Senior Sister Ningxiang's, but she was already married. As another man's wife, she was unlikely to have anything to do with him, so naturally, he had little interest.

Yet as Liu Maolin unfolded her story, Yang Jing genuinely began to grow curious. There seemed to be something unusual about Miss Jin Lian.

Liu Maolin glanced at Yang Jing and beckoned. "Come on. Let's sit inside and talk."

With that, Liu Maolin led Yang Jing into a room in the Medical Hall's Inner Courtyard.

They sat opposite each other at an eight immortals table. Tea was already laid out, and Liu Maolin deftly poured two cups, setting one before himself and the other before Yang Jing.

"Where was I?" Liu Maolin took a sip to moisten his throat, only to realize he'd forgotten where he had left off.

"You were saying the Jin Family only had one bright strength martial artist," Yang Jing reminded him helplessly.

"Oh, right." Liu Maolin nodded. "The Jin Family doesn't amount to much here in Yuhe County, but the Lu Family Miss Jin Lian married into is quite something."

"The Lu Family?" Yang Jing frowned. Though he didn't know much about Yuhe County, he still knew a few basic facts. "There isn't a Lu Family among the Six Great Families, is there?"

As far as Yang Jing was concerned, only the Six Great Families in Yuhe County deserved to be called anything remarkable. However wealthy or powerful the other families might be, it was hard to imagine Liu Maolin, the young master of the Liu Family Medical Hall, describing them as "quite something."

Liu Maolin shook his head. "The Lu Family isn't based in Yuhe County. They're a major family in the Prefectural City, a notch above even our Six Great Families."

"A major family in the Prefectural City?" Yang Jing was taken aback.

Ever since transmigrating, he had spent almost all his time in Yuhe County, aside from occasional trips to neighboring counties or the Prefectural City to deliver medicinal herbs. He had visited Jintai Prefectural City twice, but both times he had returned without staying, so he knew practically nothing about it.

Liu Maolin nodded. "Miss Jin Lian's life has had quite a few twists and turns. Although the Lu Family was a major family in the Prefectural City, they had few descendants. There was only one young master in the family-Miss Jin Lian's husband."

"I heard that young master had been sickly since childhood. Not long after marrying Miss Jin Lian, he fell gravely ill and breathed his last. Poor Miss Jin Lian was widowed at such a young age."

At this point, Liu Maolin even let out a regretful sigh.

Seeing this, Yang Jing's expression turned a little odd. His senior brother always seemed so proper. Could he secretly harbor other thoughts?

Liu Maolin continued, "Not long after the young master died, the Lu Family's master and madam supposedly died in an accident. Miss Jin Lian was the only one left in the household, so that enormous estate naturally fell into her hands."

"That's..." Yang Jing couldn't help clicking his tongue in astonishment.

He had never imagined that the Miss Jin Lian he had just met had lived through such an extraordinary story. It was one twist after another-enough to fill a novel.

Liu Maolin glanced at Yang Jing. "Taking over an estate as vast as the Lu Family's couldn't have been easy for her. Plenty must have happened along the way, though I don't know the details. Still, Miss Jin Lian's abilities are truly exceptional. The Lu Family's influence has naturally declined from its peak, but with the legacy left by its forebears and her own skill, she's managed to keep its businesses doing quite well."

After hearing this, Yang Jing couldn't help seeing Miss Jin Lian in a new light.

A major family like the Lu Family might have had few members in its main household, but surely it had plenty of collateral branches and relatives.

After the family head, his wife, and their son died, Miss Jin Lian, a lone woman, had actually withstood pressure from all sides and taken control of the family. Her abilities were extraordinary indeed.

"Oh, right, Brother Jing. The Exotic Beast Pavilion belongs to the Lu Family. That's where our Medical Hall buys its spirit fish," Liu Maolin said.

Yang Jing paused. "Senior brother, is this Exotic Beast Pavilion in the Inner City?"

When Miss Jin Lian had mentioned the Exotic Beast Pavilion earlier, it hadn't rung a bell. Now that Liu Maolin brought it up again, Yang Jing recalled overhearing Zhao Wenzheng and Qi Yun mention the name while he was training at the Martial Arts Hall.

Liu Maolin nodded. "Yes, it's in the Inner City. The Exotic Beast Pavilion here in Yuhe County is just one branch of the Lu Family's business. Its headquarters are still 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 invited you to visit for tea, you might even be able to buy exotic beasts there at cost."

Yang Jing asked, "Senior brother, spirit fish are so nourishing. Are they exotic beasts too? Is exotic beast meat even more nourishing than fierce beast meat?"

Liu Maolin nodded. "Exotic beasts enjoy the favor of heaven and earth, and their flesh contains tremendous energy. They're far more nourishing than fierce beast meat. The spirit fish you've eaten are merely the most ordinary exotic beasts. Even slightly rarer ones cost thousands or tens of thousands of taels of silver. You can't afford them."

The corner of Yang Jing's mouth twitched.

His senior brother was right. It stung his pride a little, but he really couldn't afford them.

After all his expenses since breaking through to hidden strength, he had only a little over two hundred taels of silver left. Even counting the ten taels of gold and fifty-tael silver ingot hidden on the roof beam back home, his entire fortune came to less than four hundred taels.

Even if he visited the Exotic Beast Pavilion now, he would probably be able to do nothing but look at most of its exotic beasts. Buying them was out of the question.

As for ordinary exotic beast meat like spirit fish, Yang Jing could simply buy it from the Liu Family Medical Hall. He already paid cost price there, after all. Spirit fish at the Exotic Beast Pavilion might even cost him considerably more.

At that thought, Yang Jing reflected, I'm still far too poor.

If I had enough money, I could eat premium exotic beast meat at every meal. Wouldn't my progress soar?

Still, although Yang Jing couldn't eat exotic beast meat at every meal, combining medicinal supplements with fierce beast meat offered nourishment not much worse than exotic spirit fish meat.

For Yang Jing as he was now, that was already very good.

Just then, Yang Jing suddenly remembered something and looked at Liu Maolin. "By the way, senior brother, why do you call her Miss Jin Lian? Isn't she already married?"

Yang Jing thought it odd that, despite marrying into the Lu Family and now holding its reins, she was called "Miss Jin Lian" rather than Madam Lu.

Liu Maolin shook his head. "That I don't know. Everyone else calls her that, so I followed suit."

"I see." Yang Jing nodded slightly.

They chatted a little longer before Yang Jing rose to leave, politely declining Liu Maolin's invitation to stay for a meal.

After leaving the Liu Family Medical Hall, he walked swiftly. In roughly the time it took to drink a cup of tea, he returned to the little courtyard in Tongyi Ward, carrying his package of medicinal herbs.

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

Come to think of it, when Yang Jing used to stew meat and cook rice, he cared only about efficiency and speed, paying almost no attention to flavor. His older cousin Yang An might be simple and taciturn, but he was meticulous and conscientious when it came to getting things done.

Steam still rose from the kitchen stove. Hearing the noise, Yang An came out of the kitchen. When he saw Yang Jing, a smile spread across his face. "You're back, Brother Jing. Wash your hands, and I'll serve the food."

"All right. Your cooking keeps getting better, Brother An," Yang Jing praised with a smile. He went into the main room, put the herbs in the medicine chest, and washed his hands before approaching the dining table.

Yang An had already laid out the meal.

Three large bowls of food sat on the table. One held tiger meat stewed until tender, its rich broth sending fragrance in every direction, placed before Yang Jing's usual seat. Another held large chunks of horse meat, dark with sauce. There was also a bowl of light, refreshing greens and tofu soup.

Alongside the three bowls stood a basin of brown rice, steamed into distinct grains, with heat 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 flavor spread, and warmth flowed down his throat.

"Brother An, want a few pieces of tiger meat?" Yang Jing asked when he saw Yang An putting only horse meat into his bowl.

Yang An shoveled in a mouthful of rice and chuckled.

"Brother Jing, this horse meat is plenty tasty already. It's better than the pork we eat at home for New Year. Tiger meat is too precious. Keep it for yourself-you use up more energy training. Besides..." Yang An scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed. "I ate half a small bowl the other day, and my whole body burned up that night. I don't think I can handle it."

Yang Jing understood.

Tiger meat was fierce beast meat, after all. Yang An was still an ordinary man building his foundations. A little now and then was fine, but if he ate too much, his body couldn't bear it.

Yang Jing said no more and simply pushed the horse meat closer to him. "Eat more. Martial training takes strength. You need to build up your body."

Yang An agreed and took several more pieces of horse meat, chuckling from time to time.

Before he came, his grandfather and mother had both urged him to look after Brother Jing's daily needs once he reached the city, letting Brother Jing devote all his energy to martial training while he handled the hard work.

But looking at things now, where was the hardship? This was practically a life fit for immortals, with meat and rice at every meal. He would never even have dared dream of it before.

The two ate quietly, the cicadas outside mingling with the clink of bowls and spoons, lending the moment a warm sense of security.

Time flowed slowly onward, and another ten days passed in the blink of an eye.

Only three days remained until the parade ground trial.

That day, Yang Lao San collected Yang An's letter home from Tongyi Ward. After chatting amiably with Yang An for a while, he drove his ox cart out of the city with his goods.

It wasn't until evening that Yang Lao San returned to Yang Family Village.

He first delivered Yang An's letter to the old patriarch, Yang Shouzhuo. After leaving, he drove his ox cart to his usual stopping place beneath the old pagoda tree at the village entrance.

Yang Lao San had barely stopped, and hadn't yet jumped down from the cart, when several villagers enjoying the cool air gathered around him.

"Lao San, what news did you bring back from the county today?" An old man squatting on a rock and smoking a pipe spoke first.

Yang Lao San jumped down from the cart and brushed the dust off his clothes. With a touch of pride on his face, he raised his voice. "You have no idea how impressive our village's Yang Jing has become! In a few days, he'll be taking the martial arts examination. If he passes, he'll have proper official status. He'll be someone whose name carries weight in the County Seat!"

At those words, the gathering beneath the tree boiled over.

Most of these ordinary villagers didn't know what the parade ground trial was, so they simply called it the martial arts examination.

"What? The martial arts examination? The operas say you have to fight your way through that with real skill!"

"Yang Jing was a sturdy lad from childhood. Who'd have thought he'd come into such fortune?"

"If he really passes, our village will have produced a man of standing!"

The villagers all discussed it excitedly.

Listening to them, Yang Lao San straightened his back even further. "Of course! I've seen him practice his punches myself. He can punch straight through a sandbag-that's no empty boast! If a punch like that landed on a person, heavens, the result..."

"Bah, Lao San, stop boasting. Do you think passing the martial arts examination is that easy? That's the martial arts examination! You'd have to be a star descended from heaven to pass it," a dark, thin middle-aged man said with a curl of his lips, though his expression was visibly stiff.

"Yang Ji, keep talking tough. Never mind whether Yang Jing passes the martial arts examination-he could crush you with one finger even now." Yang Lao San looked at the dark, thin man and snorted. "He's simply generous enough not to bother with a frog at the bottom of a well like you. Do you have any idea how powerful he is now? What important people he associates with?"

The dark, thin man was named Yang Ji. He had once quarreled with Yang Jing's family over farmland, and seeing Yang Jing prosper more with every passing day made him bitter beyond words.

"Pah, you bootlicker!" Yang Ji glared and cursed. "No matter how powerful he is, I'm not afraid of him! Would he dare kill me? Does the law mean nothing to him? He isn't an official yet, and even if he becomes one, he should know that even the emperor faces the same punishment as a commoner when he breaks the law. Even opera performers know that!"

A woman nearby scoffed. "Yang Ji, why don't you go look at the wasteland to the south? It's practically become a mass grave. And it isn't just refugees buried there. Have you ever seen the authorities do anything about it?"

The other villagers beneath the tree burst into laughter.

Yang Ji's face alternated between pale and livid. Looking thoroughly humiliated, he flung his ragged sleeve and turned to leave.

"Yang Ji, how about a wager? Let's bet on whether Yang Jing can pass this martial arts examination," Yang Lao San suddenly called out.

"What are we betting?" Yang Ji stopped.

"Your wife-" Seeing Yang Ji fly into a rage and prepare to hit him, Yang Lao San hastily continued, "That hairpin your wife wears! My wife has had her eye on it for ages."

Yang Ji looked displeased. After hesitating a moment, he asked, "What are you putting up?"

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