Master Butcher Yang picked up the pointed knife on the table and scraped it against a thicker boning knife, producing a metallic clang.
Then he plunged his blade into the tiger's throat, sinking it in without a sound.
The blade followed the throat down across the chest, skirting the joints and gliding smoothly to the belly.
"Incredible!"
Su Yan's pupils contracted as he watched. Such fluid bladework required not only an intimate knowledge of a tiger's anatomy, but also extraordinary control over the knife.
Master Butcher Yang is a martial artist too.
He stared intently at Master Butcher Yang's bare torso, its muscles sharply defined. As the man separated the tiger's flesh, sinews, and bones, every movement of his body followed a rhythm of its own.
His feet stood like rooted stakes; his knife moved as though in battle.
"Let's see how much you can learn."
Master Butcher Yang noticed Su Yan's gaze, but did nothing to interrupt him, concentrating instead on dismembering the tiger.
Su Yan watched closely. In the blink of an eye, the tiger's skin and flesh parted, and a fine tiger pelt came away without a single extra cut or a trace of flesh clinging to it.
"That's Master Butcher Yang for you. No one in the mountain market can match him at carving up beasts."
The sight of the tiger's exposed muscles drew gasps from the crowd, but their admiration for Master Butcher Yang's skill only grew.
First he separated skin from flesh, then flesh from bone. His boning knife parted every piece of the tiger's flesh and bone as though slicing tofu.
In less than half an hour, a tiger skeleton lay on the chopping block beside meat neatly divided by cut.
Thunk.
Master Butcher Yang drove his knife into the chopping block. Only that sound jolted Su Yan out of his trance.
[Golden Ape Stance Art: 36/200 (minor mastery)]
With the hint of a smile, Master Butcher Yang said, "Five hundred and thirty-two jin of tiger meat. One hundred and twenty-three jin of bones, excluding the spine and kneecaps. Eighty jin of organs and offal altogether. The flesh is fresh—this tiger was only just killed. I'll pay a ten percent premium and round the total to seventy-four taels of silver."
"Thank you, Master Butcher Yang."
Su Yan did not haggle. Seventy-four taels was already a generous price.
Meat and bones did not fetch as much per unit as treasure plants or treasure fish, but their considerable weight brought the total to several dozen taels.
Master Butcher Yang waved a hand, telling the bookkeeper beside him to pay Su Yan, then had an attendant gather the kneecaps, spine, and large tiger pelt and hand them over.
Su Yan accepted the goods, picked four taels of loose silver out of his payment, and scanned the crowd until he spotted Zheng Penggang.
"Uncle Gang."
Zheng Penggang paused in surprise as Su Yan tossed something toward him. He instinctively caught it and discovered four taels of silver in his hand.
"Thanks for everyone's help. Here are four taels. Uncle Gang, please help me treat everyone to a bowl of tea and something to eat at the tea stall."
Surprise crossed Zheng Penggang's face. He nodded firmly. "Leave it to me, Su Yan."
The tea stall sold three bowls of cool tea for one copper. Even with flatbread and dry rations, it would cost only four coppers per person—enough to treat a thousand people.
However crowded the market was, nowhere near that many would gather there. There would be plenty left over.
"Su Yan's generous!"
The crowd clustered together, and some people had already gone ahead to claim seats at the tea stall.
Everyone was happy to save a few coppers and join in the fun.
Zheng Penggang pushed against the crowd to reach Su Yan, caught his hand, and leaned close to whisper, "Don't worry, Su Yan. I'll bring the remaining silver back tonight and return it to—"
"Uncle Gang, whatever's left is yours. Just keep it quiet. Thank you for helping bring my second uncle to the Market Ward for treatment yesterday."
Zheng Penggang looked at Su Yan. His words were frank and open; he truly did not care about that little bit of silver and was sincerely grateful that Zheng Penggang had saved his second uncle.
Su Yan really has made something of himself.
Moved by the thought, he suddenly lowered his voice again. "A constable came this morning to ask about what happened to Zhao Erlaizi a few days ago. But don't worry, Su Yan. When Niu Han met with trouble that day, you and I were both in the Market Ward. It had nothing to do with us. My father has already explained that to the constable."
"Today, I heard people from Oxheart Village say the case had been settled. Some strange insect in the mountains was responsible. Oxheart Village has already sent people into the mountains to see whether they can get rid of it."
After saying this, Zheng Penggang was swept along by the crowd toward the tea stall. Within moments, the people around them had thinned considerably.
People worried not about having little, but about unequal shares. Offering something for everyone to share was one thing; pocketing all seventy-odd taels would inevitably stir envy and resentment.
Once the crowd dispersed, Su Yan quietly took out ten taels of silver. After checking that no one was nearby, he handed them to Yang Sandao.
"You're an interesting lad."
Yang Sandao did not refuse. He took the silver in his thick palm and tucked it into his trouser pocket.
"Thank you for dissecting the tiger, Master Butcher Yang."
His words carried a double meaning. Master Butcher Yang raised his eyes slightly. "You know when to advance and when to retreat, and you've picked up a little of the deeper workings. Are you really a mountain villager?"
"The genuine article."
"How curious."
Yang Sandao's eyes flickered. "One more piece of advice: don't practice a dead stance."
With that, he pulled on a short shirt, covering his bare torso, and strode into the shop.
"Pack up the tiger meat and send it straight to the restaurant. Handle it carefully—this is fresh meat."
Su Yan watched Yang Sandao's retreating back, turning those words over in his mind.
Don't practice a dead stance. That seems to echo what I felt while practicing my stance in the mountains and fighting that vicious tiger. Could this be the path to advancing my stance art...
Carrying the tiger bones and pelt on his back, Su Yan turned onto a less crowded route and headed straight for the Hundred Herbs Hall shop.
After entering and greeting Bai Shan, Su Yan set down his carrying basket and left Bai Shan to tally the medicinal herbs inside.
He himself headed toward the back. The moment he stepped into the rear courtyard, he heard Song Qi's voice.
"You've certainly caused quite a stir. What brings you here?"
The commotion just now had been so great that more than half the people in the Market Ward knew about it. Song Qi was naturally no exception.
"I came to bring you a few things, sir. A tiger pelt and a few tiger kneecaps for making medicinal wine."
Song Qi looked up and smiled. "That's worth at least a dozen taels. You're certainly willing to part with it."
"What's this little gift compared with the guidance you've given me?"
Su Yan set the things down and said, "Today, I searched the first Inner Mountain. I'd only covered a third of the mountain when I ran into this tiger. I fought it and was lucky enough to win. I had to take care of its carcass, so I came down. I haven't found any blood tendon flowers yet."
"You can't rush the search for the flower... Wait, you've reached minor mastery in skin refining?!"
Song Qi abruptly rose to his feet and stared at Su Yan. Only now had he noticed that the lad had said he fought the tiger.
Fought it—what beginner in skin refining would dare fight a tiger or bear?
"I was lucky enough to break through."
Su Yan's eyes held a smile. Astonishment covered Song Qi's face as he reached out and grabbed him, finding his skin as tough as oxhide.
"When I saw you the day before yesterday, you were still some way from minor mastery in skin refining. I never imagined you'd get there so quickly."
"Once I entered the mountains, I practiced my stance to refine my skin. Something stirred in my heart, as though I were an ape in the forest. Then I fought that vicious tiger, and that gave me the insight I needed to break through."
Su Yan recounted what had happened, then said, "Just now, I watched Master Butcher Yang dissect the tiger. His stance and posture, the way his knife moved exactly as he wished—his movements contained the essence of stance practice. It resembled what I'd sensed in the mountains. He gave me a pointer: 'Don't practice a dead stance.' I haven't fully grasped it yet, so I wanted to ask you for some guidance."
Hearing this, Song Qi suddenly asked, "How much did you pay him?"
"After he dissected the tiger, I gave him ten taels in private."
"That does sound like that fatty."
Stroking his beard, Song Qi said, "Although Yang Sandao has only reached major mastery in the Sinew and Bone Realm, he's carved up who knows how many oxen, sheep, tigers, and bears. His understanding of stance footwork and bladework is indeed excellent. He's right. To reach major mastery in your stance art, there is one thing you must do: don't practice a dead stance."
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