Daqin Zhentiansi

"No, impossible..." Chen Ming stared at the scale pattern embroidered on the hem of Li Yue's robe, when suddenly the gold-embossed sales slip stuffed into his arms stung his eyes.

Chen Ming gripped the gold-embossed order form tightly in his withered hand, his knuckles turning white from the excessive force, and the thin paper made a hissing sound under the strain.

Yuncang City Special Supply List.

Eighty pieces of century-old blood-patterned steel ingots—the main material for forging swords that Chen Ming had been searching for for ten years without success.

Thirty Iron-Backed Rhinoceros Demon Hearts—these were the treasures he needed to break through to the Grandmaster realm.

One hundred bottles of Demon-Slaying Pills.

Fifty boxes of Ningyuan Powder.

Two hundred catties of cold jade marrow.

……

The value of the treasures on this shipment is far more than 100,000 taels of gold!

The Songxuan Sword Sect, which once couldn't even produce a thousand taels of gold, now has a batch of valuables worth 100,000!
Those treasures that Chen Ming had once spent all his wealth on and searched the entire eastern border for but could not find were now lined up like pebbles, as cold and rigid as the ledgers in the supply depot!
Chen Ming's chest heaved violently, and the innate qi in his cloudy eyes dissipated inch by inch.

He suddenly looked up and glared at Li Yue, his throat gurgling out a hoarse question: "What, what kind of evil magic is this? When did the Songxuan Sword Sect acquire such a treasure..."

Before the words were even finished, a deafening roar of cheers erupted outside the window.

Dozens of disciples in blue robes surrounded a talisman-patterned cart that had just driven into the courtyard. On the cart were piled three severed legs of the Iron-Backed Rhinoceros Demon Corpse, the black scales covering the flesh and dripping with foul-smelling demonic blood.

A young disciple, holding aloft a greasy roasted leg bone with bits of meat still stuck between his teeth, roared with laughter: "It's all thanks to the sect's advance contribution points! Tonight, there's plenty!"

The stench of demonic flesh mixed with the smell of burnt fat filled the hall. Li Yue sighed and pointed out the window: "During the two years you were in seclusion, mountains of demonic materials poured back to Yuncang City from the East China Sea front every day."

"After the Nine Rivers Alliance opened up trade routes, even the lowest-ranking factions could use their contributions to advance payment for demon flesh to temper their bodies and break through to the next realm."

His dark blue robe fluttered slightly, and the embroidered scales gleamed with a cold luster in the light—clearly, they were repurposed scraps from the "Heavy Mountain Demon Scale Armor"!
The three elders stepped forward silently.

The elder pulled a short dagger from his sleeve; the blood-stained steel veins on the dagger pulsed as if alive.

The Second Elder's palm emitted a burst of spiritual light, and a Qi Condensation Powder was transforming into green smoke and entering his meridians.

The Third Elder took out an ice crystal box from his bosom. The cold jade marrow inside the box caused the stone bricks in front of the hall to freeze into white frost.

The three of them intertwined their auras, creating a stable airspace within Chen Ming's trembling qi domain, much like an impregnable fortress formed from mountains of supplies piled up in a supply camp.

“The Fierce Blade Sect escorted twenty caravans last month.” Li Yue’s voice was calm but thunderous. “Their sect leader used the Demon-Slaying Pills he had obtained in advance to reach the mid-stage of the Grandmaster realm, and all his disciples wore secondary demon scale bracers from the East Sea.”

The jade pendant at his waist gleamed again, and the pressure of a grandmaster washed over Chen Ming like a tidal wave: "These days, the strength of sects within a hundred miles is determined by the transport capacity of their caravans and the amount of advance payment they can make! If you are escorting this shipment..."

Chen Ming's hunched back suddenly trembled violently.

The words "Thirty Iron-backed Rhinoceros Demon Hearts" on the delivery slip exploded before his eyes. That year, he knelt down and begged the Fierce Blade Sect to give him half a demon heart, but to no avail. Instead, he was ridiculed for "a poor swordsman who doesn't deserve to use precious materials from the East Sea."

Now, thirty demon hearts are casually written at the end of the invoice for 100,000 taels of gold, much like the remains of demon corpses arbitrarily registered in the icehouse of the supply depot.

The joyous sounds of disciples tearing apart roasted rhinoceros meat echoed from outside the window. He staggered back half a step, the order slip that his withered hand had released fluttered to the ground, landing on the splinters of wood from the shattered rosewood table.

This "first person in a hundred miles" who had just emerged from seclusion finally heard the sound of his cognition shattering amidst the aroma of roasted demon meat and the tracks of talisman-patterned carts.

----------------------

Twilight Quadruple.

Smoke curled up onto the gray-tiled roofs of ordinary homes in Jiujiang County, in the eastern border region.

The scholar Chen Ming pushed open the courtyard gate, bringing in a faint smell of ink from books and the subtle hum of a talisman array in operation in the distance.

"Why are you so late today?" His wife, Li Wan, straightened up by the stove, her hands covered in flour, and asked with concern, "The food is getting cold."

"The goods sent from the East Sea are too many," Chen Ming said, taking off his faded scholar's robe and hanging it on a clothes rack in the corner of the courtyard. Although he looked tired, his eyes were bright. "Several large cargo ships from the Nine Rivers Alliance have arrived at the unloading area. The manager's men all rushed to count them, and I also checked the list, which made me late."

As he spoke, he walked toward his two sons, Cheng'er and Jin'er, who were practicing calligraphy at a small square table.

A small table was placed under the grape trellis in the corner of the yard. The ink on the calligraphy practice paper spread out on the table was still wet, and the two children were writing with serious expressions.

Looking at his sons' neat handwriting, Chen Ming's lips curled up slightly, revealing a sense of satisfaction that even his days of hard work couldn't hide.

Li Wan lifted her apron to wipe her hands, and was about to urge them to eat when she saw her husband approach her and carefully take out a small, heavy gray coarse cloth package from his bosom.

“Here,” Chen Ming handed the package to his wife, a hint of smugness on his face, “The shopkeeper said it was hard work counting this time, so the manager gave everyone some… scraps as a prize. They’re good stuff.”

Li Wan was a little confused, so she untied the knot of the coarse cloth at the end of the rope.

Inside the package were several small pieces of dark red meat, with a rough and tough texture, emitting a faint, almost imperceptible fishy smell, but not unpleasant; instead, it exuded a strange, unsettling life energy.

It is much heavier than it looks.

She opened her eyes wide in surprise: "This is...?"

"Demon beast meat!" Chen Ming lowered his voice, but couldn't suppress the excitement in his tone. "The army under Qingyang Marquis is hunting demons in the East Sea and sending back supplies to the Nine Rivers Alliance. I heard they're piling up like mountains!"

"Although these are scraps of meat that fell during the cutting process, they contain extraordinary essence. How could ordinary people obtain such a thing?"

He looked toward the small square table, where the two children had also been drawn to the small package. They put down their pens and curiously gathered around.

Chen Ming patted his eldest son Cheng'er on the shoulder and then stroked his youngest son Jin'er's soft hair. His tone became solemn: "Therefore, from now on, you two brothers must not only focus on your studies and understanding principles, but also diligently practice martial arts and build a solid foundation! This is the foundation for your future."

"If you have the opportunity when you grow up, you should serve the Marquis! You should be loyal to the Great Qin! Do you understand?"

The two children nodded, bewildered yet determined, with Xiao Jin'er's gaze lingering on the dark red chunks of meat.

Li Wan carefully put the cloth bag away, nodded, and her eyes flashed with a complex light, showing understanding of her husband's work, appreciation for this magical meat, and a deep sense of anticipation.

She turned back to the stove, carefully washed the scraps of meat, and put them into a pot to cook with some greens.

A unique aroma of meat quickly filled the courtyard. Unlike poultry and livestock, the fragrance carried a primal, fierce vitality, causing one's blood to surge. (End of Chapter)