How Much Stronger Is Stronger?

Shamoke scratched his head, utterly baffled. "Elephant meat? Wasn't the young general eating snake stew?"

The same fragrance wafted everywhere around Lan Yuan. A bad feeling suddenly rose in his heart, so he set down his chopsticks and asked with a frown, "Snake stew? Where did you get so many snakes?"

"The young general probably guessed it. We caught and killed several thousand of them at Rocky Shoal." Shamoke wore a simple, honest grin.

Lan Yuan forced himself to remain calm as he set down his bowl, his tone turning accusatory. "Weren't all the snakes from that night venomous? Did you forget I told you to gather them together and bury them?"

"But they were all meat. It'd be such a waste to bury them and feed the dirt. Venomous snakes can be eaten after proper preparation." Shamoke lowered his head in explanation.

"Can they?" Lan Yuan looked to Gao Shun for confirmation.

Gao Shun shook his head. "I saw General Sha eat some yesterday. There shouldn't be any problem. Once we return to Guangzhou, we can ask the teacher. In any case, the army physicians traveling with us were present too."

"Uh..." Lan Yuan did not know how to respond.

Shamoke patted his chest in guarantee. "Rest easy, young general. Many of my clansmen were hunters by trade—what sort of snakes and bugs haven't they eaten? So long as they're handled properly, the venom in the snake's body can be removed. Aren't I still lively as a dragon and vigorous as a tiger?"

Lan Yuan nodded lightly. "That's only because the war is over. If someone accidentally ate a venomous snake while we were marching, the consequences would be unthinkable."

"No, no. I've followed the teacher for so many years—I know what matters and what doesn't." Shamoke smiled ingratiatingly.