Returning from the Hunt Invites Covetousness

"Move! Everyone, move!"

Amidst rude shouts, two burly men dressed in black martial arts gear, with silver thundercloud patterns embroidered on their chests, shoved the onlookers aside.

The shoved passersby looked indignant, but upon seeing the striking thundercloud patterns and the men's bulging temples, they swallowed their words and retreated with sullen expressions.

The two walked with steady steps and sharp gazes. They were disciples of the Leiming Martial Hall, quite famous in town. Practitioners of martial arts, also known as martialists, were always domineering and arrogant in their conduct; ordinary folk dared not provoke them.

The middle-aged man in the lead, who had a hooked nose, merely glanced at the blood seeping from under the sled and the unmistakable outline of the antlers, a flicker of greed crossing his eyes.

He signaled to his companion, who immediately turned and strode away.

Before long, the crowd was parted once again.

A young man in brocade robes strolled over, surrounded by four fierce-looking martialists. He was about eighteen or nineteen, with decent features, but his brow was etched with the arrogance of one raised in luxury. He toyed with a jade thumb ring in his hand, looking nonchalant.

His gaze landed on the crude sled, lingering especially on the thick, sturdy antler shapes visible through the gaps in the thatch. Realizing he had encountered a fine catch today, a curve of inevitable victory tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Kid, what kind of goods are inside?" The hooked-nose man turned to Wang Tieniu, who was guarding the sled and looking somewhat nervous.

"It's... a spotted deer." Wang Tieniu gripped the hem of his clothes tightly.

"A spotted deer? Open it up and let's see." The young man in brocade, Lei Jun, the young master of Leiming Martial Hall, gestured casually with his chin, his tone brook no refusal.

"No, Brother Meng said the prey isn't for sale..." Wang Tieniu shook his head repeatedly.

"Where do you get off with all this nonsense!" The burly, jowly martialist at his side had long since lost his patience; his palm, as large as a cattail fan, whistled through the air as he reached directly for the covering thatch!

"Who gave you permission to touch my things?" A cold shout rang out like a thunderclap on flat ground. Qin Meng pushed through the crowd and lunged forward, locking onto the martialist's wrist.

He had just finished settling his accounts with Shopkeeper Hu, the warmth of the silver banknotes still lingering in his pocket. He had come out to meet Wang Tieniu, only to run into this. Seeing the people from Leiming Martial Hall attempting to seize his goods by force, he acted decisively.

The jowly martialist turned red in the face as he tried to break free, only to find that he couldn't budge an inch.

Lei Jun narrowed his long, thin eyes, sizing up Qin Meng. He saw that the man seemed to be about his own age, dressed in ordinary clothes, yet standing tall and straight.

In particular, those calm eyes and the biting, murderous aura mixed with the scent of blood on his body made Lei Jun suppress his contempt slightly, though his arrogance remained unchanged.

"You're the hunter?"

"These two deer look decent enough. My Leiming Martial Hall will take them. One hundred taels."

One hundred taels! A chorus of hushed gasps and intakes of breath erupted from the surrounding crowd.

For ordinary farmers and hunters, this was undoubtedly an unimaginably astronomical figure.

However, a few well-informed old merchants and pharmacy clerks in the crowd shook their heads in secret.

Judging solely by the outlines of the two deer, the dense aura of blood, and the thick, coarse fur visible through the gaps in the thatch, these were definitely not ordinary spotted deer.

They were likely prime stags from the deep mountains, perhaps even the legendary exotic breeds. Their antlers, blood, and even their sinews, bones, and flesh were treasures for martial artists, capable of greatly nourishing qi and blood and strengthening the physique.

One hundred taels? That might fool a layman in this border market town, but if transported to the provincial capital, a single pair of antlers would be worth more than that.

Qin Meng's expression remained calm. "Not for sale."

"Kid!" the man with the hooked nose barked sharply. "The young master is giving you face by making an offer. In Linshan Town, no one dares to defy the Leiming Martial Hall!"

"I said, not for sale." Qin Meng's tone was ironclad.

"These two deer are for Luming Fort's own use."

"Your own use?" Lei Jun sneered, his eyes turning cold. "A tiny border fort like yours? Do you even deserve to consume such precious medicinal resources? One hundred and twenty taels is enough to feed your entire fort for a year. Don't be ungrateful."

Qin Meng said no more. He turned and gripped the sled ropes. "Tieniu, let's go."

That attitude of complete disregard thoroughly enraged Lei Jun. "Stop him."

Two martial artists lunged forward, splitting left and right, their hands resting on their sword hilts.

Qin Meng paused his steps and spun around abruptly.

The moment he turned, a terrifying aura—tangible, mixed with the scent of blood and the chilling cold of the battlefield—erupted, sweeping out from him as the center.

The two men charging forward bore the brunt of it. They felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar; their hands froze mid-draw, and they stumbled back two steps involuntarily, their faces turning pale.

Qin Meng's gaze was like cold lightning, piercing straight at Lei Jun. "You want to rob me? Weigh whether the hunting blades of Luming Fort are thirsty for blood. Can your Leiming Martial Hall afford the charge of 'plundering the catch of a border fort and harming its people'?"

Lei Jun's face turned from green to white, his chest heaving violently.

The border forts were unified in military and civilian affairs and were extremely protective of their own. Making a blood feud with a border fort, especially in public and over mere goods, was an act of absolute stupidity.

He looked into Qin Meng's chilling eyes, then glanced at his subordinates who had been scared into retreating. He felt shock and anger, but even more, he felt apprehension.

"These two deer are truly not for sale. I have already sold the two best ones to Kexianju Restaurant," Qin Meng said, his tone softening slightly to offer a way out. "Shopkeeper Hu has four antlers. If the young master is in urgent need, you can go discuss it with him."

Just then, the back door of Kexianju Restaurant creaked open.

The plump Shopkeeper Hu poked his head out at the right moment and trotted over, smiling broadly as he wedged himself between them. "Oh my, Young Master Lei, what a pleasure to have you here. Mengzi, you child, your temper is too blunt. We do have antlers in the shop."

He took the opportunity to raise his voice to the crowd. "Everyone, our shop has acquired the stags and obtained four premium autumn antlers, full of vitality. We also have high-quality venison and deer bones. Any martial friends or masters in need, feel free to come and take a look!"

These words confirmed the transaction was complete, defused the conflict, and served as an advertisement all at once.

Lei Jun's expression shifted. He glared fiercely at Qin Meng, as if trying to carve his face into his memory, before finally squeezing through his teeth, "Fine. You've got guts."

He led his men into the back door of the restaurant following Shopkeeper Hu.

The onlookers began to buzz with discussion, their eyes filled with newfound fear as they looked at Qin Meng.

Qin Meng's expression remained calm as he tidied up the sled cover.

"Let's go," he said to Wang Tieniu. The two of them dragged their haul into the flow of people on the main street.

They arrived at Zhang's Eatery with their prey.

This was an ordinary restaurant in the market town known for its good quality and reasonable prices; the original Qin Meng had been a regular here.

With such a bountiful harvest this time, Qin Meng brought Wang Tieniu inside, intending to treat them to a good meal. He ordered hearty dishes like braised pork belly, roast goose, and braised pork knuckle.

Wang Tieniu's eyes went wide, and he swallowed hard.

Qin Meng smiled. "Eat up. You worked hard this trip."

Just as the two were about to pick up their chopsticks, something stirred in Qin Meng's chest. A small, furry head poked out, a tiny nose twitching as it stared fixedly at the meat on the table, letting out a faint "ying" sound.

Wang Tieniu finally noticed it. "Brother Meng, this... what is this?"

"Found it in the mountains. It was injured," Qin Meng said, brushing it off. He took the little fox out and placed it on the edge of the table, then fetched a small bowl and set aside a bit of each dish for it.

The little fox immediately lowered its head, eating in small but rapid bites while letting out satisfied chirps. A faint, refreshing scent of medicinal herbs began to drift from its body, smelling exceptionally pleasant.

Wang Tieniu watched with envy and reached out to pet it.

The little fox was unusually sharp; it dodged nimbly and bared its teeth at him.

Wang Tieniu sheepishly withdrew his hand, muttering, "This little guy is quite shy around strangers..."

Once it had eaten its fill, the little fox licked its pink tongue, then obediently crawled back into Qin Meng's chest, curled into a ball in a comfortable spot, and went still.

After finishing the meal, they paid and left.

With silver in hand, Qin Meng first went to the grain shop and bought over a hundred catties of grain, along with thirty-some catties of refined and coarse salt.

Next, he stopped by the fabric shop to buy several rolls of thick cotton cloth and new cotton batting.

Immediately after, they passed a clothing store.

Qin Meng bought two sets of thick, new clothes from head to toe for both himself and Shen Qiuyue. Then, looking at the patched, old jacket on Wang Tieniu, he said to the shopkeeper, "Give this kid two thick sets in his size, too."

Wang Tieniu was stunned for a moment, then his face flushed bright red. He waved his hands repeatedly. "Brother Meng, this... this won't do. It's too expensive."

"Just wear them. It's getting cold," Qin Meng said, not bothering to argue, and paid the bill directly. He had intentions of visiting to seek guidance, and this was a gesture of goodwill in advance.

On the way back, Wang Tieniu clutched the bundle containing his new clothes, his face flushed with excitement. His impression of Qin Meng as a drunken bum had long since changed, and he called out "Brother Meng" with extra affection the entire way home.