Qin Qi studied all night and got up on time the next morning.
He went to breakfast, then attended class. After lunch, he headed to the butcher's shop to work.
The shop's backyard was huge. That was where the pigs were slaughtered.
Four or five people were in the yard. They were all helpers the butcher had hired to help him slaughter the pigs.
"Hey, kid, the basin! Hurry up and bring me the basin!"
"Hey, kid, get me a long-handled knife. Not that one—the Ox-Ear Knife."
"Water, kid! Hurry up and bring me some hot water!"
The shouts of the people in the yard mingled with the pigs' screams, and everything descended into chaos.
Qin Qi ran back and forth without stopping, helping everyone find the things they needed.
Only after the pigs had been bled, inflated, scraped, gutted, and hung up did the butchering begin in earnest.
Only the butcher himself could do this part. The other helpers didn't have the skill to manage it.
Meanwhile, Qin Qi and the others moved straight on to slaughtering another pig. They had to get through two pigs in one go before they could stop and rest.
While the helpers took a break to drink some water and catch their breath, Qin Qi went over to watch the butcher work.
"Kid, want to try your hand at it?"
The butcher saw Qin Qi staring intently at him and burst out laughing.
"I do. Can I?"
Qin Qi asked.
"Can you my ass. You think this is child's play? You need years of practice. You think you can pick up a knife and get to work already? Dream on."
The butcher laughed heartily, but his hands never stopped. With brisk, clean movements, he removed the pig's leg.
Qin Qi knew the butcher was just teasing him. He didn't get upset and watched with a grin.
At the same time, he began practicing Outer Observation using the method Tang Jiaren had taught him, carefully studying every one of the butcher's movements.
After a short rest, the helpers began on the third pig. They were the ones who pinned it down and tied it up.
When it was time to bleed the pig, the butcher came over and killed it with a single cut. He left the remaining work of scraping off the bristles to the helpers.
"Boss, is there some trick to that cut of yours?"
Qin Qi asked curiously.
"There's a lot to it. In our line of work, we have a saying: three years before you can make the cut, five years before you can butcher a whole pig, and ten years before you can seal its throat with a single stroke."
"Three years before you can make the cut means an apprentice needs three years before he can even touch a knife. At five years, he can start butchering a whole pig."
"And it takes a master with ten years of experience to dare say he's learned how to bleed one."
The butcher talked with Qin Qi as he butchered the pig. He wasn't standoffish at all—in fact, he loved a good chat.
"Bleeding it is that difficult? It looks like it's just a matter of one cut."
Qin Qi pressed on.
"Amateurs watch the spectacle; experts see the skill."
"My cut goes straight to the heart. It's fast, accurate, and ruthless. If you're too slow or your aim is off—"
"If you don't kill it with one stroke, the pig will start thrashing around, and it'll be a pain to slaughter. The meat won't taste as good afterward, either."
"That's why it's called One-Knife Throat-Seal. Doesn't matter what kind of pig it is—one cut from me, and it's dead!"
The butcher wasn't worried about Qin Qi copying him. Anyone who attended Notting Academy would become a Spirit Master at the very least after graduation.
They could earn more than a pig butcher by doing just about anything.
Qin Qi committed the butcher's words to memory, then continued watching the steps of the slaughter with rapt attention.
"Kid, I remember you're a student at Notting Academy, right? What year are you in?"
The butcher asked.
"First-year. I just started."
Qin Qi replied.
"Oh, then I'll have to wait at least six years before I can slaughter your pig."
The butcher said.
"Huh?"
Qin Qi stared at the butcher, dumbfounded. What did he mean, slaughter his pig? How could he say something that sounded so much like a line from a shady shop, right out in the open?!
"Brother Butcher, how can you say that? You've scared the kid."
"Don't be scared, kid. Brother Butcher means he'll slaughter a pig for you when you graduate and have your celebration banquet."
A few of the helpers sitting nearby and resting spoke up.
"Graduation banquet... Oh, these pigs are for the sixth-year students at Notting Academy?"
Qin Qi suddenly thought of the Soul Hunting Operation a few days from now. Could these pigs be for celebrating it?
"That's right. We have to come out and do this every year when those young masters graduate."
"Ah, they're rich. If it were me, I wouldn't have the heart to spend that kind of money."
"That's because you're a broke fool."
Everyone joked around for a while, then got back to work. Just then, someone came by to collect the pigs that had been butchered.
After working all day, Qin Qi was given five Copper Soul Coins by the butcher before he left.
"This is your bonus for today's slaughter. You only did a few odd jobs, so it's five Copper Soul Coins."
"But I've also got some dried meat here. Take it home and eat it."
The butcher stuffed the money and dried meat into Qin Qi's hands, then shooed him out of the shop.
"He looks pretty fierce, but he's actually a decent guy."
Qin Qi looked at the butcher and smiled. Then he ate the dried meat as he headed back to Notting Academy.
As usual, he collected the day's wages from Wang Sheng and the others, ate dinner, then entered the Study Space to study.
"Second Grandpa, this time we've got pigs!"
Qin Qi entered the Study Space and used Simulation to conjure up the pigs he had seen that day.
The Study Space could simulate learning tools he had seen, but they could only be used inside. He couldn't take them out.
As for things like medicine, the simulations could only help him identify them. Eating them wouldn't do anything.
"Since we've got pigs, I'll demonstrate it for you."
Tang Jiaren looked at the pig before him and loosened up his body. He hadn't slaughtered one in years—he wondered if he was rusty.
Tang Jiaren walked toward one of the pigs. His knife flashed too fast for the naked eye to follow.
One-Knife Throat-Seal!
"The first cut when slaughtering a pig is to bleed it. Don't be fooled by how it's just one stroke. That one stroke takes years of practice."
"Then comes cutting it up and separating the meat. You have to follow the grain, especially around the bones—that's where your technique is put to the test."
"When you make your move, your eyes must be sharp, your hands steady, and your heart ruthless!"
Tang Jiaren demonstrated the whole process for Qin Qi in meticulous detail, then had him try it himself.
"One-Knife Throat-Seal!"
Qin Qi raised his knife and aimed for the spot he had observed earlier, but his thrust went wide and missed the heart.
"Oink, oink, oink!"
The pig began thrashing wildly, twisting and turning as it let out a piercing scream.
"The simulation's this realistic?"
Qin Qi was startled to see the pig move. He hadn't seen the pigs move before, so he'd assumed they couldn't.
"The position of a pig's heart varies from one pig to another. You have to look carefully and observe closely."
"The way you put force into the cut was wrong, too. You won't hit the mark that way, and you won't have enough strength."
Tang Jiaren taught Qin Qi every detail of how to make the cut, right down to how to hold the knife.
That night, Qin Qi grew as a person. For the first time, he learned that if you wanted to stab someone with a knife—
Don't just randomly stab them in the chest. If you aren't a professional, your knife can easily get blocked by a rib before it reaches the heart!
[System Notification: Congratulations, host. You have learned the Eighteen Pig-Slaughtering Styles. Reward: 100 study credits and 1 achievement point.] [System Notification: Private tutor "Tang Jiaren"'s approval has reached 50%. Reward: Transparent World. Physical Practice feature unlocked!]