Exotic Beast

After winding through streets and alleys, the two of them returned to the Cheng Family Compound.

The moment they entered the main gate, Fang Zhixing immediately noticed they had a visitor.

Cheng Tian'en was entertaining a burly man in a conical hat.

"Wait, we've run into this man before," Skinny Dog suddenly reminded him.

Fang Zhixing had no recollection of him and asked, "Where?"

Skinny Dog quickly replied, "At the docks. I remember his scent. Also, he was carrying a bag. That bag had a very distinctive smell."

Fang Zhixing understood.

At that moment, Cheng Tian'en noticed him as well and waved him over.

Fang Zhixing walked over.

Cheng Tian'en seemed to be in a good mood. Pointing at the burly man in the conical hat, he introduced him, "This is my younger brother, Cheng Tianxi."

Fang Zhixing hurriedly cupped his fists in salute. "Greetings, Hero!"

Cheng Tianxi nodded and said flatly, "My elder brother said you have considerable talent?"

Fang Zhixing quickly replied, "Hero Cheng is merely praising me too highly."

Cheng Tianxi neither confirmed nor denied it. After a brief pause, he said, "Are you free later? Help me with something."

Fang Zhixing looked up. "Please give your orders, Hero."

Cheng Tianxi did not answer. He turned toward the kitchen and called to the older maid, "Has the water boiled?"

"It has," the maid answered.

"Good!"

Cheng Tianxi picked up his bag and headed straight for the kitchen.

The man and dog followed after him.

They saw a large pot of water bubbling furiously, sending up clouds of steam.

Cheng Tianxi untied his bag.

Fang Zhixing glanced inside curiously, and his face immediately registered surprise.

There was a living creature inside the bag—a monkey, and a baby monkey at that. It seemed to have been born only recently, its eyes not even fully open.

The baby monkey chirped weakly. Who knew how long it had been hungry? Its cries were feeble, and it looked utterly listless.

"Yes, yes, that's the scent!" Skinny Dog sniffed and transmitted, "This little monkey is no ordinary creature. Its scent is very distinctive. It gives me a feeling of oppression."

"A feeling of oppression?!"

Fang Zhixing frowned slightly and examined the baby monkey closely.

Suddenly, he noticed a fleshy horn protruding from its forehead, pale gold in color.

He could not help asking, "Hero, am I seeing things, or is this monkey growing a horn?"

Cheng Tianxi nodded. "This kind of monkey is called a Horned King Monkey. It is a bloodline exotic beast. It has a single horn on its forehead, and once it reaches adulthood, it will have four arms."

"An exotic beast!!"

Fang Zhixing and Skinny Dog exchanged a look, suddenly understanding.

It really was a supernatural creature.

The next moment, Cheng Tianxi grabbed the baby monkey and tossed it straight into the boiling water.

Splash!

Fang Zhixing and Skinny Dog stared in stunned bewilderment.

What was he doing, boiling the baby monkey to eat it?

"Chirp, chirp~~"

The baby monkey flailed about in the boiling water. Before long, it stopped struggling.

"Damn, what the—"

Fang Zhixing's expression changed in shock. The baby monkey had actually become lively in the boiling water, as though fully restored. It swam around comfortably, completely unharmed.

"Looks like the rumors were true. This beast fears the cold but not heat," Cheng Tianxi muttered.

Then he picked up a large bowl and handed it to Fang Zhixing. "When I bleed it, catch the blood with this."

Fang Zhixing held the bowl with both hands.

Cheng Tianxi grabbed the baby monkey, pressed it against the stove, and drew a dagger.

Pfft!

He stabbed it into the baby monkey's chest, cutting open a gash and exposing its beating heart.

"Catch it!"

Cheng Tianxi's expression turned solemn as he drove the dagger into the baby monkey's heart.

Screech!

A large amount of hot blood gushed out.

Fang Zhixing reacted swiftly, catching it in the large bowl until it was filled to the brim.

"That's enough. Hurry and take it to my elder brother for him to drink," Cheng Tianxi said at once.

"Understood."

Fang Zhixing nodded, then turned toward Cheng Tian'en. "Hero, this is for you to drink."

Cheng Tian'en looked at the bowl of scalding hot blood. His expression was strangely excited, and an indescribable anticipation filled his eyes.

Gulp, gulp, gulp~~

He lifted the bowl and drained it in one go.

Afterward, Cheng Tian'en lay down, panting like an ox. Hot sweat poured from his entire body, his skin turned bright red and scorching hot, and white steam rose from his head.

"Is he done drinking? Bring the bowl over," Cheng Tianxi called.

Fang Zhixing hurried back.

Cheng Tianxi stabbed the baby monkey's heart again and continued bleeding it.

Fang Zhixing caught another large bowlful, until no more blood flowed out.

"Give it to me." Cheng Tianxi took the bowl of blood and strode over to Cheng Tian'en, continuing to feed it to him.

Watching this, Fang Zhixing felt that the monkey blood might have healing properties.

"Fang Zhixing, hurry and dig out the monkey's heart for me to eat."

Skinny Dog suddenly called out. His instincts told him that eating the monkey's heart would bring him enormous benefits.

But Fang Zhixing did not do as he asked. He replied, "This Cheng Tianxi is a dangerous man. We'd better not act on our own."

Skinny Dog could not help giving Cheng Tianxi a long look.

Before long, Cheng Tian'en had drunk two bowls of hot blood. The skin all over his body had turned red, steam billowed from him, and he looked as if he were on fire.

Cheng Tianxi turned around and shouted at Fang Zhixing, "Quick, bring a bucket of cold water."

Fang Zhixing ran to the well, drew a bucket of water, and carried it over.

Cheng Tianxi took the bucket, raised it, and dumped it directly over Cheng Tian'en.

Whoosh!

At once, a huge amount of white vapor rose from Cheng Tian'en's body and spread through the courtyard like a thick fog.

After that, Fang Zhixing kept drawing water while Cheng Tianxi kept pouring it over Cheng Tian'en. This continued for two or three hours.

Finally!

Cheng Tian'en's body was no longer scorching hot. His breathing steadied, his complexion gradually returned to normal, and he fell into a groggy sleep.

"That'll do!"

Cheng Tianxi let out a long breath and said to Fang Zhixing, "You've worked hard. That monkey is yours. Eating exotic beast meat will bring you immense benefits."

Fang Zhixing quickly said, "Thank you for the reward, Hero."

"You're welcome." Cheng Tianxi lay down, exhaustion written all over his face. He soon fell asleep, his snores booming like thunder.

Fang Zhixing entered the kitchen and picked up the baby monkey.

Skinny Dog was beside himself with excitement. "Quick, quick! This monkey has a bloodline. It's absolutely a tremendous tonic!"

Just as Fang Zhixing was about to speak, the system panel suddenly flashed.

[Exotic beast meat can replace grain and ordinary meat, with even greater effects.]

[Elite Archer · Max-Level Requirements have been revised:

1. Become a max-level ordinary archer (completed)

2. One eye each from three kinds of animals (incomplete)

3. Horned King Monkey cub (prepared; complete?)]

Fang Zhixing's eyes lit up.

Skinny Dog clicked his tongue in amazement. "Damn, that works too? The max-level requirements can be changed?"

Fang Zhixing pondered, "The max-level cheat is making adjustments. Previously, I had never encountered exotic beast meat, so the max-level requirements made no mention of it."

Skinny Dog suddenly understood. "In other words, the max-level requirements are set according to the resources you can obtain."

Fang Zhixing deeply agreed.

He carried the baby monkey's corpse into his room, shut the door, and focused his mind.

"Choose to complete it!"

In an instant, the baby monkey's corpse shriveled at a visible rate, its fresh flesh rapidly turning a rotten gray...