With Lu Yan's explanation, Lu Feng now had a general understanding of Strange Beasts.
But it also made Lu Feng think of another question. If Strange Beasts were that powerful, their flesh and blood must be expensive.
"Lord Lu, from what you've said, doesn't that mean Exotic Beast Meat is incredibly expensive?"
Lu Yan smiled and nodded. "Naturally. Take the Crimson Fire Deer Meat you ate at noon, for example. One jin of it costs two taels of silver."
At that, Lu Feng was taken aback. The raw beef he bought cost only about twenty wen per jin, yet Exotic Beast Meat was so outrageously expensive.
Given how much he ate at each meal now, he needed at least two jin of Exotic Beast Meat.
That meant four taels of silver per meal. At two meals a day, that came to eight taels daily. Just food and drink would cost more than two hundred taels a month, without even counting other expenses.
With expenses that terrifying, ordinary Martial Artists couldn't afford it.
County Magistrate Wang Lichuan was going to provide him with meals at this standard for two months. No wonder Chief Clerk Lu Yan had said the man was sparing no expense.
Seeing his shocked expression, Lu Yan spoke again. "Lu Feng, you must think Exotic Beast Meat is expensive. But what I'm telling you is that even if ordinary Martial Artists have the money, they can't buy it."
"Ah... You mean there's very little Exotic Beast Meat available, my lord?" Lu Feng asked, puzzled.
"Exactly! Those who can hunt Strange Beasts are generally Martial Artists, but Martial Artists need to eat Exotic Beast Meat themselves. So most of them don't sell their kills. On top of that, the great Noble Families of the Great Yan Dynasty are all buying Exotic Beast Meat at high prices. That's why you can hardly ever find it for sale on the market."
Lu Feng immediately understood. "I see! Then where did County Magistrate Wang get the Exotic Beast Meat he arranged for me?"
Lu Yan smiled meaningfully. "Heh heh. What do you think?"
At those words, Lu Feng suddenly realized something and replied, "You mean County Magistrate Wang is also from a Noble Family?"
Lu Yan nodded slightly. "Mm. Not only is the County Magistrate from a Noble Family, but the County Assistant, the County Lieutenant, and I are all of Noble Family backgrounds as well."
After hearing that, Lu Feng finally understood the backgrounds of the officials in the County Yamen.
The two chatted a little longer about Strange Beasts, then Lu Feng took his leave and returned to his room.
As soon as he got back, he saw two figures standing outside his door.
They were none other than Chen Han and Fan Tao.
Seeing them, Lu Feng greeted them with a smile. "You two, why are you still at the County Yamen in the middle of the day?"
At his words, they hurried over and cupped their hands. "Greetings, Captain Lu!"
Lu Feng furrowed his brows, displeased. "You two are being too formal. I may have been promoted to Captain, but you know what kind of person I am. You don't need to bow like that when you see me from now on. Understood?"
At his words, the slight tension on their faces disappeared.
Fan Tao smiled. "Lu Feng, now that you've said that, I feel better."
"Good, that's more like it! So, what brings you two here to see me?" Lu Feng asked.
"Since you've become the new Captain, we thought we'd invite you to Hongman Tower to celebrate. It's the least we could do."
Lu Feng didn't refuse. He nodded. "Sure! Let's go."
With that, the three of them headed to Hongman Tower together.
They chatted and laughed along the way. At one point, Fan Tao casually brought up transferring the two of them to work under Lu Feng.
Lu Feng didn't agree right away. Instead, he planned to report the matter to the County Magistrate.
If the County Magistrate approved, there'd be no problem. After all, his main job now was cultivating in the martial arts.
So there wasn't much point in having subordinates.
Still, personally, he very much wanted to take Fan Tao and Chen Han on.
Among everyone at the County Yamen, those two were the ones he got along with best. If some task came up later, having them help would certainly save him a lot of trouble.
So, after celebrating, Lu Feng returned to the County Yamen and headed straight for the County Magistrate's study.
County Magistrate Wang Lichuan was cultivating at the time. When he heard that Lu Feng had come to see him, he asked, "So it's Captain Lu. What is it?"
Lu Feng cupped his hands in greeting, then explained the situation with Fan Tao and Chen Han.
After listening, the County Magistrate fell into thought. "Mm. Given your situation, it wouldn't make much difference whether you had subordinates or not. But since you've asked, I'll approve it."
Lu Feng was delighted. "Thank you, County Magistrate!"
"Since you've requested two subordinates, I'll have to assign you a token task as well. But your main priority is still cultivation. Understand?" County Magistrate Wang Lichuan added.
"Yes, I understand!"
Wang Lichuan pondered briefly before continuing. "Starting tomorrow, you'll be in charge of patrols on East Street. I'll also transfer four Constables from the other two Captains' squads to help you."
Lu Feng's face immediately lit up. East Street in Qinglu County City was where the officials and wealthy merchants lived.
It was the safest district in the entire county, so patrol duty there was also the easiest and lightest. The County Magistrate had indeed only assigned him a token task.
Lu Feng cupped his hands again and thanked him. "Thank you for looking after me, my lord. I'll do my best."
With the County Magistrate's approval, Lu Feng returned to his room and began cultivating.
Time flew by, and evening soon arrived.
Xiao Wang from the County Yamen came to Lu Feng's room again, carrying a food box.
When he opened it, there were two plates of Crimson Fire Deer Meat inside.
This time, Lu Feng didn't waste any words. He ate everything right away.
"Burp!"
A belch escaped his mouth. "Mm, the energy in this Exotic Beast Meat really is on another level compared to beef. And the taste is incredible, too."
After eating his fill, he picked up the Specialized Oxtail Saber and left the County Yamen.
When he reached his home, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure waiting outside.
It was none other than Captain Fang, who had come to see him last time.
Captain Fang worked for County Lieutenant Li Muyuan. Since he'd shown up again, he was most likely still trying to win Lu Feng over.
But the County Lieutenant had his father's belongings. That meant he might know how his father had died.
So Lu Feng smiled and walked over, cupping his hands. "Captain Fang, we meet again. What brings you here?"
Captain Fang smiled when he saw him approach. "Heh heh, I wouldn't presume to advise you. Captain Lu, your standing has changed completely. After hearing about your promotion, the County Lieutenant had nothing but praise for you!"
"I'm honored by the County Lieutenant's praise, though I hardly feel worthy of it," Lu Feng replied modestly.
Seeing his response, Captain Fang continued. "Captain Lu, the County Lieutenant asked me to deliver a letter to you this time. He said that once you've read it, you'll know what to choose."
As he spoke, he took a letter from inside his robes and handed it over.
A flicker of confusion crossed Lu Feng's eyes, but he still accepted the letter.
Captain Fang cupped his hands in farewell and left.
Standing there, Lu Feng watched him go, deep in thought.
Only after Captain Fang had disappeared completely did he enter the house.
As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, he shut the gate tight, then went inside and opened the letter to read it.
Before you continue