Rare Demon Salamander Meat

The sun slanted toward the western horizon as Qin Meng and the others dragged their supplies back to Luming Fort.

They had washed off the blood and changed into clean clothes several miles out. Though exhaustion still clung to them, there was no sign of battle on their bodies—only the chips in their weapons and the bandage on Wang Tieniu's arm hinted at the danger they had faced.

At the fork in the road, Qin Meng stopped. "Tiezhu, Xiaoshan, Tieniu, take the stuff home first, then come help me butcher the catch. The Demon Salamander's too big for one person to handle. Bring some meat home, too. This stuff's a powerful tonic."

"Sure!" the three replied, then each headed home.

Dragging the sled with the Iron-Armored Demon Salamander's corpse, Qin Meng returned to the yard outside his home.

The courtyard gate was shut. From inside came the swish of fists cutting through the air and a woman's low cries—that was Shen Qiuyue practicing the Five Elements Fist after finishing her training.

The corners of Qin Meng's mouth lifted. He raised a hand and knocked. "Qiuyue, I'm back."

The sounds of fists cutting through the air stopped abruptly.

A moment later, hurried footsteps approached. The bar slid free, and the courtyard gate swung open.

Shen Qiuyue stood in the doorway, a sheen of sweat on her brow and a rosy flush from exercising on her cheeks. A few strands of hair clung to her temples, making her skin look even fairer.

She wore an old hunting outfit that had been altered to fit her. Her sleeves were rolled up, revealing pale forearms, and sweat had soaked through her clothes, outlining her graceful figure.

The instant she saw Qin Meng, a smile spread across her eyes. "Mengzi!"

"Yip!" Little Fox Xiao Xue had already perked up her ears on the bamboo chair. She leaped lightly to the ground and scampered to the doorway, circling Qin Meng's feet. Her tail swished like a blooming dandelion as she sniffed eagerly at the scents coming from the sled, letting out excited little whines.

"Qiuyue, look what I brought back!"

Qin Meng smiled and turned sideways, pulling the sled into the courtyard.

Shen Qiuyue's gaze fell on the sled. When she saw the enormous Demon Salamander corpse, still nearly two zhang long even with its body coiled up and covered in hard, dark-brown, iron-like scales—and especially when she sensed its demonic aura—her smile froze and her pupils constricted.

"Ah! Th-this is..." she cried, then hurried over for a closer look. She abruptly raised her head to stare at Qin Meng, her voice trembling. "Mengzi, is this a Demonic Beast? Are you... are you hurt?"

It took her a long moment to recover from the shock. Then she hurried to Qin Meng and grabbed him, running her hands over him to check for injuries, her face full of worry.

"I'm fine. I'm perfectly all right." Qin Meng took her hands and smiled reassuringly. "I caught the big fellow in a mountain stream. It wasn't much trouble."

Only after confirming that he looked energetic and had no bloodstains or wounds did Shen Qiuyue relax. Then she looked back at the enormous Demon Salamander.

"It's huge! Is it a Mountain Crying Fish?"

"That's right." Qin Meng rubbed the head of Little Fox, who had come trotting over.

The fox had already leaped beside the sled. She lightly pawed at the Demon Salamander's armor, then sniffed around its wound. Turning back to Qin Meng, she yipped a few times, her eyes gleaming with delight.

"Looks like the little one knows this is good stuff." Qin Meng smiled and took the pack basket off the sled. "Let's get this thing butchered while we still have time. Its hide, bones, and demon tendons are all treasures, and the meat is especially nourishing."

Shen Qiuyue came to help. Together, they dragged the Demon Salamander's corpse to the spot where they usually butchered their prey. Qin Meng fetched the Zhanma Dao and prepared to skin it first.

"Mengzi, I brought the tools!"

A shout came from outside. It was Li Tiezhu.

With a scrape wound on his shoulder, he had arrived first. He carried a long spear on his back, a boning knife in his left hand, and a low stool and wooden chopping board on his right shoulder.

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

Before long, Qin Xiaoshan arrived, too. His leg was badly injured, and his face was pale. His older brother, Qin Dashan, had pushed him over in a handcart.

Qin Dashan was in his early twenties, tall and powerfully built, a good deal sturdier than Qin Meng. He had a broad face and mouth, dark skin, and was known throughout the fort as an honest man.

The handcart also carried wooden basins, buckets, and other things.

Qin Xiaoshan was holding a fluffy little black dog in his arms.

"Mengzi, I asked my brother to come help. He's strong and quick with his hands. Also, our hunting dog had a litter a few days ago. This one's for guarding your home."

As he spoke, he handed over the Little Black Dog.

The puppy seemed to catch Qin Meng's scent. It wasn't afraid of him; it stuck out its tongue and licked his hand.

"That's mighty kind of you. Thanks!" Qin Meng accepted the puppy without hesitation, stroked its head, then turned to Qin Dashan. "Dashan, sorry for the trouble."

"No trouble, no trouble!" Qin Dashan waved his hand with a simple grin, his voice booming. "You saved my brother's life, Mengzi. This little bit of help is nothing."

As he spoke, his gaze landed on the enormous Demon Salamander corpse in the corner of the yard. His eyes went wide and his mouth fell open. "Whoa! What a huge Mountain Crying Creature! Good heavens, how many years did it take to grow that big?"

"It's probably become a spirit," Qin Meng said with a smile.

Qin Dashan answered with a grunt, then joined Li Tiezhu at the head and tail of the corpse. Together, they lifted the heavy Demon Salamander onto the chopping board.

The man truly was astonishingly strong. Lifting the Demon Salamander, which weighed more than two thousand jin, barely seemed to trouble him.

The last to arrive was Wang Tieniu. With his arm in a sling but his bow and saber still on his back, the boy slunk into the courtyard and glanced around. Then he sidled up to Qin Meng and quickly slipped a palm-sized object wrapped in old gray cloth into his hand.

"Hm?" Qin Meng stared down at the bundle in his hand and asked in confusion, "What's this?"

"I don't know." Wang Tieniu shook his head honestly and lowered his voice. "Grandpa told me to give it to you. It's a cultivation technique—not something from the army. You can cultivate it without worry. He said it was to thank you for saving my life.

"He also said the military has strict rules, so don't hold it against him for keeping his strength hidden last time. And his name is Wang Hanshan."

Before Qin Meng could ask anything else, Wang Tieniu ran over to help butcher the Demon Salamander.

Many hands made light work.

With Qin Meng and Qin Dashan doing most of the work and Li Tiezhu and Wang Tieniu assisting, the four of them finally finished butchering the Iron-Armored Demon Salamander before nightfall.

They drained its blood, removed its scales, skinned it, took out its organs, and cut out its poison sac...

The beast's iron-hard hide was extremely difficult to deal with. Without Qin Meng wielding the Zhanma Dao and Qin Dashan's incredible strength, ordinary hunters wouldn't have been able to do a thing.

When they were done, neatly sorted materials filled a corner of the yard:

The dark-brown iron hide had been rolled into a large bundle. Demon tendons as thick as a child's arm were coiled in a wooden basin, demon bones lay in a heap, and the poison sac was sealed inside a pottery jar.

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

Just then, the rich aroma of meat drifted from the kitchen. Shen Qiuyue had made a sumptuous dinner: a huge iron pot of Demon Salamander meat soup, its broth milky white and its fragrance mouthwatering.

Everyone gathered around the table in the main room and dug in with gusto.

The Demon Salamander meat was every bit as extraordinary as they'd hoped. Tender as tofu, it melted in their mouths, its savory juices bursting across their tongues.

As soon as it entered their stomachs, streams of warmth flowed through their limbs and bones, nourishing their bodies. The meat contained so much essence that they soon felt full.

"Mm..." Wang Tieniu burped, then suddenly looked at his bandaged arm. Qin Xiaoshan also cried out softly and clutched his injured leg.

Both of them could feel it: the searing pain at their wounds was fading rapidly, replaced by waves of tingling and itching—the sign that flesh was growing back!

"This really is treasure meat!" Qin Xiaoshan exclaimed, delighted and amazed. "At this rate, I'll be almost fully recovered in three to five days."

Everyone marveled at the sight.

Little Fox Xiao Xue ate with the greatest enthusiasm, bowl after bowl, until her belly was round as a ball. Only then did she reluctantly stop, giving a little "yip."

Qin Meng smiled and carried her back to her nest.

Nearby, the newly arrived Little Black Dog was happily gnawing on the organs it had been given.

After dinner, Shen Qiuyue set some fresh meat aside and rubbed salt into the rest, preparing to smoke it the next day.

Wang Tieniu, Qin Dashan, and the others pitched in without being asked.

Li Tiezhu felt warm all over from the meal, and the scrape on his shoulder had already healed most of the way.

He picked up his long spear, his eyes shining. "Mengzi, come on. How about a spar?"

"Sure!"

The two took up their positions in the courtyard.

The long spear darted like a dragon, howling as it cut through the air. Qin Meng had no saber in hand, yet he stood firm as a mountain, turning aside each spearhead at the last possible instant.

"Brother Tiezhu, no wonder your spear skills have been improving so fast. You've been sparring with Brother Mengzi!" Qin Xiaoshan watched, enthralled, and finally understood.

He itched to ask. His archery was decent, and if Qin Meng could give him some pointers... But he was too embarrassed to ask.

Wang Tieniu had no such qualms. He blurted out, "Brother Mengzi! That saber technique you used today was so vicious and deadly. Could you teach me?"

"Sure." Qin Meng leaned aside to evade a thrust and laughed loudly. "Once you've all healed up, come by every evening. We'll practice together!"

He needed to train a few capable helpers.

It was late into the night by the time Qin Meng saw Li Tiezhu and the others off. He gave each of them about a hundred jin of Demon Salamander meat, then returned home to cultivate the Diamond Body.