Black-White Strange Pig

"Master, I'll get to it right away."

Wang Er grabbed the butcher's knife and turned toward the sow beside him, ready to cut her open.

"Wait!"

Li Beichen stopped Wang Er.

"Brother Wang Er, something's not right here. Don't kill this pig just yet. Come home with me!"

He grabbed Wang Er and started to leave the house.

Seeing them about to go,

several burly men in pale robes blocked the entrance, refusing to let them leave.

"You can't just force people to buy and sell!"

Li Beichen's brows furrowed, and he kicked out.

In the same motion, he used the force-generating method of the first stance of the Giant Elephant Fist, Giant Elephant Stomp.

Bang!

One of the burly men was kicked back several steps.

Li Beichen didn't use his Locust Stones. The ones he carried were specially made to kill jackals and wolves; using them on ordinary people could easily land him in a murder case.

Seeing that Li Beichen actually dared to strike, the old man in the lead stomped his cane.

All the pale-robed figures surged forward.

"Stop fighting! Stop!"

Seeing Li Beichen surrounded, Wang Er hurriedly called out.

"Master, I'll slaughter the pig for you right now. Please don't make things difficult for Brother Beichen!"

"Why aren't you getting to it already?!"

The fat old man glared viciously at Wang Er.

"Wang Er, don't kill it!"

"Elephant Charge Strike!"

Li Beichen roared and unleashed the final stance of the Giant Elephant Fist. Like a wild elephant charging, he shoved aside all the pale-robed figures around him.

The fat old man's eyes suddenly widened as he glared at Li Beichen.

In a daze, Li Beichen saw several steel blades thrusting toward him.

Just then, a few lines of small text appeared before Li Beichen.

[Technique: Giant Elephant Fist—Incomplete (Threshold of Mastery)]

[Progress: (0/500)]

[Traits: Greatly increased physique, greatly increased strength, greatly increased stamina]

In an instant, Li Beichen grew an inch taller. His physique became three times stronger, every muscle on his body clearly defined, and he gained more than ten pounds.

At the same time, the scene before him receded like a tide, revealing what was real.

There was no fat old man. It was only an old, vicious, black-and-white fat pig.

The steel blades were just an illusion.

And those pale-robed figures were nothing but a group of fat, big-eared pigs.

The grand house was merely the pigsty in Wang Er's own yard.

And the woman tied to the long wooden bench wasn't an old sow at all, but Wang Er's wife, who was several months pregnant.

"What a vicious beast!"

Li Beichen knitted his brows, fury surging in his heart.

He immediately took out a specially made stone and hurled a Locust Stone in a fit of rage.

His Locust Stones had already been powerful enough to kill jackals and wolves; now that his physique had improved, they were even more powerful.

At close range, they were practically as deadly as crossbow bolts.

Bang!!!

The stone struck the eye of the fat black-and-white pig, bursting it.

Immediately after,

Li Beichen drove his feet into the ground and charged forward. His iron-pot-sized fist showed no mercy as it slammed into the beast's skull.

The Strange Pig had been gravely wounded by the Locust Stone, and soon fell silent beneath Li Beichen's fists.

The dozen or so other fat pigs were ordinary domestic pigs. Once the Strange Pig was injured, the others came back to their senses and huddled together, not daring to move.

As for Wang Er, he finally broke free of the illusion too.

"Ah! My wife!"

He dropped the butcher's knife and hurried to untie his wife.

A wave of terror washed over him.

If Li Beichen hadn't stopped him, that one swing of his knife would have left him suffering for the rest of his life.

Li Beichen helped Wang Er carry Sister-in-law Wang out of the pigsty.

By the time they laid her on the kang, dusk had fallen.

"Brother Wang Er, go find a physician. I'll stay here and look after Sister-in-law."

"Right, right, the physician."

Wang Er was still dazed. Hearing Li Beichen's instructions, he hurried off to find a physician.

Half an hour later, Wang Er returned with the physician.

"Don't worry. Your wife was only badly frightened and has no other serious problems. I'll prescribe some medicine to calm her nerves and protect the pregnancy. Let her rest and recuperate for a while, and she'll be fine."

Hearing the physician's words, Li Beichen knew that Wang Er and his wife were out of danger.

After the physician left, he said goodbye to Wang Er.

"Brother Wang Er, just take good care of Sister-in-law. I'll head home now. When you have time, you can butcher that Black and White Strange Pig and give me the meat."

Thud, thud, thud.

Wang Er dropped to his knees and knocked his head against the ground several times before Li Beichen.

"Brother Beichen, I owe you so much for tonight. If not for you..."

"Don't do that, Brother Wang Er. It's late. I should get going."

The next day, Li Beichen heard news from the neighboring Shanghong Village.

The entire family who had asked Wang Er to slaughter their pregnant sow had been wiped out.

Their bodies were mangled, chewed up by pigs until they were unrecognizable.

Even the constables vomited all over the ground when they saw them.

As it turned out, the Strange Pig had first slaughtered everyone in Shanghong Village, but that still hadn't quenched its rage. Then it went after Wang Er, using its illusion to make him taste the agony of having his wife and child killed.

Luckily, Li Beichen had advanced in the Giant Elephant Fist and broken through the illusion. Otherwise, he would have fallen here too.

Li Beichen told Wang Er not to spread the word.

After this ordeal, Wang Er also resolved to quit the butchering trade.

He slaughtered the dozen or so fat pigs he had raised, then hung up his butcher's knife for good.

After that, he planned to focus on his braised-meat business.

As for the Black-White Strange Pig, Wang Er skinned it, butchered it, and sent all the prepared meat to Li Beichen's home.

There were more than one hundred and eighty pounds of meat, with a yield of roughly fifty percent.

He cut off a small piece and boiled it in plain water, planning to eat it with a little salt and chili powder.

"This... must be Exotic Beast Meat."

Li Beichen put a bite in his mouth, chewed a few times, and swallowed it whole.

Before long, a fiery heat spread from his stomach through his entire body.

In an instant, Li Beichen flushed red all over. He felt as though he had boundless energy waiting to be unleashed.

Li Beichen hurried outside and began practicing the Giant Elephant Fist.

Once, twice, three times.

It took a full hour for the burning sensation in his body to subside a little.

But Li Beichen felt great, clear-headed and full of energy, without the slightest trace of fatigue. It seemed that the Black-White Strange Pig could nourish the spirit as well.

He looked at the panel.

His progress had increased by a full five points!

"What incredible potency!"

Li Beichen had only eaten a little less than half a pound, yet it had such an effect. He looked at the more than one hundred pounds of Exotic Beast Meat still remaining as though he'd found a rare treasure.

"But summer's almost here. It won't do if the meat spoils."

Li Beichen thought it over, kept a few pounds fresh, and cut the rest into strips about the size of his thumb.

He coated them with chili and salt and left them to cure overnight.

Then he fetched some thin bamboo skewers, threaded the strips onto them, and set them over a low fire to smoke all day.

Once they felt firm to the touch, Li Beichen steamed them all over water until cooked through.

Then he smoked them dry once more.

The strips, which had originally been as thick as a thumb, were now only as thick as chopsticks.

Li Beichen took one and chewed it. The meat was fragrant and wonderfully chewy.

"Not bad! Now it'll keep for a long time."

But after smoking the meat, the more than one hundred and ninety pounds of fresh meat had shrunk to just over ninety pounds, losing more than half its weight.

Still, the Strange Pig jerky was packed with energy, its essence concentrated.

Just one strip, weighing two or three ounces, was enough for Li Beichen to train all day without feeling drained or mentally exhausted.

With the jerky, Li Beichen's progress in the Giant Elephant Fist surged forward once again.