Living steadily in the world of gods and mystery

After splitting open a particularly thick thigh,

Chen Li once again cast the Traction Skill.

The harsh winter here had already passed, but the snow had not fully melted.

There was still a lot of residual snow in the shaded areas of the wilderness; he used the Traction Skill to drag over the snow to bury the huge corpse, so as not to attract other Demon Beasts with the scent of blood here.

Having cast the Traction Skill twice, the Scolding Skill twice, as well as several bursts of Spiritual Power fingersnaps, his internal reserve of Spiritual Power had dwindled to almost nothing. To encounter another Demon Beast now would certainly be dangerous.

He took a Qi Replenishing Pill, slowly recovering his Spiritual Power, then hoisted the Demon Beast’s thigh onto his shoulder and strode towards home.

The way was silent.

Only the clear sound of Chen Li’s heavy footsteps could be heard.

"I didn’t expect the Scolding Skill to work so well on low-order Demon Beasts! Just a couple of shouts, and it scared them into mental collapse, leaving them utterly powerless to resist... Of course, an ordinary Scolding Skill wouldn’t be nearly as potent!"

With the heavy Demon Beast thigh on his back, his heart was filled with the excitement of the hunt and the joy of a bountiful harvest.

He opened the game panel and glanced at the "Expert: 156/800" level of the Scolding Skill.

"Just not sure how effective it would be against a Second Order Demon Beast?"

He thought about it and then shook his head.

Probably not effective.

An expert-level Scolding Skill was still within the scope of a mid-level First Order spell. Trying to use it on a Second Order Demon Beast, a creature equivalent to a human at the Foundation Establishment Stage... it would most likely not even shake its spirit.

Perhaps only if he mastered the skill completely would there be a slight chance.

Chen Li walked briskly all the way and did not meet a single passerby on the road.

By the time he got home, Zhou Hong had already been alarmed.

"Why have you brought back so much meat? What were you up to?"

"I encountered a low-level Demon Beast while practicing my swordplay, and I killed it... There’s still a lot left outside. Once I bring it all back, I’ll tell you the details," Chen Li said with a smile as he set down the heavy Demon Beast thigh.

"Are you hurt? I’ll come with you!" Zhou Hong said, about to get ready.

Chen Li hurriedly stopped her, "No, you stay at home and look after the meat. Start processing what needs to be processed. I’m stronger and faster, and it’s actually more dangerous for you to delay me. I can transport the remaining Demon Beast meat in a few trips." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

After some effort, he convinced her to stay, and Chen Li didn’t dare to delay any longer before running out of the burrow.

On his way back,

he saw a figure in red standing silently at an intersection in the shadowy darkness.

It was Zhou Hong.

"Didn’t I tell you not to come?" Chen Li said quietly.

"I was still a bit worried!" Zhou Hong whispered, "Go ahead, I’ll keep an eye out for you here."

A warmth rose in Chen Li’s heart, but in the end, he nodded, "Then be careful!"

"Mhm!"

Chen Li didn’t say much more. Carrying the heavy Demon Beast meat on his back, he turned and quickly headed home.

After a total of five trips,

Chen Li finally finished transporting all the dismembered Demon Beast meat.

The basement was stacked with mountains of Demon Beast meat, reeking with a strong stench and the smell of blood. He had been to slaughterhouses before, but the smell there was nothing compared to this, which could almost smoke a person out.

And there was too much meat.

After bleeding it out, there were five tons including the meat and organs.

If it were just for his own consumption, he could eat for three years without finishing it.

Zhou Hong’s face was filled with joy, "Should we distribute some to the nearby neighbors?"

Hearing this, Chen Li recalled the tension and vigilance of Guo Ping when he had gone to buy meat previously, and he shook his head:

"It’s better not to give it away; times are not what they used to be. Everyone is living a hard life, and giving it away will not only fail to endear us to anyone but will also attract envy and covetousness, leading to unnecessary trouble.

Given the current situation, it shouldn’t be hard to sell this batch of meat; worst case, we sell it a bit cheaper. I’ll go to the market tomorrow to check out the current prices."

...

Next.

The two of them skinned, depilated, and cut meat, keeping busy all night without closing their eyes, yet they still only managed to handle little more than half.

The next day dawned faintly.

Zhou Hong was stuffing chunks of meat into a large cloth bag she had sewn together overnight from various fabrics, all the while ceaselessly instructing.

"The market is crowded and chaotic. After you’ve sold everything, make sure you take a few extra turns to see if anyone is following you... I’ll give you a disguise!"

"No need."

Chen Li’s facial muscles twitched slightly as he asked Zhou Hong,

"Can you still recognize me now?"

The face was now covered in horizontal flesh, full of ferocity. The simple muscle adjustments had completely changed his appearance and aura; Zhou Hong stared, feeling utterly unfamiliar.

"How did you do that?"

"Muscle control. My Body Refinement training wasn’t for nothing."

After a brief conversation, Chen Li picked up the cloth bag and quickly set out for the market, leaving the burrow behind.

Although the merchant convoy had not yet arrived, the market was becoming livelier by the day. After all, everyone had things they needed to trade. Upon entering the market, everywhere one looked, there were Loose Cultivators with their stalls set up, selling all kinds of things.

Books, talismans, furniture, bowls, plates, and even used pillows and quilts were for sale. It was clear that down-and-out Loose Cultivators, unable to make ends meet, were selling off household items.

Chen Li noticed that there were very few people selling food, and the prices were exorbitantly high.

Far exceeding ordinary prices by several times.

After taking a quick look around to get a sense of the current pricing, he wasted no more time.

He picked a spot on the ground, put down his cloth bag, laid out a torn cloth as a mat, set up a wooden board with prices, and then began to loudly hawk his wares.

"Selling cheap, Demon Beast Meat, ten pounds for one Low-grade Spirit Stone! Limited quantity, first come first served!"

He had only shouted a few times before a large crowd gathered around him.

This price was normal last autumn, but now it’s too cheap, more than half off.

"If it’s really Demon Beast Meat, I want ten pounds!"

"I’ll take thirty pounds."

"Can you break it down? Do you accept Gold?"

"No breaking down... Back off, back off, form a line. If you keep crowding, I swear I’ll stop selling," Chen Li bellowed, suddenly grabbing a hand that stealthily reached toward the cloth bag.

He glared at the Loose Cultivator, his face fierce,

"Hey, trying to steal right under my nose? Are you blind, you damned dog!"

There was a crisp ’snap’ sound.

The arm was gruesomely twisted and broken.

"I’m teaching you a lesson this time. If it weren’t for the fact that this is the market... Scram!"

His full threat, coupled with the mean mugging from Chen Li’s fierce-looking face, made everyone believe he was a violently tempered brute.

The Loose Cultivator who had tried to steal the meat instantly turned pale with fear, hurriedly covered his face with his sleeve, and squeezed through the crowd to leave in a sorry state, not daring to utter another word.

The crowd instantly quieted down and stepped back orderly.

During the meat-selling process, Chen Li brandished his flying sword to cut the meat and behaved belligerently, not bothering to weigh the meat but estimating weights by hand. He announced a weight, and that was that. But because the meat was so cheap, his stall was exceptionally popular.

He never stopped taking money and cutting meat for even a moment.

In just a few minutes, the three to four hundred pounds of meat he brought were sold out.