Rare Demon Salamander Meat

The setting sun slanted westward as Qin Meng and his group dragged their supplies back to Luming Fort.

Miles back, they had already washed away the blood and changed into clean clothes. Though they could not hide their exhaustion, there were no longer any traces of the slaughter on them, save for the chipped edges of their weapons and the bandages on Wang Tieniu's arm, which hinted at the danger they had faced.

At the fork in the road, Qin Meng stopped. "Zhuzi, Xiaoshan, Tieniu, take the supplies home first, then come back to help me process the prey. The iron-armored demon salamander is too big for one person to handle. Bring some meat back with you; this thing is incredibly nourishing."

"Got it!" The three men agreed and headed to their respective homes.

Qin Meng dragged the sled carrying the carcass of the iron-armored demon salamander back to his own small courtyard.

The gate was shut tight. From inside came the sound of wind being sliced, followed by a woman's sharp exhales—Shen Qiuyue was practicing her Five Elements Fist after her training session.

Qin Meng's lips curled upward. He raised his hand and knocked on the gate. "Qiuyue, I'm back."

The sound of wind-slicing inside stopped abruptly.

A moment later, hurried footsteps approached, the bolt was drawn, and the gate swung open.

Shen Qiuyue stood at the entrance, fine beads of sweat on her forehead. Her cheeks were flushed from exercise, and a few stray locks of hair clung to her temples, making her skin appear even fairer.

She wore an old, resized hunting outfit with the sleeves rolled up, revealing her pale forearms. Her clothes were soaked through with sweat, outlining her graceful figure.

Seeing Qin Meng, her eyes immediately brimmed with a smile. "Mengzi!"

"Awoo~" On a bamboo chair, the little fox Xiao Xue had already perked up its ears. It leaped down nimbly, darted to the door in a few bounds, and circled around Qin Meng's feet. Its tail wagged like a blooming dandelion, and it sniffed the scent on the sled incessantly, letting out excited whimpers.

"Qiuyue, look what good thing I caught."

Qin Meng smiled and stepped aside, pulling the sled into the courtyard.

Shen Qiuyue's gaze fell upon the sled. When she saw the massive carcass of the demon salamander—which was nearly twenty feet long even while coiled up and covered in black-brown, iron-like scales—and especially when she sensed the lingering aura of demonic malice, her smile froze, and her pupils contracted slightly.

"Ah! This... this is..." She gasped, stepping forward to get a closer look. She suddenly looked up at Qin Meng, her voice trembling. "Mengzi, is this a demon beast? Did... did you get hurt?"

After a long moment, she recovered from her shock and hurriedly stepped forward to grab Qin Meng, her hands searching over him to check for injuries, her face full of anxiety.

"I'm fine, I'm perfectly healthy." Qin Meng held her hands, smiling to reassure her. "I caught this big guy in the mountain stream; it didn't take much effort."

Seeing that he was indeed full of energy and had no bloodstains or wounds, Shen Qiuyue finally let out a sigh of relief, then looked back at the massive demon salamander.

"This is way too big. Is it a mountain crying fish?"

"That's right." Qin Meng rubbed the head of the little fox that had nudged against him.

The little fox had jumped onto the sled, gently scratching the iron armor of the salamander with its paws. It sniffed at the wound, then turned back to bark "awoo" at Qin Meng, its eyes sparkling with delight.

"Looks like the little one knows this is good stuff." Qin Meng chuckled and took the basket off the sled. "Let's process it before it goes bad. The hide, the bones, and the demon tendons are all treasures, and the meat is incredibly nourishing."

Shen Qiuyue came over to help, and the two dragged the demon salamander's carcass to the area where they usually processed their game. Qin Meng fetched his zhanma dao, preparing to skin it first.

"Mengzi, I've brought the gear!"

A shout came from outside; it was Li Tiezhu.

His shoulder had been grazed, but he was the first to arrive. He carried a long spear on his back, a boning knife in his left hand, and a short stool and wooden cutting board slung over his right shoulder.

"Just in time." Qin Meng took the cutting board and set it up.

Before long, Qin Xiaoshan arrived as well. His leg injury was quite severe, and his face was pale; he had been pushed over on a flatbed cart by his older brother, Qin Dashan.

Qin Dashan was in his early twenties, tall and burly, a size broader than even Qin Meng. With a square face, a wide mouth, and dark, tanned skin, he was known throughout the fort as an honest, hardworking man.

The cart was also loaded with wooden basins, buckets, and other supplies.

In his arms, Qin Xiaoshan cradled a small, fluffy black puppy.

"Brother Meng," Qin Xiaoshan said as he climbed off the cart, "I asked my brother to come help. He's got great strength and is quick with his hands. Also, my hunting dog had a litter a few days ago, so I brought this one for you to guard the house."

As he spoke, he handed over the black puppy.

The puppy seemed to catch Qin Meng's scent; it wasn't shy at all, sticking out its tongue to lick his hand.

"That's great, thank you!" Qin Meng didn't stand on ceremony. He took the puppy, stroked its head, and looked at Qin Dashan. "Brother Dashan, sorry for the trouble."

"No trouble, no trouble at all," Qin Dashan said with a bashful grin, his voice booming. "It's all thanks to you reaching out to save my brother; this is nothing."

As he spoke, his gaze fell upon the massive carcass of the demon salamander in the corner of the yard. His eyes widened, and his mouth hung open. "Wow! Such... such a huge mountain crying creature! Good heavens, how many years has this thing been growing?"

"It's probably become a spirit," Qin Meng laughed.

Qin Dashan grunted in agreement and stepped forward. Working in tandem with Li Tiezhu, they lifted the heavy salamander carcass onto the cutting board.

The man truly had astonishing strength; he didn't seem to struggle at all while lifting the two-thousand-pound creature.

The last to arrive was Wang Tieniu. The kid had his arm in a sling, but he still carried his bow and blade on his back. He snuck into the yard, glancing left and right, before sidling up to Qin Meng and quickly shoving a palm-sized object wrapped in an old grey cloth into his hand.

"Hm?" Qin Meng was stunned. He looked down at the cloth bundle and asked in confusion:

"What is this?"

"I don't know." Wang Tieniu shook his head honestly, lowering his voice. "My grandfather told me to give this to you. It's a primary cultivation technique. It's not something from the military, so you can practice it without worry. It's to thank you for saving my life.

He also said... the military rules are strict, so don't blame him for holding back last time. Also, his name is—Wang Hanshan."

After saying this, he didn't wait for Qin Meng to ask more and ran off to help process the demon salamander.

Many hands make light work.

With Qin Meng and Qin Dashan as the main force, and Li Tiezhu and Wang Tieniu assisting, the four of them worked together and finally finished processing the iron-armored demon salamander before nightfall.

Bleeding, descaling, skinning, eviscerating, removing the poison sac...

The iron-armored hide of this demon creature was extremely difficult to process. If not for Qin Meng wielding the zhanma dao and Qin Dashan possessing immense strength, ordinary hunters would have had no way to even begin.

By the time everything was finished, the corner of the courtyard was filled with neatly categorized materials:

The entire dark-brown iron-armored hide was rolled into a large bundle, demon tendons as thick as a child's arm were coiled in a wooden basin, demon bones were stacked high, and the poison sac was sealed in a ceramic jar.

As for the meat, it filled three large vats and five troughs.

At this moment, a rich, meaty aroma drifted from the kitchen—Shen Qiuyue had prepared a sumptuous dinner. A large iron pot of demon salamander meat soup simmered, milky white and fragrant.

In the main room, everyone sat around, tucking into the feast.

The demon salamander meat was truly extraordinary: the texture was as tender as tofu, melting in the mouth, with delicious juices bursting between the teeth.

Once it entered the stomach, it transformed into waves of warmth that surged toward the limbs and bones, nourishing the body. The essence contained within was so vast that a feeling of fullness arrived quickly.

"Ugh..." Wang Tieniu burped, suddenly looking at his bandaged arm. Qin Xiaoshan also let out a low cry, covering his injured leg.

Both of them felt it: the burning pain at their wounds was rapidly fading, replaced by a tingling, itchy sensation—the sign of flesh and blood regenerating!

"This is truly treasure meat!" Qin Xiaoshan was both surprised and delighted. "At this rate, I'm afraid I'll be mostly recovered in three to five days."

Everyone marveled at the discovery.

The little fox Xiao Xue ate the most enthusiastically, bowl after bowl, until its little belly was as round as a ball, only then did it reluctantly stop with a soft "awoo."

Qin Meng smiled and carried it back to its nest.

On the other side, the new little black dog was happily gnawing on the internal organs it had been given.

After the meal, Shen Qiuyue set aside some fresh meat and salted the rest, preparing to smoke it tomorrow.

Wang Tieniu, Qin Dashan, and the others consciously stepped in to help.

Li Tiezhu felt warm all over, and the graze on his shoulder had already healed by seven or eight tenths.

He picked up his long spear, his eyes burning with intensity: "Mengzi, come, let's spar?"

"Alright!"

The two took their stances in the courtyard.

The long spear moved like a dragon, whistling through the air. Although Qin Meng did not use his blade, he remained as steady as a mountain, parrying the spear tip every time at the very last second.

"Brother Zhuzi, no wonder your spear technique is progressing so fast; it turns out you have Brother Meng to spar with," Qin Xiaoshan watched, mesmerized, and suddenly realized.

He felt an itch in his heart—his archery was decent, and if he could get some pointers from Qin Meng... but he was too embarrassed to ask.

Wang Tieniu had no such reservations and shouted directly, "Brother Meng! The blade technique you used today was vicious and ruthless. Could you teach it to me?"

"Sure." Qin Meng sidestepped a direct thrust and laughed heartily, "Once you all have recovered from your injuries, come over every evening, and we'll practice together!"

He was in need of cultivating a few capable helpers.

It wasn't until late at night that Qin Meng saw Li Tiezhu and the others off. He gave each of them about a hundred catties of demon salamander meat before returning home to prepare for practicing the diamond body.