Exotic Beast

Zhuang Jin came to the General Affairs Department and found Chang Hetong. It was year's end and month's end, the busiest time of the year for the General Affairs Department. Chang Hetong was rushed off his feet, yet he still made time to register Zhuang Jin's promotion to Two-Striped Servant.

Chang Hetong accepted the certificate and asked, "So your assessment is over? How did it go? Did you get started with the Black Fiend Palm?"

"Time was too tight. I still fell a little short." Zhuang Jin sighed softly.

"That is already quite good. Don't lose heart."

As Chang Hetong spoke, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If Zhuang Jin had truly cultivated to the Second Meridian and gotten started with the Black Fiend Palm in a single month, that would have been monstrously talented.

It was not that he was jealous. Rather, ever since Martial Student Recruitment began, not a single person like that had appeared across several cohorts. If Zhuang Jin had managed it, he would have stood out far too much. To walk ahead of the crowd was not necessarily a good thing!

"I had planned to tell you about assignments, but I'm far too busy today, so I'm afraid it won't do. How about this? You can ask Ping Yongfeng. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to explain these things to you."

As he spoke, Chang Hetong completed Zhuang Jin's record as a Two-Striped Servant, replaced his waist token, and handed him two sets of Two-Striped Servant clothing. "In our Shen Family, every promotion in servant rank brings considerable changes. Once you become a Two-Striped Servant, your food, clothing, lodging, and travel will all carry a different sort of dignity."

Zhuang Jin nodded. He had already felt it. Setting aside everything else, he had received two sets of Two-Striped Servant clothing for free. Back when he had been a One-Striped Servant, he had only been given one set.

"You have already experienced the 'clothing' part. As for 'lodging,' once you become a Two-Striped Servant, you can live in a private room. As for 'travel,' we servants have not reached that level yet. And when it comes to 'food,' there is a special benefit..."

At noon, warm sunlight blanketed the earth, exceptionally pleasant in the winter weather. Carrying packed wine and dishes, Zhuang Jin found Ping Yongfeng, who was about to head to the dining hall.

Upon seeing Zhuang Jin, Ping Yongfeng first asked with concern about the assessment result. After hearing it, he offered a few words of comfort. Only then did he notice the wine and dishes in Zhuang Jin's hands. At once, he felt both gratified and reproachful. Turning around, he led Zhuang Jin to his room, saying as they walked, "How long has it even been since you broke through to become a Martial Artist? You can't be flush with money. Eating a meal in the dining hall would have been enough—why go to such trouble? You've spent too much!"

He said it sincerely. If their relationship had been ordinary, the more another person gave, the more lavishly they spent, the more it would have made him feel honored instead.

Ping Yongfeng brought Zhuang Jin into his room, found a small table and two stools, set down the wine and dishes, and sat facing him. They opened the dishes one by one.

When one of the meat dishes was opened, an extremely enticing exotic fragrance immediately wafted out.

"This is... Exotic Beast Meat?!" Ping Yongfeng exclaimed in surprise.

"Exactly. Master Ping has a keen eye!"

This was precisely the special "food" benefit Zhuang Jin received after becoming a Two-Striped Servant: each month, he could purchase a limited quantity of one jin of Exotic Beast Meat for one qian of silver!

—One had to know that ordinary pork, mutton, beef, and the like cost only ten to twenty copper coins per jin.

After registering his promotion to Two-Striped Servant earlier, he had spent one qian of silver to buy this month's allotted jin of Exotic Beast Meat. He had found a restaurant outside to cook it, then packed it along with some other wine and dishes before coming over.

"This is good stuff. It can invigorate the blood and qi and speed up cultivation, but letting me eat it is a waste!" Ping Yongfeng said, giving Zhuang Jin a complicated look before placing a large piece of Exotic Beast Meat in his bowl.

"Master Ping should eat as well." Zhuang Jin also gave Ping Yongfeng two chopstickfuls before finally eating a piece of Exotic Beast Meat from his own bowl. The meat was exceptionally fresh and chewy, its flavor wonderfully rich.

Once he swallowed it, he soon felt something similar to the sensation after practicing Quiet Cultivation and condensing Inner Breath. His body grew warm all over, as though he were sitting before a brazier in winter, indescribably content and comfortable.

"How is it? Tastes good, doesn't it? Exotic Beast Meat is indeed delicious, but more importantly, it is effective. For half a day after eating it, your blood and qi will be especially vigorous. During that time, the efficiency of refining Black Essence Powder also increases. That is why Exotic Beast Meat is said to speed up cultivation," Ping Yongfeng said with a smile.

Refining Black Essence Powder, practicing Quiet Cultivation, and condensing Inner Breath can likewise replenish the body and invigorate the blood and qi. That effect is gradual, but it is a permanent improvement... Exotic Beast Meat seems to invigorate the blood and qi immediately, but its effect has a time limit!

Zhuang Jin pondered, then thought, I broke through to the Second Meridian so quickly, yet much of my body's deficit has already been replenished. When I rapidly break through the Second, Third, and Fourth Meridians in the future, I will be able to catch up to—and far surpass—ordinary people. This Exotic Beast Meat would let me experience that feeling ahead of time.

Even when that day came, when his body's blood and qi far exceeded that of ordinary people, it was not as though Exotic Beast Meat would become useless. Its effect was, after all, a bonus added atop one's existing foundation.

His eyes lit up. This Exotic Beast Meat really is good stuff!

"Master Ping, when I collected the Exotic Beast Meat, Uncle Chang was busy, so I did not want to ask too many questions. I only learned its name... What exactly is this Exotic Beast?" Zhuang Jin asked.

"Haha, I actually know a little about Exotic Beasts."

Ping Yongfeng smiled and explained, "For us Martial Artists, the foundation of transcending the ordinary lies in Inner Breath. Exotic Beasts, as their name suggests, are aberrations among beasts. They can condense Exotic Power within their bodies, which is why they far surpass ordinary wild animals."

"Exotic Beasts cannot cultivate and open their meridians like us humans, so their realms differ from those of us Martial Artists. Our Qi Condensation Realm corresponds to the Exotic Beast Skin and Flesh Realm, which is further divided into the Skin Grinding Realm and Flesh Refining Realm. An Exotic Beast at the beginner, minor success, major success, and perfected stages of the Skin Grinding Realm roughly corresponds to Martial Artists from the First to the Sixth Meridian."

After briefly introducing Exotic Beasts, he sighed. "Speaking of Exotic Beasts, every inch of them is treasure. Their hides can be made into Leather Armor. Worn on the body, it provides a good blocking and weakening effect against the force of us Martial Artists. Their bones and flesh can be eaten to invigorate the blood and qi, replenish the body, and accelerate cultivation."

"However, the most precious things are Beast Treasures! Under special circumstances, ordinary beasts can form things such as pig bezoars, cow bezoars, musk, and so on within their bodies. Naturally, Exotic Beasts also have an extremely small chance of producing treasures in special parts of their bodies. Those are Beast Treasures. Swallowing a Beast Treasure directly can replenish Vital Energy, make up for one's potential, and slightly improve aptitude. But using them that way is like tossing pearls before swine. The most suitable use is to refine them as supplementary ingredients into pills for breaking through bottlenecks, which can add another ten or twenty percent to a pill's efficacy!"

"That is only what I know. I have heard that higher-level Exotic Beasts possess other marvels, but those are beyond what I can know."

Zhuang Jin listened with great interest and nodded deeply in agreement. These Exotic Beasts truly were treasures from head to toe!

"Speaking of Exotic Beasts, you will also begin taking assignments next month. If you are assigned to the Herb Fields Outside the City, you will inevitably have dealings with Exotic Beasts. The medicinal herbs used in Martial Artist cultivation are quite attractive to Exotic Beasts, so they often appear in the Herb Fields Outside the City. After killing one, its meat also counts as a benefit..."

Ping Yongfeng shifted the subject. "Perfect. Next, I'll tell you about matters concerning tasks and assignments."

Hearing Ping Yongfeng turn to serious business, Zhuang Jin's expression also became solemn. He sat upright and said, "Please instruct me, Master Ping."