Promise!

Chapter 191, Open Scheme

With the Iron-Skinned Pig King defeated, it was time for a bountiful harvest. The Iron-Skinned Pig King was at the Lesser Completion stage of the Yi Jin Jing, and this one pig king was worth tons of meat at that level.

However, even ordinary butchers cannot butcher beasts of this level, and it is easy to waste meat.

Teng Yuansong took off his official robes, put on the clothes of a butcher, and began to do the butchering himself.

I must say, this guy is chubby, but when he changed clothes, he had a kind of fierce air about him, and he looked quite convincing, like he was playing himself.

"Back in the day, my dad made me slaughter pigs to build my courage. It's an old skill I've always had," Teng Yuansong boasted confidently.

Then, using this as an excuse, he pulled Zhuang Jin over to be his assistant. The fact that a Nascent Soul martial artist was his assistant made him feel quite pleased, and his face was flushed with excitement.

More than a thousand soldiers gathered around to watch this rare sight, excitedly whispering among themselves. These usually well-trained and disciplined elite soldiers now seemed as gossipy as women on the street.

It's no wonder they're so unambitious; the contrast between the two most powerful and influential people in the county becoming pig butchers is quite sensational.

Furthermore, let's put it this way: given Zhuang Jin and Teng Yuansong's popularity in Linji County, let alone slaughtering pigs, even just sitting and chatting, who could listen up close? That would be something to brag about to others.

"When I reached the Meridian Opening Realm, I took a secret medicine, which changed the attributes of my internal energy. My strength now contains a chilling aura. Will that affect the meat of the exotic beast?"

"No. How strong can the effect be if a mere beast treasure at the Yi Jin realm is used as a medicinal ingredient and combined with a secret technique to change the attributes of internal energy? The coldness in it will at most slow down internal energy and affect the circulation of external forces. This is not a true poison. It won't destroy the ingredients just because you kill it."

As Teng Yuansong spoke, he seemed to think of something, and his narrow eyes narrowed as he looked at the scene: "Perfect timing. When I bleed out, I will call for a halt, and then Elder Zhuang will use the cold energy within his power to seal the blood... so as not to waste it."

Zhuang Jin: ...

You're using me as a refrigerator, aren't you?

It must be said that Teng Yuansong was quite skilled at slaughtering pigs. Combined with his advanced meridian cultivation, he cut the pork, removed bones and tendons, and worked like a master butcher dissecting an ox. His movements were fluid and graceful. Zhuang Jin assisted him, occasionally catching the pork with a basin or freezing it with his energy. Their cooperation was seamless.

Soon, basins of meat, tendons, bones, and intestines were separated and cut into the stomach of the Iron-skinned Pig King. When it was cut open, there was no treasure inside... naturally.

"It's not surprising. Beast treasures are all about luck and have nothing to do with the strength or talent of the beast."

For this reason, beast treasures of the skin-grinding and flesh-refining levels are rare, and beast treasures of beasts at the tendon-changing level are even rarer, with only one piece selling for hundreds of thousands of taels of silver.

Zhuang Jin had also thought it was too expensive. He remembered how he had saved up one or two taels of silver for months when he was learning martial arts. He felt that prices in this world were collapsing. But when he thought of the single-digit grain prices in his previous life and the antiques worth hundreds of millions, he felt it was reasonable. Compared to the aesthetic value of antiques, beast treasures, as rare consumables, have great practical value. Compared to the two, isn't it much more worthwhile?

Fortunately, he purged the Fei and Yao families, two wealthy households in the county, and obtained their accumulated cash and assets, totaling over a million taels of silver. This was equivalent to the wealthiest person in the county who had slaughtered pigs in his previous life. He became rich overnight and was able to acquire that beast treasure.

"This Iron-skinned Pig King is truly gifted to have grown to this size... It's a pity that if it had reached the Bone Forging Realm, it might have produced a Beast Pearl."

"A beast orb?"

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Jin recalled what Ping Yongfeng had said about exotic beasts, saying that each beast was a treasure, and that there seemed to be something even more precious than beast treasures, but the other party was too low-level to know.

He had already reached the required level, but he focused on cultivation. Not long after breaking through to the Meridian Opening Realm, he came down to the county town again, so he really didn't know much about these secrets.

"Doesn't Elder Zhuang know? When talking about beast beads, we have to mention beast cores,"

Teng Yuansong explained to Zhuang Jin, "The beast core is condensed in the brain of a beast at the Five Viscera Realm... Oh, a beast at the Five Viscera Realm is equivalent to a Xiantian martial artist. I've heard that beast cores can be used as the main ingredient in secret medicines for breaking through to the Xiantian Realm."

"Beast beads are the prototype of beast cores. Originally, when a beast breaks through from the Bone Forging Realm to the Five Organs Realm and ascends, the beast bead and beast core are formed at the same time... Only some beasts with extraordinary talents and powerful bloodlines can form beast beads during the Bone Forging stage, reducing the difficulty of the breakthrough."

"I've heard that beast beads can also be used to prepare secret medicines for breaking through to the innate level, and they seem to have a slight effect on awakening innate spiritual light."

As Teng Yuansong spoke, he shook his head slightly: "Such a precious item, even a Nascent Soul cultivator would fight to the death if they encountered it."

……

A thousand elite soldiers also contributed, and many were injured. Zhuang Jin was not a stingy person, so he treated them to a meal that night.

Even if the Iron Pig King weighed a ton, it wouldn't be enough for so many people. He wasn't stingy, but he wasn't foolishly generous either. He instructed the cook to mix the blood, intestines, offal, bones, and other ingredients with vermicelli, radishes, cabbage, and potatoes, and stew them together in several large iron pots.

Beasts are rare species of the world, and this Iron-skinned Pig King came from a strange place in the Funiu Mountains of the state capital. It used to eat herbs rich in the energy of heaven and earth, and was at the Yi Jin stage. Its body was soaked in strange power, and its daily activities, such as fleeing thousands of miles, can be considered as a lot of exercise... All these factors have made it the perfect food.

As we all know, the finest ingredients often require only the simplest preparation; such a simple stew is already fragrant for miles around.

In the large iron pots, meat broth bubbled and boiled, the aroma so enticing that it made one's mouth water and one couldn't help but swallow.

The last thousand elite soldiers each received a bowl.

Of these thousand people, a few were martial artists, but most were ordinary people. For them, this was more than just a delicious meal. This level of exotic beast meat soup was like a panacea. Even if most of the energy dissipated after eating it, it would still strengthen their bodies and solidify their foundation.

Many people were reluctant to eat it, or could only eat a little and take more back with them, wanting to share this good thing with their wives and children.

……

Here, Teng Yuansong slaughtered the pig, divided the meat, changed his clothes, and chose a piece of fine-textured pork belly for a barbecue over a bonfire.

Zi la la!
Flames licked the meat, oil sizzled, and the beast meat gradually changed color. After brushing on some seasoning, it seemed to shimmer with a hazy glow.

Teng Yuansong finished grilling and gave two skewers to Zhuang Jin.

The aroma alone was enough to tempt Zhuang Jin. Upon tasting it, she found the meat to be tender yet firm and elastic, a seemingly contradictory combination that blended perfectly, resulting in a delicious flavor that made her want to swallow it whole.

"It smells so good! A bite of roast meat, a sip of fine wine—I wouldn't trade this life for anything!" Teng Yuansong exclaimed.

"It's good."

Zhuang Jin summoned Yue Song and instructed him to send some of the Iron-skinned Pig King's exotic meat back so that Chen Yun could have a taste.

"Madam Zhuang is truly blessed. With the care and attention she receives from the Zhuang family, her cultivation resources are comparable to those of the legitimate daughters of powerful clans."

What Teng Yuansong said is true.

Chen Yun has cultivated the "Azure Wood Everlasting Spring Technique" and has now reached the Sixth Meridian Realm. This is without having taken any pills to break through the bottleneck. She eats meat from exotic beasts of the Tendon-Changing Level every day, along with Cloud Hidden Tea...

It can be said that such luxurious treatment is something even the eldest daughter of the Shen family might not be able to match, and people like Qian Wende are far from being able to achieve it, and would be crying in the toilet. "Yunniang has been with me since I was humble, a wife who has shared my hardships, and I have given her my heart in return... The sacrifices and hardships she has endured are worth the treatment she receives now."

Zhuang Jin sighed, thinking of Bai Zhi. The other party only thought about reaping the benefits without sowing the seeds of success and dreaming of a windfall. She had no sincerity whatsoever, so it was no wonder that he was so cold-hearted. Before he even reached the point of "fading beauty and losing love," he ended up with a miserable fate.

"The deep affection between the couple is touching. It is also enviable that Master Zhuang has met a woman worthy of his sincere devotion. I think I can only live a life of fleeting pleasures and a carefree existence."

Teng Yuansong joked to himself, a fleeting look of melancholy appearing on his face in the firelight.

"Speaking of which, I've never seen Magistrate Teng's wife and children before?" Zhuang Jin looked over.

"Why would I want a wife and children? I'm perfectly fine on my own! My family is in the city of Zhou, and we're a family that's neither too big nor too small... Master Zhuang doesn't know about the city of Zhou, where I'm located... I see no hope for advancement... I can't even do it myself, so why should I ask the next generation to suffer like this? All that happened later... it was a way of escaping reality and coming here."

Teng Yuansong shook his head slightly and spoke of the prefecture city: "In Cangzhou prefecture city, the extraordinary treasure, the Hanging Mirror, hangs high, its radiance enveloping the three rings. Within the three rings, life is beyond the imagination of those who haven't been there..."

"Beneath the Suspended Heavenly Bureau are the Divine Weapon Shop, the Celestial Garment Shop, the Delicacies Shop, the Fruit Shop, the Vegetable Shop, the Poultry Shop, the Star-Picking Tower, the Rare Beast Shop, the Ascension Pavilion, the Auction House... Qi Condensation Martial Artists' Bronze Carp Tokens, Meridian Opening Martial Artists' Silver Carp Tokens, Fetal Breathing Martial Artists' Golden Carp Tokens, and even Innate True Qi Realm Martial Artists' Mysterious Serpent Tokens..."

"The wonders here are incomparable to those below. In fact, compared to the prefectural city, the county town is like living in a primitive state, which is why countless remarkable figures gather here... Only when you go to the prefectural city can you truly 'see the world'!"

"It sounds like a pleasant place to go, how could Magistrate Teng bear to leave and escape to this place?"

"The capital city is prosperous, but that prosperity may not belong to you. It's a place with a clear hierarchy, heavily fortified, and suffocating... It's divided by innate boundaries..."

Teng Yuansong recalled with emotion: "Below the Innate Realm, the Qi Condensation Realm, and even the Seven, Ten, and Twelve Meridians, are nothing special. Martial artists with Meridian Opening and Fetal Breathing Realms, from small and medium-sized families, have the potential to reach the Innate Realm and be listed on the Hidden Dragon List. Upper-middle families are glorious and prominent, but they are like shooting stars, fleeting clouds."

"Only innate martial artists, who truly step into another level, are valued and respected by the three major families of the state capital. They can witness the vicissitudes of life and enjoy a century of glory. They truly stand at the top of the tower... Even if they do nothing, they can still live an extremely luxurious life by absorbing nutrients from below!"

"The Innate Realm, from Fetal Breathing to the Innate Realm, I've heard there are three stages. Does Magistrate Teng know about them?"

After Zhuang Jin broke through to the Meridian Opening Realm, he received the meditation techniques for the first to eighth meridians of the Black Fiend Technique. Theoretically, this would allow him to break through to the Innate Realm. However, the meditation techniques stated that there are three Innate Realm gates, and 99% of Fetal Breathing martial artists will never be able to reach the first gate, awaken the Innate Spiritual Light, or sense the opportunity for a breakthrough... And if they attempt to break through, they will either die or fail. They should never try rashly.

He had previously thought that the Three Primordial Gates were some kind of barrier, similar to the bottlenecks in previous realms, but after seeing these, he realized that his thinking might be wrong. Some of the Three Primordial Gates might be dangerous during the breakthrough, similar to the saying that childbirth is a "gate of hell".

'My talent has no bottlenecks, which allows me to ignore bottlenecks and enter the state of breaking through to the Innate Realm, but it may not allow me to ignore the dangers during the breakthrough... To figure all this out, I first need to know what the Three Gates of the Innate Realm are, and it would be best to obtain some experience from Innate Realm masters who have broken through.' Zhuang Jin thought to himself.

"Zhuang Gongfeng thinks too highly of me. Information about breaking through to the Innate Realm is strictly controlled by aristocratic families and powerful clans. Apart from an overview of this realm, I may not know more than Zhuang Gongfeng."

As Teng Yuansong spoke, he looked at Zhuang Jin and said, "However, there is one thing I can remind Elder Zhuang of, which you may consider: Breaking through to the Innate Realm seems to be different from ordinary martial artists from the very beginning. It is best to start from the Qi Condensation Realm and not take any pills to break through the bottleneck... This seems to be related to the last two stages of the Innate Realm..."

As he spoke, he released his secret technique of concealing his breath, revealing his second meridian realm: "I have never taken any pills to break through the bottleneck. I still have a little hope for the Innate Realm, but that's all I have. There is still hope for Elder Zhuang, but at my age and at my level, there is no hope at all."

'As expected, it's not just a superficial level of cultivation.'

Zhuang Jin had long known that Teng Yuansong had cultivated a secret technique similar to the Turtle Breathing Technique to conceal his true realm. After killing the eldest son of the Yao family and demonstrating his second-stage realm, Teng Yuansong's attitude did not change, which showed that the other party was not just at the first-stage realm on the surface.

"But how do you put it?" He seemed to have thought of something, his gaze sharpened, and he looked over to ask.

"Master Zhuang, please don't be hasty. Let me explain slowly. The Meridian-Clearing Pill, Meridian-Clearing Elixir, Pulse-Opening Pill, and Profound-Connecting Pill are designed to address various bottlenecks in Qi Condensation, Meridian Opening, and Fetal Breathing. In theory, as long as a noble family or powerful clan is willing, they can spare no expense to elevate a person's martial arts level. Is that correct?"

"That's right!" Zhuang Jin nodded slightly upon hearing this.

But this price is something that even a powerful family like the Shen family cannot afford, or rather, is unwilling to bear. Such a single person could bankrupt an entire powerful family.

"That's the strange thing. In the state capital, not to mention the three great families, even among the innate families, if you pay attention for a long time, you will find that those who are truly talented and are regarded as innate seeds are actually slower in their cultivation progress than the spoiled brats who give up at some stages."

Teng Yuansong stated his conclusion: "My family once speculated that those innate seeds were precisely those who hadn't taken the breakthrough pills. It's likely that taking them would leave some hidden dangers, making it almost impossible to succeed in the last two stages of the three innate barriers when breaking through to the innate realm..."

This is the wisdom of families like the Teng family. Through years of accumulation and careful observation of innate families, they gain experience, which they keep secret as the family's hidden foundation. This is why there is a saying that "a single sentence of true teaching is better than ten thousand books."

Hearing this, Zhuang Jin thought of something else: 'Before I came to the county town last year, the patriarch Shen Xianhong gave me a Meridian Opening Pill. This year, after I killed Sikong Rui, he gave me a Profound Understanding Pill. The merit and the reward don't seem to match; you could say it's an investment, but it's still a bit strange. Also, on both occasions when he gave me the pills, he said that if I could avoid taking them, I should.'

Based on this, I'm about 70-80% certain that the issue of not taking breakthrough pills is indeed related to the Three Innate Gates!

'My personal information shows that I exchanged for the Meridian-Clearing Pill, which I gave to Master Ping. This might be guessed. However, I didn't exchange for the Meridian-Clearing Elixir. Did Shen Xianhong give me the Meridian-Opening Pill and the Profound-Connecting Pill with the intention of ruining my foundation, extinguishing my hope of breaking through to the Innate Realm, and thus making me a devoted vassal of the Shen family?'

From the Shen family's perspective, they had every reason to do so.

Think about it: if Zhuang Jin weren't stuck at a certain level without any bottlenecks, and had pills on hand to break through those bottlenecks, one pill could allow him to break through to a higher level. Would you use them or not? Such temptation, could you resist if you were unaware of it?

'But Shen Xianhong always said when he gave me the pills that I should try to break through on my own and avoid using them if possible. Even if I found out afterwards, I couldn't hold a grudge.'

'This is a brilliant, open strategy! Absolutely brilliant!'

Thinking about all this, Zhuang Jin became even more certain of one thing: 'My breakthrough to the Innate Realm is at odds with the Shen family's position, and I'm likely to receive no help from them, but rather face resistance.'

'Even if the Medicine King Gang faces a formidable enemy, it's highly likely to remain so, because once I truly break through to the Innate Realm, I'll be completely uncontrollable, like that Medicine King Gang leader, possessing the confidence to contend with an entire powerful clan.'

'If I really want the Shen family to allow and help me break through to the Innate Realm, unless... the Shen family faces a life-or-death threat!'

A thought flashed through his mind, but he suppressed it for the moment, pulling his thoughts back: 'It seems now imperative to find other channels outside the Shen family to search for information on the three stages of the Innate Realm, as well as experience in breaking through to the Innate Realm!'

"I had this idea before: to demonstrate our strength and value, and see if we could get it from Teng Yuansong. Now it seems he's willing but unable... Fu Shousong's connections don't seem promising either, and going through him carries the risk of leaking information about the Shen family... This is difficult!"

Zhuang Jin sighed inwardly, suppressing his various thoughts: 'I've only recently broken through to the Fetal Breathing Realm, and there's still time. I can only take it one step at a time!'

Teng Yuansong nodded slightly as he watched Zhuang Jin deep in thought.

He understood human nature well and knew that people's hearts were easily swayed when faced with tests and temptations. It was impossible for him to trust Zhuang Jin wholeheartedly just because she said, "Have more faith in him."

Revealing this news at this time is also a way of telling Zhuang Jin indirectly: if you want to break through to a higher level, you cannot take pills that break through bottlenecks. The resources you once plundered from the Fei and Yao families are enough for you to complete the accumulation of the Ren and Du meridians, so there is no need to plunder the people.

It can only be said that people who reach a certain level in this world are not fools, and they will not do meaningless things. People like Shen Xianhong and Teng Yuansong are examples of this.

……

(End of this chapter)