Starting with the flesh-based stimulant

Zhou He carried the meat on his back, while the peddler pushed his cart.

They knew the way well and nothing happened, just as the peddler had said.

The area around Jincheng is very quiet now.

Because that "utterly wicked" old man Jincheng has already been executed.

Thinking of this, Zhou He couldn't help but let out another cold snort.

As we entered Zhoujiagou, we didn't see Shuanzi herding cattle by the river. After walking for another half hour or so, we arrived at the gate of the Li family's tall house.

The house was tall and magnificent, with even the main gate inlaid with copper nails that gleamed and shimmered in the sunlight.

The peddler stepped forward and led Zhou He through the side door.

"The Li family is wealthy and has many customs."

As he spoke, his eyes were full of mockery.

Zhou He also remembered what Shuanzi had told him: the eldest son of the Li family used to be a gambling thief, and his family was not well-off. But later, for some reason, he suddenly became rich.

For the poor who suddenly become rich, the hardest thing to control is their fear of hiding their wealth in the dark. That's why they need to build houses and courtyards and establish rules.

It's mostly for show.

Upon entering through the side gate, an old woman approached, dressed in red and green, with a string of jujube-sized gemstones gleaming around her neck. She walked with a affected and pretentious manner, and was even followed by two children, a man and a woman, who followed her step by step as if serving an empress dowager.

Upon seeing the old woman, the peddler dropped his mocking expression, a smile spreading across his face, as if he were seeing his own grandmother.

"Oh dear, Grandma Li, you've been waiting a long time. This time, I've carefully selected them and put in a lot of effort!"

As the peddler spoke, he gestured for Zhou He to come closer and showed the old woman the bare flesh on his back.

The old woman tiptoed closer, looked him up and down, and reached out to touch him, but the peddler quickly stopped her.

"Oh dear Grandma Li, you can't touch this! It's poisonous!"

Grandma Li glanced at the peddler, her voice sharp yet slow and soft, as if trying to appear shrewd:

"That's scary. Humph, hurry up and go inside. If you delay my grandson from eating meat again, I'll have someone skin you alive."

The peddler chuckled and nodded, his back bent low, his eyes devoid of any extra emotion.

Zhou and his face were hidden under the brim of his hat. He followed the peddler into the courtyard and into the backyard.

As soon as he entered, Zhou He frowned.

It wasn't because of the smell of oil or fragrance in the air.

However, all the houses in this courtyard have a strange air about them.

Several houses surrounded the area, barely forming a three-section layout, but it wasn't the usual square shape. Instead, it was crooked and slanted, like several cubes that had been carelessly thrown on the ground.

The houses were not uniform in height; some were taller than the main entrance, with a cloth bag hanging on them, while others were too short for a person to even walk through the doorway.

In the center of the courtyard, there was a huge stone mill. The mill was carved from a huge rock, and its surface was rough, looking as if it hadn't been used much.

A short, chubby man was squatting on the millstone, his face full of smiles, looking just like a doll in a New Year's painting.

The baby grinned at Zhou He without saying a word, its mouth opening wider and wider, drool dripping down and wetting the white cloth on its chest.

"Young Master Zhou, don't look around too much, come with me."

The peddler lowered his voice and led Zhou He toward the small room. At the door, he thoughtfully reminded Zhou He to bend down so as not to bump his head.

Upon entering the room, a large box was placed in the center, narrow in the front and wide in the back, extremely heavy, so heavy that it sank into the ground.

Upon closer inspection, the box is entirely green, with the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea depicted on the front. However, the images of the Eight Immortals are all somewhat strange.

Zhou He leaned closer, but the peddler pulled him back and gave him a look. Zhou He followed him and looked into the box.

Inside lay a fair-skinned young man with his eyes half-closed. He had a slender and well-proportioned figure, was completely naked, and had little muscle. He looked like a son of a wealthy family.

"Young Master Zhou, light the lamps, burn incense, and offer the meat."

Zhou Heyi awkwardly carried the meat, took out an oil lamp from the iron box on his chest, lit it, burned three incense sticks, put them in the incense burner, bowed briefly, recited a few incantations for meat delivery, and, lying on the outside of the box, used the height difference to place the meat next to the boy.

The peddler nodded, stood with Zhou He in the corner of the room, quietly waited for the incense to burn out, then tidied up and silently led Zhou He out of the room.

Once outside the room, the peddler grinned and said to Zhou He:

"Did Young Master Zhou notice?"

Zhou shook his head honestly.

"As expected of a young master from a prominent family, he can't even recognize a coffin?"

Zhou He recalled that the box in the room was shaped like a coffin.

The main reason is that cremation was already implemented in my previous life, but I hadn't seen many coffins, and the shape of this coffin was not a common one.

He was somewhat confused. From the moment he arrived at the Li family's house, everything he saw had a strange disharmony about it.

He wanted to ask, but seeing the peddler's smiling face and remembering how the peddler addressed him, he touched the brim of his hat and remained silent.

Once outside the courtyard, the outer room looked normal. Grandma Li had already sent someone to prepare a room for the peddler and Zhou He to stay overnight.

This is the normal rule: to avoid any accidents while eating meat, meat deliverymen will wait until the rooster crows the next day.

Once inside the room, the peddler lit an incense stick before taking off his shoes by the bed and speaking:

"Young Master Zhou, why don't you get some sleep? We still have business to do tonight."

Zhou He covered his nose, sat down in the chair, and said with some disgust:

"I knew it. In your eyes, Mr. Chen, delivering meat is far from a big business. Are you up to petty theft or swindling?"

The peddler chuckled and shook the rattle in his hand. "Young Master Zhou's words are still not very pleasant to hear. My status is different now, and I have serious business to attend to."

Zhou He ignored him and simply asked:

"What should I do?"

"Do your job as a meat seller: carry meat when you need to, and cut meat when you need to."

Zhou He sat down in the chair and stopped asking questions.

As a pawn, he has no need to ask anything.

The peddler was a fairly good chess player.

By midday, the peddler had already eaten two meals before staggering back to his room, grinning broadly.

"Young Master Zhou, may I tell you some interesting stories about the Li family?"

Zhou He was interested in this matter. Inquiring about secrets was his hobby in his previous life, let alone in this body, it seems that only this desire remained.

He moved the chair closer, placing himself next to the peddler.

"Hehe, the Li family is rich now, with big houses and big courtyards, and many servants. Even Grandma Li is dressed in gold and silver. Young Master Zhou looks down on this little money, but some people are willing to sell their whole family's lives for it."

The peddler got carried away, one foot on the edge of the bed, shaking his head, spittle flying from his mouth:

"What a pity. How many people can fit in one coffin?"