Starting with the flesh-based stimulant

The two spoke at the same time, and the peddler reacted first, saying:

"Your friend is also a businessman?"

Zhou He did not continue following his lead.

Hiding the knife strapped to his back, he asked directly:

"What kind of business are you talking about?"

The peddler didn't answer immediately. Instead, he laboriously took a bronze brazier out of his cart and placed it in a place that looked relatively dry.

The brazier stand was made of black wood, giving it a somber look, and a copper basin was set inside it.

He took out a box of matches, struck one, and tossed it into the basin. The peddler, catching his breath, said:

"When discussing big business, you need to act like you're doing big business. It's so dark here, people will think I'm doing shady stuff."

The match fell into the brazier, and with a "whoosh," flames shot up, illuminating the dilapidated temple as if it were daytime.

Zhou He squinted slightly, feeling a bit uncomfortable, and subconsciously turned his head to look at the statue behind him.

The statue is still hidden in the dust, and its appearance is not clear.

The peddler lit a fire, squatted contentedly beside the brazier, warming his hands with his hands, and squinted as he said:

"A huge business, the largest meat business in the entire Zuolong County."

Zhou He subtly stepped back a little, moving further away from the brazier, and asked:

"Why are you looking for me?"

"Big businesses require big investments, but how you acquire those investments matters. And I happen to have the capital you need."

Without hesitation, the peddler spoke.

What kind of capital do I need?

Zhou He frowned, pondering how to speak.

When he was a doctor, he developed a conversational skill.

In short, no matter what, before you have completely gained control of the conversation, you must never go along with the other party, and you must never answer whatever they ask.

After all, most of the people he talked to were mental patients.

If you let the other party lead you by the nose, you'll only get stuck in the quagmire of a mentally ill person's logic, unable to get out like you're trapped in a maze.

So he didn't ask what kind of capital they had, nor did he ask how the other party knew what he wanted.

Instead, he asked directly:

"What kind of business?"

"Hey friend, you should ask me what capital I'm giving you."

The peddler casually spread his legs, roasting his thing over the fire, and closed his eyes comfortably.

"What kind of business am I asking about?"

Zhou and repeated it again.

The peddler turned his head and grinned again.

In the firelight, Zhou He noticed that the other person was missing a front tooth, a dark hole embedded in his long face, which looked somewhat comical.

"If you're looking for butchers, you'll definitely be doing business with them. Did you know that Old Master Li recently hired people to buy meat?"

Zhou He recalled the tall courtyard he passed when the old hunchback carried him out of the Zhou family home, and how the old hunchback had spat at him back then.

He nodded without saying anything more.

The peddler, however, was in high spirits and said:

"Old Master Li has made a fortune. I don't know where he got it, but he got his son a travel permit. His son is quite capable; he ate meat for four days but still couldn't save enough money for the trip."

"For us travelers, the size of our pockets is predetermined. The more money you can save before you set out, the farther you can go. But if you're never enough to eat, that won't do either. So Boss Li came to me and asked me to find him some wild meat."

"Speaking of which, this Tuozi Township is strange. Just these past two days, first the Zhou family asked me to buy wild meat, which was delivered this morning, and now Old Master Li's family wants to buy some too."

"It's like comparing wealth! The Zhou family moved back from Jincheng, they're rich, but how did Boss Li get so rich? I just can't figure it out."

After rambling on for a while, the peddler smiled at Zhou He and then shook his head.

Seemingly finally remembering that her clothes were still wet, she quickly took a flowerpot off the cart, placed it in the leaky area to collect some water, and then carried it over to place in front of the brazier.

Suddenly, a short, thick tree sprouted from the empty flowerpot, section by section.

It has no leaves, but has branched out into several twigs.

Standing upright in the flowerpot, with a carefree air, it even resembled a peddler somewhat.

He hung his clothes, trousers, and even his underpants on the branches of a tree, and the peddler used the fire to dry them.

Zhou He saw clearly that the other party had not concealed their previous actions.

That flowerpot was definitely empty before!

So this isn't some kind of trick, but rather a special technique possessed by the peddler's trade in this world?

But what industry do they work in?

What does this technique mean? Is it the same as that strange candy from before?

The memories he obtained from eating the old hunchback were completely devoid of these things.

The peddler didn't explain, and continued:

"If they need to go and fetch wild game meat, the fake meat shopper they hired won't dare to go, so I came to you instead."

Zhou He searched his memory for a moment, and thankfully, he had encountered this information before.

Those who, like the old hunchback and himself, obtained travel permits and saved up travel expenses before setting out on their journeys, were called meat carriers.

Before the introduction of travel permits, there were also people who made money by carrying large amounts of meat on their backs with great courage and strength; these were the "fake meat vendors" mentioned by peddlers.

"Wild game meat" and "domestic meat" are different.

Domestic meat is raised on farms, while wild meat is fished out of meat mines by "meat harvesters".

Zhou and himself were the "wild meat" that the peddler had mentioned, the one that Zhou's family had bought.

Carrying wild meat is risky, not because of anything like the meat opening its eyes; in this world, the idea of ​​meat opening its eyes is practically a scare tale.

The main risk is that wild meat is so good that it might attract unwanted attention from some unknown entities.

But according to the rules, carrying wild game meat must be done at night.

If you run into those things, it's common for the meat vendor and the meat to be eaten together.

Therefore, if you want to eat wild game, you must have it carried by a meat carrier who "hides his knife and carries the meat without getting involved in any karma".

If any fake meat seller dares to carry wild meat, it's like a child carrying gold through a ghost market, providing extra food to those mysterious beings.

Up to this point, the peddler's explanation was reasonable, but Zhou still had one more question.

The peddler said his capital was just enough for himself, which meant he knew what he wanted... and what he needed right now.

How did he know?

Thinking of this, Zhou He slowly opened his mouth, but instead of asking directly, he changed to a somewhat dangerous question:

"Why not go find the old hunchback?"

This question is a test for the peddler.

Since the other party is so familiar with the Zhou and Li families, they are probably also active in Tuozi Township.

As the most senior meat carrier in the area, it was impossible for this peddler not to recognize Ga Tuo Tuo.

Since it's a big business deal, you should choose a more familiar partner, rather than just finding anyone to partner with; that doesn't make sense.

So, from the moment you came in, the other party kept trying to talk to you, even using strange techniques to force you to come out. What was their purpose?

Zhou He knew in his heart that there must be something behind this that he didn't know.

So at this point, what should we say and do to gain control of the conversation?

Damn it, I know so little information!

Zhou He cursed under his breath, gripped the knife hilt, looked at the peddler, and waited for his reply.

Upon hearing this, the peddler's expression turned somewhat strange. He looked Zhou He up and down, and his tone seemed a little resentful as he said:

"Old hunchback—didn't you eat him?"

"Crackling sound"

A bolt of lightning, like a knife, pierced down and landed at the entrance of the dilapidated temple.

Inside the temple, one person was squatting and the other was standing.

Zhou He's body was hidden in the shadows, with only the knife reflecting the electric light.

The peddler squatted down casually, tidying up the wet clothes hanging up, and fell silent for a moment.

With a loud "boom".

A muffled clap of thunder sounded.

The sweat from Zhou's palms dripped onto the hilt of the knife, making it difficult for him to hold it steady for a moment.

he knows!

He knows I ate the hunchback!