Sudden Turn

Early the next morning, Xu Yang carried a bamboo basket and returned to the Lu Family Mansion.

By then, the slaughterhouse in the rear courtyard was already bustling with noise.

"Qingshan!"

"Brother Qingshan!"

"You're here?"

"You're early today!"

The butchers all greeted him. Xu Yang nodded in response to each of them, then turned his gaze to the pigs and dogs in the pens. "Why have we taken in so many this time? Is there an order from the city, or is some family holding an event?"

"Qingshan, you don't know?"

"Second Miss sent word back some time ago. She's returning from the Hundred Swords Sect today!"

"I heard she's bringing back a New Son-in-Law too, a talented young man of extraordinary ability. Master is so pleased that he's throwing a grand banquet. He specifically had these livestock brought in, and I heard they even led back a Big Yellow!"

"There, the ox is here!"

"Good fellow, such a huge ox. How much silver must that have cost?"

"Didn't the authorities say cattle couldn't be slaughtered? Won't Master get into trouble?"

"Stop talking nonsense. Who said it was slaughtered? This ox fell to its death. It was reported long ago!"

The group chattered and speculated.

Xu Yang frowned and said nothing as he looked at the Yellow Ox.

An Old Butcher walked over. "Such a large ox should be handled by you, Qingshan."

"Hmm."

Xu Yang nodded, turned to retrieve a knife, and began sharpening it.

The butchers also took out ropes, bound the Yellow Ox's four legs, and pulled together, directly bringing it down to the ground.

"Moo!!!"

Perhaps realizing its predicament, the fallen Yellow Ox began crying out loudly. But with its limbs bound and body pinned to the ground, even its great strength could not free it. It could only struggle in misery.

Compared to pigs and sheep, cattle and dogs possessed greater intelligence. Though the butchers made their living from this work, they still felt a degree of unease. They immediately turned to Xu Yang. "Qingshan, give it a quick end."

Xu Yang said no more. Carrying his gleaming pointed knife, he came to the Yellow Ox's side and pressed one hand against its head.

"Moo..."

Facing Xu Yang, the Yellow Ox's screaming body jerked. Its eyes widened, and it froze directly against the ground.

At that moment, Xu Yang thrust out his pointed knife, driving it into the Yellow Ox's neck. Its body trembled once before going limp.

Three years as a butcher had allowed Xu Yang to successfully develop the Butchery skill, which had generated three trait traits: baleful aura, Blade Mastery, and Preservation.

The Yellow Ox's Momentary distraction just now had been caused by baleful aura. Every slaughter accumulated baleful aura.

Baleful aura was fierce and unclean. To be affected by it was inauspicious. It could intimidate living beings' minds and spirits to a certain extent, and could even damage souls.

The Yellow Ox had been intimidated by Xu Yang's baleful aura. During that Momentary distraction, its vital point had been pierced by the pointed knife, ending its life.

It had been painless enough. Aside from baleful aura, Xu Yang's Butchery skill also possessed Blade Mastery and Preservation. Preservation needed no explanation; it extended the storage time and freshness of meat.

As for Blade Mastery, it improved slaughtering and dissection techniques. It allowed Xu Yang to perceive a target's bodily structure and fatal weak points, then strike with Precision, slaughtering and cutting it into meat.

Thus, the Yellow Ox had gone quickly enough.

Xu Yang withdrew the pointed knife, and blood surged out like a spring. He turned and left, then returned after the ox's blood had drained, beginning to skin it.

Butchering an ox differed from butchering a pig. A cow could not simply be cut apart, deboned, and divided into meat. Its hide had to be removed first, and it had to remain whole, because cowhide had many uses in ancient times and was highly valuable. It was excellent material for Bow Making and armor making.

The more intact the hide, the greater the butcher's Arts, and the more valuable the hide.

Xu Yang cut in from the base. The gleaming blade slipped beneath the hide, separating skin from flesh. Not a trace of crimson blood appeared; there was only smooth separation between snowy white fat and fresh red muscle. In the blink of an eye, he had skinned off a complete oxhide.

"Brother Qingshan, what skill!"

"That knife work is incredible!"

The butchers all voiced their admiration.

Xu Yang said nothing. Setting aside the oxhide, he began separating bone from meat.

He crouched low, leaning forward with only a pointed knife in hand. As the blade entered flesh, it moved in a rhythm, swishing between bone and meat. In moments, he removed the organs, then stripped out the tendons and flesh and separated the bones.

The thin pointed knife cut through tendons and bone with effortless ease. Unlike ordinary butchers, who yanked and tore, hacked and chopped, it simply flowed through the joints and the points where sinew and flesh connected. Finally, with a loud rustle, bone and meat separated and fell apart.

The butchers watching nearby were utterly engrossed, Stunned into silence. They had even shut out and forgotten the howls of the pigs and dogs around them. Their eyes held only Xu Yang and the swiftly disassembled Yellow Ox.

In this manner, after a short while, the entire Yellow Ox had been dismantled. Xu Yang stood up with the pointed knife in hand and looked around.

The moment their eyes met, everyone's hair stood on end. All of them were horrified and Could not help stepping back several paces, staring at Xu Yang in terror.

Xu Yang held the pointed knife and swept his gaze over the crowd, finally turning his eyes toward a Black Pig awaiting slaughter.

"Come Again!"

"Oh, oh!"

Only then did everyone snap awake as if from a dream. Their faces turned pale as they hurriedly dragged out the Black Pig for Xu Yang to slaughter.

Xu Yang ignored their expressions and sank into the second round of Butchery with knife in hand.

The butchers continued watching from the side, but they had moved much farther away, the lingering fear in their eyes impossible to dispel.

"Brother Qingshan's gaze just now... was terrifying?"

"He hasn't gotten addicted to slaughtering, has he? Does he want to kill people now?"

"When he looked at us just now, it felt like he wasn't looking at people. It was like he was looking at pigs, dogs, cattle, and sheep awaiting slaughter, thinking about where to cut, how to skin them, how to separate their bones from their meat..."

"Damn it, this guy really is insane. We should stay farther away from him in the future!"

"One ox, dismantled in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea?"

"If killing an ox is this easy, wouldn't killing a person be effortless?"

The crowd was alarmed, whispering among themselves.

But Xu Yang paid them no mind. He kept his head down and dissected the pig, completely breaking down an entire hog in moments.

"Come Again!"

"Oh!"

"Come Again!"

"Come Again!"

"Come Again!!!"

"This..."

"Brother, there's... there's no more!"

Seeing Xu Yang immersed in it, seeming crazed as he slaughtered every last animal that had been brought for killing, the crowd became even more terrified. Yet they still had no choice but to muster their courage and speak up to remind him.

Only then did Xu Yang recover from that strange state. Standing amid the bloodshed with pointed knife in hand, his eyes were confused at first, then filled with delight.

On the Attribute Panel, the Butchery entry in the skill column was glowing red. The words Blade Mastery gradually blurred, replaced by four newly formed characters—Butchering the Ox!

"To meet it with the spirit rather than see it with the eyes; when perception stops, the spirit's desire proceeds!"

In an instant, a realization rose within Xu Yang's heart, allowing him to understand the function of Butchering the Ox.

Butchering the Ox, a Four-Character Trait, with red denoting slaughter and violence!

After Zhuang Zhou's Dream Butterfly, this was another skill trait with its own visual effects. Its primary core lay in the word "dissection." It was an upgraded version of Blade Mastery.

Blade Mastery, Blade Mastery—the focus was on the word "mastery." Through accumulated experience, one became familiar with a target's bodily structure and physiological traits, allowing one to lock onto vital points during dissection, strike with Precision, and rapidly break it down.

As an upgraded version of Blade Mastery, Butchering the Ox was even more powerful. It did not even require accumulated experience. One only needed to observe a target to perceive them completely. Their bodily structure and physiological traits would automatically appear in the mind, and even their movement trajectory would be analyzed and predicted. Before the enemy moved, he would already know.

Just as it was said in Butchering the Ox—To meet it with the spirit rather than see it with the eyes; when perception stops, the spirit's desire proceeds!

Now, whether it was an ox, a pig, or a person, so long as they stood before Xu Yang, he could perceive their bodily structure, predict their movements, and identify the direction of their actions and their physical weak points.

So long as the opponent's physical speed did not exceed the limits of his mental reaction, none of their moves or actions could escape his perception or prediction.

In other words... he could see through every move. Whether sword techniques, saber techniques, fist techniques, or palm techniques, so long as it was an action, he could see through it.

Of course, seeing through it did not mean being able to break it. If the gap between their physical capabilities was too great, then even if he saw through a move, he might still be unable to evade it. But if their Strength was equal, then this ability could almost allow him to stand undefeated from the start.

That was Butchering the Ox. Before the enemy moved, he already knew. He held every advantage of initiative, could perceive the enemy's weak points and flaws in their techniques, strike first, and kill with a single blow.

Worthy indeed of a Four-Character Trait with its own effects. One word—powerful!

With this ability, even without using a bow and arrows, Xu Yang was confident he could kill the Martial Masters who served as instructors for the Li and Lu Families.

In other words, he now possessed the strongest martial strength in Xiao Huang Village!

Xu Yang came back to his senses and looked at the blood all over the ground and the stunned people around him. His mood immediately improved. "Clean this up and send the meat to the kitchen. Also, the heads of the three sacrificial animals are needed by the ancestral hall for offerings. Divide the rest among yourselves."

After saying that, he tossed a large piece of beef tenderloin and a section of beef spine with meat still attached into his bamboo basket.

"..."

"..."

"..."

Everyone fell silent at the sight.

Pork had a strong gamey odor, while dog meat was considered lowly. Thus, beef and mutton had become the main meats eaten by wealthy and powerful families. Furthermore, the authorities strictly prohibited the private slaughter of cattle, making beef even more expensive.

Therefore, whenever the Lu Family slaughtered cattle, these butchers normally did not dare take any for themselves. They did not even receive employee discounts to buy it. All of it had to be supplied to Meat Shops or Wine Houses.

But now, Xu Yang had taken a huge piece of beef tenderloin and a large section of meaty beef spine. The beef on them amounted to at least eight or ten catties. How outrageously bold was that?

Everyone envied him greatly, but recalling Xu Yang's earlier gaze, which had regarded them as if they were pigs and dogs, as well as his smooth, decisive knife work, none dared raise any objection. They could only remain silent.

Xu Yang did not concern himself with them. He picked up the bamboo basket and was about to leave.

But unexpectedly...

"What are you doing? Why are you all standing around? Don't you have work to do?"

A group entered the courtyard and immediately began berating everyone.

Xu Yang looked up and saw a Brocade Youth and a Sharp-faced Servant, followed by two Burly Guards.

"Third Young Master!"

"Manager Zhang!"

At the sight of them, everyone hurriedly lowered their heads. An Old Butcher even approached with a fawning smile. "What brings you here?"

"What, does Third Young Master need to report to you when he comes?"

The sharp-faced Manager Zhang did not accept that at all and immediately launched into another harsh rebuke. "What are you all standing around for? Don't you know Master is holding a banquet today? If you delay Master's important affair, who can bear the responsibility? You?"

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare!"

The Old Butcher did not dare argue. He could only say, "Manager Zhang, we've already slaughtered and divided the meat. We were just about to send it to the kitchen."

"So quickly?"

Manager Zhang was somewhat surprised upon hearing that.

The Old Butcher smiled obsequiously. "Yes, and it's all thanks to Qingshan. His skills have improved again."

"Hmm."

Only then did Manager Zhang turn around and place his gaze on Xu Yang nearby, smiling. "So it's Qingshan. No wonder you have such skill."

"Manager Zhang, I have matters at home, so I'll be leaving first."

Xu Yang nodded, then lifted his bamboo basket and prepared to leave.

This man was the son of Zhang Fu, the head steward. He was Zhang Wang, the Lu Family's second manager. Xu Yang had met him several times before, and their relationship was neither good nor bad.

As for the Brocade Youth beside him, he was the Lu Family's Third Young Master, Lu Ming.

Why had these two suddenly come to this foul-smelling slaughterhouse?

Xu Yang did not know, nor was he interested in knowing. Right now, he only wanted to go home and carefully experience the effects of Butchering the Ox.

However...

"Stop!"

A cold voice blocked his path.

"..."

Xu Yang stopped and turned back, looking at the Brocade Youth who had called out to him. "Third Young Master, is there something else?"

Lu Ming was still in his teens. His face was covered in freckles and acne scars, making him rather unattractive, yet his expression was exceptionally arrogant. He looked coldly at Xu Yang. "What's in that basket of yours?"

"!!!"

The butchers' hearts all skipped a beat, their eyes filled with uncertainty and alarm.

"..."

Xu Yang narrowed his eyes and said nothing. Looking at Lu Ming and Zhang Wang, he spoke only after a while. "Some meat and bones that were divided out."

"Some divided meat?"

Lu Ming sneered. "Who allowed you to take a share? Who gave you a share? You're a mere servant, yet you dare divide your master's belongings. Who gave you the nerve?"

"This..."

Everyone was shocked, their eyes full of helplessness.

Xu Yang also frowned, but showed no fear whatsoever. He replied calmly, "Those are the slaughterhouse rules."

"Rules? Who made those rules?"

Lu Ming refused to let the matter drop. "Your rules, or the Lu Family's rules? You dog servant, stealing your master's belongings and still daring to speak to your master about rules. Do you even know what you are? Come, dump out what's in his basket. I want to see just how much this dog servant has taken!"

As he spoke, he ordered the two guards forward. They moved in from the left and right, attempting to surround Xu Yang.

Xu Yang did not move. He merely glanced at the two guards, his cold gaze carrying a baleful edge that made both of them freeze where they stood.

"What are you standing there for?"

Seeing that they had not moved, Lu Ming became furious and shouted repeatedly, "Why aren't you doing it?"

"No need to trouble yourselves."

As soon as the words fell, Xu Yang tossed down his bamboo basket. The beef bones and meat inside scattered across the ground. He stared coldly at Lu Ming. "This lowly one does not understand the rules. Please be magnanimous, Third Young Master, and do not take offense."

"You...!"

That attitude could hardly be considered an apology. Lu Ming was about to berate him, but when he met Xu Yang's gaze again, his heart jolted. An inexplicable terror seized him, leaving him rooted to the spot and unable to utter half a word.

Seeing this, Xu Yang did not press the matter. He cupped his hands in salute and turned to leave.

Only after he had gone did everyone awaken as if from a dream. Lu Ming also recovered, his face shifting between green and white as he shouted in rage, "Dog servant, you've gone too far! And you two useless fools, why were you standing there just now? You just let him get away? What am I feeding you for? Worthless things..."

Watching Lu Ming vent his anger, the butchers in the courtyard exchanged looks, all somewhat unable to make sense of the situation.