Fleeing Disaster

Upon hearing this, Fang Zhixing could not help asking, "Then what about ordinary people like us? Can we only hunt exotic beasts and eat their meat for nourishment?"

Wang Yitong shook his head and sighed. "Exotic beast meat is not something you can just eat."

Fang Zhixing froze. "What do you mean?"

Wang Yitong explained carefully, "In nature, many living creatures turn themselves toxic to avoid being eaten by other creatures.

"Exotic beasts are extraordinary not only because they are exceptionally powerful, but also because their flesh and blood carry potent toxins.

"If we humans eat exotic beast meat, the poison we consume will gradually accumulate inside our bodies. Eventually, it will inevitably harm us. At best, it will leave behind an incurable ailment; at worst, the poison will flare up and kill us on the spot."

At this point, he sighed. "I had a friend with quite decent talent for martial arts, but he was too eager for quick results and ate too much exotic beast meat. His whole body festered, and in the end, he went mad and died. It was a terrible death!"

His face was filled with lingering fear, as if it had all happened yesterday.

Fang Zhixing's heart tightened slightly.

At that moment, he thought of the Horned King Monkey and Cheng Tianxi.

Cheng Tianxi had not eaten the Horned King Monkey himself, yet he had given it to Fang Zhixing.

At the time, Fang Zhixing had found it strange, because Cheng Tianxi had been a little too generous toward him.

After all, it had been a Horned King Monkey, and it was worth quite a bit.

Thinking about it now, Cheng Tianxi must have known that Horned King Monkey meat was poisonous. Naturally, he would not eat it himself.

He had given the Horned King Monkey to Fang Zhixing for nothing. Sure enough, he had harbored ill intentions!

But why?

That had clearly been their first meeting!

Had Cheng Tian'en instructed him, or had he acted on his own?

Thinking of this, Fang Zhixing said in a low voice, "If exotic beast meat cannot be eaten and Meat Pills cannot be bought, doesn't that mean people like us can never rise above our station for the rest of our lives?"

Wang Yitong understood that sense of frustration all too well. He said seriously, "Meat Pills cannot be bought outside, but as long as we join some major power, we may get access to certain channels and obtain Meat Pills that way."

"A major power?" Fang Zhixing shuddered and lowered his voice. "The Luo Family!"

Wang Yitong chuckled. "The village chief's martial talent is abysmal, and he does not want to suffer hardship, so he gave up practicing martial arts long ago. But the eldest young master has talent for it. What do you think he eats as nourishment?"

Fang Zhixing's eyes lit up. He drew a deep breath and said, "The eldest young master has a channel to obtain Meat Pills!"

Wang Yitong nodded. "Yes. It seems that as long as members of the Luo Family practice martial arts, they have a chance to receive a certain quota of Meat Pills for free."

Fang Zhixing was moved. "Have you tried buying some Meat Pills from the eldest young master?"

"Of course I have."

Wang Yitong scratched his cheek and said through gritted teeth, "The eldest young master said the Meat Pills in his possession were not even enough for himself to eat, so how could he possibly be willing to sell them? Anyway, he gave me a thorough scolding, and that was the end of it."

Speechless, Fang Zhixing asked again, "Does the village chief have no way to help you obtain Meat Pills?"

Wang Yitong spread his hands. "You've seen it yourself. The village chief is only a minor local official, and his abilities are too limited. But he said that once he is promoted to county magistrate, he will have a way to get Meat Pills for me."

Fang Zhixing was even more speechless.

Luo Kegong spent every day drinking and chasing women, with no ambition whatsoever. Waiting for him to be promoted would be more impossible than waiting for pigs to fly.

In the blink of an eye, afternoon arrived.

A commotion suddenly broke out before the residence gates. Many people had come, loudly clamoring to see the village chief.

Fang Zhixing and Wang Yitong accompanied Luo Kegong to the gates.

Looking out, they saw that the people gathered outside were all merchants from the town. The leader was none other than Old Master Chen, the wealthiest man in town.

"What is it?" Luo Kegong frowned deeply, looking displeased.

Old Master Chen said, "Lord Luo, not long after our merchant ships left the dock, they were robbed by river bandits less than twenty li downstream. Both the ships and the cargo are gone!"

Luo Kegong's expression changed drastically. He said in shock, "What? River bandits have appeared twenty li downstream?"

The merchants all cried out, "That's right! The river bandits took all our goods. We've lost everything—we're going bankrupt!"

"I spent more than half a year buying up animal hides and medicinal herbs, and they were all stolen!"

"Lord Luo, you must seek justice for us!"

"Lord Luo, please hurry and help us recover our goods and recoup our losses."

With everyone talking at once, Luo Kegong was driven mad with annoyance.

He roared, "Enough! I will report this matter to the commandery governor as soon as possible. The commandery governor will decide what to do. Go home for now."

With no other choice, the merchants dispersed while continuing to grumble.

Luo Kegong turned and walked back through the gates, sighing repeatedly. Frustrated, he muttered, "I can't keep doing this damn job."

Wang Yitong hurriedly said, "My lord, eliminating river bandits was never your responsibility. These merchants are simply making unreasonable demands."

Rubbing his temples, Luo Kegong said with a headache, "That's not what I mean. Those river bandits appeared twenty li downstream, and there's a good chance they'll come after us."

Wang Yitong suddenly understood.

Luo Kegong did not care about those merchants at all. He was worried about his own life.

Wang Yitong quickly said, "This humble servant will certainly do everything in his power to protect your safety, my lord."

Luo Kegong seemed not to hear him. Muttering to himself, he said, "I can't stay in this godforsaken place any longer. I need to leave immediately."

With that, he lowered his head and strode forward, looking exactly like Skinny Dog fleeing with his tail between his legs.

Fang Zhixing and Wang Yitong exchanged a glance, both at a loss for words.

Luo Kegong was serious.

The very next day, he ordered his servants to pack their belongings and sent men to bring back his Seventh Madam.

The steward went out and secured a large ship.

"That large ship will arrive here within three or four days. We can take it to Qinglin County Seat," the steward informed everyone.

Little Clear River Market Town was actually under Qinglin County, and Qinglin County was one of Qinghe Commandery's six major counties.

These days, with war and chaos everywhere, a county seat protected by city walls was undoubtedly much safer.

Fang Zhixing had heard that the magistrate of Qinglin County was Luo Kegong's own uncle.

Three days passed in a flash.

Early in the morning, when the sky had barely begun to brighten, the residence gates slowly opened.

Luo Kegong emerged with his entire household in tow. Their various valuables filled eight large carts, which rolled grandly through the cold, deserted streets.

Fang Zhixing and Skinny Dog followed as well, carrying their luggage.

The group arrived at the dock and quickly boarded a large ship.

"Oh, greetings, Lord Village Chief."

On the deck, a middle-aged man with a walrus mustache wore a flattering smile as he warmly welcomed Luo Kegong.

He was dressed lavishly, with a bloated belly and a greasy face. At first glance, he looked extremely sleazy.

"Hey, isn't that human trafficker?" Skinny Dog, who had boarded first, suddenly cried out.

Fang Zhixing looked up and immediately recognized the greasy middle-aged man.

He was none other than Mr. Qian, who had once gone to Crouching Ox Village to buy children.

Who would have thought this large ship belonged to him?

Suddenly, Fang Zhixing sensed a sharp gaze fixed on him. He turned his head and glanced over, and his pupils could not help shrinking slightly.

He saw Cheng Tian'en and Cheng Tianxi, the two brothers, also stepping onto the deck.

They looked deeply at Fang Zhixing, somewhat surprised as well. They apparently had not expected to run into Fang Zhixing here again.

But they immediately looked away, as though they had not seen Fang Zhixing at all, and walked into the cabin on their own.